CWTGD Chapter 22 - Scumbag Lu Zhinian

"Is what you said true?" The Princess Consort's face suddenly tensed after hearing Tang Ning's words. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

Tang Ning replied softly, "I didn't think of it before."

It wasn't that she hadn't thought of it; rather, the situation at that time didn't allow her to think carefully.

That day, Song Qin suddenly summoned her to the front hall. As soon as she arrived, he declared that Song Shulan was their father's bloodline. Song Shulan knelt on the ground, tearfully recounting her birth mother's past intimacy with Song Xi. At that moment, all Tang Ning could think about was her father's betrayal of her mother, leaving no room for any other thoughts.

Song Hong urged her, saying that after all, Song Shulan was their father's bloodline. The Song family matriarch warned that spreading this matter would ruin their late father's reputation. Song Shulan even held several love letters written by Song Xi to her birth mother. To top it off, Song Jinxiu, who had just returned, also advised her to agree.

They said it was just giving her a place to stay, so that people wouldn't accuse the Song family of being heartless. Her mind was buzzing, and she agreed in a daze. By the time she came to her senses, Song Shulan had already been established as the daughter of the second branch.

Tang Ning felt a bitter taste in her throat. "I really thought she was father's bloodline, and I was afraid that if she flaunted those letters in public, it would bring shame to my mother as well. But later, when I thought about it again, something didn't seem right."

"If she were truly father's bloodline, why would Third Uncle have hidden her identity when he first brought her back? Besides, Father and Mother were so deeply in love, and despite not having any sons, Father never considered taking a concubine. How could he have sought someone else?"

"The timing of Aunt's illness was too coincidental, and even Grandmother's attitude before and after was strange."

She realized how foolish she had been in her previous life to not have considered any of this until it was too late.

The Princess Consort's face was grim. Back then, when she first learned that Song Xi suddenly had an illegitimate daughter, the Song family had already firmly established Song Shulan's identity. When she questioned Tang Ning, Tang Ning only cried, and the Song family repeatedly insisted that Song Shulan was Song Xi's bloodline.

At that time, the Princess Consort was so furious that her chest hurt, thinking that her sister had misjudged, feeling that her sister's love was unworthy.

But who could have imagined that the Song family would dare to pass off Song Shulan as the second branch's daughter?

"If the Song family has truly done such a thing, they deserve to be condemned!" Not only did they confuse the bloodline of the second branch, they sullied the names of her sister and brother-in-law, and even allowed Song Shulan to bully Tang Ning.

More importantly, the Princess Consort didn't need Tang Ning to remind her that if Song Shulan were just an ordinary person, the Song family's noble status would never allow an outsider to enter their mansion. Even pretending to be a member of the second branch would harm the interests of the Song family—unless Song Shulan was indeed someone from the Song family.

Moreover, the fact that Song Qin brought her back and first sent her to the main branch, along with the reactions of the main branch of the Song family...

The Princess Consort, full of anger, said, "Everyone knows the places Song Qin passed through when he went south on official business. I will have someone investigate Song Shulan's background. I want to see who she really is!"

Tang Ning's eyes flickered. "Aunt, why not ask Uncle to help investigate?"

The Princess Consort was taken aback.

Tang Ning lowered her lashes slightly. "If Song Shulan really isn't father's daughter, given the current situation between me and the Song family, both Uncle and Third Uncle will definitely try to cover it up. Moreover, when Third Uncle brought her back to the capital, he must have erased any traces to protect the Song family's reputation. Song Shulan might not even be from Anzhou."

"Aunt is close to me; if you send someone, the Song family will definitely notice. Even if they go, they might not uncover the truth. But Uncle probably has capable people at his disposal; if he sends someone, the truth could be discovered sooner."

The Princess Consort thought it over and found it reasonable. "Alright, I'll speak to your uncle when I return tomorrow. If the Song family has truly wronged you, your uncle and I won't let them off!"

Tang Ning hummed in agreement, leaning gently against the Princess Consort.

She wanted to see if the Prince truly cared about her and her aunt or something else.

After a moment of silence in the room, the Princess Consort spoke again, "Tang Ning, about your marriage with the Lu family..."

Song Tang Ning was silent for a long time before she softly said, "Aunt, I really liked Lu Zhinyan in the past."

Knowing that Lu Zhinyan admired talented women, she worked hard to learn arts she didn't enjoy, like playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

Knowing that Lu Zhinyan disliked noisy people, she, though naturally lively, made herself quiet and well-behaved.

Since she was young, she knew she was destined to marry Lu Zhinyan. She always believed she would become the wife of the Lu family. She chased after him desperately, trying to make herself someone who could match him and become the matriarch of the Lu family.

Lu Zhinyan, like Song Jin Xiu, was outstanding from a young age. But unlike the Song family, who only had the title of Duke, Lu Zhinyan's family was even more illustrious.

As the legitimate son of the most prominent family, and a nephew favored by the Empress, Lu Zhinyan was born superior to others. Moreover, though his personality was cold, his appearance was exceptionally handsome. The young ladies in the capital, who coveted a marriage with the Lu family, were countless.

Many were jealous of her engagement to Lu Zhinyan. They often mocked her, saying she was unworthy of him. But Tang Ning never cared. No matter how much she was ridiculed, she never let it bother her because she knew that although Lu Zhinyan was not enthusiastic towards her, he didn't like those other girls either.

But Song Shulan was different.

Tang Ning pressed her lips tightly, feeling stifled. "All these years, I've followed Lu Zhinyan closely, but he has never looked at me. No matter how much effort I put into pleasing him, he rarely smiles at me."

"I really liked him. I liked him so much that whenever he asked me to do something, even if I disliked it, I would still do it. But no matter what I did, he never praised me once. I always thought his coldness towards me was just his nature, but later I realized it wasn't."

"Do you know what I saw on his face the first time I heard him praise Song Shulan? It was an expression he had never shown me before."

The atmosphere was like a gentle spring breeze, the snow beginning to thaw, with a subtle warmth that carried an indescribable leniency. Song Shulan blushed, exchanging a glance with the tall and handsome Lu Zhinian, both smiling in silent understanding.

That unspoken bond, where only they existed in each other's eyes, had driven her mad with jealousy in her previous life, seeing Lu Zhinian as her future husband. The jealousy had consumed her so much that she couldn’t tolerate Song Shulan and ultimately pushed herself step by step into a desperate situation, leading to her quiet death in the backyard of the Song family.

"Auntie, I don't want to chase after him anymore," Tang Ning whispered, her voice hoarse with suppressed bitterness.

"I don't like him anymore," she added. The Princess of Cheng listened to the girl's low murmur beside her, her chest aching with pain.

She had noticed the coldness Lu Zhinian treated Tang Ning with. Despite their childhood bond and the fact that the Lu family had never opposed the marriage, even having the Empress personally set the wedding date, Lu Zhinian never showed the slightest enthusiasm.

It had always seemed like Tang Ning was the only one making an effort in this engagement. Whenever they were together, Tang Ning was the one following behind Lu Zhinian, speaking to him. Even a single indifferent word from him could make Tang Ning happy for days.

The Princess of Cheng knew how much her niece had looked forward to marrying into the Lu family. Hearing these words now, she understood just how heartbroken she must be.

"If you don't like him, then you don't. There are plenty of good men in this world. Our Tang Ning doesn't need him," the Princess of Cheng gently brushed away the stray hair from Tang Ning's forehead.

"Your marriage with Lu Zhinian is set for next year. There's no rush right now. After we get to the bottom of what's going on with the Song family, I'll figure out how to cancel the engagement," Tang Ning whispered, "But the Empress..."

"What about the Empress? She’s treated you well, but everyone knows how cold that Lu family boy has been to you. Moreover, if the engagement were to be broken for no reason, the Empress wouldn’t let it go. But Lu Zhinian abandoned you first and nearly cost you your life. What could the Lu family possibly say if we annul the engagement?"

The ruthlessness was all on Lu Zhinian’s side! The Princess of Cheng was already thinking about how to dissolve this marriage without implicating Tang Ning and without giving outsiders any reason to speak ill of her. The Lu family would have to be at fault.

Tang Ning listened to her aunt’s constant murmuring, burying her head in her aunt's shoulder, her eyes growing warm with tears.

Auntie was always like this, no matter what Tang Ning wanted to do, even if it meant going against the world, even if no one else understood or it offended those who shouldn’t be offended, Auntie would never let her suffer any grievance.

But such a good auntie had died an unclear death.

Tang Ning reached out and hugged the Princess of Cheng’s arm. In this lifetime, she absolutely would not let anything happen to her aunt.

Absolutely not!!

…

Tang Ning’s decision to move to Jiyun Alley in the south of the city shocked everyone. It wasn’t just the Song family that was enraged; the Lu family, upon hearing the news the next day, was also in disbelief.

"What’s wrong with the Song family? They know you’re about to marry Tang Ning, and yet they still let her associate with that eunuch Xiao Yan?!" The Lu family's old madam was filled with anger. "Do they know what that eunuch is? How can a daughter-in-law of our Lu family consort with someone like that?" Lu Zhinian frowned deeply.

"And what’s with all these rumors? What happened between you, Song's eldest son, and the heir of the Cheng Prince’s Mansion that made you abandon Tang Ning on the mountain for an illegitimate daughter?" Lu Zhinian's frown deepened, his face growing cold. "I didn’t abandon her."

The old madam snapped, "Then what happened? Do you know what they’re saying about you out there? They're claiming that you and the Cheng heir like that illegitimate daughter, which is why you abandoned Tang Ning. Let me tell you, our Lu family will never allow an illegitimate daughter to marry into our house!"

"Grandmother, I don’t like her," Lu Zhinian’s jaw tightened as he found the rumors absurd.

That Song Shulan did indeed appear gentle and sensible, much more so than the willful and unruly Tang Ning. She understood boundaries and never clung to him too much, always retreating politely whenever she saw him.

But Tang Ning, like a thorny hedgehog, would throw a tantrum whenever she saw him talking to Song Shulan, and afterward, she would either bully Song Shulan or cling to him, demanding answers.

This made Lu Zhinian very frustrated.

He didn’t like Tang Ning because she was clingy, always trailing behind him, and calling him “Brother Lu” as if she had nothing else to do.

Lu Zhinian didn’t have any fondness for Tang Ning, his fiancée, and admired Song Shulan’s resilience and talent despite her low birth. However, he had never crossed any boundaries with her and was fully aware that he was supposed to marry Tang Ning.

Lu Zhinian said, "Grandmother, there is nothing improper between Song Shulan and me. I didn’t even know she was an illegitimate daughter before. That day on the mountain, I only wanted to teach Tang Ning a lesson because I thought her temper would bring trouble if it wasn’t curbed before she married into the Lu family."

"I thought Song Jinxiu was her brother, and Xie Yin had a good relationship with her too, so even if they were angry, they would still leave someone to protect her and take her back to Lingyun Temple. But who knew they’d leave someone behind?" If he had known, he wouldn’t have taken all his servants away.

The old madam narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you sure there’s nothing between you and Song Shulan?"

"Nothing!"

"And what about her?" Lu Zhinian hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "Before, in the Song family, she never tried to seduce me."

The old madam's expression relaxed slightly at this. "If that’s the case, you should keep your distance from that illegitimate daughter, to avoid her ruining your reputation. And what about Tang Ning?"

Lu Zhinian pursed his lips. "That's just her temperament. Don't worry, Grandmother. I'll send someone to bring her back to the Song family later." He was certain that Tangning would listen to him.

Madam Lu's expression darkened. "Once she's back, make sure the Song family teaches her some proper manners. It's disgraceful for someone about to be married to behave so wildly, making a laughingstock of you and the Lu family in the capital. If it weren't for the connections her mother has with the Rong family, I wouldn't have agreed to this marriage at all." As the eldest son of the Lu family, he could have married any princess or noblewoman, yet he had chosen someone she found utterly unworthy.

Madam Lu never liked this Song Tangning, but unfortunately, the Empress did, and the Fourth Prince needed the connections and resources left behind by Grand Tutor Rong...

Madam Lu snorted coldly. If not for that, she would never have considered Song Tangning.

After being reprimanded by Madam Lu, Lu Zhinian's expression turned even colder as he left, partly due to the rumors circulating outside and partly because of Tangning's sudden closeness with Xiao Yan.

"Sir, about Miss Song..." Songmo, his long-time attendant, asked in a low voice.

Lu Zhinian's eyes flashed with irritation. "Go to Jiyun Lane and deliver the Azure Orchid Porcelain Vase from my room to her. Also, bring the coral bead bracelet she mentioned liking last time."

Songmo hesitated. "Miss Song has been injured. Shouldn't you go see her yourself?"

"No," Lu Zhinian replied coldly.

Song Tangning was already difficult to deal with, and her arrogance only made it worse. Although the Song family had made mistakes, she could have settled the matter privately. After all, family scandals shouldn't be exposed. Yet she had blown things out of proportion and even gotten involved with Xiao Yan, causing people to slander him as well.

Lu Zhinian disliked Song Tangning's overbearing nature and had no intention of coaxing her. "You go see her. But when you do, make sure to tell her what people are saying about me outside, and also let her know that I was punished by Grandmother and couldn't come to visit her." He was certain that, given her feelings for him, she would realize her mistake.

Once she returned to the Song family, he would comfort her then.



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