Springtime Affairs in a Noble Family

Privately, both Qiu's mother and Caiyue advised Caixia.

"I'm going to stay with Grandma for the rest of my life. After Aunt Qiu retires, you can't compete with me for the position of head matriarch." Caiyue sat to the side. "What does that Commander Xu look like? Is he ugly?"

Seeing that Caixia blushed and remained silent, Caiyue went to look at Qiu's mother again.

Autumn's mother said no, "He's very tall, probably over eight feet, with regular features, just a bit dark-skinned. But that's normal; he leads troops under the sun all year round, how could he not be dark-skinned?"

"What do you not like about Caixia?" Caiyue pressed.

"It's not that I look down on him," Caixia said. "It's that I feel we're not a good match. What kind of person is he, and what kind of person am I? He said he wanted to marry me the first time he saw me. He's not interested in me as a person, but rather in my looks."

Caixia was happy to be chosen; what young girl doesn't have a little vanity?

But she quickly realized that she hadn't had much contact with Xu Baihu, and if he was interested in her, it must be because of her appearance.

Having grown up in a large, secluded mansion, Caixia understood very well that relying on her beauty to please others could not last.

Even with a beauty like the eldest mistress, didn't the Marquis secretly take a concubine behind her back?

The women in the Marquis's mansion never stopped coming.

Seeing Caiyue's confusion, Caixia said, "I have no family to support me, and I'm afraid of future disputes, so I can only keep giving in. You all say it's a good thing that I can rise to a higher position, and I think it's good too, but what about five or ten years from now? Caiyue, we've been with our great-grandmother for so long. I can't be as wise as our great-grandmother, but I can figure out some things."

Her voice was clear and melodious, like a babbling brook, gently touching the heartstrings.

Caiyue was troubled. "What should we do? It would be such a waste to miss out like this!"

Mrs. Qiu smiled and said, "Caixia is worried that Commander Xu might change his mind. You said you have no family of your own, so your eldest daughter-in-law is your support. The fact that you think so much means you are satisfied with Commander Xu's conditions. Why don't you meet him again and talk to him? Caiyue is right, it's not good to miss a good opportunity."

Having been through it all, she finished speaking and, seeing that Caixia didn't object, smiled and said she would go find Grandma to make arrangements.

Upon learning of this, Cui Lingrong sent someone to the Xie residence the next day.

However, since there was no mistress in the Xie household, she felt it inappropriate to visit again. Xie Yunting suggested meeting at a temple in the south of the city.

On the appointed day, Cui Lingrong, along with Qiu's mother and Caixia, went to the temple early in the morning to offer incense and then met Xie Yunting, where she saw her younger brother whom she hadn't seen in a long time.

Cui Zeyu disguised himself as a servant, and the two siblings were teary-eyed. Cui Zeyu softly called out "Sister," and Cui Lingrong was also moved.

"You two chat." Xie Yunting pulled Shuanzi outside, giving him a meaningful look, "Be polite to the young lady when you see her, don't be groping her, understand?"

Shuanzi chuckled incessantly, nodding at everything his older brother said. When he saw Caixia come out, he hurriedly followed her.

On the other side, Cui Lingrong asked her younger brother about what had happened during this time.

Cui Zeyu recounted the story in detail, starting with his encounter with the Duke of Dingguo in the city. He sighed at the end, "I implicated that farming family. They saved me, but I dragged them down with me. The people chasing me came to the village to inquire, and the Li family man sensed something was wrong and wanted to report it to the authorities. If the children hadn't woken up at night, the whole family would have almost died."

Cui Lingrong was furious. "What kind of person is this, that they wouldn't even spare women and children?"

Cui Zeyu said he didn't know yet, "Fortunately, the villagers were woken up. The Li couple were slightly injured, but they can't stay in the village any longer. General Xie has already sent people to pick them up, and I will settle them in the estate later."

He feared the assassin might return and harm the Li family again, which would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Cui Lingrong agreed, "Since they are your saviors, let's resettle them on land and give them enough money. They've all left their homes; we can't let them remain homeless."

Cui Zeyu said yes.

The siblings both frowned as they spoke.

Cui Lingrong looked at her much thinner younger brother, and remembering how he had almost lost his life, she guessed and asked, "Do you think it's Princess Rongjia?"

Cui Zeyu paused, not answering. If it were before, he might have thought it was Princess Rongjia and the Qian family, but now…

"It shouldn't be Princess Rongjia. Think about Princess Rongjia's style of doing things before. Although her methods weren't elegant, they weren't that ruthless. Sister, don't worry about this. I will definitely find out the truth," Cui Zeyu said.

"How could I not worry?" Cui Lingrong said. "You are the person I raised, and you are the closest person to me in Bianjing. If anything happens to you and I implicate you, I will feel guilty to death."

As she spoke, she thought of Princess Rongjia.

This person is truly despicable. She really doesn't understand how much charm Song Shulan possesses, or whether Princess Rongjia has never taken her seriously.

Princess Rongjia was also in the temple at that time. When she saw Xie Yunting and Cui Lingrong enter the same meditation room, she was extremely excited.

She has already sent someone to invite the Marquis, just waiting to catch Cui Lingrong and Xie Yunting in the act of meeting secretly.

"Why hasn't the Marquis arrived yet?" Princess Rongjia was getting anxious. If Cui Lingrong left, she would have come out today for nothing.

She sensed something was amiss when Xie Yunting came to the Marquis's residence that day. She wanted to send someone closer to listen, but Caiyue and her men stopped her.

The more this happened, the more strange it seemed to her.

Upon learning that Cui Lingrong was going out today, Princess Rongjia tried to follow her out, but unexpectedly, she stumbled upon Cui Lingrong and Xie Yunting having a secret rendezvous.

To say that Cui Lingrong is bold is an understatement; she actually brought so many people with her. Heh, is she gauging that no one will follow her?

"Princess, don't worry. It will take time for our people to come and go. We still need to persuade the Marquis." Chen De's wife smiled. "Regardless of whether the eldest mistress and General Xie are alright, as long as the Marquis sees her with General Xie, he will definitely be angry."

"Yes, men can't stand it when their women have affairs, especially when they're convinced that their women will never cheat on them." Princess Rongjia chuckled twice.

She drank another cup of tea before seeing Song Shulan arrive with a dark expression. "Song Lang, you've finally arrived!"