Springtime Affairs in a Noble Family

Just then, a maid came to announce that Princess Rong had arrived with the Princess Consort of the Heir Apparent.

Upon hearing this, Song Shulan and Old Madam Song were on high alert.

Cui Lingrong frowned. How did they get here so quickly?

"Quickly, have someone invite him in." As soon as Song Shulan finished speaking, Old Madam Song shook her head at him.

If Princess Rongjia were to see her like this, what would become of her?

Old Madam Song went out to greet her, intending to keep her outside, but Princess Rong stormed into Wutong Garden. Seeing her, she didn't give her a friendly look either, saying, "Mrs. Su, I married my daughter to your family, and this is how you treat her?"

Princess Rong was a bit older than Old Madam Song, and her long-standing demeanor as a princess and the overwhelming pressure she exuded made Old Madam Song tremble.

"Your Highness, it was truly an accident, you..."

"Whether it was an accident or not is not for you to say. I've heard that your granddaughter is quite capable, daring to harm my daughter!" Princess Rong glared fiercely at Old Madam Song. At this point, how could she remain calm and speak?

Old Mrs. Song could only endure the scolding; she dared not utter another word.

Song Shulan came out a step late, and Princess Rong showed no mercy, "My precious daughter, when she married you, you promised to treat her so well. Now, less than half a year has passed, how have you treated her? If you don't cherish her, I don't mind taking her home and supporting her for the rest of her life!"

After scolding Song Shulan, Princess Rong stormed into the room.

The first thing she saw when she saw her pale-faced daughter on the bed broke her heart and she cried, "My darling, what happened to you?"

"Mother, I..." Princess Rongjia hugged her mother and sobbed softly, "My child is gone."

Princess Rong paused, only then noticing Cui Lingrong in the room. She took a deep breath, her gaze sharpening and filled with murderous intent. "Cui, how cruel you are. Was this your daughter's idea, or is it that you can't tolerate my daughter?"

"I have no intention of harming anyone, and Yu-jie has absolutely no such intention either." As things became more complicated, Cui Lingrong glanced at Song Shulan, hoping that Song Shulan would mention the doctor.

At this moment, Song Shulan was only thinking about how to quell Princess Rong's anger and did not notice Cui Lingrong's gaze at all.

Princess Wu, the Crown Prince's wife, walked to the bedside, glanced at Princess Rongjia on the bed, and when she looked away, she noticed a doctor standing beside Cui Lingrong and asked, "Who is this?"

Wang Shanxi's wife interrupted, "Madam doesn't trust the Rong Prince's doctor, so she specially invited a doctor to take the princess's pulse. Your Highness, Princess Consort, that Doctor Xu is someone who regularly takes the pulses of the Prince's residence. Tell me, how could he possibly harm the princess?"

Upon hearing this, Princess Rong flew into a rage. "Cui, how dare you! You even doubt someone from the Rong Prince's residence?"

"This humble woman dares not." Cui Lingrong frowned. At this point, she had no choice but to confront Princess Rong head-on, otherwise Yu'er would only be confirmed as guilty. "This humble woman just finds it strange. The princess has always been healthy and has never experienced any discomfort during her pregnancy. Yet this time she miscarried so easily. Is it because the people around her are not taking good care of her, or is someone harboring ill intentions? This humble woman is also thinking of the Rong Prince's Mansion and does not want the Rong Prince's Mansion to be harmed by villains."

Princess Rong scoffed, "So, I should thank you?"

Cui Lingrong said she didn't mean that, "Besides, this matter concerns my daughter's innocence. We are both mothers, so let's put ourselves in each other's shoes, investigate the matter thoroughly, and we'll all be able to give each other an explanation. Don't you think so?"

"Don't give me that crap. Don't think I don't understand what you're thinking." Princess Rong walked towards Cui Lingrong.

She had heard of Cui before; she was dignified and beautiful, and handled matters with great care. In her youth, she was an expert in tea preparation and was quite famous in Bianjing. After she married, she rarely went out to socialize, but no one ever spoke ill of her.

Such a clever and shrewd person, yet her daughter underestimated her.

Princess Rong approached Cui Lingrong, attempting to exert pressure using her status, "The girls of my Rong Prince's Mansion cannot tolerate the slightest grievance. Moreover, how can my people be questioned by others?"

She emphasized each word, saying, "Mrs. Cui, if you don't want to live anymore, you can just say so!"

As Princess Rong approached, Cui Lingrong lowered her head. Hearing Princess Rong's words, she was no longer afraid and looked directly at Princess Rong. "Although I come from a humble background, I am still the daughter of an official family. What crime has Your Highness ordered me to die on? Is it simply because I wanted someone to take Princess Rongjia's pulse? Your Highness is far too domineering!"

After he finished speaking, everyone present held their breath.

Princess Rong is such a noble person, yet Cui Lingrong dared to talk back to her!

Even Princess Rong was stunned for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, "Just for your poor upbringing and allowing your daughter to plot against her stepmother, this one crime alone is enough for me to get the Emperor to issue an edict to divorce you, you poisonous woman, on behalf of Song Shulan!"

"Your Highness, why are you also stopping us from taking your pulse? Is there something you want to say, or is there something the Princess doesn't want us to know?" Cui Lingrong had no way out and could only bite the bullet and go on.

Old Mrs. Song felt like her head was about to fall off her neck. She rushed over and pulled Cui Lingrong away, saying, "Cui, this is the Princess Consort of Rong! How dare you speak to her like that?"

"Even a princess must be reasonable, mustn't she?" Cui Lingrong looked at Princess Rong again. "If no one is allowed to take the princess's pulse today, I have reason to suspect that the princess is not pregnant at all, and that she is deliberately framing Yu'er. If the princess has nothing to hide, then go and request an imperial decree. Even if the Marquis of Jiangyuan's family divorces me, I will still beat the drum of petition and appeal to the emperor to see who is on the side of justice!"

Princess Rong's brows twitched violently. At this moment, she was certain that Cui Lingrong knew something.

Otherwise, Cui Lingrong wouldn't have spoken with such a firm tone!

Princess Rong only just learned about the false pregnancy.

Unable to keep the situation under wraps, Qingxue told Wang Shanxi about her daughter's plan on the way.

Princess Rong was furious. Two tigers cannot share one mountain. When her daughter got married, she told her that if necessary, she should kill Cui Lingrong with one blow.

Princess Rong didn't think the matter of the stewardship was very important, so she didn't get involved.

If she doesn't step in this time, her daughter will fall into the trap she dug herself.

Princess Rong scrutinized Cui Lingrong; she was certain that Cui Lingrong had discovered something.

Old Madam Song and Song Shulan thought Cui Lingrong was talking nonsense. Old Madam Song glared at her, "Cui, you can't just say whatever comes to mind. The princess isn't that kind of person!"

Song Shulan added, "The princess drinks so much medicine every day to protect her pregnancy. Cui, your words are going too far. How can you suspect the princess of faking her pregnancy?"

They were all speaking up for Princess Rongjia.

Cui Lingrong, however, was all alone. She knew very well that she absolutely could not lose this battle.

"Whether it's true or not, we'll know once the doctor takes her pulse," Cui Lingrong said.

"Cui, please stop making a scene!" Song Shulan sensed that Princess Rong was about to lose her temper. "You weren't such a willful person before, how did you become like this?"

Song Shulan still firmly believes that Princess Rongjia was pregnant with his child.

During this time, Princess Rongjia often talked to him about having children. From Princess Rongjia's expectations for children, he could see that Princess Rongjia's feelings were genuine.

As for Cui Lingrong, he just thought that Cui Lingrong was desperate and trying to stir up trouble.

If the doctor diagnoses that Princess Rongjia was pregnant, how will he face the people of the Rong Prince's Mansion?

Song Shulan walked to Cui Lingrong's side and said softly, word by word, "We have been married for more than ten years, and I believe you would not do anything immoral. But this matter has already been settled, and there is a limit to how much you want to protect Yu'er. Quickly apologize to the Princess."

Does he believe her?

Cui Lingrong almost couldn't help but laugh in anger.

If you truly believe her, why would you say that a conclusion has already been reached?

He had already made up his mind; he wanted to use Yu Jie'er's life to appease the Rong Prince's Mansion!

Cui Lingrong looked stubbornly at Song Shulan, "If the doctor diagnoses that Princess Rongjia was pregnant, I, Cui Lingrong, will request to be divorced. Is that alright?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Song Shulan and Cui Lingrong had been married for many years, and overall, he was very satisfied with Cui Lingrong.

Aside from matters in bed, Cui Lingrong was reserved and could never fully satisfy Song Shulan. However, with Cui Lingrong in charge, the Jiangyuan Marquis's mansion was indeed thriving.

"I'm not being unreasonable. I trust the daughter I raised. You may call me irrational or irrational, but I just want a clear answer."

As she spoke, Cui Lingrong looked at Princess Rong. She knew that Princess Rong must understand Princess Rongjia's methods, otherwise she wouldn't have stopped her. "As a secondary wife, to be fair, it's not a pleasant feeling to have two mistresses in one house. Since I've voluntarily given you leverage, shouldn't Your Highness and the Princess seize the opportunity?"

Princess Rong understood why her daughter had lost. Even in such a tense moment, Cui was still able to calmly and logically manipulate her.

That's really impressive.

She tried to stop him by force, but Cui refused to admit it to the death. What would happen then?

From the perspective of the Jiangyuan Marquis's Mansion, they certainly wouldn't break ties with the Rong Prince's Mansion, but Song Shulan's trust in his daughter would be diminished.

Her daughter has already been married once, so it's impossible for her to divorce and remarry.

Princess Rong calmly went to see the doctor that Cui Lingrong had invited. He was an ordinary commoner, a man of no power or influence.

"This is the doctor you invited?" Princess Rong's gaze fell on the man. "Are you sure his medical skills are superb, and are you sure you haven't bribed him?"

Princess Rong sneered, "Doctor, do you know who I am? And who is this person you want to take your pulse for?"

The doctor certainly knew; he had stood there for so long and heard everything clearly.

He desperately wanted to leave, and even though the eldest daughter-in-law of the Marquis's mansion treated him well, he didn't want to offend the Rong Prince's mansion.

"Grandma, I..." The doctor looked over hesitantly.

Cui Lingrong's heart tightened. She had overlooked one point: the doctor was an ordinary person, while the Rong Prince's Mansion possessed power that ordinary people dared not oppose.

Just then, Cui Zeyu's voice came from outside, "Ordinary doctors aren't very capable; why not have the imperial physician examine the princess?"

Accompanying him was a royal physician sent from the palace, whom Xie Yunting had offered to find for him after they met.