In the palace, as Xiao Yan emerged from the Hall of Supreme Harmony after the morning court session, a thick fur coat was promptly handed to him.
"Why did the Governor take so long?" The morning court usually lasted just one hour, but today it had been nearly three hours, with occasional angry shouts from Emperor An coming from the hall.
Jin Yun lowered his voice, "Did something happen?" Xiao Yan put on the fur coat, his eyes dim. "The news of the deaths on Luohan Mountain has reached the capital, and His Majesty is furious."
"How could this happen? We clearly kept it hidden..." Jin Yun's brows twitched.
Emperor An had been asking the Governor to investigate the grain transportation case, but there were obstacles from the noble families. Their investigation hadn't gone smoothly. Although they had managed to find a few witnesses, someone had intervened on Luohan Mountain, resulting in the witnesses being harmed. They brought back one survivor, but that person, frightened and half-mad, could not provide reliable testimony.
They hadn't reported this to the capital, thinking they could follow the clues to find more information. However, someone leaked it.
Xiao Yan's voice was cold, "If you hide it, someone else will report it."
"Has His Majesty blamed the Governor?" Jin Yun asked worriedly.
Xiao Yan's expression turned icy. Of course, there was blame. Emperor An was always like this—if things didn't go well, his subordinates would face punishment. The noble families knew this and intentionally leaked the information to make him lose the Emperor's favor and the court's support.
Unfortunately, they didn't understand that he hadn't reached his current position through mere royal favor. No one knew better than him how to win the Emperor's heart.
"It's no matter." Xiao Yan asked, "How is Cai Qi?"
Cai Qi was the person they had brought back from Luohan Mountain.
Jin Yun whispered, "Madam Qin has already seen him. She said his madness was caused by shock and that there's a chance he could recover. Whether he can fully regain his sanity and return to normal depends on luck."
"Let her do her best," Xiao Yan said, heading toward the Imperial Household Department. His purple official robe swirled as he walked down the palace steps, leaving a chilling breeze in his wake.
The palace staff on either side quickly bowed and retreated, greeting him respectfully as he passed, only daring to rise once he was gone.
The Imperial Household Department was originally a place responsible for the palace's internal affairs. Its authority was significant but its status not high. However, once Xiao Yan became the head of the Imperial Household Department and gained Emperor An's favor, controlling the Black Armor Army and the six bureaus under the Imperial Household Department, its status rose dramatically.
Xiao Yan's main office in the palace was the prominent Fuyun Hall. As he entered, he saw Cang Lang approaching.
"Governor."
"Why are you in the palace?"
"A servant from the Lu family came to find Miss Song," Cang Lang replied. Xiao Yan paused, looking up. "Lu Zhinen?"
Cang Lang shook his head. "No, it's a servant from the Lu family, one of Lu Zhinen's attendants named Song Mo."
"Only him?"
"Yes, no other Lu family members were seen." Xiao Yan's expression grew cold.
After the Song family’s commotion yesterday, Song Jinxiu hadn't brought Song Tangning back, so he knew the Lu family would come looking.
Before the Song-Lu marriage was annulled, Song Tangning was still the Lu family's betrothed. They would never allow her to stay beside Xiao Yan. Moreover, with the incident on Luohan Mountain, Song Jinxiu, as the elder brother, was being criticized, and Lu Zhinen was similarly being criticized. Now, with rumors about Lu Zhinen’s lack of feelings, he would come to find Song Tangning to salvage his reputation.
Xiao Yan thought Lu Zhinen might at least make some effort to save face, perhaps sending someone to persuade Tangning to return to the Song family, or at least send an elder to apologize and comfort her. However, he didn't expect Lu Zhinen to only send an attendant.
Such neglect and indifference. How did Lu Zhinen and the Lu family usually treat Song Tangning?
Cang Lang also felt sorry for Song Tangning. "The Lu family is simply too much. Song Tangning nearly died on Luohan Mountain, and Lu Zhinen, who had been betrothed to her for years, didn't even bother to come and see her. Instead, he sent his attendant to deceive her, saying he was punished by the Lu family matriarch and forced to kneel in the ancestral hall, trying to trick her into going to the Lu family. Earlier, someone clearly saw Lu Zhinen at the Huanwang’s Hengting Pavilion."
"That Lu family servant is no good either, using a shabby coral bracelet to try and placate Song Tangning. It made her cry, and she chased him away." Xiao Yan frowned, pulling on his coat again, and turned to leave the palace.
Tangning was curled up by the bed in her room, counting the silver left by the Princess Consort with Hua Wu.
There was a thick stack of silver notes, two small boxes filled with gold and silver ingots, and a small box of thin gold leaves, perfect for rewards or gifts.
Hua Wu counted in shock, "Miss, there are eighteen thousand taels in silver notes here, and the gold and silver ingots and gold leaves add up to about two or three hundred taels. Why did the Princess Consort send so much?"
Tangning pursed her lips. "Auntie is afraid I'll be wronged." She couldn't return to the Song family for now. Before clarifying Song Shulan's identity, she couldn't actively fall out with the Song family. All the belongings left by her parents were at the Song family, and she couldn't retrieve them immediately. Although she had a house to live in, maintaining such a large estate required considerable expense for servants and daily needs.
Tangning wrapped herself in a fur blanket and instructed Hua Wu, "First take out the money for buying the house, then take two hundred taels, wrap them up, and give them to Uncle He, asking him to distribute them as a greeting gift to the attendants sent by the Governor. Remember to include ten gold leaves as a separate gift for Uncle He, and keep the rest."
Hua Wu quickly nodded and took note.
Tangning leaned by the window, watching her sort the silver notes, wrapped tightly in her fur blanket.
A charcoal brazier nearby provided a gentle warmth, making the room as warm as spring.
After taking some medicinal soup, Tangning felt a bit warm and quietly extended her bare feet out of the blanket.
Her white, slender legs were partially exposed, with delicate ankles and soft pink toes stretching out.
She lazily toyed with the golden tassels hanging by the window, just stretching comfortably when she suddenly noticed a figure appear in the courtyard.
Xiao Yan strode in, his presence imposing and stern. As he reached the courtyard gate and was about to have someone announce him, he looked up and saw Tangning by the window, stretching like a cat.
Their eyes met, and Tangning’s eyes widened in surprise. Her raised hand froze in mid-air, her chest, previously exposed due to stretching, shrank back. Instinctively, she pulled her feet back into the blanket and quickly slammed the window shut.
"……" Xiao Yan: "?"
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You can read ahead to chapterr 50 here
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