Springtime Affairs in a Noble Family

On the day of the Autumn Banquet, Song Shulan came to Qiushuangzhai early in the morning, saying that he had come to have breakfast with Cui Lingrong.

When Qiu Mama saw the Marquis coming, she wasn't so happy anymore. She instructed Caiyue and Caixia to prepare an extra meal and then go to help her mistress with her hair and makeup.

Cui Lingrong was still choosing a hairpin. "Let me change to another one. This one is dignified but makes me look old."

Qiu's mother brought over another peach-pink gem, but Cui Lingrong still said no, "Too tender."

After some deliberation, she chose a headdress made of turquoise gemstones, its vibrant color complementing her elegant demeanor.

Song Shulan couldn't wait to go into the inner room. When he saw Cui Lingrong, who had just finished dressing up, his Adam's apple bobbed. "Madam looks beautiful today."

He had always known that Cui Lingrong was beautiful. In recent years, Cui Lingrong had dressed more and more maturely, and she hadn't been so radiant in a long time, making it hard to look away.

"There are still people here." Cui Lingrong pushed Song Shulan's hand away, and the two went to have a meal together.

In previous years, she would have gotten up at dawn to arrange everything in the mansion and then go to the old lady to report back and make sure the old lady was satisfied.

She doesn't need to make arrangements this year. Although Song Shulan wanted her to assist Princess Rongjia, she declined, saying she wasn't feeling well.

The couple sat down together, and Song Shulan kept glancing at Cui Lingrong out of the corner of his eye. He did feel guilty towards Cui Lingrong these days.

After serving Cui Lingrong some food, Song Shulan asked, "Did Mother contact you about the housekeeper's matter?"

Cui Lingrong said yes.

Seeing that Cui Lingrong remained silent, Song Shulan felt a tightness in her chest again. "Don't you have anything to say? Do you want to ask me anything?"

"Does Your Excellency really want me to ask?"

"We are husband and wife, so we should naturally be honest with each other."

"Alright, then I'll speak." Cui Lingrong put down her chopsticks, looking at the man who had been by her side for over a decade, a sliver of hope still lingering in her heart. "No matter how well I do, or how poorly the princess behaves, the Marquis and the Old Madam always put the princess's dignity before mine. Do I have the right to say no, or can I refuse?"

Song Shulan frowned slightly, somewhat displeased.

Cui Lingrong lowered her eyelashes, her thin lips trembling. "I know that you, Lord Marquis, are doing this for the good of the Marquis's mansion, so I'm suppressing my displeasure and pretending to be sensible. But Lord Marquis, I'm only human; I can also be hurt. I'm very happy that you came to have breakfast with me today, but what about later? Will you stand by my side?"

With so many people watching at the banquet, it was important who Song Shulan stood with, as it reflected Song Shulan's and the Marquis's family's attitude.

Before Song Shulan could speak, Cui Lingrong placed her hand on the back of Song Shulan's hand, "The princess has already shown some dignity, won't the marquis also consider my feelings?"

At this moment, Song Shulan couldn't bring himself to refuse. The fact that Cui Lingrong was willing to lower herself showed how upset she was.

He felt only guilt and, under Cui Lingrong's gaze, nodded and said okay.

Cui Lingrong then smiled and served food to Song Shulan.

The two went to pay their respects to the old lady first, and only went into the courtyard after the other two families had arrived.

Although the old Marquis wasn't particularly capable, he managed to preserve his ancestral home. In Bianjing (Kaifeng), the Marquis's residence was among the top ten.

Therefore, many people still graced the Marquis's mansion with their presence at the autumn banquet. Especially with Princess Rongjia's marriage this year, even more members of the imperial clan will be attending.

When Cui Lingrong and Song Shulan appeared together, the Su family members had already arrived, as had the Li family.

The Su family is the maternal family of Old Madam Song, and they live nearby, so they came over early.

The Li family was the maternal family of the third mistress, Madam Li. Master Li's official position was not prominent, and the third branch of the family was not valued by the Marquis's mansion. The Li family dared not be negligent, fearing that if they arrived late, Old Madam Song would be unhappy.

The remaining people were mostly not very important, but Cui Lingrong still greeted them one by one. She was always thorough and wouldn't let anyone find fault with her.

As everyone looked at Song Shulan, who was with Cui Lingrong, they had different thoughts and were all curious about how Lord Song would balance his two wives.

While Cui Lingrong was socializing with others, Song Yu was pulled into the crowd by a girl. Upon closer inspection, she recognized her as Su Yunfei, whom she disliked the most.

"I sent you an invitation a few days ago, why didn't you come?" Su Yunfei looked Song Yu up and down and saw that Song Yu was wearing a new style hairpin and her clothes were also newly made. She didn't look like she had been mistreated at all.

She posted the message hoping to see Song Yu make a fool of himself.

Song Yu was unwilling to talk to Su Yunfei and gave her a cold look. "Didn't I tell you, when I first returned to Bianjing, I was very dizzy?"

"Tch, you're just too ashamed to face us, aren't you?" Su Yunfei said, as if to say, "Don't pretend, she knows everything. Your father married a concubine, and she's a princess of high status. Now the princess is in charge of the household. How can you and your mother have a good time?"

It's just a case of putting on a brave face when you're not.

Her mother told her that the Marquis's family had no choice but to marry Cui Shi back then; otherwise, the Marquis's family would have looked down on Cui Shi in the past. Now that Princess Rongjia has married into the Marquis's family, Old Madam Song and Marquis Song will definitely value Princess Rongjia even more.

"Su Yunfei, why are you always watching my life? Are you bored, or are you jealous that I have a mother who dotes on me?" Song Yu looked at Su Yunfei's group of girlfriends. Since Su Yunfei wanted to see her make a fool of herself, she wouldn't give her any face. "Look at my clothes, do I look like I'm not doing well? On the contrary, I heard that Grandma Su only dotes on her sons and doesn't care much about you, her daughter."

For the autumn banquet, her mother specially took her to a jewelry shop and made her new clothes, all of which were made for her with her own savings.

Her mother loved and cared for her, so she had to protect her mother as well.

Song Yu's words struck a nerve with Su Yunfei, and Su Yunfei's eyes immediately welled up with tears. "You...you're bullying me! I'm going to tell my great-aunt!"

"Only incompetent people would complain, and you started this trouble first. If you dare to go to my grandmother, I'll go to your mother and see how Grandma Su punishes you!" Song Yu snorted coldly and walked away without looking back.

She wouldn't have used harsh words in the past, but today Su Yunfei went too far.

Moreover, others might think the same way.

She is her mother's daughter, and as her mother said, she must stand firm and not be laughed at, especially when people gossip about her.

Song Yu found her mother and sat obediently beside her, completely devoid of the violence she displayed when arguing with Su Yunfei.

Those sitting next to Cui Lingrong were all her close friends. They all felt sorry for her, but with so many people around, it wasn't appropriate to speak their minds.

When the banquet began, Cui Lingrong sat down first, and Song Shulan and the Prince of Rong entered together. Under Cui Lingrong's gaze, Song Shulan went to Princess Rongjia's side and exchanged a few pleasantries. Their affectionate appearance was the envy of everyone around them.

Grandma Su, who was at the same table, praised, "The princess and the marquis are so sweet and loving. Only newlyweds can be so affectionate."

Princess Rongjia arranged the banquet today according to the procedures Cui Lingrong had followed in previous years, so there were no major mistakes, and she received a lot of praise. She was in a good mood and pretended to be shy, saying, "Sister-in-law, please stop talking."

She glared at Song Shulan again, indicating that there were so many people around.

The sweet look in their eyes was noticeable to everyone, and they all turned to look at Cui Lingrong at the same table.

Seeing Cui Lingrong's calm and composed demeanor, everyone had to praise her for her composure.

Finally, it was Old Madam Song who spoke up, telling Song Shulan to go to the men's section. Song Shulan went to Cui Lingrong's side, said simply, "You've worked hard too," and then went to the men's section.

—My lord, could you please spare me some consideration?

When Cui Lingrong thought of those words, a sense of loss enveloped her like a giant net.

She really did her best.

She misses her aunt so much.

I wanted to tell my aunt that she was really facing a difficult situation this time. For the first time, she really wanted to quit, turn around, and walk away without eating.

But she can't leave; if she leaves, she'll truly lose.

She glanced back at Madam Qiu, who immediately understood. Since the old lady and the Marquis were so eager to save face for Princess Rongjia, she wouldn't hesitate to play the villain this time.

At the dinner table, Madam Su kept praising Princess Rongjia, "As expected of a princess, the banquet today was truly well organized. No one dares to claim to be the best at the Marquis's autumn banquet."

Others also offered their compliments:

"Yes, Princess, you are so kind and easy-going. With your thoughtfulness, everyone in Bianjing will surely praise you tomorrow."

"I'm the first to say yes, so when the old lady and the princess hold their autumn banquets in the future, everyone will be scrambling to come."

"We need to make it clear first, you can't forget about me!"

……

Grandma Song, feeling honored, beamed from ear to ear. "Don't worry, the gates of the Marquis's mansion are always open to you. As long as you don't mind, you're welcome to come and visit."

Grandma Su immediately went over to offer a toast, saying, "This is what my aunt said, you can't find me annoying, okay?"

"You silly girl, when have I ever bothered you?" Old Mrs. Song said, pretending to hit Grandma Su. Grandma Su immediately begged for mercy, and the atmosphere was very cheerful.

But they all knew that this year's autumn banquet at the Marquis's residence was no different from previous years, and the dishes were even less exquisite than before.

Princess Rongjia was afraid that if she made another mistake, the old lady and the marquis would be completely disappointed. Therefore, she dared not innovate and only wanted to get through the year safely. As a result, most of the procedures were carried out according to Cui Lingrong's previous years.

After the banquet, guests at the Marquis's residence could admire chrysanthemums or go to see a play.

The Marquis's residence also ordered crabs, which are the highlight of the autumn banquet. Crabs are at their fattest and most delicious at this time of year, with so much roe and fat that they could make your eyebrows fall off.

After lunch, everyone began to look forward to it. In previous years, the Marquis's mansion spared no expense to buy the best crabs on the market, which made Old Madam Song very proud, which is why they held an autumn banquet every year.

Two quarters past the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), it was time to eat crabs, but they still hadn't arrived.

Old Mrs. Song glanced at Princess Rongjia, who immediately told Wang Shanxi's wife to go to the kitchen to see what was going on.

Cui Lingrong sat upright, seemingly unaware that something was amiss, and continued talking to Li Shi beside her.