Springtime Affairs in a Noble Family

Grandma Sun had been gone for a while when Grandma Song finally realized what was happening and told her daughter to hurry up and chase after her, "Don't just stand there like an idiot, hurry back with your mother-in-law."

Judging from Grandma Sun's tone, she didn't think she was joking, and the fact that she said such a thing meant that Grandma Sun actually had this idea.

Only now has Mrs. Song fully realized that the Sun family is not satisfied with their daughter.

"But my sister-in-law hasn't..." Song Zhizhi had just looked at Cui Lingrong when her mother pulled her out the door.

"What are you doing here? Going back and appeasing your mother-in-law is the most important thing. We can talk about family matters later," Old Madam Song reminded her. "Also, don't keep bringing up your sister-in-law's subsidies for the Marquis's mansion. She's already spent all the money on you; you should be secretly happy!"

For the first time, Mrs. Song hoped her daughter would be smarter.

Song Zhizhi asked, "Could it be that all these years, it really has been my sister-in-law subsidizing the Marquis's mansion?"

The matter was true, but being asked so bluntly was incredibly embarrassing for Old Mrs. Song. Even though it was her own daughter, she didn't give her a friendly look. "Song Zhizhi, did you understand what I said? If you don't go back, and the Sun family divorces you, I will never let you come back!"

She gave Xu's mother and the others a wink, and only after seeing her daughter being taken away did Old Mrs. Song breathe a slight sigh of relief.

When she looked at Cui Lingrong again, Old Madam Song only said two words: "Give it to me!"

Six thousand seven hundred taels of silver notes is no small sum.

Old Madam Song didn't have much private property. Most of it was squandered by the old Marquis when she was young. It was only after Cui Lingrong married into the family and no longer needed her to contribute to the Marquis's household that she was able to slowly save some money.

When Cui Lingrong asked for so much money, Old Madam Song didn't really intend to give it to her. She was afraid that Cui Lingrong would say something inappropriate, so she gave it to her temporarily.

Old Mrs. Song's gaze was heavy, and the years had etched deep lines on her face, making her look even more somber.

"What does the old lady want?" Cui Lingrong pretended not to know.

"Mrs. Cui, you know what I'm talking about." Old Mrs. Song couldn't say she wanted money, but her attitude was clear, and she believed Cui Lingrong would understand.

Once the money was in Cui Lingrong's hands, she was no longer the same person she used to be, and it was impossible for her to be so selfless as to return it to Old Madam Song.

The broken porcelain shards on the ground had been swept clean. Cui Lingrong sat down and said, "Your daughter-in-law is foolish and truly does not understand what you mean, madam. Today, you are considerate of your daughter-in-law and are willing to return my money. I am only grateful to you. However, I must admit something to you. I was afraid that Zhizhi might misrepresent the message, so I sent someone to the Sun family."

Her point was that if Old Mrs. Song insisted on taking the money back, she could go to the Sun family to ask Song Zhizhi for it again.

If things get out of hand, it won't just be the Sun family who will know that she's been supporting the Jiangyuan Marquis's mansion all these years; the entire city of Bianjing will probably find out.

Just as you strike a snake at its vital spot, the same principle applies to getting along with others.

Song Shulan was most concerned about his future, and Cui Lingrong never wasted words, always talking about Song Shulan's career path.

However, Old Mrs. Song was concerned about saving face, so whenever Cui Lingrong tried to manipulate her, she would only bring up things related to saving face.

Sure enough, after figuring out the hidden meaning in Cui Lingrong's words, Old Madam Song left angrily with her people.

As soon as they left Qiushuangzhai, Old Madam Song couldn't help but scold, "Does she really think she's so capable? If she hadn't taken the position of the first wife, would she have been in charge of the Marquis's mansion? She's just lucky that the Marquis's mansion declined. If she had been a few years later, how could she be worthy of our Marquis's mansion!"

That's six thousand seven hundred taels of silver!

Even if Old Mrs. Song saved for a whole year, she might not have that much money.

Over the past few years, she had grown accustomed to a life of wealth. Even though Cui Lingrong had stopped subsidizing the Marquis's mansion for the past few months, she could still use her own savings to quietly make herself more comfortable.

Now that Cui Lingrong has taken so much money from her at once, she can't even complain to her son. This time, Old Mrs. Song is like a mute eating bitter herbs, unable to express her suffering.

"Don't worry, old lady. The eldest mistress takes the money, and it will eventually go to the Marquis and the young master and his daughter. She herself is always frugal and doesn't spend much money." This was the only way Xu Mama could comfort her mistress.

"Yu-jie and the others' expenses should be paid by them, not by an old woman like me!" Grandma Song grew increasingly angry. "She actually threatened me!"

Mrs. Xu was also surprised that her eldest daughter-in-law would not listen to the old lady.

"Impressive, she's really capable!" Old Mrs. Song gritted her teeth, her brows furrowed in displeasure. "I knew she had some tricks up her sleeve, but I never expected her to dare to mess with me. She's truly ignorant and arrogant!"

Originally, she wanted to go back to Shou'an Hall, but Old Madam Song was too angry and wanted to suppress Cui Lingrong, so she turned around and went to Wutong Garden.

She knew that Cui Lingrong was most wary of Princess Rongjia.

Grandma Song had many tonics brought to the Wutong Garden. Upon seeing Princess Rongjia, she suggested going to burn incense, saying, "We all saw how good you were to Zhizhi today. I know a temple that's especially effective for praying for children. Come with me tomorrow and give me a grandson as soon as possible. Maybe he can uphold the honor of the Marquis's mansion!"

That's obvious.

It was Old Madam Song who was hinting to Princess Rongjia that if he were Princess Rongjia's son, he would have a good chance of inheriting the Jiangyuan Marquis's mansion.

As for Cui Lingrong's two sons, Cui Lingrong has the ability to threaten her, right? Let's see what other abilities Cui Lingrong has then!

Logically speaking, Princess Rongjia should be very happy with what Old Madam Song said.

Princess Rongjia did want to laugh, but the thought of burning incense to pray for a child made her feel physically uncomfortable.

After she married into the Du family, they initially avoided mentioning the child, but as time went on, the issue escalated. Du's mother even resorted to folk remedies, giving her a lot of talismanic water to drink.

Now that Song's mother also wants to take her to burn incense, Princess Rongjia's first reaction is disgust, and she wants to refuse.

"Why is the princess so pale? Are you feeling unwell?" Old Madam Song didn't think much of it. "Should we call a doctor?"

Princess Rongjia said no need, "I'm fine, I think it was just the wind. Tomorrow, right? I'll go with you."

"Yes, yes, burning incense and praying to Buddha requires sincerity. Starting tonight, you shouldn't eat any meat. Otherwise, if you have meat on you, the Buddha might be unhappy if he smells it," Grandma Song instructed. "Also, we need to go early tomorrow. We need to get there before ordinary people to show our sincerity."

Old Madam Song hoped that Princess Rongjia would get pregnant soon. As long as Princess Rongjia had a son, she would see if Cui Lingrong would still be so confident.

The Cui family has no ability whatsoever. Over the years, not a single person from their family has come to Bianjing to take the imperial examinations, let alone become an official there.

Grandma Song was so focused on suppressing Cui Lingrong that she didn't notice that Princess Rongjia's expression was off.

"Alright, you get some rest. We'll go out together tomorrow." After burning incense, Old Mrs. Song wanted to visit the Sun family. Her daughter had upset Old Mrs. Sun today, and her son-in-law hadn't returned home. She didn't know what the situation was like at the Sun family.

After Old Mrs. Song left, Chen De's wife quickly supported her master, asking, "How are you?"

"Help me inside." Princess Rongjia wouldn't let anyone else into the house. She gripped Chen Dejia's hand tightly. "Tell me, why are they all staring at my stomach?"

She originally thought that she would fake a pregnancy and then miscarry, thus blaming Song Yu for her infertility.

In this way, Song Shulan would feel guilty towards himself, and Cui Lingrong and her daughter would never be able to recover.

As a result, Cui Zeyu and Xie Yunting messed up her plans at the last minute, and Wang Shanxi's family member died.

Now that she has no chance to say that she cannot get pregnant, she will always be expected to have a child. Princess Rongjia hates this topic the most, but she has no choice but to cooperate.

"Princess, don't worry. The old lady is definitely not forcing you to have a child. If you think about her words carefully, it's very likely that she was mistreated at Qiushuangzhai and wants to elevate you. Actually, you should be happy. As for the child, it's all about fate. The Marquis already has two sons and won't force you," Chen De's wife comforted her.

Princess Rongjia took a deep breath. "Hmph, Cui Lingrong is so tactless, insisting on arguing with Song Zhizhi. It's normal for the old lady to side with me. Now that the old lady is disappointed in her, as long as the Marquis also completely distances himself from her, let's see how she can maintain her position in the Marquis's mansion!"

At this time, Cui Lingrong already knew that Old Madam Song had gone to Wutong Garden, and even had someone prepare a carriage for the next day.

"Could it be that we're going to the Sun family? My aunt lost face today, and Old Madam Sun will definitely punish her. Is the old lady afraid that if she goes alone, Old Madam Sun won't give her face, so she invited Princess Rongjia along?"

"That's possible, so let them go. With Song Zhizhi's personality, she won't easily back down to Grandma Sun." Cui Lingrong could imagine how Song Zhizhi would argue. "I'm more curious about what Song Zhizhi didn't finish saying."

What is Song Zhizhi referring to as something that will affect her for the rest of her life?