Springtime Affairs in a Noble Family

"Sister, haven't you been worried about Yu'er's marriage? General Xie is a great choice." Cui Zeyu listed Xie Yunting's good points. "He is righteous and capable. The mansion he lives in was bestowed by the emperor. He doesn't even need to present his token to enter the palace. What an honor!"

"Furthermore, Princess Rongjia is eyeing you covetously. If you have a powerful son-in-law, let's see if Song Shulan still dares to look down on you!"

Cui Lingrong had never thought about this. Xie Yunting called her "sister," and she had always regarded Xie Yunting as someone of the same generation.

She was conflicted. "General Xie and Yu'er are too far apart in age. Yu'er won't be able to get married for at least another two years. Can General Xie wait that long?"

Xie Yunting is twenty-two this year, and in two more years he will be twenty-four. At this age, most people already have children.

Cui Zeyu thought of Xie Yunting's complaints last night, and realized that Xie Yunting might not be able to wait, so he couldn't help but worry. "I do think General Xie is a good choice, but I didn't think that much about it."

"It depends on fate. Yu'er is still young, and she doesn't even know what kind of person she likes. If fate allows, there might be another chance in two years." Her daughter has no trouble getting married and doesn't need to rush to climb the social ladder.

Cui Zeyu said yes.

Today happened to be Song Shulan's day off. When he arrived at Qiushuangzhai, he heard Cui Zeyu's laughter.

He was annoyed whenever he saw Cui Zeyu, so he ignored her as soon as he entered the house and instead brought up the matter of the Qin family asking him for help. "I saw Lord Qin yesterday. He knows that you have a good relationship with the Yuan sisters and wants you to persuade the eldest Yuan sister. If she stays in the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, she will enjoy a life of wealth and honor without end."

"Oh, Sister Yuan, you don't plan to stay at the Duke of Dingguo's mansion?" Cui Lingrong pretended not to know Yuan Yuzhu's thoughts.

Song Shulan asked in surprise, "You didn't know?"

"My lord, have you forgotten? My confidante is Mingzhu, not Sister Yuan. Lord Qin, tell me where Sister Yuan is going?" Cui Lingrong asked immediately.

Song Shulan thought about it and realized that Cui Lingrong did not visit the Duke of Dingguo's mansion very often. It was possible that others saw Cui Lingrong often with the Yuan sisters and mistakenly thought that Cui Lingrong had a good relationship with the two sisters.

But he had already promised Lord Qin, so he continued, "Madam Yuan has the idea of ​​remarrying, but she is not young. If she remarries at this time, what kind of family can she marry into? Moreover, which of the high-ranking families in Bianjing would dare to marry her? Rather than marrying into a humble family, it would be better for her to stay in the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. With the Duchess of Dingguo there, it is possible to get her an imperial title."

Song Shulan also did not understand Yuan Shikai's thoughts.

Why make a fuss when most of your life has already passed?

In his opinion, Da Yuan probably already had a lover. He originally wanted to get some information out of Cui Lingrong, but Cui Lingrong said she wasn't familiar with her.

"What you say makes sense, Lord Marquis," Cui Lingrong said. "But this is a matter we shouldn't interfere in. We're not familiar with the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. If we anger Sister Yuan and she takes her anger out on the Duke of Dingguo's wife, wouldn't we be disliked by both sides?"

She thought that the Duchess of Dingguo was desperate and would try anything, and that she would never dare to tell anyone such a secret.

Song Shulan hesitated for a moment, "But I've already spoken with Lord Qin."

"Next time you see Lord Qin, please tell him the truth. I know my limitations; I don't have the ability to persuade Sister Yuan to change her mind," Cui Lingrong said.

Cui Zeyu added, "Yes, if someone wants to remarry, they can remarry. Why should we meddle?"

Song Shulan clicked his tongue and frowned as he looked at Cui Zeyu. "Indeed, it's best to mind your own business. But since you're surnamed Cui, I'm saying a few more words: stay away from Xie Yunting. He's erratic and will fall into a trap sooner or later. Don't let him leave you wondering how you died!"

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Marquis. I am a man of lowly fate. They say that evil deeds live on for a thousand years, so I think I will live to be a hundred. General Xie treats me like a brother, and I will not do anything to betray his trust." Cui Zeyu had been doing business for many years and had honed his tongue quite a bit, which made Song Shulan's face darken.

Song Shulan, recalling Xie Yunting's gluttonous eating and drinking yesterday, felt disgusted and stood up, saying, "I can't control what you do. But you're all grown up now, so stop coming to the inner courtyard so often. A grown son should avoid his mother, especially since you're an adopted brother!"

When Song Shulan pronounced the words "adopted younger brother," he emphasized them particularly.

He didn't misunderstand that Cui Zeyu and Cui Lingrong had anything going on, because he knew that Cui Lingrong would never do anything out of line.

Song Shulan simply disliked Cui Zeyu and didn't want him to come to Cui Lingrong's place.

Even after Song Shulan left, Cui Zeyu was still in a daze.

He wondered how Song Shulan had seen through his thoughts.

It wasn't until his sister called him several times that he finally asked, bewildered, "What did you say, sister?"

"I told you not to listen to him. Yesterday, he made him socialize with General Xie, and he was holding back his anger, which is why he said those things." Cui Lingrong was afraid that her younger brother would be sensitive.

Cui Zeyu was still wondering if Song Shulan had figured something out, and his smile was forced. "Fine, I won't listen to him."

"Well, don't tell anyone about General Xie and Sister Yu's affair. It's still very early on, don't damage Sister Yu's reputation," Cui Lingrong instructed.

Cui Zeyu said he understood, and even after he left Qiushuangzhai, his heart was still beating very fast.

He couldn't understand how Song Shulan had figured it out.

Was he being too obvious?

But he restrained himself.

Cui Zeyu was preoccupied and didn't notice the other people in the distance.

Chen De's wife withdrew her gaze and asked her master, "Is this the eldest mistress's adopted brother?"

"It's him." When she mentioned Cui Zeyu, Princess Rongjia was so angry she wanted to grind her teeth. If it weren't for Cui Zeyu bringing Xie Yunting to ruin her plans, why would she have to be so careful in front of Song Lang?

“Madam doesn’t have the ability to run a business herself; all her money comes from Cui Zeyu.” Chen De’s wife immediately had an idea. “Princess, with the end of the year approaching, many families need to make winter clothes. Shouldn’t we introduce some business to Cui Zeyu?”

Princess Rongjia pondered for a moment before understanding Chen Dejia's meaning. "You've reminded me. If Cui Lingrong loses her income, let's see how she manages to live her current life!"

Princess Rongjia has a deep understanding of what it's like to be broke.

It just so happens that her niece's birthday is coming up in a few days, and many noble ladies will be going to the Rong Prince's Mansion then.

Princess Rongjia already had a plan, while on the other hand, Cui Lingrong did not expect that Madam Wu would send her a special invitation.

"The Rong Prince's Mansion and the Marquis's Mansion are related by marriage, so it's normal to send an invitation to the Marquis's Mansion. But it's really puzzling that the Crown Princess specially sent one to you. Madam, are you going?" Qiu Mama was afraid there might be a trap.

Cui Lingrong was also conflicted. "If it weren't for this invitation, I could simply not go, but the Crown Princess specifically invited me. If I don't go, I'm afraid the Rong Prince's Mansion will use this as a pretext. I should go after all. With so many people there, they can't do anything to me."

Moreover, Wang Shanxi's family's confession is still in Cui Lingrong's hands. If the Rong Prince's Mansion doesn't want to suffer a devastating defeat, they should be smart and not provoke her.

Song Shulan naturally had to attend the banquet at the Rong Prince's Mansion.

On the day of the banquet, Cui Lingrong and the other two arrived at the gate of the mansion in two carriages, each carrying two people. Who was Song Shulan riding in the same carriage with?

It wasn't that Cui Lingrong wanted to ride in the carriage with Song Shulan; it was that she enjoyed seeing Song Shulan's conflicted expression and Princess Rongjia's eager attempts to please her.

"Song Lang, today is my niece's birthday, and many people are watching." Princess Rongjia stood next to Song Shulan. She didn't want to ride in a carriage alone; that would be too embarrassing.

Cui Lingrong added, "Yes, the banquet at the Rong Prince's Mansion must have been very large."

Song Shulan looked back with a troubled expression. Cui Lingrong was also his principal wife. If he rode in the same carriage with Princess Rongjia but left Cui Lingrong out, it would easily cause gossip.

In the end, Song Shulan decided to ride in a carriage himself, while Cui Lingrong and Princess Rongjia rode together.

Once inside the carriage, Cui Lingrong noticed that Princess Rongjia was staring at her. She smiled and complimented her, "Your Highness looks radiant."

Princess Rongjia, puzzled, replied, "Sister Cui is the one with a rosy and radiant complexion. My mother even praised your appearance, saying you don't look like a woman nearing thirty at all. However, you have fine lines between your eyebrows, which must be from worrying too much. You can't go on like this; you'll age quickly."

"I can't not worry, after all, I have three children to take care of, and I also have to manage the affairs of the Marquis's mansion." Cui Lingrong lowered her head and smiled slightly. "I'm not as leisurely as the Princess. You'll understand when the Princess has children. If the Princess is unsure next time, she can send someone to ask me. I have experience with childbirth."

After saying that, Princess Rongjia's face turned as black as iron.

Cui Lingrong was in a good mood. Her older sister told her that one shouldn't be too good-natured; sometimes, being a little more daring can lead to better results.

Just like now, when Princess Rongjia wanted to mock her for being old, she brought up the issue of children.

After all, Princess Rongjia must be looking forward to having a child.

Cui Lingrong smiled slightly, and the two remained silent until the carriage stopped in front of the Rong Prince's Mansion.

She stepped off the carriage first and saw Song Shulan waiting by the footstool. She deliberately reached out her hand, asking Song Shulan to help her.

At this moment, many guests arrived at the entrance of the Rong Prince's Mansion, some of whom knew Song Shulan and some of whom did not.

But they had all heard about the imperial decree bestowing a marriage upon Song Shulan, and everyone turned to look.

Seeing Song Shulan supporting a woman with delicate features, someone asked the person beside him, "This lady is so beautiful and has such an extraordinary air about her. Is she Princess Rongjia, the new wife of Marquis Song?"

After all, they had all heard that Song Hou's first wife came from a humble background and could not possibly have such an air about her.

Moreover, today is a banquet at the Rong Prince's residence, and the person brought by Marquis Song should be Princess Rongjia.