Springtime Affairs in a Noble Family

Everyone present, except for Jiang himself, knew that Jiang was brainless.

Cui Lingrong, however, asked Jiang to give Rongjia some pointers, which was an insult to Rongjia, implying that she was not even as good as Jiang.

However, even Old Mrs. Song couldn't find fault with what she said.

Third Master was born out of wedlock, and Old Madam Song had always ignored him and Li Shi. It was impossible for her to bypass Jiang Shi and ask Li Shi to help manage the household.

With things having come to this, Old Madam Song had no other choice but to agree first, and then said, "Madam Cui is ill, the Marquis should go and see her, lest he break her heart."

She was suspicious. How could someone who was perfectly fine during the day have eaten the wrong thing?

Cui was a very cautious person.

Old Mrs. Song understood that Cui harbored resentment, and she could accept Cui using some minor tricks as long as they weren't too excessive.

Song Shulan agreed. After the group left Shou'an Hall, Song Shulan stood at the fork in the road and saw Princess Rongjia looking at him expectantly. He sighed inwardly and went to Qiushuangzhai instead.

When he arrived at Qiushuangzhai, he saw that Cui Lingrong's face was deathly pale and she was truly unable to get out of bed. He blamed the servants for their inadequate care, asking, "How could Madam be like this? How did Caixia and the others take care of her?"

"Caixia is also sick. It's my own fault for being greedy. After returning from the banquet, I had the kitchen make some more food." Cui Lingrong said, covering her face and coughing.

Song Shulan frowned, finding it strange, "When did Madam become so greedy?"

In his memory, Cui Lingrong never ate anything after dinner, always adhering to proper etiquette, and never gave herself any extra food.

"My lord, people change," Cui Lingrong said casually, a hint of sarcasm flashing in her eyes.

Before Princess Rongjia appeared, she was quite satisfied with her life.

Her husband respects her, and her children are obedient and filial. Although there are some minor conflicts in the Marquis's household, it is much better than a chaotic household.

But then things took an unexpected turn.

Song Shulan has changed.

Cui Lingrong has changed too.

The two remained silent for a while. Then, Song Shulan mentioned Cui Zeyu, "He's just a stray he picked up. What did he mean today? That ungrateful wretch dared to publicly humiliate the Marquis's mansion and echo Xie Yunting. He's utterly treacherous!"

"Before you berate Zeyu, shouldn't you have gone to Wutong Garden to reprimand the Princess?" Cui Lingrong, protective of her own, said with a stern face. "If she hadn't been so incompetent, Xie Yunting wouldn't have caused trouble. Or is it that you, Lord Marquis, are unwilling to blame the Princess?"

Yes, Zeyu shouldn't have disregarded the Marquis's reputation back then, but Cui Lingrong felt good about it deep down.

It's only because of Zeyu that people compare her to Princess Rongjia.

"Is this the same thing?" Song Shulan said speechlessly. "Why are you suddenly becoming so unreasonable? Or do you still not believe me?"

Sophistry?

This was the first time in Cui Lingrong's life that she had been described in this way.

She had no idea how to refute this statement, after all, she really didn't expect to be accused of being unreasonable.

"You're not saying anything again. You're always like this, a silent devil!" Song Shulan got up to leave, and Cui Lingrong subconsciously wanted to stop her, but in the end she didn't say it.

The room fell silent again. Aunt Qiu sighed as she entered. "Madam, you've been suppressing your temper all this time. Why did you start arguing with the Marquis?"

"Aunt Qiu, I still want to know, in the Marquis's eyes, am I really completely inferior to Princess Rongjia?" Cui Lingrong smiled self-deprecatingly. "You said before that after many years of marriage, the Marquis would definitely treat me better. Now it seems that's not entirely true; men are still fickle."

They say it's for their future.

It's not that new love is better than old love.

"Aunt Qiu, I'm tired." Cui Lingrong didn't want to say more and let Aunt Qiu blow out the candles.

Madam Qiu knew her mistress was heartbroken and understood that further words were useless. Rather than hoping for the Marquis's favor, it was better to hold onto power and money.

In the following days, Cui Lingrong continued to claim illness, and Princess Rongjia also said she was not feeling well. It was Wang Shanxi's family who stepped in and, together with Jiang Shi, managed the household affairs.

Before, Jiang would have been happy, but now, seeing Wang Shanxi's house, she felt uneasy.

On this day, the tenant farmers brought firewood, and the charcoal purchased by the Marquis's mansion was also delivered.

After Jiang finished taking stock, she found that there wasn't enough for each household's needs. She wanted to discuss it with Princess Rongjia, but Wang Shanxi's wife said directly, "The princess is ill. Second Madam can handle this small matter herself. In this mansion, the old lady and the princess are the most honored, not to mention the marquis. As for the charcoal for the rest of the place, Second Madam can arrange it herself."

"But……"

"Second Madam is in charge now, surely she can't even handle such a small matter? Or is Second Madam trying to withhold the charcoal from Wutong Garden?" The purchase of charcoal was arranged by the Princess beforehand, and now that Jiang is in charge, Wang Shanxi's family naturally shifted the responsibility to Jiang.

Even if Jiang's mind wasn't working properly, she understood what Princess Rongjia meant.

But the old lady had just punished her by making her kneel in the ancestral hall. If something else happened to her, she was afraid the old lady would send her back to the old house and confine her.

Moreover, Princess Rongjia took all the money that was deducted from the charcoal supply, and Jiang Shi didn't get a single penny of benefit, so why should she bear the responsibility?

She was so worried that she didn't know what to do. That night, she grabbed Song Shucheng and cried, "My sister-in-law and the princess are fighting each other. Why did they have to drag me out as cannon fodder? If the truth comes out, the old lady will still punish me."

Song Shucheng had just returned from drinking and said impatiently, "If you can't handle it, then don't. Let the third son's wife handle it."

"What do you know? I'm already being suppressed by my sister-in-law and the princess. Why should I let Li Shi suppress me?" She would never go to Li Shi.

"Then what are you going to do? Do you dare to cut off the charcoal from Shou'an Hall, or from the Princess? You won't get a single benefit, and you'll have to take responsibility. You're incredibly stupid." Over the years, Song Shucheng had become increasingly dissatisfied with Jiang Shi. Jiang Shi herself couldn't have children, yet she prevented others from having them, which resulted in him not even having a son.

Song Shucheng was unwilling to listen to Jiang's complaints, so he got up to leave, but Jiang pulled him so hard that he stumbled.

He turned and shoved Jiang, "What are you doing?"

"Where are you going again?" Jiang's elbow slammed into the ground, tears instantly streaming down her face. "You're supposed to stay here tonight!"

"What do you mean 'should' or 'shouldn't'? What good is it for me to live here? If I'm a hen that can't lay eggs, no matter how hard I try, it's useless." Song Shucheng didn't even glance at Jiang Shi before turning around and leaving.

Jiang sat on the ground, holding back tears, while her mother beside her wanted to comfort her but dared not.

The next day, when the charcoal was being distributed, Jiang reluctantly realized that the second and third wives were short, and she would have to make up for it herself.

At the third house, Li Shi frowned deeply when she saw that half of the charcoal was missing. Her family was not prominent, and her dowry was not much. How was she supposed to get through the winter without half the charcoal?

When Third Master Song Shuhe learned that half of the charcoal was missing, he took out his own savings to comfort Li Shi, saying, "Don't worry, things will be fine once your sister-in-law takes charge."

Li shook her head. She had known Cui for many years and understood some of Cui's thoughts. "Sister-in-law, you're holding back your anger. Do you think she's really sick?"

Song Shuhe lowered his gaze.

"Previously, my eldest sister-in-law wanted to regain control of the household, but the old lady and the marquis wouldn't allow it, insisting on giving face to the princess. Now that the princess is incompetent in managing affairs, the old lady wants my eldest sister-in-law to take over again, treating her like a servant, showing no respect for her wishes whatsoever." Madam Li sighed. "My eldest sister-in-law's illness won't get better anytime soon. She's waiting, waiting for my second sister-in-law to make a foolish mistake, waiting for the old lady and the marquis to lose their temper and bow down to her."

Song Shuhe had a good impression of Cui Shi. She was humble and did not look down on the third branch of the family just because he was born out of wedlock. "My sister-in-law has had a hard time, which is why she has to make such a plan."

"Yes, my sister-in-law has had a tough time."

"Don't think about it. My sister-in-law is capable; she won't suffer any losses. Let's live our own lives well and avoid getting involved in the affairs of the Marquis's mansion if we can avoid it." Song Shuhe put his arm around Li Shi. They had been married for many years and were still as loving as ever.

Li nodded, but the next day she stewed ginseng soup and personally delivered it to Qiushuangzhai.

When she arrived, she saw that Cui Zeyu was also there. She put down the ginseng soup, exchanged a few words of casual conversation, and then went back.

Cui Zeyu looked anxious. "Sister, your face is so pale, and you say you're fine. I can tell you're not happy at the Marquis's residence at all. Why force yourself to pretend?"

"You're talking nonsense again." Cui Lingrong didn't hide anything in front of her younger brother. "My face is made up, it's not really white. But you, what about what I told you? What have you thought about it?"