Springtime Affairs in a Noble Family

Cui Lingrong and Song Shulan had been married for many years, and she knew very well how to talk to and get along with Song Shulan. She deliberately used Xuan Ge'er's studies to distract Song Shulan, and sure enough, Song Shulan listened all the way and followed her into Shou'an Hall.

When they arrived, the second and third wives were also there.

The eldest uncle, Song Shulan, and the second uncle, Song Shucheng, were both born to the old lady. Song Shucheng also had an older sister who had been married for many years.

Song Shucheng and Jiang had been married for seven years, but Jiang had never conceived. She herself had no children and also prevented other women from having children. Two years ago, the old lady couldn't bear to see it any longer and decided to send her maidservant to serve Song Shucheng, who is now Concubine Meng.

Aunt Meng was the old lady's person, so Jiang didn't dare to openly force her to take medicine. However, Aunt Meng also knew that Jiang wouldn't tolerate her having a child. Therefore, upon discovering she was pregnant, she immediately went to see the old lady.

Under the old lady's protection, Aunt Meng successfully gave birth to a daughter. She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing it was a girl and that Jiang Shi wouldn't harm her. The old lady and Song Shucheng, however, were very disappointed, which made Song Shucheng work even harder, but after a year, he still had no harvest.

The third master, Song Shuhe, was born out of wedlock, and the old lady didn't care much for him. When he reached marriageable age, she casually arranged a marriage for him. The couple were both low-key people, and after five years of marriage, they had two sons. The elder, Song Mingzhou, was already four years old and had started learning to read with a tutor at the beginning of the year. The younger, Song Minglang, was only six months old and was at his most adorable age.

As soon as Cui Lingrong entered the room, Song Minglang, who was in Li's arms, bounced up and down with his chubby little legs. Li smiled shyly at Cui Lingrong and said, "Sister-in-law, Lord Marquis."

Cui Lingrong was kind and gentle, and she would always stop to talk when she met Li Shi. Song Minglang was fair-skinned and plump, and he couldn't help but hug her whenever they met, so he was very happy to see her come in.

After she greeted the old lady, the three children lined up and greeted the old lady together.

Seeing her legitimate grandsons, Old Madam Song's smile became more genuine. She pulled Xuan-ge'er and Jin-ge'er aside to ask about their studies and whether they were eating well.

Song Mingxuan said everything was fine.

Song Mingjin grumbled and leaned back in the old lady's chair, complaining that the food at the Imperial Academy was terrible. "A few times when I went to get my food, it had already been picked over, and my brother wouldn't let me say anything. Grandmother, look, haven't I lost weight?"

While studying at Lingyun Academy, the Marquis's family paid for a restaurant near the academy, so they could eat specially prepared meals every day, leading a very comfortable life.

When they arrived at the Imperial College, food from outside could not be delivered in, and the people inside were all sorts of people. Xuan and his brother were young, so it was common for them to be ostracized and bullied.

Old Mrs. Song frowned deeply. "Such a thing is true?" she said, looking at Princess Rongjia.

Princess Rongjia arranged for her two grandsons to enter the Imperial Academy, so she should take care of their daily lives.

Princess Rongjia met the old lady's gaze and immediately came over, lovingly bending down to touch Song Mingjin's face. "Good child, next time something like this happens, just mention your mother's name, or go find your cousins ​​in the Rong Prince's Mansion, and they will naturally stand up for you."

Song Mingjin's eyes lit up, and she subconsciously praised, "You're really capable, you're amazing."

Cui Lingrong frowned and clenched her fists. She couldn't understand why Princess Rongjia was being so affectionate towards her son.

She walked over to her youngest son and said, "The Imperial Academy is the most reasonable place. If you are bullied, you can talk to the dormitory supervisor, and they will stand up for you." As for the people from the Rong Prince's Mansion, it's best to stay away from them.

Song Mingjin looked at the princess, then at her mother, and for a moment she didn't know what to do. She looked at her brother in distress.

Song Mingxuan and his younger brother gently shook their heads, signaling the younger brother not to say anything more.

At this moment, a maid from the second branch came to report that the young lady had caught a cold and would not be coming to eat. So, Old Madam Song had a feast prepared. Today, since everyone was family, there was no need to eat at separate tables; everyone could sit in the main hall to eat.

In the past, Cui Lingrong and Jiang Shi would serve the old lady her meals, one on each side. But today, Cui Lingrong sat to the left of the old lady and didn't move.

She didn't serve, and Princess Rongjia sat down without moving, leaving Jiang Shi to do the work of two people.

Grandma Song was particular about her meals; she insisted on eating fish piping hot, as it would taste fishy if left out for even a moment. After picking up a piece of fish, Jiang would quickly remove the bones before plating it and serving it to the old lady.

After preparing the meal, Jiang herself barely ate a few bites and glared at Cui Lingrong several times.

Cui Lingrong pretended not to notice, instead bringing up Jiang's cousin who was staying there, "It's getting colder every day, and Miss He's health hasn't improved. We still need to call a doctor. If something happens to Miss He here, how will the princess explain it to the He family?"

Jiang's mother passed away early, and she is now a stepmother in the family. When her mother was alive, she had the best relationship with her aunt from the He family. Later, the He family fell into decline, and Jiang couldn't bear to see her cousin suffer when she returned to her hometown, so she kept her there.

She treated this cousin with the same affection she would show to a younger sister.

Grandma Song also looked over. Keeping another person in the household wouldn't cost much money, but she worried about potential trouble. "I remember Pingping is sixteen, isn't she? Has the He family still not arranged a marriage for her?"

Mentioning her cousin, Jiang felt a slight bitterness on her tongue. She shared the same idea as the He family: she hoped her cousin could marry into a wealthy and influential family in Bianjing, preferably an official's family. However, no one in the He family held an official position, and when she brought her cousin to banquets, no one paid any attention to her.

After several such incidents, my cousin became disheartened, and her health deteriorated further.

"Not yet." Jiang forced a smile, cursing Cui Lingrong in her heart. Why did she have to bring up her cousin for no reason?

After Old Madam Song had finished eating, she had the table cleared and led everyone to the flower hall for tea. As they walked, she said to Madam Jiang, "Let's settle things as soon as possible. A daughter is too young to stay at home; we don't want to create any enemies."

The fact that she said that meant the old lady was urging them to hurry up.

Jiang's heart skipped a beat, and she had no choice but to nod and agree.

After everyone was seated, Princess Rongjia brought up the matter of elevating Huadie to the status of a concubine. Old Madam Song was somewhat surprised, since Princess Rongjia was still young. Logically speaking, it would be more appropriate to elevate Huadie to the status of a concubine after Princess Rongjia became pregnant.

"The princess is virtuous. Since you and Madam Cui both agree, I naturally have no objection." Old Madam Song still wanted to give Cui Lingrong some face.

Cui Lingrong smiled and said, "To be honest, I was the one who brought it up and disrupted the princess's plans. Luckily, the princess is magnanimous and doesn't hold it against me. I think that girl Huadie is quite good. Maybe by this time next year, the old lady will be able to hold her grandson again."

This surprised Old Mrs. Song even more. It was actually Cui Lingrong who brought it up.

However, having lived most of her life, her surprise was only momentary.

"Good, good, good. We are relieved that you two can get along well. You and the princess should also try harder and have more children while you are still young, so that your life will be more lively." After saying that, Old Madam Song's gaze fell on Jiang Shi.

When she married Cui Lingrong, the Marquis's family was struggling financially. Later, things improved somewhat, and her second son passed the imperial examination with flying colors, so she went to great lengths to arrange the marriage with the Jiang family. Jiang was indeed filial, but she never conceived and was also very jealous.

Jiang looked away guiltily. She also wanted to give birth, but after years of drinking bowl after bowl of medicine, nothing had happened.

Cui Lingrong smiled, knowing that the old lady wasn't talking to her.

Princess Rongjia paused, her mind heavy with worry.

Grandma Song was old and soon said she was sleepy, so everyone dispersed.

Cui Lingrong and her party arrived at the entrance of Shou'an Hall. Song Yu looked at her father, hoping that he would leave with her mother. However, her father left with Princess Rongjia, which greatly disappointed her.

"Mother, you..."

"It's late, everyone should go back and rest early." Cui Lingrong interrupted her daughter, and as always, calm and composed, she led Qiu's mother back to Qiushuangzhai.

The next day was the Mid-Autumn Festival. The household would distribute mooncakes, and the ancestral hall would offer snacks. In previous years, Cui Lingrong would get up before dawn. As the head of the household, she would personally cook the snacks for the ancestral hall.

It wasn't her turn this year. After waking up, she sat quietly on the tatami mat and picked up a travelogue.

Just as she was engrossed in reading, Caixia came to report that Young Master Yu had returned.

Cui Lingrong's face immediately lit up. While putting on her shoes, she asked someone to invite her younger brother in. "Aunt Qiu, Zeyu likes to eat Osmanthus Lotus Root Cake. Could you please go to the kitchen and bring some over if there are any other dishes? He wrote that he wouldn't be back for five or six days, but he arrived today. He must have been traveling all night and didn't eat properly."

Madam Qiu was also very happy. "You really treat Young Master Yu like your own brother. I've never seen you so happy at other times." The master was usually calm and rarely showed such joy on his face.