Springtime Affairs in a Noble Family

When Song Shulan received the imperial decree of marriage, he was momentarily flustered, but then secretly delighted. His unfulfilled fate with Princess Rongjia in their youth could be continued.

At that time, with a beauty in his arms, he completely forgot about Cui Lingrong, his original wife.

Only now did he begin to understand what it meant.

The two women seemed gentle and easy to talk to, but in reality, each wanted to gain the upper hand. The thought that they were plotting against him filled Song Shulan with a slight sense of pleasure.

When they arrived at the entrance of Wutong Garden, Song Shulan did not have her maid announce her arrival, but quietly appeared behind Princess Rongjia.

"The princess is so beautiful that I am eager to return home."

Princess Rongjia feigned surprise, her body trembling slightly. She leaned into Song Shulan's arms, scolding him playfully, "Song Lang, you're so naughty, you've frightened me."

The person in his arms seemed to know that Song Shulan was coming. She had taken a bath and washed herself, and even applied perfume. Song Shulan couldn't help but sniff the neck of Princess Rongjia. "Nonsense, how could I bear to scare you?"

He carried Princess Rongjia back to the bed.

The bed curtains swayed, and as her breathing slowed, Song Shulan lay limply on Princess Rongjia. She spoke of meeting Cui Lingrong, saying, "She's half a year older than you and joined the Song family earlier. You should still call her 'elder sister.'"

"But... I met you first."

The tone of his voice, filled with grievance, sobs, and bitterness, made Song Shulan's heart tighten suddenly.

Indeed, they were childhood sweethearts.

In terms of who came first, Princess Rongjia knew him first.

As Song Shulan felt sorry for her, Princess Rongjia said considerately, "I understand. From now on, I will call her 'elder sister.' But regarding the household management, could you help me, Song Lang? I hold the title of princess, but everyone knows I'm a widow who remarried. I don't necessarily want to fight for the management rights; I just want to maintain some dignity. As you know, I rarely return to Bianjing after my marriage. Once I've established myself in Bianjing, I will definitely return the management rights to Sister Cui."

This was the first time Song Shulan had ever seen Princess Rongjia act so humbly and submissively.

In his memory, Princess Rongjia was spirited yet arrogant; her noble birth gave her the confidence to act as she pleased. Now, however, she was submissive in his arms. Song Shulan dared not imagine what kind of life Princess Rongjia had led all these years.

"If it really doesn't work out, then so be it..."

"Alright, I promise you." Song Shulan made up his mind. Princess Rongjia was also his wife, so it was perfectly reasonable for her to manage the household. As for Cui Lingrong, he would coax her a bit tomorrow, and he thought she would understand.

Princess Rongjia immediately beamed with joy, hugged Song Shulan's neck and kissed him, "I knew it, Song Lang has me in his heart."

The woman's initiative revitalized Song Shulan, and they made quite a fuss inside the house again.

The next day, before going to court, Song Shulan instructed his attendant to go to Cui Lingrong's place and say that he would be having dinner there that evening.

When the entourage arrived at Qiushuangzhai, Cui Lingrong had just finished breakfast and was preparing clothes for her two sons.

When Qiu Mama learned that the Marquis was coming for dinner, she was happy for her mistress. "The Marquis must have persuaded the Princess to come and give you an explanation."

Cui Lingrong shook her head. "If he had a result, he would have told us directly, instead of just telling us to come for dinner. Aunt Qiu, I've been married to the Marquis for many years, and I know him. The more something is worth arguing about, the longer he drags it out."

"Not necessarily. You and the Marquis have had a relationship for over ten years, while the Princess has only been married into the family for a short time. How can she compare to you?" Madam Qiu advised, fearing that her mistress would be discouraged. "Men all like novelty. Once the initial excitement wears off, it won't be interesting anymore. You gave birth to the Marquis's eldest son and have managed the household for many years. I believe the Marquis knows what's more important."

Cui Lingrong, however, dared not be so optimistic. She packed out the new clothes she had brought back from Suzhou and instructed someone to send them to the Imperial Academy. Upon hearing that the old lady had sent someone to inquire about her well-being again, she quickly lay down and said she was not feeling well.

As evening approached, Song Shulan appeared on time.

Just as Aunt Qiu finished pouring the wine, Song Shulan brought up the matter of the steward, saying, "Lingrong, you are a virtuous and generous person. The princess has had a very difficult time these past few years. Can you let her handle the steward's affairs?"

Cui Lingrong pursed her thin lips, inwardly sighing that she hadn't been happy yet. She slowly began to recount her experiences over the years, "When I first married into the Marquis's mansion, the people in Bianjing City, seeing that I was marrying into a higher social class, did a lot of things to make things difficult for me. The worst time was in December when I was pushed into an icy lake. But for the sake of my reputation, I insisted on climbing ashore myself. Since then, I've been terribly afraid of the cold every winter. Later, when the old master passed away and the old lady fell seriously ill, I served her at her bedside for two months. I almost lost the baby Xuan in my belly. During my pregnancy, I was always bedridden, but I still had to manage the receptions and send-offs at the Marquis's mansion."

Speaking of difficulties, who has it easy?

She married into a noble family, and to outsiders, it seemed glamorous, but only she knew the bitterness inside.

By the time of Song Shulan's grandfather, the Song family had been nothing but mediocre people; not a single one of them could uphold the family's honor. By the time of Song Shulan, the Marquis's mansion was merely a name, and the old lady still had to maintain the dignity of the large family, which resulted in considerable expenses throughout the year.

Cui Lingrong had married into a higher social class and was determined not to be looked down upon. She had to oversee all the affairs of the household and find ways to increase revenue. After several years, the Marquis's mansion finally enjoyed its current comfortable life.

"After Xuan'er was born, he was frail. He is our eldest son, and I long for him to grow up healthy. Every time he was sick, I stayed by his side night after night." At this point, Cui Lingrong sighed softly. "Princess Rongjia wants to maintain her dignity, but what about me? Don't I need it too?"

For many years, Cui Lingrong had always maintained a calm and composed demeanor in front of Song Shulan. But now, with tears welling up in her eyes, she looked at Song Shulan, leaving him speechless for a moment.

Cui Lingrong took a deep breath to stop her tears from falling.

My aunt once said that you should only shed tears when crying is effective; otherwise, you'll just make a fool of yourself in front of others and ruin your eyes.

The room fell silent. Madam Qiu tensed up, barely daring to breathe, afraid that the Marquis might become displeased and start arguing with his master.

At this moment, Song Yu, having learned that her father had come to have dinner with her mother, trotted in. Thinking about Princess Rongjia, she huffed and complained in a spoiled tone, "Father, you've finally come to Mother's. You don't know, the household has a new steward. The other day when Mother and I returned home, there wasn't even anyone to open the door. It was really unbecoming..."

"Bang!"

Before Song Yu could finish speaking, Song Shulan slammed down his wine glass, flung it aside, and the bowl and chopsticks crashed to the ground. "Insolence! What kind of upbringing is this? I'm talking to your mother, when did it become your place to interrupt?"

Song Yu was so frightened that tears welled up in her eyes.

Cui Lingrong stood up to protect her daughter, "My lord, don't take your anger out on Yu'er. What she said is true. If you stop her from speaking, do you think you can silence the entire street?"

Song Yu had never seen her father so angry before, and she trembled in her mother's arms.

Cui Lingrong gave Qiu Mama a wink, and Qiu Mama quickly took Song Yu out, comforting her as they went, "Good girl, don't be sad. The Marquis's anger wasn't directed at you. Adult matters are too complicated. You'll understand in time."

"No need for later, I... I can see it now." Song Yu sobbed, feeling wronged. "Father has a new lover, his heart and eyes are full of her, how can he care about Mother's feelings? Everything should have a first-come, first-served order, right? Why should the princess steal Father and suppress Mother? She's called a secondary wife, where is the equality?"

Song Yu ran away crying.

Madam Qiu told her daughter to go after her, "Keep a close eye on Yu-jie, don't let her go to Wutong Garden, she's no match for the princess."

Watching her daughter run away, Qiu Mama was worried about her master. When she turned back to the main house, she encountered the Marquis coming out with a dark face.

"Grandma, are you alright?"

"Aunt Qiu, I'm fine." Cui Lingrong had already put on her usual calm expression and picked up her chopsticks again. "Before the wedding, my aunt warned me not to expect a man's true feelings. Even if he was initially infatuated with me, he wouldn't love me forever. Although I couldn't control myself at first, now..."

She paused, then emphasized, "It's okay, it's really okay."

Madam Qiu knew her mistress was putting on a brave face, but her heart was breaking. "Madam, if you want to cry, just cry. There's no one else here except this old servant."

Cui Lingrong's hand holding the chopsticks remained still. She shook her head. "I won't cry. We underestimated the Marquis's affection for the Princess. After all, new people are always better than new ones. Now that I understand this, real power is more important to me. Have Ershun come to see me. I have something to tell him."