Springtime Affairs in a Noble Family

On the day of the promotion banquet, Song Shulan lifted Princess Rongjia's confinement.

Cui Lingrong's gaze met Princess Rongjia's before she looked away. She then led Yu Jie'er to greet the guests who came to offer their congratulations.

Seeing the Yuan Mingzhu sisters coming together, Cui Lingrong hurried over to greet them.

"I'm finally out! I have something to ask you later, remember to call me when you're done!" Yuan Mingzhu held Cui Lingrong's hand and then looked at Song Yu. "Sister Yu, you've lost so much weight. Qiaoqiao, your chin is all pointed now, just like your mother's. You're going to grow into a great beauty."

She pulled Yu'er to sit down with her. Her sister was the daughter-in-law of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, and many noble ladies came to chat with her. She was happy to introduce Yu'er to others.

As her daughter was led away by Yuan Mingzhu, Cui Lingrong didn't forget to tell Qiu's mother, "Go and take a look at the men's section. Don't let Jin-ge eat too much, or he'll choke and make a fool of himself."

Xuan-ge'er is steady and doesn't need her to worry, but Jin-ge'er is more childish.

After Qiu's mother left, Caixia moved closer to her mistress and said that Princess Rong and her mother-in-law had arrived.

When we met again, we were all adults who had lived through the years. There was no tension or sarcastic remarks.

Princess Rong smiled kindly and said, "Congratulations."

"Thank you for coming, Your Highness. The Princess is inside talking to someone. It's perfect for you to go now." Cui Lingrong pointed in a direction for Princess Rong.

Princess Rong nodded.

Madam Wu stopped in front of Cui Lingrong and said, "Madam Song has such a magnanimous heart; I truly admire her."

Cui Lingrong took a careful look. At first glance, these words sounded like sarcasm, but upon reflection, she felt that Wu was very sincere.

"You flatter me, Your Highness. I am just an ordinary person," Cui Lingrong said.

"You're too modest." Madam Wu moved a little closer. "That day at Wutong Garden, even if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't have had the courage you showed. I admire you for your actions towards our daughter. However..."

She paused and shook her head. "It's still a pity, though. You seem to have won, but Rong Jia still came out today. Lady Song, do you know where you went wrong?"

Cui Lingrong didn't say anything; she knew.

Wu asked himself the question and answered it himself: "We lost because of power."

Cui Lingrong was well aware of this.

If Xie Yunting hadn't appeared, she wouldn't have been able to do anything to Princess Rongjia, let alone find out that Princess Rongjia wasn't pregnant.

But she didn't understand why Ms. Wu was saying all this now.

"Xie Yunting is favored by the Emperor; even the Rong Prince's Mansion doesn't dare to openly oppose him. You're a smart person; if you want to win, you need power and influence." Madam Wu looked at Cui Lingrong with expectant eyes, leaning closer. "I really hope you can win; don't disappoint me."

After saying that, Madam Wu went to find Princess Rong.

Cui Lingrong was somewhat stunned. The few times she had seen Madam Wu before, Madam Wu would always interrupt at crucial moments. At that time, she suspected that Madam Wu and Princess Rongjia did not have a good relationship. It turned out that this was true.

There was no time for her to think. The guests arrived one after another. When Aunt Qiu returned, she said that Young Master Yu and General Xie had arrived.

"The Marquis's expression was not good when he saw General Xie," said Mama Qiu.

"He deserves it. After all, I'm not happy to see Princess Rongjia either," Cui Lingrong said with a forced smile, as the banquet was about to begin.

She and Princess Rongjia sat on either side of Old Madam Song. Old Madam Song was particularly happy today and drank several cups of wine.

Cui Lingrong remained indifferent; when others offered her a toast, she would only take a sip.

Princess Rongjia showed no signs of exhaustion, her face glowing as she helped the old lady fend off the drinks, saying, "Yes, yes, today is my lord's happy occasion, I'll drink!"

"Your Highness has a good capacity for alcohol. You are truly blessed to have such a daughter-in-law, Madam."

"Yes, the princess is so filial. The old lady's good fortune is beyond compare."

"Who says otherwise? Come, come, let me toast the old lady again!"

……

Those who could sit at the same table with Old Madam Song were either very close to her or of noble status. They all understood that Song Shulan's promotion was due to Prince Rong, and that's why they all fawned over Princess Rongjia.

Yuan Yuzhu was also sitting at this table. Seeing Cui Lingrong's calm and composed demeanor, she sighed inwardly, "No wonder she is the woman who was able to wrest back the power of managing the household from Princess Rongjia."

She raised her glass. "Sister Cui, today's banquet is exquisite. I'm not good at sweet talk, thank you for your hospitality."

Cui Lingrong raised her glass with a slight smile, exchanged a glance with Yuan Yuzhu, and the two smiled knowingly.

Only then did the others notice Cui Lingrong. Some people came to talk to her, while others refrained from toasting her because of Princess Rongjia.

After a meal, it's immediately clear who's closer to whom.

Princess Rongjia was a little drunk, so Princess Rong took her to sober up. The others went to the flower hall to watch a play or to the garden to brew tea.

As the matriarch of the household, Cui Lingrong will not hide away and slack off today. She wants everyone to know that she is still in charge of the Jiangyuan Marquis's mansion, and no one can look down on her.

However, Yuan Mingzhu had something to say to her, so she pulled her to a secluded pavilion. "I heard a few days ago that Princess Rongjia had a miscarriage. Why is she out today? Shouldn't she be resting at home?"

Cui Lingrong looked around, then whispered to Yuan Mingzhu to briefly recount the story of Princess Rongjia's fake pregnancy: "The Marquis is reluctant to punish her and insists on letting her come out. If there are any rumors later, he can't blame me."

People like the Su family know that Princess Rongjia is pregnant, so it's impossible for her to suddenly change her story and say that she has never been pregnant.

To the outside world, the Marquis of Jiangyuan's residence could only say that Princess Rongjia's child had been lost.

However, it hasn't been long since Princess Rongjia miscarried. In just seven or eight days, Princess Rongjia came out to receive guests with a radiant complexion. Those who observed this couldn't help but speculate.

"She used such despicable methods, faking a pregnancy to frame Yu'er!" Yuan Mingzhu almost exclaimed. "It's too much! Yet Marquis Song let it go so easily. Is he blinded by greed? Does he really like Princess Rongjia that much?"

Yuan Yuzhu, who was standing to the side, laughed out loud, "My silly sister, do you think every man is like your husband, who would go out to buy steamed buns at dawn for you? I don't know if Marquis Song likes Princess Rongjia, but I can confirm that he cares a lot about the Rongwang Mansion."

"So that's how it is. He's so hypocritical. I always thought he was fake, but now he's even more annoying!" Yuan Mingzhu never hid anything from Cui Lingrong, so she didn't care whether Song Shulan was Cui Lingrong's husband or not; she just said what she disliked.

Yuan Yuzhu glanced at her simple-minded younger sister, then turned to ask Cui Lingrong, "So what are your plans now?"

"The Crown Princess of Rong spoke to me today. From what she said, it seems she and Princess Rongjia don't get along. Sister Yuan, have you heard about what happened at the Rong Prince's residence?" Cui Lingrong asked.

Yuan Yuzhu's husband's family was prominent, and she often had to deal with high-ranking officials and nobles, inevitably hearing some secrets about the imperial family. However, she wasn't a gossipy person and wouldn't deliberately remember certain things.

"Let me think about it." Yuan Yuzhu pondered for a moment. "The Princess Consort of Rong is not a particularly easy person to talk to. Every time I see her, she is not very warm to anyone. When I married into Bianjing, she had already married into the Rong Prince's Mansion. I really don't know what kind of grudge she has with Princess Rongjia. But now that you mention it, it's true that she and Princess Rongjia are not on good terms."

She thought of something: "One year, when my father-in-law was celebrating his birthday, Princess Rongjia happened to be visiting relatives in Bianjing. Princess Rongjia sent the same gift as the Crown Princess. Obviously, the two of them hadn't discussed it beforehand."

Yuan Mingzhu said, "Next time I see the Crown Princess, I'll try to get some information out of her; maybe I'll find out."

"Forget about it." Yuan Yuzhu glanced at her sister from head to toe. "Just don't let anyone trick you into saying anything. Do you think someone who can become the Crown Prince's consort is a simple person?"

"Sister, don't underestimate people!"

"Ask Sister Cui if that's what she thinks?"

Yuan Mingzhu went to see Cui Lingrong.

Cui Lingrong smiled and pinched Yuan Mingzhu's cheek. "Leave the task of getting information out of her to me. The secrets of the Rong Prince's Mansion can't be found out in a short time. There's plenty of time, and there will always be opportunities."

"That's true." Yuan Yuzhu said, narrowing her eyes. "If you want Princess Rongjia to never recover, you need to have something on her that even the Rong Prince's Mansion can't protect."

Yuan Mingzhu asked, "The Prince of Rong is so powerful, unless Princess Rongjia commits murder, surely she won't be able to recover?"

"Then how do you know she hasn't killed anyone?" Yuan Yuzhu said casually. "Otherwise, as you said, Prince Rong is favored, and his son might become the new crown prince. In that case, not only will Sister Cui be unable to touch Princess Rongjia, but she might also be divorced by Marquis Song."

That's the truth. Yuan Yuzhu was being direct, and she wanted to remind Cui Lingrong that she needed to get on the good side of Princess Rongjia as soon as possible, otherwise, two tigers cannot share the same mountain, and it would be a fight to the death.