Springtime Affairs in a Noble Family

"I just happened to be passing by, so I came in to take a look," said Dingguo Gongdao. "Do you run this cloth shop?"

Cui Lingrong shook her head and said no, "It's mainly my younger brother who runs the business. He goes south to buy cloth, so I've been helping to manage it lately. If the Duke wants to buy any cloth, just tell the waiter. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll go upstairs first."

There is a difference between men and women, and she had already given instructions that it was inappropriate to entertain the Duke of Dingguo.

Moreover, when her younger brother was arrested, she heard General Xie say that the Duke of Dingguo was on Qian Jin's side.

Adding to the matter of the concubine's son, Cui Lingrong's impression of the Duke of Dingguo was not good.

If you can't stand Lady Dingguo, you can get a divorce. But Duke Dingguo wants both of you, he can't give Lady Dingguo any respect, and he also leaves his mistress and her child in a state of uncertainty, which is equivalent to harming two women.

Now that Sister Yuan has left the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, she will no longer have any dealings with it. It is only out of her good upbringing and politeness to greet it when she meets it.

The Duke of Dingguo grunted in acknowledgment, then turned to the waiter and asked to wrap up a few bolts of cloth. He casually inquired, "When will your manager bring back new cloth?"

"It will take at least half a month," the waiter said. "These days, it's rainy in the south, and the roads are slippery and difficult to travel on. We have to be especially careful transporting the cloth, so it could take a month. Does Your Excellency want new cloth? If the new cloth arrives, may I come to inform you?"

The Duke of Dingguo shook his head. He never cared about food and clothing. If the waiter went to the Duke's mansion and Qin Shi found out, it would only arouse suspicion.

"I was just asking casually." The Duke of Dingguo had someone carry the cloth away. After turning a corner, he instructed his attendant to take the cloth to use and not to bring it back to the Duke's mansion. "Don't mention today's events to anyone."

"Your Excellency, I know. But do you remember Lord Qian's matter regarding Cui Zeyu?" the attendant reminded him.

Speaking of this, the Duke of Dingguo frowned. If it really was one person, then he…

Never mind, I'll stop thinking about it for now.

There are no such coincidences in the world.

He came to the cloth shop simply because he had been thinking about it and wanted to confirm it; he didn't have any expectations.

He's been searching for so long, what's another half month?

After the Duke of Dingguo left, Cui Lingrong had almost finished organizing the account books. She went downstairs and chatted with the waiter for a bit. When she heard that the Duke of Dingguo had bought a few bolts of cloth, she didn't ask any further questions and didn't think much of it.

The fabric shop's business has been so-so lately. It's not that there are no customers, but that the supply of goods is insufficient. Cui Lingrong calculated that she wouldn't receive any money this quarter, but would have to wait until next quarter.

Fortunately, she had the money given to her by Grandma Song. She gave most of it to her younger brother, but she still had some left.

When she got home, Caixia said that Aunt Yu had come by and said, "The county princess gave money to supplement the meals for Wutongyuan and Shou'an Hall separately. Aunt Yu asked you what you thought?"

"Since it's the county magistrate's money being spent, let her spend it. Once this starts, it can't be stopped. She can subsidize Shou'an Hall for a month or three months, but as time goes on, she'll realize it's not a small amount of money." This is something Cui Lingrong experienced firsthand, and she understands it deeply.

Caixia nodded and said, "If the county magistrate wants to stop supplying you in the future, the old lady will treat you as if she is dissatisfied with you."

Cui Lingrong understood this logic. "Go and tell Aunt Yu that as long as the county princess is willing to pay, she can buy her whatever she wants. The old lady has gotten used to living a comfortable life these past few years, and she doesn't know how much money she can spend."

Caixia agreed and went to the main kitchen to deliver the message.

Cui Lingrong was tired from going out, so she ate a few bites and went to rest.

During the Qingming Festival, it rained lightly. After a light rain, the flowers and leaves in the yard looked brand new.

Cui Lingrong got up early and asked for a bowl of brown sugar ginger tea. After drinking it warmly, someone from the second branch of the family came to tell her that Aunt He had gone through a miscarriage.

"What happened?" Cui Lingrong asked.

"They say that Aunt He went to pay her respects to the Second Mistress, but was punished by the Second Mistress and made to kneel in the courtyard. After only half an hour, the Second Mistress fainted," Caiyue said.

"Have you sent someone to fetch a doctor?" Cui Lingrong didn't want to get involved in the second wife's dispute.

Jiang had tolerated He Pingping before because she herself hadn't had children for many years. If she were to make a move against He Pingping, the old lady would really make the second master divorce his wife.

Now that Jiang is pregnant, she has no more scruples about He Pingping. Since He Pingping has come to her of her own accord, Jiang will definitely take her anger out on He Pingping.

Caiyue said, "Aunt He isn't very clever. Second Mistress harbors resentment towards her and won't let her have an easy time. Yet she insists on currying favor with Second Mistress. Isn't she just offering Second Mistress a chance?"

"You're too young," said Qiu's mother.

Caiyue was confused and asked, "How come I look young? Isn't Aunt He stupid?"

Madam Qiu and her mistress exchanged a glance and smiled simultaneously. Cui Lingrong explained to Caiyue, "Think about it, if Second Madam doesn't have children, wouldn't He Pingping be the heir of the second branch of the family if she gave birth to a son?"

Caiyue said it's very likely.

"Now that they're both pregnant, compared to Second Madam's fear of He Pingping's child, He Pingping actually doesn't want to see Second Madam give birth. He Pingping's pregnancy is stable, but Second Madam's isn't. If she goes for a stroll, Second Madam might miscarry." Cui Lingrong was well-versed in the power struggles within the household. "Even if she doesn't miscarry this time, Second Madam will still be affected by the pregnancy, and it might even cause a rift between Second Madam and Second Master."

As Qiu's mother concluded, "It can be said to kill two birds with one stone; Aunt He is a clever woman."

Caiyue suddenly realized, "So that's what happened. I thought she was stupid, but it turns out that Aunt He is the one who schemes the most."

Madam Qiu smiled and said, "There's a lot to learn in the inner quarters. You should learn more from the eldest mistress so you won't get tricked."

"Who would dare to trick me?" Caiyue snorted. "I'm someone who works for Grandma. Even if I can't make up my mind, I can ask you, Aunt Qiu, or Grandma."

As long as she doesn't make decisions on her own, no one can harm her.

From the moment Caiyue entered the Marquis's residence, she served in Qiushuangzhai. The eldest mistress was kind-hearted, and although Young Master Yu disliked her, she did not harbor any resentment.

In matters between men and women, mutual affection is essential. It's normal that someone as outstanding as Young Master Yu wouldn't be interested in her.

Caiyue said she would go to the second house to inquire, but as soon as she arrived in the garden, she ran into Wang Mama from Wutong Garden.

"Miss Caiyue," Wang Hechun's wife said with a smile, "Where are you going?"

"When Madam learned that Aunt He had miscarried, she asked me to go and check on her," Caiyue said.

"I just went over there too. Aunt He is alright, you don't need to rush over." Wang Hechun's wife has been vying with Chen De's wife lately. Both of them are head housekeepers at Wutong Garden, but the county princess is always closer to Chen De's wife. "I just got some good tea, would you like a cup?"

Caiyue said no, she wouldn't get too close to the people from Wutongyuan.

"That's true, you still have errands to run," said Wang Hechun's wife. "Come see me anytime you have time. A girl as good as you, it's his bad luck that Young Master Yu didn't take a liking to you."

Caiyue instinctively wanted to retort that Young Master Yu was very kind, but then she noticed the meaningful smile on Wang Hechun's face and said instead, "Oh, I don't want to bring this up again. I'm going to see Aunt He first. Take care, Mama Wang."

Seeing Caiyue's reaction, Wang Hechun's wife was certain that Caiyue was dissatisfied. If she could win over someone from Qiushuangzhai for the county magistrate, the magistrate would definitely think more highly of her.