Springtime Affairs in a Noble Family

Song Shulan looked at Cui Lingrong in disbelief. Her glassy eyes made him feel for the first time that he seemed to be losing control of Cui Lingrong.

"What did you say?" Song Shulan tilted her head and asked, "Say it again?"

Cui Lingrong's thin lips trembled. "I said, I can't do it."

Whether Song Shulan ever truly loved her after they had been married for over a decade remains to be seen.

She used to think that Song Shulan cared about her, but the events of the past few months, with so many choices and biases, have shown that she wasn't that important to Song Shulan.

In the entire Jiangyuan Marquis's mansion, apart from her children, would anyone else mention her sacrifices?

will not.

Cui Lingrong didn't let her tears fall; she emphasized again, "I said no!"

In her entire life, the number of people who truly cherished her was very small.

For her, sincerity is truly rare.

My aunt has passed away, and I have very few people left around me.

Although her brother wasn't her biological brother, from the day she considered him her brother, he was destined to be her family for life.

"What's wrong, Lord Marquis?" Cui Lingrong retorted. "Do you think I have to be submissive? Just because Zhizhi hits and scolds me, I have to tolerate it, while everything I give to the Marquis's mansion is my duty?"

"I...that's not what I meant."

"What do you mean by that?" For the first time, Cui Lingrong adopted an aggressive stance. "Even a rabbit will bite when cornered. Besides, over the years, the silver I've subsidized the Marquis's mansion has far exceeded six thousand seven hundred taels. That's at least three thousand taels per quarter, twelve thousand taels per year. Even if it's not fourteen years, it must have been at least seven, right?"

Cui Lingrong pressed, enunciating each word clearly, "In total, it amounts to 84,000 taels of silver. I only want 6,700 taels back, and that's because Zhizhi humiliated my daughter, which is why I retaliated. My lord, shouldn't I have retaliated?"

She stopped laughing, which made Song Shulan take two steps back.

"My lord, isn't Yu'er your daughter? If you had stepped in to help her when she was humiliated, why did you have to wait for me to slap her? My hand hurts too when I hit someone!"

The better one's temper and the more stable one's emotions, the more determined one will be to vent one's anger when one finally explodes.

Cui Lingrong felt that she must look terrible right now, after all, it was the first time she had criticized Song Shulan's actions with a ferocious expression.

The room fell silent.

After more than a decade of marriage, this was the first time the couple had a heated argument.

Even when Cui Lingrong learned that Song Shulan had married a concubine, she kept telling herself to stay calm.

Now she can't help it, and doesn't want to.

No one can take away the people she cherishes.

Song Shulan awkwardly looked away. "I... I wasn't bringing up the money. Since you used it to cover the losses at the cloth shop, that's normal. Why are you acting like this?"

He lacked confidence, and his tone weakened. "What angers me is that my Jiangyuan Marquisate did raise Cui Zeyu, yet he insulted me behind my back. As my wife and his sister, shouldn't you stand up for me?"

"My lord, did Zeyu say anything wrong?" Cui Lingrong sat down again. She knew that from this moment on, she and Song Shulan were only husband and wife in name. "If you valued me, you wouldn't have taken a concubine, much less notified me."

Seeing that Song Shulan was about to speak, Cui Lingrong raised her hand to interrupt, "I know you're going to say it's for your future, for the Jiangyuan Marquis's mansion. But it's definitely not for my own good. I've already been tolerant enough, why push me to the brink?"

Song Shulan's marriage to Princess Rongjia enhanced the social standing of the Jiangyuan Marquis's family, and the Rong Prince's Mansion also promoted Song Shulan. On the surface, Cui Lingrong's three children would be more valued by prominent families.

Only Cui Lingrong.

She got no benefit whatsoever.

They will also be schemed against and robbed.

Cui Lingrong gave Song Shulan an awkward smile, and in the blink of an eye, she hid all her grievances, because Song Shulan wouldn't feel sorry for her.

"See, you can't really point out any good things about him," Cui Lingrong said. "If you don't like Zeyu, then you two shouldn't meet again. All these years, I've been able to support the Marquis's mansion entirely thanks to his business ventures. Without him, who in the Jiangyuan Marquis's mansion has the ability to run the cloth shop?"

Song Shulan said that his third brother was experienced. "He manages most of the family business. If you let him manage it, he might not be any worse than Cui Zeyu."

"But my lord, Third Master manages the Jiangyuan Marquis's estate. The cloth shop is my and Zeyu's business. If Third Master gets involved, people will talk about it." Cui Lingrong shook her head as she spoke. "Besides, does Third Master really have that ability?"

Of the three branches of the Marquis's family, Song Shuhe was the least noticeable.

Over the years, Song Shuhe managed the Marquis's estate without making any outstanding achievements, but he wasn't too bad either; he was neither particularly good nor bad.

Cui Lingrong didn't know if Song Shuhe did this on purpose, but from her perspective, Song Shuhe hadn't managed the business to a very successful level.

Song Shulan was speechless. If he said anything more, it would be as if he coveted Cui Lingrong's private property, and he would be laughed at to death if word got out.

After a moment of silence, Song Shulan finished with a cold snort and asked in a low voice, "Is it Cui Zeyu who's dissatisfied with me, or do you feel the same way?"

At this moment, Cui Lingrong wanted to laugh; her younger brother was right after all.

She didn't answer immediately.

Song Shulan already knew the answer: "I'm working so hard to make a future, and you don't understand? Fine, be dissatisfied all you want. Just don't regret it later and beg me for help!"

He left right after he finished speaking.

He thought that since he had said that, Cui Lingrong would soften and say something nice, so he went along with it and didn't care about it.

But when he reached the outside of Qiushuangzhai, he didn't see Cui Lingrong chasing after him.

"You ungrateful wretch!" Song Shulan gritted her teeth and said. Seeing Aunt Qiu come out, she assumed it was Cui Lingrong trying to smooth things over, and her lips involuntarily relaxed. "Aunt Qiu, don't try to persuade me. If you want me to stay calm, have your master come to me himself!"

Madam Qiu looked troubled. "My lord, the eldest mistress sent me with a message: if you truly wish to understand, return all the money owed over the years. She'll round it down to seventy thousand taels."

Upon hearing this, Song Shulan's face turned ashen.

He was prepared to take the easy way out offered by Cui Lingrong, but who would have thought that Cui Lingrong would ask for money again.

"Is your mistress obsessed with money?" Song Shulan turned around angrily. "I'll wait and see how long she can keep up her stubbornness. Qingshan, if your mistress comes looking for me, make sure she doesn't walk straight in. If I don't teach her a lesson, she'll forget that I'm the one in charge of the Marquis's mansion!"

Qingshan looked back and could no longer see Qiu Mama's figure. He dared to say, "My lord, I think the eldest mistress is really angry this time."

"What reason does she have to be angry? Was she the one who got scolded, or was I?" Song Shulan said fiercely. "I'm just too good-tempered, which is why Cui Zeyu took advantage of me and even turned around and bit me. From now on, I'll deny any connection between him and the Marquis's mansion. Let's see who he does business with then!"

In his view, Cui Zeyu's cloth shop was able to achieve its current scale by borrowing the name of the Marquis of Jiangyuan's mansion.

As a result, Cui Zeyu was ungrateful and even insulted him behind his back. He absolutely could not swallow this insult.

When Song Shulan arrived at Wutong Garden, he had a long rant with Princess Rongjia.

"After all, he doesn't have the surname Song, and there's no blood relation. Who knows what kind of person he might be?" Princess Rongjia said, massaging Song Shulan's shoulders. "Sister Cui's argument with you today was mostly fueled by the cloth shop. What kind of person is the Marquis? If you don't want Cui Zeyu to continue operating, would he allow it to continue?"

These words made Song Shulan feel good. "You're still the one who treats me better."

"Look at what you're saying, Lord Marquis. We've known each other since we were young. I truly regret being so willful with you back then." Princess Rongjia sat in Song Shulan's lap, the candlelight flickering, the atmosphere gradually becoming ambiguous. "Lord Marquis, why do you think Cui Zeyu hasn't married all these years?"

She brought this up specifically, but Song Shulan didn't think much of it; he still trusted Cui Lingrong's character.

Seeing that Song Shulan didn't suspect anything, Princess Rongjia let it go for the time being, and embraced Song Shulan's neck for another night of pleasure.

The next morning, everyone in the Marquis's mansion knew that the Marquis and his wife had quarreled. Without a doubt, the news came from Wutong Courtyard.

When Song Zhizhi visited again, she was overjoyed to learn that her elder brother and Cui Lingrong's relationship had soured. After having tea and snacks with Princess Rongjia, she was about to return home when she encountered Jiang Shi in the garden.

Remembering Cui Lingrong's instructions, Jiang made a point of ingratiating herself with Song Zhizhi, "How are you, elder sister? Did you just come from Wutong Garden?"

Song Zhizhi glanced at Jiang Shi from head to toe. She felt that Jiang Shi was arrogant and she had never liked her. She did not intend to talk to her any further.

"I acquired some pearls a few days ago and was planning to give them to my elder sister. Since you're here today, why don't you come with me to get them? You haven't come to my place for a visit yet," Jiang said warmly.

Song Zhizhi was greedy for money. She accepted any benefits offered without hesitation and readily agreed, unaware that Jiang was suppressing her displeasure.