Springtime Affairs in a Noble Family

In order to find out what the Duchess of Dingguo meant, Cui Lingrong went to see her.

At the Duke of Dingguo's residence, Cui Lingrong followed the old woman to meet the Duke of Dingguo's wife.

It had been a while since I last saw her, and the Duchess of Dingguo looked much more haggard, with her temples completely white.

Qin Shi had someone offer them seats, and noticing Cui Lingrong's cautious demeanor, she spoke first with a forced smile, "Are you wondering why I summoned you here?"

Cui Lingrong said it was true.

"When Madam Yuan was alive, she would mention you, saying that you were intelligent and insightful, with eyes that could see through everything. So I would like to ask you, what do I value most when choosing a son to adopt?" Madam Qin looked at Cui Lingrong, who was indeed as calm and composed as the rumors said.

Cui Lingrong thought for a moment, "People's hearts are fickle, let alone children who are not their own. Ability and talent are secondary. A capable person without filial piety will be betrayed sooner or later. I believe that if we are to adopt someone, we should look at their character. If they have good character, it doesn't matter if they are mediocre. After all, the Duke of Dingguo's family is prestigious enough that we don't need our juniors to bring glory to them."

Qin listened thoughtfully. She had originally wanted to find someone with good learning who could stand by her side and bring her honor.

Hearing Cui Lingrong say this, Qin Shi softened somewhat.

However, she had another purpose in calling Cui Lingrong over today.

"You certainly have more insight," said Madam Qin. As she spoke, the old woman beside her brought over a piece of jewelry. "It's a sad story. My son died young, a white-haired man burying a black-haired one. Otherwise, why would I have adopted someone else's child? But enough of that, it's too painful to talk about, lest I upset you. I heard you have an adopted brother whom you value highly. If you ask me, business is ultimately not respectable. How about I help him find a job, as a way of repaying the favor you gave me?"

Faced with Qin's sudden show of goodwill, Cui Lingrong's first reaction was not happiness, but doubt.

No one will suddenly become kind to another person.

If so, it must have another purpose.

"The Duchess thinks too highly of me. It was just a casual conversation, and I don't deserve such a great favor. Besides, my brother has no interest in officialdom, so it wouldn't make any difference if you arranged something for him," Cui Lingrong replied casually.

"Really? That's strange. Are there still people who don't want to be officials these days?" Madam Qin subtly observed Cui Lingrong, eager to know if Cui Lingrong knew anything about the Duke of Dingguo's mansion.

Cui Lingrong said that everyone has their own ambitions, "I sent him to school before."

"I see. Then I won't insist," Qin said. "My family is hosting a banquet in a couple of days. Bring the children and your younger brother along. The Duke of Dingguo's family is prestigious enough for him to make many connections and do business with."

Cui Lingrong said it was unfortunate, "My younger brother is not in Bianjing."

"Where is it?"

Cui Lingrong said she didn't know, "Businessmen are used to traveling all over the country, and I don't know where he is. Thank you for your kindness. I will bring him to visit you again when I have time."

Qin agreed, and asked Cui Lingrong to stay for a couple of cups of tea before having someone escort her out.

Once everyone had left, Madam Qin narrowed her eyes. "Aunt Liu, do you think it could be her younger brother?"

"It's hard to say," said Madam Liu, hoping it wasn't true. "If it were an ordinary person, it would be easier to deal with, but I heard that when Cui Zeyu was arrested, Lady Song and General Xie went to great lengths to get him out."

"Yes, they're willing to offend the Qian family to get Cui Zeyu out, which shows how much the Cui family values ​​him." Qin Shi took a deep breath. Since she couldn't determine if it was indeed Cui Zeyu, she decided to resolve the issue directly. "Didn't the Cui family say that business people travel all over the place, and anything can happen? Since it's difficult to resolve the issue if Cui Zeyu returns to Bianjing, then we shouldn't let him come back."

She couldn't take the risk; that old man Lu Zhong wouldn't buy cloth for no reason.

If she hadn't had an informant, she would have been completely fooled.

What her son cannot have, she must never allow Lu Zhong's son to inherit the Duke of Dingguo's mansion.

Just thinking about it made Qin feel a tightness in her chest. "Make sure they do a clean job. If they get caught doing something wrong again, don't let them come back. Let them all die out there."

Knowing her mistress's obsession, Liu Mama advised, "It's still uncertain. Perhaps the Duke really was just passing by. If we act rashly, we might offend..."

"I'm not afraid of that 'what if' scenario. I only regret not being ruthless enough back then, letting that little bastard get away!" Qin Shi made up her mind. "Do you think I'm that idiot Qian Jin? Since I was the one who did it, I couldn't possibly leave any evidence!"

Liu's mother had no choice but to agree and went out to instruct someone to deal with Cui Zeyu.

Meanwhile, Cui Lingrong was still on the carriage returning to her residence.

She and Qiu's mother analyzed the situation for a long time, but neither of them could figure out the purpose of the Duchess of Dingguo.

"The Duchess and Young Master Yu have no connection, so it was just a casual question, but her overtures today are really strange," said Mama Qiu.

"Yes, the Jiangyuan Marquis's family is far inferior to the Dingguo Duke's family. The Duchess was indeed quite perplexing today." Fortunately, Cui Lingrong was cautious and did not tell the other party everything.

She was wary, and when she went to the banquet a few days later, she didn't even bring Yu-jie'er with her.

Upon encountering Princess Rongjia and Song Shulan at the entrance of the Marquis's residence, Cui Lingrong greeted them with "Lord Marquis" and boarded the carriage.

She knew that Song Shulan would not get into her carriage.

It wasn't until they reached the gates of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion that Song Shulan approached and said, "Today is a banquet at the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, attended by high-ranking officials and nobles. Why didn't you bring Yu'er along?"

Song Shulan hopes his daughter will marry into a wealthy family next year, when she will be of marriageable age and able to meet people. He was a little unhappy when the county princess mentioned it earlier; he had finally managed to come to the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, but Cui Lingrong hadn't brought her daughter along.

"Yu-jie wasn't feeling well, so I didn't bring her along," Cui Lingrong said.

"Alright, don't delay again next time." Song Shulan didn't ask Yu Jie'er where she felt unwell. She turned around and walked to Princess Rongjia's side, and together they entered the Duke of Dingguo's mansion.

There were quite a few guests at the entrance. Some acquaintances cast their gazes, some with sympathy, some with curiosity, and some with a sarcastic, spectator's attitude.

Cui Lingrong pretended not to see it and was about to enter the mansion when she heard a clear voice calling "Sister Cui". She turned around and saw Xie Yunting running towards her on horseback.

Because of the Qin family's connections, Xie Yunting also received an invitation from the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. He grinned, revealing his white teeth, "What a coincidence, meeting you at the Duke's mansion gate! Are you alone? Shall we go in together?"

Cui Lingrong didn't specify whether it was the same person or not, but smiled and nodded at Xie Yunting, "General Xie, how have you been lately?"

"I'm perfectly fine. But I'm leaving Bianjing soon. The Emperor has sent me to suppress bandits. Don't worry, some bandits are nothing. I'll definitely be back soon." Xie Yunting kept looking at Cui Lingrong as he spoke, and didn't even see the Qin family members in front of him.

It was only when Madam Qin heard the sound and turned around that she noticed Xie Yunting, who was traveling with Cui Lingrong. She glanced at Cui Lingrong, then at Xie Yunting, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, but on the surface she smiled and waited for Xie Yunting to take the initiative to greet her.

As a result, Xie Yunting passed by Madam Qin without even greeting her. It wasn't that Xie Yunting did it on purpose; he simply didn't recognize Madam Qin. It was only after Qin Mengyao, standing behind Madam Qin, called out "General Xie" that he raised his eyebrows and turned around, asking, "Who are you?"