Springtime Affairs in a Noble Family

"What are you thinking about?" Xie Yunting asked, noticing Cui Zeyu's thoughtful expression.

Cui Zeyu suddenly snorted, "Brother Xie, I'll have to trouble you again this time."

"Oh, it's between us brothers, you can just say it directly," Xie Yunting told Cui Zeyu not to be polite.

Cui Zeyu wanted to know if those who came to order cloth before the New Year were acting under orders. Those people didn't show themselves; it was the servants and maids from his household who came to buy cloth. Xie Yunting had more ways of getting information out of them.

Xie Yunting immediately agreed, "This is such a small matter, I thought it would be much more difficult. If we find out who ordered it, I'll take you to smash up their house!"

After saying that, he left.

Cui Zeyu looked at the mess in the cloth shop and sighed anxiously.

My sister is having a hard time in the Jiangyuan Marquis's mansion. If it weren't for his financial support, her situation would be even worse.

Just then, someone came in. It was the manager of the Qian family, who had ordered cloth from the shop. "Oh, Master Cui, what's going on here?"

"Oh, it's Steward Qian. The warehouse caught fire a few days ago. What brings you here?" Cui Zeyu immediately put on a smiling face. "Let's go upstairs for tea. It's too dusty here."

"No, no, I was just passing by and came in to tell you. Don't forget the wedding cloth my family needs for the eighth day of the month." The Qian family steward looked at the ruins. "Can you still produce the wedding cloth now? If not, you'll have to pay according to the contract. Don't delay our business!"

The Qian family has a daughter who is getting married, and they have decided to decorate the wedding cloth on the eighth day of the lunar new year. Cui Zeyu has to bite the bullet and find the wedding cloth. "Don't worry, on the eighth day, I will definitely deliver the wedding cloth to the Qian family as agreed."

"Alright, I'll be going now. If you can't handle it, just say so, and we won't do business with your family anymore." The Qian family steward wasn't entirely at ease.

Cui Zeyu saw him off at the door, and as soon as the Qian family steward left, he went to other fabric shops, only to find that none of the familiar fabric shops had any fabric for sale.

"Master Cui, it's not spring yet, so the cloth shipments from the south can't get here, and all our stock has already been reserved. If you really can't come up with the money, you might as well compensate the people they've already contacted. That way, you can at least maintain your reputation."

Cui Zeyu thanked his colleague, but he knew that if he told the Qian family that he couldn't produce any cloth, the news would spread like wildfire. He had more than just the Qian family as a customer; he had many other businesses as well.

No matter how difficult things get, Cui Zeyu won't bother his sister; he doesn't want her to worry.

As for Cui Lingrong, she only learned about her from Yuan Mingzhu.

Because Cui Zeyu was Cui Lingrong's younger brother, Yuan Mingzhu had been buying all her fabrics from him for the past few years. With the Jiang family matriarch's birthday approaching, she had ordered Suzhou embroidery and other fabrics from Cui Zeyu.

As a result, the Suzhou embroidery arrived, but Cui Zeyu asked Yuan Mingzhu to wait for the other fabrics.

Yuan Mingzhu sensed something was wrong and sent someone to check, only to find that Cui Zeyu's cloth shop had been burned down.

"My second mistress said that it seems Young Master Yu only reports good news and not bad news, so Lady Song must not know the specific situation. Therefore, she sent me to deliver this message. If there is anything you need help with, you can ask her and her sister. There is no need to be polite with them." The messenger was an old woman from Yuan Mingzhu's side.

Cui Lingrong hurriedly led her people to the cloth shop, only to find the warehouse burned to the ground and her younger brother still laughing with her. She immediately became angry, "It was clearly so serious, why didn't you tell me the truth?"

"I think I can handle this," Cui Zeyu quickly explained, afraid that his sister would be angry. "Besides, I didn't lie; the most precious fabrics are all in my residence."

"But most of your business is with ordinary people. I'm asking you, is it because the original cloth was burned, and you can't give anyone any cloth now?" Cui Lingrong had just finished asking when she saw her younger brother hesitate for a moment, and she knew that her brother was really in trouble. "You come with me to the Jiang family now, and on the way, tell me everything that's missing or missing."

Cui Zeyu wanted to say that there was no need to trouble his sister, but Cui Lingrong wouldn't listen to him and had already asked Ershun to prepare the carriage.

They went to the Jiang family first. Yuan Mingzhu said she didn't know any cloth merchants, but she could go to her sister, who owned a silk shop.

Cui Lingrong and her brother went to the Duke of Dingguo's mansion instead. Their visit was so sudden that the gatekeeper glanced at them before going to deliver a message.

After a while, the old woman next to Yuan Yuzhu came to lead the way for Cui Lingrong and her brother. "The second young lady has said that Young Master Yu may be in trouble. If you come looking for him, ask the Crown Princess to help him."

The old woman led them to the front courtyard, where Yuan Yuzhu had already prepared tea. She owned a silk shop, which was why she had heard about the fire at Cui Zeyu's cloth shop.

"I was thinking of sending someone to ask if there was anything I could help with, but I was afraid you would mind." Yuan Yuzhu's eyes were dark and she hadn't been getting enough rest lately.

Cui Zeyu spoke apologetically about the supply issue, "The loss of money from the burning of the fabric is a minor matter, but someone ordered fabric before the New Year, and if I can't deliver the goods, I'm afraid I'll lose my credibility. If the Crown Princess has any surplus stock, I'm willing to pay a higher price to buy it."

"No need to raise the price. Your sister and I are old acquaintances. If I were to take advantage of someone in distress, I would be condemned behind my back. However, my stock is not enough for what you need. I can ask my manager to help you make connections and inquire with a few other cloth shops." Since the Cui siblings had come to her door, Yuan Yuzhu was willing to do them a favor.

Hearing this, Cui Zeyu saw hope. "Thank you, Your Highness. I will remember this favor. If you need anything in the future, please let me know, and I will do my best to help."

"Don't be so polite with me. I might not even be able to find enough fabric for you." Yuan Yuzhu called over the manager and asked him to take Cui Zeyu to find someone.

Cui Zeyu was eager to gather the cloth, so he immediately followed Yuan Yuzhu to her silk shop.

Cui Lingrong stayed behind to talk to Yuan Yuzhu, asking, "Sister Yuan, haven't you been resting well lately?"

"Isn't it the same old story?" Yuan Yuzhu smiled slightly, her eyes as gentle as crescent moons. "My mother-in-law still won't let me leave."

"Then what are you going to do?"

Yuan Yuzhu took a deep breath. "I will never compromise. I will always find a way. Originally, my father-in-law didn't care, but recently he hasn't heard from that mistress and wants me to stay."

It's easy to deal with just her mother-in-law, but with her father-in-law's help, Yuan Yuzhu has to think about her family.

After all, the Duke of Dingguo is very powerful, and the Yuan family is far less powerful than the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. If her father-in-law causes trouble in the officialdom, the Yuan family may not be able to withstand it.

"But didn't you say that the Crown Prince negotiated with them on your behalf before he died?" Cui Lingrong asked.

"Yes, now that I think about it, it was just what they said to appease the young master; they didn't take it seriously." Yuan Yuzhu was not young anymore and did not want to waste any more time in the Duke of Dingguo's mansion.

Cui Lingrong thought for a moment, "The Duke of Dingguo couldn't find a concubine, so he wanted to keep you here to adopt a child. Your mother-in-law wanted the continuation of the heir's lineage, while the Duke of Dingguo wanted the continuation of the Duke's mansion."

Yuan Yuzhu: "Does it make a difference?"

"Yes," Cui Lingrong said, standing up and walking over. In a voice only they could hear, she added, "It's the same as adoption; if you're adopted under the Duke of Dingguo's name, then it has nothing to do with you, right?"

Yuan Yuzhu suddenly understood, "Yes, that way, the Duke of Dingguo's mansion will have an heir, and they won't have to keep bothering me. You're so smart, I didn't think of that."

"You're too close to the situation to see clearly, while I, as an outsider, have a clearer perspective," Cui Lingrong said. "I suggest that your mother-in-law raise the child. That way, the child will grow closer to her, which is better than you raising the child with resentment."

Yuan Yuzhu thought about it more and more and felt it was a good idea. "Thank you for giving me this idea. Once I'm out of this misery, I will definitely come to thank you in person."

"Sister Yuan, you're too kind to me. You've helped my brother a lot today, and I wish I could think of an even better way to help you." Cui Lingrong was truly grateful. She chatted with Yuan Yuzhu for a while longer, thinking that she would go back with her brother when he returned.

By this time, Cui Zeyu had finished taking inventory and returned. He followed the steward directly to find his sister, without noticing the Duke of Dingguo not far away.

As soon as the Duke of Dingguo arrived home, he looked at the young man walking by in the distance. Although only his profile was visible, he felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity. "Who is that?"

His attendants didn't recognize him either, so they went to ask the gatekeeper and learned that he was the adopted brother of Lady Song. "It seems he came to discuss business with the Crown Princess. Lady Song also came and spent the afternoon with the Crown Princess."

"Adopted brother?" The Duke of Dingguo frowned. The people he had recently sent out had made no progress at all, and he was even starting to give up hope.

Seeing Cui Zeyu, who was about the same age and was Cui's adopted younger brother, the Duke of Dingguo thought he might as well try anything. "Go and investigate the specific background of this Cui Zeyu. Be careful, and don't let the Duchess find out, or I'll take your life!"