Springtime Affairs in a Noble Family

As Cui Lingrong had expected, Song Shulan came to Qiushuangzhai that evening.

As soon as Aunt Qiu brought in the hot tea, Song Shulan told them to leave.

As the Mid-Autumn Festival approached, the moon was as bright as a silver plate, and its clear light streamed in through the window. Cui Lingrong was sitting on the windowsill, and Song Shulan couldn't help but glance at her a few more times.

Cui Lingrong is truly beautiful.

Time has added a touch of charm to her, making people want to explore her more.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that today." Song Shulan, not waiting for Cui Lingrong to offer an out, sat down herself. "It's chilly at night, so you should avoid the wind. I remember you're sensitive to the cold, aren't you?"

"When my body feels cold, my heart doesn't feel so cold." Cui Lingrong continued looking out the window.

A wave of annoyance washed over Song Shulan. After taking a deep breath, she patiently explained, "From my grandfather's generation, the family's title was repeatedly downgraded. By the time Xuan-ge was born, we could no longer inherit the title. All these years, I've been struggling in the officialdom, not only for the Song family, but also for our children."

Seeing that Cui Lingrong remained unmoved, Song Shulan had no choice but to continue, "The Song family has a century-old foundation, but over the years, not a single pillar of the family has emerged. I have no uncles or elders to support me, nor any capable brothers. The entire clan still has to rely on me to uphold the family's reputation. Lingrong, we've been husband and wife for over ten years, do you know how much I want to make something of myself?"

Cui Lingrong was indeed aware of this.

She even felt guilty for a while because the Cui family couldn't help Song Shulan and she still had to rely on Song Shulan for assistance.

"Marrying Princess Rongjia was unexpected, but I want to go further, and I have to rely on Prince Rong. Today's events are out of necessity. If I can't appease the princess, how can I bring glory to my family?" When Song Shulan married Cui Lingrong, Cui Lingrong's uncle was a third-rank governor. At that time, the Song family had been declining for a long time, and coupled with his complicated relationship with Princess Rongjia, it was difficult for him to marry a woman of equal social standing in Bianjing. Fortunately, a virtuous and beautiful woman named Cui Lingrong appeared, and after repeated discussions within the family, Cui Lingrong was chosen.

After marriage, Cui Lingrong was steady in her work and got along well with him.

But something is always missing.

Song Shulan never imagined it before, but after marrying Princess Rongjia, he suddenly realized that it was because he and Cui Lingrong lacked romance.

The two married in an orderly manner. He was in charge of external affairs, while Cui Lingrong was in charge of internal affairs. The household was harmonious, and the couple never even quarreled.

Especially in that matter, Cui Lingrong was really boring and couldn't let go.

In reality, Cui Lingrong had a very supple figure, fair skin, and rosy, kissable lips. Whenever Song Shulan came over, he would linger with Cui Lingrong for a while, but he could not get any satisfaction.

"Lingrong, you are my wife. Please understand me, okay?" Song Shulan walked to Cui Lingrong's side and slowly put his arm around her.

Song Shulan stayed tonight.

However, as soon as they got into bed, Cui Lingrong turned her back to Song Shulan.

She didn't take the initiative. Song Shulan had been working hard for Princess Rongjia for a few days, and since he was over thirty, he didn't have the energy for nightly revelry.

The two slept in the same bed but dreamed different dreams until dawn.

The next day, after Song Shulan went to court, Cui Lingrong taught her daughter arithmetic. At this time of year, she was usually very busy. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, she had to arrange rewards for the servants and send gifts to relatives and friends. Old Madam Song loved lively gatherings, and the Marquis's mansion would hire an opera troupe. When entertaining guests, she had to be mindful of which families didn't get along, or who liked what.

In previous years, Cui Lingrong had taken care of everything, but this year she had some free time. She stayed at Qiushuangzhai with her daughter and didn't even go to the garden.

"Did Mother just give up like that?" Song Yu wasn't there that day, but asked afterward, thinking her mother wouldn't tell her. But her mother told her everything in detail from beginning to end. "I heard from my second aunt that the princess opened a private treasury, and this year's rewards are double what they used to be. Many people in the manor praised the princess for being generous and a practical person."

Similarly, she also had two more expensive bolts of brocade, but considering they belonged to Princess Rongjia, she threw them all into the storeroom; she didn't want Princess Rongjia's things.

Song Yu put down the account book, lost all interest in studying, and sighed, holding her face in her hands.

Cui Lingrong's voice was gentle, "Throughout the year, there are festivals like Mid-Autumn Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, and Lunar New Year's Eve. The princess can bestow rewards for one or two years, but can she do it for five or ten years?"

Song Yu: "What if the princess is rich?"

"As far as I know, the princess's dowry consisted of forty-eight loads. While it looks lavish today, thirty percent of it was actually empty loads. The princess has money, but not that much. Winning people over temporarily might bring a few days of praise, but life is a long journey. Money spent must be earned back, otherwise, she'll just be living off her savings." Having said this, Cui Lingrong turned to look at her. "Aunt Qiu, hasn't Zeyu returned yet?"

Before Aunt Qiu could reply, Song Yu's eyes widened with curiosity. "How do you know that 30% of the princess's dowry was empty?"

Madam Qiu smiled gently, "Has Yu'er forgotten? The eldest mistress has been in charge of the household for over ten years. Where in the Marquis's mansion isn't there someone from the eldest mistress's side?"

After speaking with Yu-jie, Qiu-ma-ma replied to her mistress, "Young Master Yu also set off before we returned to Bianjing, but it's normal that he was traveling slower with a caravan."

Cui Zeyu was picked up by Cui Lingrong. Ten years ago, when she went to the manor, she encountered Cui Zeyu who was on the verge of death. She took pity on him and took him to the manor to raise him for a period of time.

Upon learning that Cui Zeyu's parents had died and he had no relatives to rely on, Cui Lingrong took Cui Zeyu in, treating him as a half-brother.

Cui Zeyu attended school for a few years and learned to read and write. He started by asking Cui Lingrong for one hundred taels of silver and now runs a successful cloth shop, giving the Marquis's mansion a considerable share of the profits every year.

If it weren't for Cui Zeyu's business acumen, the Marquis's mansion would still be struggling financially, and wouldn't have the respectable appearance it has now.

"When he comes back, we should find a matchmaker to arrange a marriage for him. He'll be twenty-two by the New Year. Other young men his age would already be engaged." Cui Lingrong had mentioned marriage to Cui Zeyu before, but Cui Zeyu said he didn't want to get married so early and kept using the cloth shop business as an excuse to put it off.

No matter what Cui Zeyu's reason is, she has to help Cui Zeyu get engaged this time.

"You're right, it's time for Young Master Yu to get married." Madam Qiu had watched Cui Zeyu grow up. This boy was lucky to have met the First Madam. Fortunately, Young Master Yu was grateful and hadn't forgotten her kindness over the years as he built his own business, relieving the First Madam of a lot of trouble.

After thinking for a moment, Autumn's mother asked in a low voice, "Should the profits from this quarter's cloth shop still be deposited into the public account as usual?"

She didn't want the eldest mistress to hand it over. The cloth shop was run by Young Master Yu, and the profits he gave were always delivered to the eldest mistress. Logically speaking, this was the eldest mistress's private property.

Previously, the eldest mistress was the head of the household, but after the old lady passed away, she became the one in charge of the Marquis's mansion. Therefore, the eldest mistress used her private property to support the Marquis's mansion, and Madam Qiu had no objection.

Now that Princess Rongjia has arrived, why should the eldest mistress still have to support the entire Marquis's mansion?

Fearing that the eldest mistress was being too kind, Madam Qiu gritted her teeth and said guiltily, "In this old servant's opinion, it would be better not to hand it over. Since Princess Rongjia is to manage the household, let her fill the gaps in the Marquis's mansion. The old lady and the Marquis have considerable expenses; let's see how much silver she can contribute."

Song Yu also looked at her mother, and her thoughts were the same as Qiu's mother's: "It's not that your daughter and Qiu's mother are petty, it's just that they are disgusting people."

Seeing them all looking at her nervously, Cui Lingrong couldn't help but smile. "In your eyes, how kind am I? I used to think that the Marquis's mansion belonged to the eldest son's family, so it wouldn't be a big deal for me to contribute. But as Aunt Qiu said, since the Marquis's mansion has a new mistress, let her pay for it."

Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice. Old Madam Song came from a prominent family and was particular about her lifestyle, from food and clothing to housing and transportation. Song Shulan had connections in the officialdom, and money was flowing in from all sides. Not to mention the second and third wives in the mansion, who were also big spenders.

Both Qiu's mother and Song Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

Song Yu said indignantly, "I want to see what kind of skills the princess has in managing the household. Anyway, I don't care about her things!"