Springtime Affairs in a Noble Family

Song Shulan was bleeding from the back of his head. Qingshan helped his master stagger back to the Marquis's residence. Qingshan asked his master where he was going, and the drunk Song Shulan subconsciously said "Qiushuangzhai" before falling into a deep sleep.

When Cui Lingrong saw the disheveled Song Shulan, she simply had Qingshan take Song Shulan to a side room.

"Madam, the Marquis's clothes..." Before Qingshan could finish speaking, he saw the Madam walk out.

Cui Lingrong asked Qiu's mother to keep an eye on things and "have Qingshan help change into clean clothes."

"Isn't the eldest mistress going to help the Marquis change himself?" Qiu's mother asked.

"The Marquis is drunk. Whether I change or Qingshan changes, he doesn't know," Cui Lingrong said before returning home.

When Song Shulan woke up the next day, she had a severe pain in the back of her head. Hearing from Qingshan that she didn't know who had hit her, she kicked them, saying, "Useless thing, can't you even catch anyone on the street?"

"Your Excellency, it was late at night. If we had reported it to the authorities, they probably wouldn't have investigated. I was worried about your injuries, so I brought you back first," Qingshan hurriedly explained, and then recounted the events at Qiushuangzhai.

Song Shulan felt strange when he learned that Cui Lingrong had only come to visit once.

While having breakfast, he asked himself why he was sleeping in a side room.

"Your Excellency injured your head, and I was afraid of accidentally bumping into it at night, so I had Qingshan and Aunt Qiu arrange for you to stay in a side room." Cui Lingrong said, holding a bowl of porridge. Because Song Shulan had breakfast at her place, the food was more substantial. "How are you feeling now, Your Excellency? Should we ask Qingshan to ask for leave?"

Song Shulan looked at Cui Lingrong and noticed that Cui Lingrong seemed less concerned about him than before. He felt a strange feeling in his heart. "No need. The Ministry of Revenue is busiest at the end of the year. I have to go and keep an eye on things."

Hearing Song Shulan say this, Cui Lingrong didn't say anything more.

She didn't speak while eating or sleeping, so she had nothing to say to Song Shulan.

After Song Shulan left, Cui Lingrong summoned all the stewards of the manor. She was very familiar with the affairs of the Marquis's manor and quickly gave her instructions.

Two days later, she visited Yuan Mingzhu with gifts.

Upon arriving at the Jiang family home, Cui Lingrong first had to pay her respects to Old Madam Jiang. She greeted Old Madam Jiang and then bid farewell to Yuan Mingzhu.

Today, Old Madam Jiang seemed to be in a lot of interest. She pulled Cui Lingrong aside and asked her many questions, and even mentioned some things about Princess Rongjia.

Cui Lingrong replied with a faint smile.

After Cui Lingrong and Yuan Mingzhu left, Old Madam Jiang sighed, "That old woman from the Song family has good taste; not many people can match Cui's magnanimity. It's a pity I didn't realize how wonderful Cui was back then."

She shook her head as she spoke, thankfully her daughter-in-law was alright, otherwise she would have felt bad if she had been outshone by Old Mrs. Song.

Meanwhile, Cui Lingrong went to the courtyard where Yuan Mingzhu lived. The two talked inside the house, while Qiu Mama and Yuan Mingzhu's confidante were drinking tea and eating snacks outside.

With no one else in the room, Cui Lingrong brought up the matter of the Duke of Dingguo's heir. Seeing that Yuan Mingzhu looked well, she was somewhat curious, "Before, when you talked about the Duke of Dingguo's heir, you would always worry about your sister. Why do you seem so calm this time?"

Yuan Mingzhu is someone who can't keep things to herself. "I was originally worried that my sister was having a hard time, but after seeing her a couple of days ago and hearing what she had to say, I stopped worrying about it."

"My sister married the heir of the Duke of Dingguo, who was in poor health, for the sake of family alliance. However, the heir of the Duke of Dingguo was born with a defect and could not even fully engage in sexual intercourse. Therefore, after more than ten years of marriage into the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, my sister did not have a single child."

"If there are no children, people outside will only talk about how the woman is, and they will never say that the man is no good."

"My sister enjoyed the glory of the Duke's mansion after marrying into it, but only she knows the bitterness she felt inside."

"She told me a couple of days ago that if it weren't for my brother-in-law's humility and respect for her, she would have wanted a divorce long ago. This time, my brother-in-law couldn't take it anymore, but my sister has also made up her mind. She wants to remarry and will never stay in the Duke's mansion for the rest of her life."

Cui Lingrong was surprised to hear this, "The Duke of Dingguo's mansion can give in?"

"They have no choice but to give in. My Yuan family has some prestige now. Besides, my brother-in-law knows he has wronged my sister, so he spoke to the Duke about this beforehand," Yuan Mingzhu said. "My sister said that without her own children, she might not be able to raise adopted children from the clan well. Even if she does raise them well, they will only be contributing to the Duke's mansion, and she will be trapped in this huge pit of the Duke's mansion for the rest of her life, unable to find any joy."

Cui Lingrong listened thoughtfully.

Yuan Mingzhu continued, "She also said that her parents raised her, and she has done right by all the sacrifices she made at the Duke of Dingguo's mansion over the years. Now she just wants to live for herself, find a healthy man, and live life to the fullest."

As a woman herself, Yuan Mingzhu agreed with her sister's statement. Seeing Cui Lingrong frowning in thought, she smiled and said, "What, do you think my sister's ideas are unconventional?"

Cui Lingrong shook her head. "I just didn't expect your sister to say that." She couldn't do that, but when she learned that someone was willing to go all out, her first reaction was envy and happiness for that person.

The Duke of Dingguo's mansion may have a grand entrance, but what good is it if one is unhappy living there?

"Oh, you've really changed. Before, you'd definitely say that since you're now a daughter-in-law of the Duke's family, you should raise a child properly to maintain a good reputation." Yuan Mingzhu sized up Cui Lingrong, leaning closer. "Tell me the truth, were you having a bad time in the Jiangyuan Marquis's mansion?"

At their age, a person doesn't suddenly change, especially someone as emotionally stable as Cui Lingrong.

"Life goes on the same every day, so why is it any worse?" Cui Lingrong smiled.

"Don't lie to me, I've heard everything. Princess Rongjia is pregnant, isn't she?"

"Yes, but so what if she's pregnant?" From the moment she learned of Princess Rongjia's existence, Cui Lingrong knew this day would come. "Xuan-ge'er and Jin-ge'er are capable, so they don't need to fight over the things from the Jiangyuan Marquis's mansion. If they are incompetent, no matter how much they are given, they can't hold onto them. I understand now that having money and power is the most important thing. Since my path isn't easy, I'll walk the path I've chosen well."

She knew Yuan Mingzhu was worried about her, so she patted Yuan Mingzhu's hand and said, "I'm really fine. You must have heard about the Autumn Banquet. Princess Rongjia was no match for me. The old lady had no choice but to let me manage the household again."

"You'd better live a good life, just like you say." Yuan Mingzhu didn't quite believe Cui Lingrong's words, but Cui Lingrong was ultimately responsible for her own life, and she couldn't interfere too much now that she had said this much. "Oh, by the way, there's something extremely secretive I'm only telling you. You can't tell anyone else, not even Lord Song!"

She leaned closer, gossiping, "There's another reason why my sister didn't stay in the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. Years ago, the Duke kept a mistress. That mistress gave birth to a son for the Duke, but more than ten years ago, the Duchess found out and sent people to deal with the mistress. As a result, the mistress died, and her son ran away."

This kind of secret is something that ordinary people really can't know.

Yuan Mingzhu, holding Cui Lingrong's arm, spoke with great interest, "My sister said that the Duke knows my brother-in-law is useless, so he has been looking for this concubine for the past few years. According to the Duke, once he finds her, he wants her to inherit the Duke's mansion."

"This...this won't do. Would the Duchess agree to this?" Cui Lingrong asked.

"Of course she disagrees, but what's the use of disagreeing? The Duchess was notoriously jealous when she was young, which is why the Duke of Dingguo only has my brother-in-law as a son. Now my brother-in-law is failing, and the Duke of Dingguo is old; he can't have any more children. The Duke of Dingguo has already found someone to collect the body of his mistress, and he'll soon find her son. The Duke of Dingguo's mansion will be even more chaotic than yours, so my sister is thinking she might as well remarry." Yuan Mingzhu said, raising her eyebrows with a smile. "How about that? You didn't expect this, did you?"

Cui Lingrong said she was surprised, "I have met the Duke of Dingguo. He is a very dignified and serious person. I really didn't expect him to keep a mistress."

"You can know a person's face but not their heart. Don't blame me for being blunt, but you probably never expected Lord Song to take a concubine." Yuan Mingzhu spoke her mind, unable to hold back. "The Duke of Dingguo kept a mistress for ten years before being discovered, which shows how careful he was, but in the end, the Duchess still found out. That mistress's son needs to be prayed that the Duchess doesn't find him first, otherwise she definitely won't let him off!"

Cui Lingrong nodded and said, "In that case, it's a good thing that your sister left the Duke of Dingguo's mansion."

Otherwise, the children who are adopted or born out of wedlock would cause a lot of trouble just by thinking about it.

"Who says otherwise?" Yuan Mingzhu snorted. She used to hope that her brother-in-law would get better, or that he and her sister would have a child, so that her sister would have someone to rely on. Now that she thinks about it, it's better not to have a child, so that she won't be tied down by one.

The two chatted for a long time, and Cui Lingrong had lunch at Yuan Mingzhu's place before saying goodbye and returning home.

Yuan Mingzhu and Song Cuilingrong went to the gate. "If you have anything to say, you must tell me. Even if my old lady locks me up, I'll climb over the wall to help you, you understand?"

"Okay, okay, I'll call you if I need anything." Cui Lingrong felt a warmth in her heart. She and Yuan Mingzhu walked to the door and realized that Cui Zeyu had been waiting for her all along.

Yuan Mingzhu and Cui Zeyu were fairly familiar with each other, and she said with a smile, "Why didn't you send a message when you came? Were you afraid I couldn't afford to add a pair of chopsticks?"

Cui Zeyu said no, "I haven't been here long. I was thinking you all want to have a private talk, and it would be inconvenient for me to be here. The cloth shop recently received some Loulan gauze, and I thought Sister Yuan would like it, so I've already had it taken in."

"You little rascal, you're quite good at charming people." Yuan Mingzhu wanted to take the money, but Cui Zeyu quickly said no. She looked at Cui Zeyu in the sunlight, a man with a relaxed and open demeanor, and suddenly felt a sense of familiarity with him.