Springtime Affairs in a Noble Family

Qingshan followed Princess Rongjia out and soon learned that Princess Rongjia had gone to a small courtyard.

"The county magistrate's men were guarding the gate, and I dared not approach," Qingshan said cautiously. "After the county magistrate left, I squatted there for a while, but no one came out. I don't know who lives inside."

Song Shulan's mind went blank. There's an old saying that a second marriage is not as good as the original one. Could it be that Princess Rongjia is having an affair?

He didn't want to believe it.

After all, Princess Rongjia was always very considerate to him and never said anything bad about him.

Princess Rongjia did not go to the shop, but instead went to the courtyard to meet someone in secret.

Just thinking about it made Song Shulan want to collapse.

"My lord, please don't be hasty. There might be a misunderstanding. Let's find out who lives inside before we know what's going on," Qingshan hurriedly said.

Song Shulan's face turned ashen. "Go and keep an eye on everyone coming and going each day. Investigate every single one of them!"

He couldn't accept that Princess Rongjia had cheated on him. Princess Rongjia said that she only had him in her heart and that being able to reunite was a blessing from God. She couldn't have lied to him all of this.

For the first time, Song Shulan felt a surge of excitement and anticipation, driven by his sense of male dignity.

After giving instructions to Qingshan, Song Shulan couldn't sleep all night.

The next day, Qiu Mama came to deliver summer clothes. Seeing that the Marquis looked haggard, she went back and told her master.

"Our painstaking arrangements were not in vain; we finally managed to get Lord Gao to meet the county princess's carriage. Only by having Lord Gao say it can we clear ourselves of suspicion that we and Granny Luo were plotting against us," said Madam Qiu.

Cui Lingrong wasn't afraid to confront Princess Rongjia, but since this matter involved You Shuyi, she didn't want You Shuyi to get into trouble. Otherwise, she could have complained to Song Shulan herself and caught them in the act; there was no need to wait so long.

"Yes, Qingshan knows that Princess Rongjia went to the courtyard, but he doesn't know who she met. The Marquis will definitely be suspicious." Cui Lingrong smiled faintly. "Once a lie is confirmed, the trust between people will collapse."

Madam Qiu smiled and said, "Let's wait and see how the Marquis will react when he finds out what Princess Rongjia went to see Madam Luo for."

If it is confirmed that Princess Rongjia was infertile, then many of the previous events would prove that she was the mastermind.

Therefore, Cui Lingrong had Hua Die fan her way and secretly guided Gao Jingzhi to see Princess Rongjia's carriage.

She was very patient and didn't act impulsively, waiting for the best opportunity.

In the following days, she waited for news from her younger brother while calculating the date when Princess Rongjia would visit You Shuyi again.

As the weather gradually warmed up, Cui Lingrong took care of household chores while living her own little life.

As for other people's affairs, she would pretend not to know unless it got to her.

It wasn't until Huadie found Zhuqing and the two started fighting that she had no choice but to step in and see what was going on.

Upon entering the room, Cui Lingrong noticed the long scratch marks on Huadie's neck and the slap mark on Zhuqing's face. Her expression darkened as she asked what had happened.

"Waaah, Grandmother!" Hua Die knelt down, looking aggrieved. "You must stand up for me! She's been taken in by the Marquis, but she's just a maid. If she dares to fight back today, she could be defecating on your head tomorrow!"

Cui Lingrong went to see Zhu Qing again.

Zhu Qing immediately defended herself, "No, Madam. It was Aunt Hua Die who scolded me first, saying that I would die if I gave birth to a child, and that's why I argued with her."

Hua Die did say that. She saw that the Marquis had been staying in Zhu Qing and Lan Xin's room lately, and she felt uncomfortable, so she deliberately came over to sow discord.

But she didn't expect Zhu Qing to dare to challenge her, saying that she herself was incapable of protecting the child and was now deliberately sowing discord.

She was furious and slapped Zhu Qing across the face.

"Madam, I meant well in helping her, but she didn't appreciate it. As you know, Princess..."

Before Hua Die could finish speaking, Chen De's family came from outside, and then Princess Rongjia led her people in.

Seeing the county princess approach, Zhu Qing felt even more emboldened. "Your Highness, save me! Aunt Hua Die is going to beat me to death!"

"What happened?" Princess Rongjia had long wanted to punish Huadie, this traitor.

After Zhu Qing explained what had happened, Princess Rongjia raised her long eyebrows. "Is that so, Hua Die? Am I such an intolerant person?"

Hua Die frowned, then turned to look at her grandmother, without answering the question.

"What? You won't even answer my questions? Don't you respect me as your master?" Princess Rongjia was furious.

Hua Die didn't dare to argue with Princess Rongjia. "I didn't mean that. It's just that Zhu Qing is too arrogant. That's why I said we should talk about it after she gets pregnant."

Zhu Qing, "You clearly said that!"

"I didn't draw a butterfly!"

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, Princess Rongjia looked at Cui Lingrong, "Now that Sister Cui is in charge, one of them is my maid, and the other... never mind, Sister Cui, please handle this?"

Cui Lingrong said, "Hua Die started today's incident. She will be fined one month's salary and confined to her room for half a month to reflect on her actions. As for Zhu Qing, Hua Die is, after all, a concubine. You fought with your aunt, which is an act of insubordination. You will be demoted to a lowly maid."

Upon hearing that she was to become a lowly maid, Zhu Qing immediately turned pale and begged Princess Rongjia for help.

Princess Rongjia said, "Sister Cui, isn't this punishment too harsh? Zhuqing is, after all, someone from the Rong Prince's mansion. Aren't you afraid the Marquis will be angry if you demote her to a lowly maid?"

Her implication was that Zhu Qing had followed the Marquis and was already his woman.

Cui Lingrong retorted, "Even if she's had her face altered, she'll still just be a maid. If the county magistrate wants to protect Zhuqing, why not give her a proper title and just make her a concubine?"

As she said this, Cui Lingrong raised her voice at the end, revealing her intention to sow discord.

Zhu Qing also slightly raised her head to observe Princess Rongjia's expression. Yes, why not give her a title? If she were a concubine, would she have suffered a loss today?

Princess Rongjia withheld official titles to control Zhuqing and Lanxin. Now that Cui Lingrong brought it up, she found Cui Lingrong even more despicable. "Official titles aren't something I can decide on my own."

"Oh, so the county princess mentioned the Marquis. When the Marquis returns, I will report back to him and let him make the decision." Cui Lingrong didn't care about Zhu Qing's situation. In order to avoid any disputes, she simply let Song Shulan make the decision.

Princess Rongjia couldn't win an argument with Cui Lingrong. Watching Cui Lingrong leave with her men, she glared fiercely at Huadie, "I can't deal with you today, but you wait, one day I'll make you wish you were dead!"

Hua Die trembled. After Princess Rongjia and her entourage left, she clenched her fists. She had completely offended the princess and would have to rely on her eldest mistress and the Marquis even more in the future.

She prayed silently that the eldest mistress would find something to use against the county princess, otherwise she didn't know how long she could live in the Marquis's mansion.

After Princess Rongjia left, she sent someone to stake out Song Shulan in the front yard to file a complaint. However, when Song Shulan learned that Cui Lingrong was looking for him, he went to Qiushuangzhai instead, as he did not want to face Princess Rongjia.

Cui Lingrong told about Zhu Qing and Hua Die, "The county princess said the marquis would be angry, so let the marquis make the decision, lest he say I mistreated the people of Wutong Garden."

Song Shulan felt annoyed just thinking about Princess Rongjia. Upon learning that Zhu Qing had acted improperly, he said he would punish her according to Cui Lingrong's suggestion.

She was just a maidservant, nothing more than a pastime. Song Shulan never took his concubines seriously.

Following the instructions of the Marquis, Qiu's mother went to Wutong Garden to deliver a message.

Princess Rongjia thought Song Shulan would side with her, but Song Shulan listened to Cui Lingrong's advice and, after Aunt Qiu left, roared angrily, "That bitch Cui Lingrong is always going against me! What do I have to do to make her die?"

"Princess, please keep your voice down," Chen De's wife hurriedly said.

"What am I afraid of? Who in this courtyard dares to speak out of turn?" Princess Rongjia, enraged, summoned Wang Hechun's wife. "Didn't you say Caiyue could be bribed? Take the money and go find her. If you can't get anything useful out of her, then you're a complete waste!"

Wang Hechun's heart trembled. Knowing that his master was furious, he quickly replied "Okay" and tried to find Caiyue.