Springtime Affairs in a Noble Family

Cui Lingrong felt incredibly foolish; why had she come looking for Song Shulan again?

Disappointment instantly filled her eyes.

Song Shulan also noticed the change in Cui Lingrong's eyes and defended herself, "What I said wasn't wrong. For Cui Zeyu, you showed up in public to find Xie Yunting before, and I didn't say anything to you. Lingrong, you've always been thoughtful. You should trust the court. They will definitely find Cui Zeyu."

"Is that so? Actually, Lord Marquis doesn't want Zeyu to live, does he?" Cui Lingrong turned and left.

"What are you saying? Do you think I'm such a vicious person?" Song Shulan chased to the door, but didn't see Cui Lingrong turn around.

Cui Lingrong's back view was resolute.

She only thought of seeking Song Shulan in a moment of desperation. She still regarded Song Shulan as her husband, and although there was a deep rift between them, she still subconsciously thought of Song Shulan in this kind of situation.

It won't happen again.

She made a mistake.

Cui Lingrong walked very quickly; she went to the Jiang family's house.

Upon learning that Cui Zeyu had been attacked, Yuan Mingzhu immediately sent people to find her husband.

When Jiang Kun arrived, he was about to mention Song Shulan, but then he saw his wife giving him a meaningful look, so he changed his mind and said, "I'll go write a letter right away and ask the local officials to help me find him."

After Jiang Kun left, Yuan Mingzhu complained, "Song Shulan is such a jerk. Doesn't he even consider who made money for the Jiangyuan Marquis's mansion all those years ago?"

Mentioning Song Shulan, Yuan Mingzhu was filled with anger. "That bastard, he's completely ungrateful. Zeyu is such a good person, how could he say such heartless things?"

Cui Lingrong remained silent.

"If it weren't for your three children, I would definitely advise you to get a divorce!" In her anger, Yuan Mingzhu spoke fiercely, "He's a freeloader now, clinging to the Rong Prince's mansion. Doesn't he care what outsiders say about him? Is that his real ability? Bah, despicable wretch, always doing things that are inhuman!"

She grabbed Cui Lingrong's hand. "Come on, you curse with me! Song Shulan is a bastard!"

"Speak!"

Cui Lingrong looked at Yuan Mingzhu and chuckled, feeling much better.

"Forget it, forget it. You've never swore in your entire life," Yuan Mingzhu snorted. "What's the point of having such good manners? If it were me, I would have already had a huge fight with Song Shulan. If he had the guts to secretly marry a concubine, he should have agreed to everything you asked for!"

"It was my fault for misjudging people," Cui Lingrong said.

"It's not your fault, people change. You're my best friend, you'll never be wrong." Yuan Mingzhu hugged Cui Lingrong.

"Then am I not wrong to commit murder and commit arson?" Cui Lingrong asked.

Yuan Mingzhu agreed, "If someone could drive you to murder and commit such a violent act, it must be the other party's fault. In short, I support whatever you do. Let me tell you, if Song Shulan ever needs your help again, you need to keep your distance and not trust him anymore. He's got two women on his arms now, only seeing the new ones laughing; all men are the same!"

Jiang Kun, who had just entered, immediately declared, "I wouldn't do that."

"Hmph, if you dare do that, I'll take my two sons and go back to my parents' home!" Yuan Mingzhu clenched her fists.

Jiang Kun quickly waved his hand, saying that the letter had already been sent.

Upon hearing this, Cui Lingrong expressed her gratitude repeatedly and led her people back first.

Meanwhile, Cui Zeyu was swept downstream from the upper reaches of the river and was rescued by a farming family.

He woke up a day later, his left hand was cut by a tree branch, the cut was as long as his palm, and the pain made his scalp tingle.

"Oh dear, you're awake." Seeing Cui Zeyu come out, the farmer's wife hurried over and asked what was wrong, "Are you hungry?"

The woman's surname was Li. The man took his eldest son to work in the fields, leaving only Li and her youngest son at home to do the work.

Choi Taek-ok said no, "I've been lying in the house all day, and I want to see if there's anything I can help with."

His arm was bandaged, but he still had a slight fever. Seeing that his face was pale, Li asked him to sit down first.

"You're already like this, you should rest. My husband said that we've saved you from the brink of death, it's a good deed, we can't let you lose your life again. Besides, you gave us money, so we should take even better care of you." Li Shi smiled kindly as she brought hot water to Cui Zeyu.

Cui Zeyu was relatively lucky; he didn't lose his money bag. When he was conscious, he asked the family to take the money to a doctor. Otherwise, an ordinary farming family probably wouldn't have enough money for medical treatment and medicine.

Cui Zeyu leaned against the wall, finished drinking hot water, and beads of sweat began to appear on his temples.

He thought of the bandits' ruthlessness. Normally, when encountering such roadside robberies, it was all for money. If he gave them some money, many people would let them pass. There was no need to fight to the death.

After all, he had hired a security escort agency for his business trip, and the bandits suffered heavy losses in a direct confrontation.

As a result, the bandits completely ignored him and started hacking and slashing.

He even felt it was directed at him.

Cui Zeyu was puzzled. Who had he offended that they wanted to kill him?

The Qian family?

Or is it the Rong Prince's Mansion?

It's unlikely that the Rong Prince's Mansion would be like that.

That's the Qian family?

He felt that was possible.

After all, Qian Jin was demoted because of his affair, and the entire Qian family was also angered by the officials. It is reasonable for the Qian family to harbor a desire for revenge.

If that's the case, he shouldn't go back to find the caravan; he should take another route back to Bianjing.

Cui Zeyu took a deep breath; he hadn't expected to encounter something like this.

Li was also cursing the bandits, saying, "Life is already hard enough for ordinary people. They work the land all year round just to make ends meet. Those bandits are like orphans, causing trouble all day long, and the government doesn't do anything about it!"

As she was scolding the bandits, her youngest son, Ertou, took a cooked taro, broke it in half, and handed it to Cui Zeyu.

The five-year-old child was exceptionally well-behaved and sensible, and handed the other half to his mother.

"If your mother doesn't want to eat, you eat," Li Shi said, pushing the food away.

Er Tou stubbornly insisted that his mother take a bite before he would eat.

After taking a bite, Li turned to look at Cui Zeyu. "Brother, you're a cloth merchant. Our village also grows hemp and weaves cloth, but we only know how to weave the most basic hemp cloth, which doesn't fetch a good price. Do you know how to improve it?"

Cui Zeyu generously shared his knowledge with his savior, Li Shi, and talked a lot about weaving.

When it got dark, Li's husband returned, and Cui Zeyu suggested that they take him to a nearby town.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Madam Li told Cui Zeyu to rest for a few more days. "You don't need to save food for us. The money you gave me is enough for you to eat rice for a month."

Cui Zeyu smiled and said, "I got separated from the caravan. If I don't go back soon, the caravan members will worry, and my sister at home will have sleepless nights. You don't know, I have a sister who is especially good to me."

"That's really your good fortune," Li said with a smile. She also had sisters, and although they often bickered, they always sided with her when something really happened. "Since you say so, I'll have my husband take you to town in an oxcart tomorrow."

Cui Zeyu gratefully agreed, "I'll come back to buy fabric from you again once I've settled in."

The next morning, Cui Zeyu boarded the oxcart. Before leaving, he secretly placed a piece of silver under his pillow. The Li couple refused to accept it, but he felt he should give it to them.

Upon arriving in town, Cui Zeyu instructed Li's husband, "If anyone asks later, don't say you saved me. I'm afraid the bandits will retaliate."

He rented another carriage, intending to take a detour back to Bianjing.

On the way, they encountered people blocking their path again.

"It's him!"

The moment the leader saw Cui Zeyu's face, he immediately drew his sword, which frightened the coachman so much that he frantically whipped his horse, but the men behind him kept chasing after him.

The phrase "it's him" immediately made Cui Zeyu realize that these people were after him.