"What nonsense are you talking about?" Xie Yin was stunned and speechless, his eyes filled with disbelief. How could she possibly refuse to marry into the Lu family?
Song Jin Xiu also abruptly looked up at Tang Ning. The marriage between the Song and Lu families was personally arranged by the Empress, with the wedding set for next year. Over the years, Tang Ning had been extremely reliant on Lu Zhinian, and from a young age, she had said she would marry her 'Brother Lu.' She had always considered herself the Lu family’s daughter-in-law and had interacted with them accordingly.
But now, she suddenly claimed she wouldn’t marry into the Lu family. Could she really be so upset?
Not only Song Jin Xiu but even the Princess and Xiao Yan couldn't help but look at Tang Ning.
Suppressing his rising anger, Song Jin Xiu forced himself to speak patiently, "Tang Ning, don't say things in anger. Your marriage with the Lu family has been arranged for years, and the Empress has always treated you well. I know you’re upset about what happened in the mountains, but no matter what, you can’t treat your engagement as a joke."
"Listen to me, stop making a fuss. If I was wrong, I apologize." He spoke with helplessness, as if addressing a willful and unruly child. His tone was indulgent, as if saying, "I’ve already bent over backward and admitted my fault, can’t you just drop it and stop this nonsense?"
Tang Ning suddenly felt a wave of nausea, both from disgust and irritation.
She had clearly stated her stance so explicitly, with her disgust almost written on her face, yet Song Jin Xiu still stood there, lecturing her like a self-righteous elder brother.
She didn't know if he couldn't understand plain words or if he was just too self-centered, having never truly cared about her. Even now, he still thought she was merely throwing a tantrum, joking with them.
He didn’t take her seriously when she spoke, nor did he realize how deeply their actions had hurt her.
He only thought that once they admitted their mistake, she would relent. He kept repeating that she was being childish and should stop making trouble, as if she were just a wayward child who could be pacified into obedience.
Tang Ning suddenly lost interest in continuing the conversation.
"Master, the carriage is ready."
"Princess, everyone is assembled," Cang Lang and Nanny Jiang entered almost simultaneously.
"Help Miss Song out," Nanny Jiang quickly approached, carefully supporting Tang Ning so that most of her weight rested on her.
Xiao Yan followed behind them with a cold expression, but as he passed by Song Jin Xiu and the others, he paused.
"Mr. Song certainly lives up to his reputation as a fault-finding recorder. That mouth of yours is quite eloquent, but it's rather nauseating." His gaze was icy, filled with sarcasm.
"Tang Ning is now under my supervision. I value peace and quiet, and my residence is not as lax as the Prince's mansion. From now on, if anyone dares to step foot into my property on Ji Yun Alley without my permission, I’ll break whichever leg they use to enter." His robes fluttered as Xiao Yan drew closer, draping a dragon-embroidered cloak over Tang Ning’s shoulders.
"It's late, let's go." Tang Ning's face was buried in the fox fur. "Alright."
Seeing Xiao Yan leave with Tang Ning, the Princess turned to follow them, but after a few steps, the Prince held her back.
"Yue Niang, have you lost your mind? How can you let Tang Ning go with Xiao Yan? Do you even know who he is, or how many people have died at his hands? What good can come from Tang Ning going with him?" The Princess stumbled from being pulled back, "You’re hurting me." The Prince instinctively loosened his grip, his brows furrowing with concern, and this softened the Princess's tone.
"You're overthinking it. No matter how many people Xiao Yan has killed, they were all court vermin or those who opposed him. Tang Ning has no enmity with him, and he even saved her life. Why would he harm her?"
"You don’t understand," the Prince said, frustrated by her naivety. "Tang Ning might have no personal grudge against him, but she’s backed by the Song family and engaged to the Lu family. Xiao Yan has been investigating the grain transport issue recently, which implicates several powerful families, particularly the Cui and Lu families. The Song family has close ties with both. If Tang Ning sticks too close to Xiao Yan, what do you think will happen if they find out?"
The Princess's expression shifted, realizing she had overlooked this. But she quickly grew dissatisfied with the Prince's insinuations. "What do you mean by 'stick too close'? Is that how you see Tang Ning?"
"That’s not what I meant. I’m just worried about her reputation—"
"What's there to worry about?" The Princess frowned. "Everyone in the capital knows Xiao Yan's status. He enters the palace daily, spending time with the court ladies, and no one questions it. Why should anyone misunderstand him being with Tang Ning? Instead of worrying about her, you should be more concerned about your son and keep him away from those lowlifes before he embarrasses us!"
"Yue Niang—"
"Enough." The Princess was clearly displeased. "I’ll remind Tang Ning to keep a proper distance from Xiao Yan. At least he’s protected her when no one from the Song family has." She shot a cold glare at Song Jin Xiu, barely restraining the urge to spit in his face.
"Our residence isn’t suitable for Tang Ning to recover, and your son doesn’t know better. I’ll advise her to be cautious around Xiao Yan, but we’ll discuss everything else later."
"I'll stay with Tang Ning tonight until she’s settled in." With that, she swiftly turned and walked away, her skirt flying as she moved quickly.
The Prince called after her several times, but seeing she wouldn’t stop, he grew angry, his face turning blue.
"Look at the trouble you've caused!" he snapped, directing his anger at Xie Yin.
The Prince initially didn’t think yesterday’s incident was such a big deal, just a youthful indiscretion that could be smoothed over with a proper apology to Tang Ning. But now...
However, Xie Yin foolishly brought Song Jinxiu and Song Shulan into the palace, even provoking Xiao Yan, which led to Song Tangning leaving the Cheng Wang Mansion.
When he thought of Tangning saying she wanted to break off the engagement before she left, Cheng Wang was so furious that his head hurt. There was no way he would allow the marriage with the Lu family to be called off.
He coldly rebuked Xie Yin, and then, finding the sight of Song Jinxiu and his sister unpleasant, snapped, "It's late, Song Langjun. Aren't you going to leave?"
Song Jinxiu's face turned as colorful as a dye shop: "…I apologize for disturbing you, Your Highness. I’ll leave immediately."
The cold February night was bitter, with piercing winds.
Before Song Jinxiu could leave, he heard Cheng Wang in the courtyard behind them, furiously berating Xie Yin, who had tried to see them out of the mansion. Cheng Wang's words were sharp and unkind, mercilessly mocking and belittling him. After finishing, he angrily instructed a servant nearby, "From now on, Song Shulan is not allowed to step foot into Cheng Wang Mansion!"
Song Shulan's face turned pale as paper, and she staggered. Song Jinxiu hurriedly supported her.
"Brother," Song Shulan softly called, her face ashen, looking pitiable with tears welling up, but Song Jinxiu didn’t immediately comfort her as he usually would.
Her face became even paler. In the past, Tangning was easy to manipulate. A slight provocation from Song Shulan would make Tangning lose her temper, leading to outbursts, fights, and arguments. With just a little bait, Tangning would foolishly fall into the traps Song Shulan set, humiliating her own background in front of Song Jinxiu and others, degrading herself into the dust.
She clung to Song Jinxiu and Lu Zhizhi, like a child who didn’t know better, trying to monopolize their attention through crying and tantrums.
But the more Tangning caused trouble, the more Song Jinxiu and the others grew to hate her. The more aggressively she bullied Shulan, the more they sided with her.
Song Shulan knew Tangning's temperament well and gradually led her to lose Song Jinxiu's favor.
Just now, she had intended to provoke Tangning again, hoping she would react like a madwoman, but Tangning seemed like a completely different person, ignoring her entirely from start to finish.
Instead, Tangning directed all her resentment toward Song Jinxiu and the others, with a rationality that was frightening.
Seeing the hint of regret on Song Jinxiu's dazed face, Song Shulan fiercely pinched her palm, causing tears to instantly flow down her cheeks.
However, Xie Yin foolishly brought Song Jinxiu and Song Shulan into the palace, even provoking Xiao Yan, which led to Song Tangning leaving the Cheng Wang Mansion.
When he thought of Tangning saying she wanted to break off the engagement before she left, Cheng Wang was so furious that his head hurt. There was no way he would allow the marriage with the Lu family to be called off.
He coldly rebuked Xie Yin, and then, finding the sight of Song Jinxiu and his sister unpleasant, snapped, "It's late, Song Langjun. Aren't you going to leave?"
Song Jinxiu's face turned as colorful as a dye shop: "…I apologize for disturbing you, Your Highness. I’ll leave immediately."
The cold February night was bitter, with piercing winds.
Before Song Jinxiu could leave, he heard Cheng Wang in the courtyard behind them, furiously berating Xie Yin, who had tried to see them out of the mansion. Cheng Wang's words were sharp and unkind, mercilessly mocking and belittling him. After finishing, he angrily instructed a servant nearby, "From now on, Song Shulan is not allowed to step foot into Cheng Wang Mansion!"
Song Shulan's face turned pale as paper, and she staggered. Song Jinxiu hurriedly supported her.
"Brother," Song Shulan softly called, her face ashen, looking pitiable with tears welling up, but Song Jinxiu didn’t immediately comfort her as he usually would.
Her face became even paler. In the past, Tangning was easy to manipulate. A slight provocation from Song Shulan would make Tangning lose her temper, leading to outbursts, fights, and arguments. With just a little bait, Tangning would foolishly fall into the traps Song Shulan set, humiliating her own background in front of Song Jinxiu and others, degrading herself into the dust.
She clung to Song Jinxiu and Lu Zhizhi, like a child who didn’t know better, trying to monopolize their attention through crying and tantrums.
But the more Tangning caused trouble, the more Song Jinxiu and the others grew to hate her. The more aggressively she bullied Tangning, the more they sided with her.
Song Shulan knew Tangning's temperament well and gradually led her to lose Song Jinxiu's favor.
Just now, she had intended to provoke Tangning again, hoping she would react like a madwoman, but Tangning seemed like a completely different person, ignoring her entirely from start to finish.
Instead, Tangning directed all her resentment toward Song Jinxiu and the others, with a rationality that was frightening.
Seeing the hint of regret on Song Jinxiu's dazed face, Song Shulan fiercely pinched her palm, causing tears to instantly flow down her cheeks.
She pushed Song Jinxiu away and collapsed to the ground in a kneeling position. Startled, Song Jinxiu snapped out of his daze, “What are you doing?”
“I beg Tangning! She just said that if I kneel all the way to Lingyun Temple, she would forgive my brother.” As she spoke, she kowtowed to the ground, hitting her head hard enough to draw blood on her forehead. “I’ll kneel, I’ll kowtow, I’ll go to Lingyun Temple and beg for Madam’s forgiveness…”
Song Shulan stood up, took a step, and knelt again, once more banging her head on the ground.
“It was wrong of me to accidentally knock over Madam’s everlasting lamp. It was wrong of me to come to the capital. It’s all my fault, and it has nothing to do with my brother…”
The bluestone ground was stained with blood, and under the dim lights in front of Cheng Wang Mansion, Song Shulan looked like she was about to collapse.
Song Jinxiu was deeply shocked, quickly pulling her up: “What are you doing? Do you want to ruin your appearance?”
“What does it matter if I do? What else can I do?” Song Shulan weakly knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face. “Tangning refuses to return, and Grandmother and the others won’t forgive me. She has Xiao Duzhu protecting her, and even Brother doesn’t matter to her anymore…”
“I don’t want to drag Brother down. I just want to beg her to come back. I’ll kowtow and apologize to her if I must. But why won’t Tangning forgive me? Does she really want me to give my life in exchange? Then I’ll do it, alright? I’ll go back and hang myself with a white silk ribbon…”
“Stop saying such nonsense!” Song Jinxiu scolded in anger, “How can you treat yourself like this?”
“Then what should I do…? What should I do?” She cried so hard she could barely breathe, looking utterly devastated.
“Brother, tell me, what should I do…? What should I do…?”
Song Jinxiu had been shaken by Tangning’s coldness and harsh words, but seeing Song Shulan’s pitiful state, he felt a pang of sympathy.
He tightened his lips and half-embraced her: “Don’t worry, I’ll figure something out. Tangning isn’t that heartless; she’s just upset with me. Don’t overthink it, I’ll come up with something…”
“Ugh.”
Not far away, in the shadow of an alley, Canglang, who was sitting on the carriage shaft watching the two embrace, suddenly spoke up: “Miss Song, is this how your Song family teaches such unrestrained behavior?”
Late at night, in front of the prince’s mansion, with the gatekeeper of Cheng Wang Mansion still watching, this brother and sister were crying and hugging each other on the long street. If someone who didn’t know better saw them, they might think they were a pair of tragic lovers, just one step away from setting up a stage and banging a drum for a performance.
Song Tangning remained silent, but before she could speak, Xiao Yan grabbed something nearby and threw it at the back of Canglang’s head: “If you don’t know how to speak properly, shut up.”
“Such a disgrace!” Cheng Wangfei angrily dropped the curtain by the window, blocking the sight of the two detestable figures outside.
“I used to think that Song Jinxiu was someone who knew proper etiquette and rules, but today I finally understand—he’s nothing more than a polished turd, shining on the outside but full of filth inside!” She was so furious that she even cursed, shouting toward the outer room,
“Leave! I can’t stand looking at them. Don’t let them dirty Tangning’s eyes.”
Outside, Canglang rubbed the back of his head, grimacing, thinking that he should have kicked Song Jinxiu harder earlier. He made a mental note of this before pulling the reins to drive the carriage towards the southern part of the city. Nanny Jiang and the others, along with the servants and maids, followed in a small carriage behind them, carrying their belongings.
The carriage wheels clattered over the bluestone ground, and with the curfew nearing, there were few people left on the streets.
Occasionally, peddlers heading home passed by, their carriages rattling through the cold night wind that made one shiver.
Song Tangning huddled in the corner of the carriage, wrapped in Xiao Yan’s cloak. Her face was completely hidden beneath the thick fur trim, her thick lashes obscuring her reddened eyes as she recalled the scene from earlier, where Song Jinxiu was comforting Song Shulan.
Even though she had long told herself not to care and had seen through those people's true colors, it was still painful to see him so self-righteously reprimanding her, completely ignoring her distress, and then turning to show such careful concern for Song Shulan. Her heart remained heavy.
They had shared more than a decade of sibling affection, and he had once cared for her so deeply.
She remembered how Song Jinxiu, when they were young, would secretly take her out to see lanterns just to make her happy, or how he would surprise her with a kite he had made during the night just to cheer her up the next morning.
When she was sick, he would coax her to drink medicine, and on the way to school, he would remember to buy her the sweetest pastries. He had once been the best brother in the world, loving her so much. But how could he change so easily?
Song Tangning didn’t really care about Xie Yin or Lu Zhizhi. Xie Yin was young and easily deceived, and Lu Zhizhi was proud and arrogant. It was normal for men from high and mighty backgrounds like them to feel pity and even affection for a delicate and pitiable woman. They were enamored by appearances, forgetting old feelings, and abandoning a less important cousin and fiancée for someone they loved. She could understand that.
But Song Jinxiu was different. Song Shulan was just his sister.
She had once fought alongside him, and he had sworn that he would never let her take her position away. He had once told her that she would always be his only sister, and he would never let anyone harm her. How could he so thoroughly change in less than half a year, as if erasing more than a decade of sibling bond completely?
Was it that Song Jinxiu's heart was truly so cold, or was she really that unworthy…?
“Stop overthinking it.” A cold voice suddenly broke the silence. Xiao Yan placed a hand on his knee and looked at the small figure huddled across from him. “Not everyone has a conscience, and not everyone can confront their own biases.
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T/N: Mind reader Xiao Yan strikes again
You can read ahead to chapterr 50 hereNovel Chapter Navigation
T/N: Mind reader Xiao Yan strikes again
You can read ahead to chapterr 50 here
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