Springtime Affairs in a Noble Family

From Song Shulan's words, Cui Lingrong heard three different titles.

Cui family.

Ling Rong.

Cui Lingrong.

In front of outsiders, Song Shulan always called her Cui Shi. It was an ordinary way of addressing her, neither particularly close nor distant.

In private, when they were deeply in love, Song Shulan would call Ling Rong by her name.

Now is the time for Song Shulan to get angry.

She really wanted to ask why she should care.

Cui Lingrong's expression remained calm; her elegant features showed not the slightest fluctuation. "And you, Marquis, besides your own future, have you ever cared about me?"

"If I didn't care about you, would I let you manage the household?" Song Shulan frowned. "It's because I trust you that I let you manage things."

"No way, it's because Princess Rongjia lacks the ability to manage the household that you and the old lady made me manage it." Cui Lingrong pointed out the problem more clearly. "After all, in the beginning, you and the old lady both said that Princess Rongjia should continue to manage the household. My lord, you can't even care about my feelings, so naturally I've lowered my expectations of you."

At this point, Cui Lingrong's red lips curved into a self-deprecating smile. "We've been married for over ten years. Since we can't grow old together in love, let's just live like this in a daze. I'll do my job well, and you don't need to worry about whether I care about you or not, my lord."

She was heartbroken.

She also shed tears for Song Shulan.

But what's the use?

Song Shulan is single-mindedly focused on high-ranking official positions and generous salaries. Fine, then she'll let Song Shulan pursue her future.

As for herself, if she doesn't expect Song Shulan's love, she won't be sad.

As long as she and her child are doing well and no one else interferes, Cui Lingrong will simply deal with things normally.

Song Shulan was speechless; he hadn't expected Cui Lingrong to say such a thing.

Cui Lingrong has always been a model citizen, adhering to the three obediences and four virtues in his conduct. But now Cui Lingrong says that he no longer does.

Song Shulan couldn't accept this result for the time being.

The two remained silent. Cui Lingrong asked Qiu's mother to see the guest out, showing no intention of trying to keep her any longer.

Song Shulan thought about it and felt that Cui Lingrong must have said it in anger. If Cui Lingrong really didn't care about him, she should have handed over power and stayed out of worldly affairs. How could she still be in charge of managing the household and dealing with a large number of people from the Jiangyuan Marquis's mansion?

"Fine, you'll regret it!" Song Shulan declared.

"If Lord Marquis returns the money to me, it proves that you value me, and perhaps I will change my mind," Cui Lingrong said calmly, pretending not to see the anger in Song Shulan's eyes.

She brought up money again, which completely enraged Song Shulan.

Mother Qiu sighed, "Why do you have to argue with the Marquis?"

"Would it be useful for me to give in to him?" Cui Lingrong was exhausted from dealing with Song Shulan. "I can act gentle and considerate, but it's useless, Aunt Qiu. In the end, the Marquis still favors Princess Rongjia, and I'll just have to suffer in silence. It's better to be tough now. As long as I don't expect the Marquis's favor, my heart won't be hurt."

A man's liking is never the most important thing.

Before she got married, her aunt told her that it was okay for a man to like her, but she shouldn't take it too seriously.

Once a woman starts to worry about gains and losses, she is prone to becoming despondent, and may even die young.

My aunt said that a man may have many women in his life. If he's constantly fighting and jealous, he'll live a tiring life and might even be schemed against. The most important things are whether his position is stable, whether he has enough money to fall back on, and whether his children are filial.

Therefore, from the moment she returned home after attending the funeral and learned that Princess Rongjia had entered the family, Cui Lingrong did not have a hysterical argument with Song Shulan. It was only when Princess Rongjia hurt Yu Jie'er and plotted against Xuan Ge'er and his brothers that she had a significant emotional fluctuation.

Now Song Shulan is asking if she cares. It's impossible for her to not care at all, after all, they are husband and wife. But Song Shulan really isn't that important anymore. He's the father of her children. If Song Shulan has a good future, the children can benefit from it. That's Song Shulan's greatest contribution.

As for Choi Ling-yong herself, she doesn't need a loving husband.

I won't die without a man.

"You're just too strong-willed," sighed Madam Qiu, unsure whether to be happy or unhappy for her mistress. Afraid of upsetting her, she changed the subject, "When Miss Yuan leaves, will you go to see her off?"

Yuan Yuzhu and her mother-in-law had been at odds for several months. A few days ago, Yuan Yuzhu's younger brother came to Bianjing to pick her up, and the Duchess of Dingguo had no choice but to release her.

The Yuan family sent an invitation, saying they wanted to invite Cui Lingrong to a gathering.

"Go on, who knows when we'll meet again after this parting," Cui Lingrong said. "Oh, my cousin also wrote to say that his wife isn't feeling well."

Her cousin was very similar to her in temperament; he was a law-abiding and honest person. They grew up together, and her aunt originally wanted to arrange a marriage between them, but her cousin's grandmother disagreed. So she took the initiative to say that she would only treat her cousin as an older brother.

"My cousin's wife is a very good person, but she's not in good health. I hope she'll recover when it gets warmer in the spring." Last time when Aunt Qiu went to Suzhou, my cousin's wife wasn't feeling well, otherwise the eldest madam wouldn't have gone back to take care of her for so long.

"I wish I could too." Cui Lingrong wanted to go back to Suzhou, but it would be difficult for her to return.

After the master and servant talked for a while, Song Shulan went to stay in the front yard by himself.

That night, apart from the people from Qiushuangzhai, no one else slept well.

The next day, Cui Lingrong took her daughter to the Yuan family mansion. As soon as they entered, she was led to Yuan Mingzhu's side.

"I told the old woman to wait for you." Yuan Mingzhu was over four months pregnant and a bit plump. "Before my sister arrives, I have something interesting to tell you. You know the Qin family, right? They're going to regret this terribly!"

Cui Lingrong asked, "You're not thinking of bringing up the Qin family's arranged marriage, are you?"

"You know?"

Cui Lingrong nodded.

"Then why didn't you tell me?" Yuan Mingzhu said angrily. "When I found out, I immediately wanted to tell you."

"Don't worry, I can't let people spread this kind of thing, I have to tell you face to face, right?" Cui Lingrong wanted to laugh helplessly, "You're such a grown-up, why are you still as anxious as a child?"

Yuan Mingzhu exclaimed, "You have no idea how closely my husband and mother-in-law have watched me since I got pregnant. They won't let me go shopping or leave the house. They wouldn't have let me out today if I hadn't gone to visit my parents. I heard something interesting and I really wanted to share it."

"Alright, alright, I understand you," Cui Lingrong said with a smile. "I'm also curious about how the Qin family's matter was ultimately resolved. It was General Xie and Zeyu who said that the Qin family looked down on General Xie but still wanted the marriage. But now that things have escalated, neither the Third Miss nor the Fourth Miss will be happy after marrying into the family."

She still hoped that General Xie could have a happy marriage. General Xie may seem a bit rough around the edges, but he has a good heart.

"Who says otherwise?" Yuan Mingzhu sighed. "We women are just not in control of our own lives."

As she spoke, she looked at Cui Lingrong, wanting to ask how things were going between Cui Lingrong and Song Shulan lately, but Cui Lingrong only said it was fine. When she wanted to chat more, her sister arrived, and with so many people around, it became difficult to have a private conversation.

Today, Cui Lingrong was a guest. She sat with Yuan Yuzhu for a while, asked Yuan Yuzhu to go and visit her cousin, and then planned to go back.

"Sister Cui," Yuan Yuzhu said, taking Cui Lingrong's hand. "Don't put too many constraints on yourself. Even your children will have their own paths. If you really can't hold on any longer, learn from me. Look at me, I've gone all out, and now there's only a bright future ahead."

Cui Lingrong was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and nodded, "Okay, Sister Yuan, I've got it."

After leaving the Yuan family, Cui Lingrong thought she would go to the cloth shop. When she arrived, she saw several government officials blocking the entrance. She quickly got out of the car and asked what was going on.