Springtime Affairs in a Noble Family

Requesting to step down from the divorce?

Song Shulan was stunned.

He had never seen Cui Lingrong so angry. In the past, Cui Lingrong was like a lump of dough, and it was impossible to argue with her.

Now, Cui Lingrong is like a ferocious beast baring its teeth, as if she wants to pounce on him and bite off a piece of his flesh.

At this moment, Wang Shanxi's wife and Qingxue both came out and knelt down.

"My lord, please be wise! If this old servant is lying, may I be struck by lightning!" Wang Shanxi's wife kowtowed forcefully until her forehead was broken and blood trickled down. "Why would the princess use her own child to frame Yu'er?"

Cui Lingrong looked over and asked, "I'd also like to ask, what exactly does the princess mean?"

"Madam, ever since the Princess married into the Marquis's mansion, she has always been very respectful to you. You asked the Princess to call you 'elder sister,' and the Princess changed her address. Later, when you wanted to take charge of the household, the Princess didn't compete with you. This old servant would like to know, is it the Princess's child who is blocking Yu-jie's path, or yours?" Wang Shanxi's wife steered the conversation toward Cui Lingrong.

Yu Jie'er is, after all, a child of the Marquis's family. No matter what mistakes she has made, she still bears the surname Song.

If Cui Lingrong were to handle this matter, Song Shulan would definitely divorce his wife.

Upon hearing this, Cui Lingrong couldn't help but snort, "Wang Shanxi's wife, are you saying that I instructed Yu'er to harm Princess Rongjia's child? You really underestimate me. If I were the one who did it, how could you have caught me red-handed?"

She got up and walked over; never before had she been so angry.

Cui Lingrong understood; it turned out that Princess Rongjia was plotting against her after all.

A concubine?

Cui Lingrong turned to look at Song Shulan, and for the first time, she felt an inextinguishable resentment in her heart.

I was not as angry as I was now when I learned that Song Shulan had married a concubine.

She stopped in front of Wang Shanxi's house. "I'm asking you, besides the people from Wutongyuan, who else was there at the time?"

Wang Shanxi's wife said she didn't know, but no sooner had she finished speaking than Aunt Zhao arrived.

Aunt Zhao knelt before Song Shulan, glancing timidly in Cui Lingrong's direction. "Madam, after much thought, I still cannot go against my conscience and protect Yu'er."

"What do you want to say?" Cui Lingrong turned around and looked at her.

"The Princess is a kind person. She often tells us how much she loves children, especially Yu'er and her brother, who are so beautiful. She longs to be close to them, but Yu'er has a natural hostility towards the Princess." Aunt Zhao said, glancing at everyone present out of the corner of her eye. "Today, I happened to be passing by and saw Yu'er bump into the Princess. This is absolutely true. If I were to utter a single lie, may I die a horrible death!"

She said she had been struggling with this in the house for a long time, and that Princess Rongjia really liked children, so since she had seen it, she had to come over and speak up for her.

"Aunt Zhao, you must take responsibility for your words!" Cui Lingrong stared intently at her. Ah, layer upon layer, Princess Rongjia is indeed very cunning.

At this moment, Wang Shanxi's wife added, "Did you hear that, Madam? This is no longer just the one-sided story from the people of Wutong Garden. Aren't Aunt Zhao's words enough to testify?"

After a pause, Wang Shanxi's wife added, "Or is it that the eldest mistress wants to threaten Zhao Yiniang with her indenture?"

When Cui Lingrong married into the family, Old Madam Song gave Zhang Yiniang's indenture to Cui Lingrong. As for Zhao Yiniang, she was a concubine given to Song Shulan by his colleague. At that time, Song Shulan and Cui Lingrong treated each other with respect, so Song Shulan naturally gave Zhao Yiniang's indenture to Cui Lingrong.

Aunt Zhao continued, "My lord, I know that the eldest mistress holds my indenture and can control my life and death at will. But I cannot stand by and watch an innocent person be harmed. Even if the eldest mistress wants to sell me, I will testify for the princess!"

After listening to Aunt Zhao say so much, Song Shulan's heart wavered again.

The intermittent sobs of Princess Rongjia echoed from inside the house. Song Shulan's heart tightened at the sound; he loathed these internal power struggles. "Cui, do you have anything else to say?"

"Aunt Zhao comes to Wutong Garden every few days. Doesn't the Marquis know that Aunt Zhao and Princess Rongjia are in cahoots?" Cui Lingrong kept herself calm.

Especially in situations like these, it's crucial to avoid acting impulsively.

Since it was Princess Rongjia's scheme, there must be flaws in it.

She glanced at the people in the courtyard and saw that her daughter was still sitting on the ground. "Aunt Qiu, take Yu'er back first and find a doctor to take a look at her."

Wang Shanxi's wife suddenly looked up and called out "Lord Marquis," indicating that the Lord Marquis should leave Yu'er behind, as the eldest mistress clearly wanted to take her away.

Before Song Shulan could even speak, Cui Lingrong slapped her across the face. "No matter what, Yu'er is still a mistress of the Marquis's mansion. If you want to punish her, you have to determine her crime first. What, you, a mere servant, dare to stop your mistress from seeing a doctor?"

Wang Shanxi's wife was stunned by the beating. She was Princess Rongjia's person, and Princess Rongjia was still lying in the room. How could Cui Lingrong beat her?

As the saying goes, even when beating a dog, one must consider its owner. Wang Shanxi's wife immediately kowtowed and cried, "Madam, please calm down. This old servant doesn't have the guts. It's just that the matter hasn't been investigated clearly, yet you've let Yu'er leave. What are you thinking? This old servant doesn't know."

Song Shulan was also stunned. In his memory, Cui Lingrong was always easy to talk to and never lost her temper. He had never seen anything like it today.

However, he believed in Cui Lingrong.

Since Aunt Zhao has testified, it seems that it was just Yu Jie'er's own temper. Song Shulan said, "Cui, this is still Wutong Garden. You have to consider the place when you hit someone. Don't break the rules."

Old Madam Song was also helped out. "Yes, Madam Cui, do you even have any respect for me, your mother-in-law, or for the Marquis? Yu'er has committed a heinous crime, and instead of trying to persuade her to repent, you're here swaggering around. You really have some nerve!"

Old Mrs. Song made Cui Lingrong kneel down.

Cui Lingrong stood still. Her daughter was innocent, and she would not kneel down because of it. "Grandma, Yu-jie said she was right, and I believe her."

"Cui Lingrong, I understand your desire to protect your daughter, but can you consider the bigger picture? You are not only Yu'er's mother, but also the mistress of the Jiangyuan Marquis's mansion. Do you want to see the mansion fall into utter ruin?" Old Madam Song only wanted to calm things down as soon as possible. As for Yu'er, no matter what happened, she could only send her away.

She also felt sorry for Yu Jie'er, but it was too late to help her now. Who told Yu Jie'er to be so foolish?

"Grandma, I've already said that the matter is still unresolved, and no one can stop my daughter from seeing a doctor," Cui Lingrong said firmly.

"Cui Lingrong!" Old Mrs. Song was furious. "Are you trying to drive me to my death?"

Cui Lingrong said she wouldn't dare, and gave Qiu's mother a look. Qiu's mother and the others protected Yu'er and walked out. Someone went to block their way, and Cui Lingrong went over to hit them, giving them another slap.

Having managed affairs for many years, she commanded the respect of all the old women in the household, and in the end, she led Qiu Mama and the others to the door.

Cui Lingrong walked up to her daughter and wiped away her tears. "Don't cry. I believe in you. No one else matters. Stay calm and learn to be composed. Even if the sky falls, I'll be there to support you."

"Mother, I..."

"Alright, let the doctor examine you first, so there are no problems left. Yu-jie, you must remember today's lesson. Consider it a lesson life has taught you, so that you can rise from the ashes and become a phoenix." Cui Lingrong then looked at Qiu Mama, "After the doctor has examined Yu-jie, please trouble the doctor to make another trip and have him take Princess Rongjia's pulse."

Upon hearing this, Song Shulan and Old Mrs. Song looked puzzled, while Wang Shanxi's wife suddenly looked up.

Could it be that Grandma knows something?

Meanwhile, at the third house, a maid returned and reported to Madam Li, "The Wutong Courtyard is like an iron barrel. I only heard the Marquis scolding Yu'er. The eldest mistress has already gone in, and I don't know the situation now."

Song Shuhe dismissed the maid and went to look at Li Shi. "Sit down. What good would it do to testify for Yu'er?"

"But I saw that Princess Rongjia deliberately provoked Yu'er, and it was also someone from Wutong Garden who bumped into Yu'er. It was clearly Princess Rongjia who framed Yu'er. How can I sit idly by and watch Yu'er suffer injustice?" Li's palms were almost broken from being clenched, and she couldn't make up her mind.

Her sister-in-law was so good to her; if anything happened to Yu-jie because of it, she would feel guilty for the rest of her life.

"But if you go to Wutong Garden, everyone will have their own version of events. Do you think my elder brother will believe you or Princess Rongjia?" Song Shuhe didn't want to get involved in these matters. "Even if my elder brother believes you, do you think he will divorce Princess Rongjia?"

Will not.

They all knew that their eldest brother wanted to use the Rong Prince's Mansion to get promoted.

If Princess Rongjia were to be divorced, it would be tantamount to going against the Rong Prince's Mansion.

Song Shuhe continued, "Shu'er, I know you have a kind heart. But by accusing Princess Rongjia in the past, our third branch will completely offend Princess Rongjia and the Rong Prince's Mansion. I'm powerless; how can I protect you and your child?"

Li also knew that once she went to Wutong Garden, she was destined to clash with Princess Rongjia.

However, Yu Jie'er is such an innocent and lovely person. If she is found guilty, the Marquis's mansion will definitely not keep her.

"I don't understand. Princess Rongjia set up such a huge trap just to harm Yu'er?" Madam Li frowned. "Shouldn't the child in her womb be more important?"

Song Shuhe couldn't understand this either.

Logically speaking, Princess Rongjia should have used this tactic to deal with her sister-in-law.