Springtime Affairs in a Noble Family

"The Qin family?" Cui Lingrong thought of her younger brother's matter and realized that the Qin family's visit was ill-intentioned.

"Aunt Qiu, go to Shou'an Hall and tell her I'm not feeling well and won't be coming, so as not to let my illness affect the Duchess of Dingguo." Cui Lingrong thought of Qin's ruthless methods and did not want to see Qin.

But before Qiu's mother could leave, Xu's mother arrived with a beaming smile.

"Oh, Madam, this old servant congratulates you," said Mama Xu. "Do you know why the Duchess of Dingguo has come?"

Cui Lingrong asked what was wrong.

"She's here to arrange a marriage for Yu-jie," Madam Xu urged. "The old lady is very pleased and wants you to come over quickly."

Hearing that it was related to Yu Jie'er, Cui Lingrong couldn't refuse and had no choice but to go to Shou'an Hall.

She thought Qin had come to see her in a bad mood, but it turned out to be to propose marriage?

That's even worse!

Although she didn't know whether Madam Qin knew that her younger brother was the son of the Duke of Dingguo's concubine, she couldn't trust Madam Qin's character.

When Cui Lingrong arrived at the entrance of Shou'an Hall, she heard laughter and chatter coming from inside.

"Sister Su hasn't changed at all, she looks almost the same as she did a few years ago." Qin's praise made Old Madam Song's lips curl up. "You can go and ask about my nephew from my maternal family. He passed the county-level imperial examination at the age of fifteen, and he might even pass the metropolitan-level imperial examination at the age of twenty."

As Qin was saying this, Cui Lingrong stepped over the threshold and saw Qin. Cui Lingrong subtly sized her up.

Meeting Cui Lingrong's gaze, Madam Qin showed no sign of discomfort; on the contrary, she was very enthusiastic. "Oh, Lady Song has arrived. Did you hear what I just said?"

Cui Lingrong said she heard it.

Old Madam Song said impatiently, "Madam Cui, the Duchess of Dingguo takes a liking to our Yu'er and wants to arrange a marriage for her with her nephew from her maternal family. If you have some free time, could you arrange for them to meet?"

Cui Lingrong thought to herself that the old lady was confused. Even after Lord Qin had been reprimanded by the Emperor, she still wanted to form a marriage alliance with the Qin family.

However, one shouldn't hit a smiling face. If Qin Shi came to propose marriage, and she were to kick them out without reason, she would only earn a reputation for being mean, making it difficult for Yu'er to find a husband in the future.

"Grandma, have you forgotten? The Marquis said that Yu'er is still young, there's no rush." ​​Cui Lingrong winked at Old Madam Song, then looked at Madam Qin. "The grand-nephew of the Duchess of Dingguo's family is certainly a good match. But Yu'er is still young. Wouldn't it be nice if we waited until Yu'er comes of age before introducing our children to each other?"

Anyone with a bit of sense would know it's just an excuse.

Madam Qin pretended not to notice, saying, "The children are young, it's not like we're getting married right now. Wouldn't it be better if they got to know each other first?"

Cui Lingrong smiled and said, "They're young and don't know what they want. Marriage is a lifelong commitment, don't you think?"

Old Mrs. Song didn't understand Cui Lingrong's polite refusal, but Cui Lingrong had already said it, and she couldn't contradict Cui Lingrong in front of the Duchess of Dingguo.

After all, she cares a lot about her image.

They didn't want anyone to see their conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

Qin turned to look at Old Madam Song. Old Madam Song had been very happy just now. If Old Madam Song had expressed her opinion, there was still a chance that the matter would be resolved.

"What Cui said is right. Yu'er is indeed young. Why don't we wait another six months or a year before making a decision?" Old Madam Song did not want to offend the Duchess of Dingguo. After all, that was the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, a family that many people wanted to curry favor with.

Madam Qin immediately put on a stern face, "Fine, fine, if your family doesn't like it, just say so. 'too young' is just an excuse, isn't it?"

Grandma Song got up to try and persuade her to stay, but Cui Lingrong stopped her.

Cui Lingrong gave Qiu Mama a wink, and Qiu Mama saw the Duchess of Dingguo off.

"No need to see me off. Your family has high standards and has taken a liking to my Qin family. Why are you pretending to be nice?" Madam Qin had come with an ulterior motive. She was already holding back her anger towards Cui Lingrong, and hearing Cui Lingrong's words of rejection only made her angrier.

Could it be that Cui Lingrong knows about Cui Zeyu's affairs?

Qin thought to herself, she had originally wanted to control Cui Lingrong's daughter in order to suppress Cui Zeyu, but she had been humiliated today.

This Cui Lingrong is really hard to get along with.

At Shou'an Hall, Old Madam Song was very puzzled. "That's the Qin family! So many people want to curry favor with the Duke of Dingguo's mansion but can't find a way. Now they've come to propose marriage, and you won't even let Yu'er meet them? We've definitely offended them!"

"What if Yu-jie meets the other party, and the Qin family agrees to the marriage?" Cui Lingrong explained. "Has the old lady considered that Lord Qin's demotion already implies that the entire Qin family is on the decline?"

"But the Qin family also has members serving as officials in the court. The Qin family's century-long accumulation of wealth is something ordinary people can't compare to!" Old Madam Song still thought the Qin family was quite good. "Especially since the Qin family has the Duke of Dingguo's mansion as a marriage alliance. You say the Qin family is declining, but the Duke of Dingguo is thriving!"

"How old is the Duke of Dingguo? Can he still go to the battlefield?" Cui Lingrong retorted again. "Besides, there are so many wealthy families in Bianjing. Why would we risk marrying Yu'er off to a fallen noble family?"

She took a deep breath. "Grandma, think about what kind of person the Duchess of Dingguo is. Just the fact that she came to propose marriage in person is strange. I'm sure that the Qin family's grandson must have some problems, otherwise the Duchess of Dingguo wouldn't have needed to come in person."

Grandma Song was so happy that she forgot that the Duchess of Dingguo was a difficult person to talk to. But the Duchess of Dingguo had been trying to please her in her words. When had she ever seen the Duchess of Dingguo be so humble?

Seeing that the old lady had come to her senses, Cui Lingrong said, "I know what's going on with Yu'er's marriage. You don't need to worry about it, old lady. Just enjoy your life."

After Cui Lingrong left, Old Mrs. Song glared at her and said, "What does she mean by that? Does she think I'm meddling for no reason?"

"Don't overthink it. Perhaps Grandma already has someone she likes," said Mrs. Xu.

"Could it be that she really wants Xie Yunting as her son-in-law?" Old Mrs. Song frowned. She didn't think much of Xie Yunting. No, she had to talk to her eldest son later. They absolutely couldn't marry Xie Yunting.