Song Tangning couldn't help but laugh at what the Princess Consort of Cheng and Xiao Yan had said, her dimples showing as she teased, "If Grandfather saw Auntie like this, he’d surely get furious and scowl."
Mammy Jiang chimed in from the side, "If the madam saw it, she’d probably give the Princess Consort a beating too."
The Princess Consort of Cheng pouted and said, "My sister and father aren’t around, or where would the Song family get the nerve?"
Mammy Jiang paused at her words, her face dimming slightly. Yes, the Grand Tutor and the madam were no longer here. If there were still any men left in the Rong family, the Song family wouldn’t dare bully their young lady like this.
As the weather grew warmer, the charcoal brazier in the room had already been removed. Tangning, wearing a small padded jacket, noticed the sudden gloom in the air. Seeing the Princess Consort's mood darken, she reached out, avoiding her injured hand, and hugged her aunt’s arm.
"Even though Mother isn’t here, I still have Auntie. As long as Auntie is here to protect me, I’m not afraid."
Her soft, sweet voice acted like honey, instantly lifting the Princess Consort’s spirits from the sorrow of losing her loved ones.
She straightened up, her expression becoming serious, and said, "Of course, I will protect you. Even though the Chief Supervisor has already punished the Song family, this matter is far from over. It's just a pity there’s still no word from your uncle; otherwise, we could tear down all pretenses."
"Has Uncle not found anything yet?"
"No, the people I sent to Anzhou haven’t returned yet. It seems it will take some time."
Sitting nearby, Xiao Yan, watching the aunt and niece speak, interjected, "Princess Consort, did the Prince of Cheng go to Anzhou because of that illegitimate daughter of the Song family?"
The Princess Consort nodded. "Yes, I suspect there’s something wrong with her identity."
She now harbored no goodwill toward the Song family. After what the old hag of the Song family did today, any remaining restraint had vanished. Regardless of whether the Song family had tampered with Song Shulan's origins, she would never let Tangning return to that den of wolves. As for the Song family and that illegitimate girl, she had no need to protect their reputation.
If the Song family were humiliated, she'd only be glad.
Xiao Yan frowned slightly. "If you suspect her identity, it’s indeed worth thoroughly investigating in Anzhou. However, a round trip will take at least half a month. If you can’t wait for news from there, you could first check the household registration documents she used to enter the capital at the prefectural office. Since that illegitimate girl isn’t a native of the capital, and she’s lived here for a long time, under the guise of being a concubine’s daughter of the second branch of the Song family, the prefectural office should have records."
The Princess Consort blinked. "Oh, right, I completely forgot about that."
The capital was unlike other places; it was frequently patrolled. It wouldn’t matter if someone was just passing through for business or staying temporarily, but for anyone who wished to live in the bustling city long-term, they would need to officially register. Otherwise, if caught without papers, they’d face legal trouble.
Given how the Song family prided themselves on their rules and propriety, they wouldn’t leave such an obvious weakness unaddressed.
"I’ll go to the prefectural office right away. I want to see what that Song Shulan really is."
With that, the Princess Consort rose to leave in a hurry, too fast for Mammy Jiang to stop her.
Seeing Mammy Jiang’s anxious expression, worried that the Princess Consort might cause trouble at the prefectural office, Tangning suggested, "Mammy, why don’t you go with Auntie? Make sure nothing happens to her."
"But, young lady..."
"I have Hua Wu here, and the Chief Supervisor is still around."
Mammy Jiang thought for a moment, then agreed. "I’ll be quick."
After the master and servant left, the once lively room suddenly fell silent.
Hua Wu brought in freshly brewed tea and stepped aside, while the kitchen sent over a plate of fragrant roasted chestnuts. However, Tangning’s fingers, wrapped in bandages, made it difficult to eat them.
She looked longingly at the plate before curiously asking Xiao Yan, "Brother, why did you send Auntie to the prefectural office?"
Xiao Yan replied, "The Prince of Cheng already visited a few days ago."
Tangning was momentarily stunned, then understood the meaning behind his words.
"Although the prefectural office may not be able to confirm whether Song Shulan is Song Hong's daughter, it can at least determine if she’s from Anzhou. If Song Qin and the others are indeed trying to hide Song Shulan's true identity, they would have taken precautions against anyone investigating in Anzhou. The Prince of Cheng realized this, so he went to the prefectural office and privately took her household registration documents."
As Xiao Yan spoke, he picked up a chestnut, cracked it between his fingers, and handed the now shelled nut to Tangning.
"Today, after your grandmother was carried back, Song Hong rushed to the prefectural office. He likely noticed you were growing distant from the Song family and wanted to prevent you from using me to investigate Song Shulan. But when he got there, he discovered the Prince of Cheng had already taken the documents."
Song Hong had turned so pale with fear that he nearly fainted.
Tangning was silent for a long time before asking, "So, Song Shulan really isn’t from Anzhou?"
Xiao Yan confirmed, "She’s originally from Yanghua, a southern town. The prefectural office registered her as Miss Xu of Yanghua's Suyun Town."
Xu...
Tangning lowered her eyes. Song Hong and the others had previously claimed Song Shulan's mother’s surname was Li, and it wasn’t until after Song Shulan returned to the Song family that her surname was changed.
If Song Hong and the rest were scheming, how could they forget to change her household registration? But if they were careless, how did they remember to lie about something so small?
Tangning bit her lip and softly asked, "So the Prince of Cheng knew she wasn’t from Anzhou but still told Auntie he sent people to Anzhou?"
"He did send people, but it was also a ruse."
Xiao Yan’s tone was indifferent. The Princess Consort wasn’t a fool. She had spent years by the Prince’s side; many things couldn’t be hidden from her. If the Prince of Cheng hadn’t sent someone to Anzhou and put on a convincing show, the Princess Consort would’ve quickly noticed something was amiss.
"Strangely, the Prince of Cheng seems to treat your aunt with mixed feelings. If you claim he doesn’t care, he shows that he’s actually very careful, he would rather send someone to Anzhou for nothing than to let her notice his neglect and feel unhappy. But if you say he cares, when it comes to something as significant as the Song family, he can still lie to her."
"He knows full well that your aunt despises evil and is extremely protective of you, yet he helps the Song family cover up their lies. Isn't he afraid that the princess will turn against him when she finds out?"
Song Tangning pressed her lips tighter at these words. It wasn’t just Xiao Yan who couldn’t understand; even after living through a lifetime, she couldn’t fully comprehend it either.
With thoughts weighing on her mind, Tangning lowered her gaze and remained silent.
Xiao Yan, never one for excessive words, would only speak more when Tangning did. But the moment she went quiet, he, too, would not take the initiative to speak.
The room grew exceedingly quiet. The two sat across from each other, Tangning absentmindedly tugging at the white bandage wrapped around her hand, her gaze unfocused. Meanwhile, Xiao Yan reclined lazily, casually peeling chestnuts.
The plump chestnut kernels were tossed into an empty teacup, and after a while, the pile grew.
Xiao Yan flicked his hand, sending the cup sliding across the table, startling Tangning from her daze.
Tangning looked down, surprised to see the once-empty cup now filled with golden chestnut kernels. She raised her head in astonishment. "Brother?"
"I noticed earlier that you were practically drooling over them."
Xiao Yan dusted off his hands and glanced at the girl sitting across from him.
"Not everything in this world follows logic, nor do all people act consistently inside and out. The Prince and the Princess have been married for years and are publicly affectionate. If his feelings were fake, the reason why he’s been able to maintain this façade for over a decade wouldn’t be so easy for you to figure out."
Tangning nearly knocked over the chestnuts in front of her upon hearing this.
"Brother, you…"
How did he know?
She hadn’t said a word.
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T/N: Horrible family members and lying prince aside, aren't they the cutest?
You can read ahead to chapterr 60 here
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