Springtime Affairs in a Noble Family

Upon arriving at Qiushuangzhai, Song Shulan, adopting the airs of a marquis, had Caixia pour him tea, then looked at Cui Lingrong and asked, "You summoned me here today because you missed me?"

Counting the days, it's been quite a long time since he stayed at Qiushuangzhai.

Cui Lingrong was drinking tea and almost choked. "What nonsense are you spouting, Lord Marquis?"

She glanced at Caixia and the others out of the corner of her eye. Autumn's mother seemed alright, but Caixia and Caiyue both lowered their heads in embarrassment.

"Is that not it?" Song Shulan sensed something was wrong.

Cui Lingrong began to talk about the two children's schooling, "Although Xuan-ge told Yu-jie not to tell me, Yu-jie was worried that he wouldn't be able to handle it alone, so she came to me privately."

Seeing Cui Lingrong's serious expression, Song Shulan asked, "What exactly happened?"

"Zhao Xu from the Rong Prince's Mansion found Xuan-ge'er and said that I had harmed the Qian family and implicated Qian Shi, who was also scolded. He threatened Xuan-ge'er, telling him to submit a blank exam paper." Cui Lingrong said, taking a deep breath. Fortunately, Xuan-ge'er was strong enough and was not threatened by Zhao Xu.

Song Shulan was skeptical. "That can't be right, can it?"

"Does Your Excellency think I would lie about my own child?" Cui Lingrong asked quietly.

Song Shulan frowned. Several arguments between Cui Lingrong and him had been about the child or Cui Zeyu. Clearly, Cui Lingrong valued the people around her very much.

"My lord, please don't misunderstand. I didn't mean to involve adults in this matter. But from a child's perspective, it's certainly possible that's the case, isn't it?" Cui Lingrong asked again.

This time, Song Shulan was somewhat rational.

He had met Zhao Xu a few times, and he was indeed a rather flamboyant young man.

"What do you want to say?" Song Shulan asked.

"Zhao Xu is a member of the imperial family, and countless people want to curry favor with him. If he wants to bully Xuan-ge'er, he has many opportunities. So I would like to ask the Marquis to step in and find someone in the Imperial Academy to protect Xuan-ge'er." Cui Lingrong was well aware that she was not capable of this.

She came from an unremarkable background and had no relatives teaching at the Imperial Academy, so she could only ask Song Shulan to come up with a solution.

Having just achieved the highest honors in the imperial examinations, Song Shulan had high hopes for his eldest son and naturally did not want him to be bullied.

For the time being, Song Shulan couldn't think of anyone he knew who was quite accomplished at the Imperial Academy.

Seeing Song Shulan deep in thought, Cui Lingrong continued, "If Your Excellency really has no other choice, you can let Xuan-ge'er return to Lingyun Academy. The Imperial Academy is good, but Lingyun Academy is not bad either. Returning to a familiar place will allow him to avoid those纨绔子弟 (spoiled brats) like Zhao Xu, which is a good thing."

Choi Young-yong can choose either option.

If Song Shulan were truly capable of protecting her son, she wouldn't be so petty as to insist that Xuan-ge'er leave the Imperial Academy. After all, so many people wanted to enter the Imperial Academy, and Princess Rongjia had indeed offered tangible benefits in this regard.

"Let me think about it," Song Shulan said.

"Alright, but please do it as soon as possible, Lord Marquis. Xuan-ge'er is about to take the prefectural examination, and I don't want it to be affected."

After talking about her eldest son, Cui Lingrong began to talk about her younger son, "Jin-ge'er has been at the Imperial Academy for almost half a year. His studies are just average, but he has a great talent for riding and archery. I'm thinking of having him train in martial arts."

"Practice martial arts?" Song Shulan's voice rose a few decibels, refusing without hesitation, "No way! None of the sons in my Song family have ever pursued martial arts. If word got out, wouldn't we be laughed at?"

"But does the Marquis think that Jin-ge'er has any hope of passing the imperial examination, since he is forcing him to pursue literature?" It's not that Cui Lingrong is belittling Jin-ge'er, but whether a person has a talent for studying can be seen after just a few lessons.

To succeed in the imperial examinations, one needed not only hard work but also talent.

Cui Lingrong hoped that every child could be happier, and that's why she brought it up with Song Shulan since Jin Ge'er was suited to martial arts.

Song Shulan firmly disagreed, "If once isn't enough, then twice or three times! My Song family's sons must never practice martial arts!"

As he spoke, Song Shulan looked Cui Lingrong up and down, "Why are you suddenly interested in martial arts? Who instigated you?"

He immediately thought of Xie Yunting. Some time ago, Cui Lingrong was often seen with Xie Yunting. It must be Xie Yunting who was causing trouble!

"No one instigated it; it's just that I feel Jin-ge'er prefers martial arts." Cui Lingrong immediately saw through Song Shulan's little scheme. "How long has it been since Your Excellency inquired about your two sons' studies? Do you know how many poems Jin-ge'er has memorized or how many characters he recognizes?"

This question left Song Shulan speechless.

"I...I was recently promoted and have been busy with official duties. I will check their homework when I have time later." Song Shulan turned away, avoiding looking into Cui Lingrong's eyes.

Cui Lingrong snorted, "I'm afraid the moment you step out of Qiushuangzhai's door, the Marquis will have forgotten all about it. My son isn't just mine; if the Marquis insists on being stubborn, I can't force you. But if you want the Marquis's mansion to regain its former glory, is it one person or two people who have that ability?"

She took a deep breath. "Yes, military officers are of lower status than civil officials. But I was born with talent. Without military officers guarding the borders, how could Bianjing enjoy peace and prosperity?"

In her view, both civil and military officials were important.

However, Song Shulan valued the reputation of the Marquis's mansion and his own reputation more, and refused to let Jin Ge'er practice martial arts no matter what.

The couple held differing opinions, and Song Shulan left angrily, saying, "Short-sighted."

Cui Lingrong also lost her temper and complained to Qiu's mother, "If he had any foresight, why would he need to rely on women to get promoted?"

Without Princess Rongjia, could Song Shulan have been promoted?

Dream it.

Mother Qiu's brows twitched as she listened, it seemed that the rift between the eldest mistress and the Marquis was growing deeper and deeper.

"We need to think about Jin-ge'er's matter some more." Cui Lingrong quickly regained her composure. "The Rongjia County Princess's confinement period is about to end. Once she comes out, things will definitely not be peaceful."

Madam Qiu said, "The Marquis is still staying overnight at Wutong Garden, so it seems that he has forgiven Princess Rongjia."

"This is to be expected. The Marquis still needs the Rong Prince's Mansion to get promoted, so he won't neglect Princess Rongjia." Cui Lingrong said disdainfully. "Isn't Huadie going out? Tell her to go ahead. Since it's to offer incense for the unborn child, I won't stop her."

She actually understood that Huadie was going to find Qingxue.

Mother Qiu said, "Qingxue is smart. She still has her parents working at the Rongjia County estate, so she probably won't say much."

"It's alright, Hua Die is foolish enough. I never expected her to bring down Princess Rongjia. The point of me helping her get the indenture is that she can do something from time to time to disgust Princess Rongjia and distract her." Cui Lingrong's emotions had returned to normal.

The matter is urgent, so we should proceed with caution. If Song Shulan doesn't agree in a day, we'll find a way to get him to give in later.

The most important thing now is Xuan-ge'er's matter; Zhao Xu definitely won't let it go.

She gave Song Shulan a few days. Since Song Shulan couldn't think of a solution, she decided to let the Xuan brothers leave the Imperial Academy together.

Days passed by, and before they knew it, it was March. Good news came from the second wife's side: Jiang was pregnant.

When Cui Lingrong learned of this, she merely raised an eyebrow and instructed Qiu's mother to prepare some congratulatory gifts to send over.

Grandma Song was overjoyed. She had thought that Jiang was infertile, but the female doctor that Cui Lingrong had invited was really amazing. After giving Jiang two acupuncture treatments, Jiang actually became pregnant.

Even Jiang herself was surprised. She hadn't initially thought about being pregnant, but her vomiting over the past few days aroused the suspicion of the old women around her.

The second branch had more good news, and Old Madam Song was so happy that she wanted to thank her ancestors. As a result, her expression towards Cui Lingrong improved.

Although Cui Lingrong has been competing with Rongjia County recently, she is genuinely doing practical things in other areas.

Jiang herself was especially grateful to Cui Lingrong. She had no biological mother to worry about her, and no matter how aggrieved she felt in the Jiangyuan Marquis's mansion, she could only swallow it down.

She had a generous gift prepared and specially sent to Cui Lingrong.

Of all the people in the Jiangyuan Marquis's mansion, only Princess Rongjia was so angry that she overturned the table.

In the past, when looking at Jiang, Princess Rongjia felt a sense of kinship, as they were both childless, which made her feel that she was not different.

Jiang is now pregnant.

Her first thought was, "On what basis?"

"If Jiang can get pregnant, why can't I?" Princess Rongjia looked at the mess on the ground, her eyes filled with resentment.

Wang Hechun's wife walked to the door, carefully tidying up the floor. After cleaning it, she hesitated and said, "Perhaps the female doctor that Madam invited really does have some skills?"

"You want me to beg Cui Lingrong for help?" Princess Rongjia glared at her.