The next morning, Tang Ning received a thank-you gift from her neighbor.
The package, wrapped in cloud-patterned silk, contained seeds of double-colored crabapple flowers, dozens of mature weeping crabapple trees with dense foliage towering taller than a person, and over ten precious young seedlings of Xifu crabapple trees.
When over ten attendants from the Flower and Bird Bureau carefully moved the plants into the residence, Hua Wu was left stunned.
“Is the Chief Supervisor emptying out the Imperial Garden?”
Even *Xi Chun and the others, who had seen their fair share of extravagance, were shocked by the sight of the courtyard filled with flowers and trees.
“Miss, are these from the palace…?”
“They should be, right?”
Tang Ning was a little dazed and at a loss. She had merely asked Xiao Yan for a few flower branches, thinking she could plant and propagate them when they grew. But who could have expected Xiao Yan to send back so many?
The head of the Flower and Bird Bureau was an elderly eunuch named Ji. His smile resembled that of the Buddha, amiable and kind.
Eunuch Ji had long heard rumors that Chief Supervisor Xiao nearly executed a censor at court for this young lady, Song Tang Ning. Now, before her, he showed no airs of the palace, his face filled with smiles.
“Miss Song, these are all from Chief Supervisor Xiao.
The seeds of the double-colored crabapple can be stored for later. When the time comes, I can teach you how to cultivate them. However, the mature crabapple trees and seedlings need to be planted as soon as possible. If the soil dries up, the branches might be damaged. Chief Supervisor Xiao has instructed us to follow your orders. Where would you like them planted?”
Tang Ning quickly replied, “Just plant them around the courtyard, along the wall.”
Eunuch Ji confirmed the location and inquired about the kind of crabapple garden she envisioned. After discussing the layout, he led the attendants to begin their work.
As the soil in the courtyard was turned, one by one, the crabapple trees were planted.
Though they had yet to bloom, the budding flowers brought Tang Ning a sense of joy.
“Master.”
A voice sounded from behind. Tang Ning turned around, her eyes instantly lighting up as a soft, sweet dimple formed at the corner of her lips. “Ah Xiong!*”
“In this scorching sun, why don’t you go rest in the shade?”
Xiao Yan’s robes fluttered as his tall and imposing figure appeared beside her, instantly blocking the previously blinding sunlight.
Seeing her flushed face and the fine beads of sweat on her nose, he handed her a silk handkerchief. “Be careful not to get sunburned.”
Tang Ning took the handkerchief, feeling a bit embarrassed. “I got carried away looking at the flowers. Why are you back so early, Ah Xiong?”
“There was nothing important in court today, so I returned early.”
He glanced at the cheerful young lady, then at the bustling attendants planting the crabapple trees in the courtyard.
“Do the flowers suit your taste? I’m not familiar with these things, so I had them randomly dig up some from the palace. If you like them, I can have more brought over later.”
“No, no, this is enough.”
Tang Ning hurriedly spoke. These were from the palace, not some vegetable garden. So many flowers and trees being sent out—she was already afraid someone might accuse Xiao Yan of abusing his power for personal gain. How could she let him bring more?
“Ah Xiong, won’t people gossip if you send out so many plants…?” She nervously clutched the handkerchief, worried.
Xiao Yan chuckled. “Do you have some misunderstanding about me?”
“Huh?”
“I’m infamous far and wide, fawning over the emperor, and everyone calls me the treacherous villain Xiao, manipulating the court.”
Seeing her confused expression, he reached out and gently plucked a leaf from her hair. His expression turned lazy as he withdrew his hand.
“Being a villain comes with certain privileges. If I had to worry about gossip over a few flowers, I’d have lived in vain all these years.”
Tang Ning was immediately embarrassed. “Ah Xiong.”
She wasn’t a child! Why was he teasing her like this?
A soft chuckle escaped Xiao Yan's throat. He tilted his head, gazing at her round, dark eyes. “Just take what you like. I’m not about to fall because of a few trees. If I sent them out, then the palace has already approved.”
The attendants from the Flower and Bird Bureau were quick to work. Seeing Chief Supervisor Xiao personally supervising, they sped up even more.
Xiao Yan, noticing the intense heat of the sun, called Tang Ning over to a nearby pavilion.
Xi Chun and Nian Xia brought refreshments and tea, then swiftly retreated. Watching the two of them leave, Xiao Yan asked Tang Ning, “How are the new maids?”
“They’re fine.”
Perhaps because she was in a good mood, Tang Ning’s voice had a sweet, lilting tone.
“They were implicated due to their families’ crimes and demoted to slaves. They’ve suffered some hardships, but they’re cautious, respectful, and well-mannered. Last night, I spoke with them. Besides Xi Chun and Nian Xia, Feng Qiu and Ren Dong have experience managing households.”
“I’m thinking of having them help me organize the inventory of my grandfather and mother’s belongings. And once things are settled with the Song family, I’ll need to divide the family’s assets fairly. I can’t allow the Song family to take a single coin more than they’re entitled to, nor can I let anyone have cause to criticize me.”
The Song family had never taught her how to manage a household. Although her aunt had mentioned it in passing, back then, Tang Ning was focused on winning Lu Zhinian’s favor, learning useless skills like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She’d only grasped a superficial understanding of the account books her aunt had sent.
The Song family had raised her to be aloof, untouched by worldly matters. Even the Lu family never seemed to expect her to manage household affairs. She used to think it was because they cherished her, not wanting her to endure such burdens. But after everything she had gone through, she slowly realized they had likely intended to render her useless.
They coveted the wealth left by her grandfather and mother. The Lu family never wanted a shrewd daughter-in-law. Now that she had decided to leave the Song family and sever ties, she would make sure to reclaim every last bit of her rightful inheritance, down to the last coin.
Xiao Yan's gaze softened slightly. "Would you like me to have someone assist you?"
Tang Ning shook her head. "No need for now. My mother left behind a detailed list of everything, and the second house's properties all have their deeds. The Song family can't falsify anything. I'd like to try handling it myself first. If I don't understand something, I'll ask you later."
"That works."
Xiao Yan placed his teacup down on the table and looked at Tang Ning. "Did you hear that the old woman from the Song family had her hand crippled?"
Tang Ning nodded. "Yes, I know."
The incident from a few days ago had caused quite a stir. Xiao Yan had pressured the Imperial Medical Office and even confronted the censorate head-on. Lord He from the censorate had his leg broken but still had to be carried into the palace, "kneeling" before the throne to receive punishment.
It's said that just this morning, after receiving ten lashes, Lord He vomited blood. If not for the Lu family calling most of the Imperial Medical Office to his house for treatment, he might have died from that one bout of blood.
"Are you afraid?" Xiao Yan raised his eyes to look at her.
Tang Ning shook her head.
"Don't you think I'm ruthless?"
"Why should I call you ruthless? They were the ones with ill intentions first. You only acted to protect me. I’m not someone who doesn’t know right from wrong."
In the past, when she only heard of Xiao Yan’s notorious reputation, she thought of him as a bloodthirsty and ruthless killer. But after meeting him, even though they had only spent a few days together, she could see that he was not someone who killed without reason.
She didn't know much about the politics of the court, but as for the Song family, if they hadn’t repeatedly provoked and pressured her, why would he have acted so harshly?
She wasn’t ungrateful. Xiao Yan protected her, so how could she side with others?
"You are my elder brother; of course, I stand by your side. Even if you did something wrong, I’m sure it’s the fault of others who provoked you first."
"But you know there are many out there who speak ill of me, right?"
"So what?"
Tang Ning’s expression didn’t change. "People with dark thoughts always gather in groups. Those jealous of you must know each other. They can’t measure up to you, so all they can do is secretly conspire and badmouth you."
Xiao Yan's cold and proud eyes softened with amusement at her bold and strangely logical words. His black eyes, usually as icy as winter frost, sparkled with laughter.
"You’re really biased toward your own."
"Of course! You're my brother!"
Xiao Yan chuckled softly, the stern lines of his face relaxing, as if the winter frost had melted into the warmth of spring.
Outside the pavilion, Cang Lang, seeing his master's rare smile, couldn't help but click his tongue in surprise.
That Song girl must have a tongue dipped in honey, sweet enough to melt even him.
…
The gardeners from the Flower and Bird Department worked swiftly, and within just over half an hour, the courtyard was fully tended to.
After sending them off, a message arrived from the outer estate, informing Xiao Yan that the person who had gone mad earlier had somewhat regained their senses. With that news, Xiao Yan didn’t linger at the Tang family residence any longer.
Tang Ning stayed in the back garden for a while, admiring the nearly blooming crabapple trees. Seeing the plump buds on the verge of bursting open, she thought about how beautiful the garden would look come March or April and felt her mood lift. But when she heard that some of the third house from the Song family had arrived, her smile faded slightly.
"Who has come?"
"It’s Third Miss."
The third branch of the Song family had one son and two daughters. The legitimate second son, Song Jinnan, was away studying, and the other legitimate daughter, Fourth Miss Song Yuan, had gone with her mother back to their maternal family. The only one left in the house was the concubine-born daughter, Song Ru.
Song Ru’s birth mother came from a low background and became pregnant by accident after a one-night encounter with Song Qin. Song Qin disliked her mother for her humble origins and resented Song Ru for bringing bad luck. After her mother died in childbirth, Song Qin abandoned her as well, leaving her to be raised carelessly in the household.
Song Ru had a timid nature and was easily frightened. She rarely left her room and had no presence in the family. Had she not shown up today, Hua Wu might have completely forgotten she existed.
Seeing Tang Ning furrow her brow, Hua Wu suggested, "Lady, perhaps she came regarding household matters. Shall I have Guard Hang send her away?"
Tang Ning shook her head. "No need, let her come in."
Outside, under the cold moonlight, Song Ru nervously pinched her fingers. Her frail figure seemed even paler under the lantern light.
She glanced at the towering gates before her and hesitated, wanting to turn back. Just as she was debating whether to leave, she heard someone calling her inside.
Tang Ning was momentarily surprised when she saw Song Ru enter the flower hall—she was shockingly thin.
Though she was a noblewoman of the marquis's household, her clothes were visibly worn. Even though she had tried to dress neatly, her skirt was still too loose, hanging awkwardly over her gaunt frame.
"Second sister."
Song Ru’s voice was soft and weak, and after entering, she kept her head down and her posture hunched, looking fearful.
Unlike the others in the Song family, Tang Ning wasn’t cold toward her. She spoke gently, "It’s late. Why have you come?"
"Am I bothering you, second sister?" Song Ru nervously twisted the hem of her sleeve.
Seeing her so tense that her fingers had turned white, her back stiff with fear, Tang Ning silently sighed. "No, it’s just that the night has fallen. I was a bit surprised to see you here."
"Hua Wu, bring some hot tea for Third Miss, and some light snacks that are easy to digest."
Song Ru startled at the offer and quickly shook her head. "No, no, I just came to check on you."
As if afraid of being misunderstood, she quickly added in a low voice, "There’s been some disorder at home. My brother and the others aren’t paying attention to me, so I slipped out. Father doesn’t know..."
"I heard you were unconscious, so I wanted to come see you. Since you're alright, I'll head back before father notices."
She spoke in a small, soft voice, her delicate face filled with nervousness. She bowed slightly to Tang Ning, ready to leave.
Tang Ning quickly stopped her, saying, "Since you're here, why rush off? You mentioned the household is in chaos, so there's no harm in staying a little longer."
"But..."
"No buts."
Tang Ning waved her hand toward Song Ru, beckoning her closer. "You said you came to check on me, right? Well, I happen to be a bit hungry. Why don't you stay and eat with me?"
Song Ru looked surprised, her round eyes widening as she glanced up.
"What's wrong, you don't want to?" Tang Ning asked.
"No..." Song Ru quickly responded. "I—I would like to..."
Song Ru was truly timid, startled by the smallest thing, leaving her unsure of how to react. She seemed unable to refuse anyone and feared upsetting others. Tang Ning easily persuaded her to stay, and soon after, Huawu led Xichun and the others in with tea and snacks. Tang Ning noticed that Song Ru swallowed as she eyed the food but quickly looked away.
"Join me in eating," Tang Ning said, handing her a piece of flaky pastry. "It's not as enjoyable eating alone."
"Second Sister..." Song Ru hesitated.
"Try it."
Song Ru glanced cautiously at Tang Ning, and seeing the warmth in her eyes, she finally relaxed. She held the pastry in her hands and took small, delicate bites.
The girl was careful and ate very slowly. Even though the pastry was crumbly, she didn't let a single crumb fall. Her pale, bloodless face made her thin neck seem even more fragile, her small chin sharp. When her sleeve slipped down as she held the pastry, it revealed her bony wrist, so thin that the bones jutted out.
Tang Ning watched her with a sense of melancholy. She had never paid attention to this younger sister from the third branch before. Because their third uncle disliked her, even the legitimate children of the third household looked down on her. And with Song Ru's timid nature, she rarely interacted with anyone. Even at family banquets, she was often absent, and the once "precious" Tang Ning never thought to check in on her.
It wasn’t until her previous life, when she had been imprisoned, that she realized this seemingly insignificant younger sister was, aside from Huawu, the only one in the Song family who genuinely cared about her.
Song Ru had been too afraid to help her escape or to defy Song Jingxiu and the others. She hadn't dared to speak up for her. But after Huawu’s death, Song Ru had quietly passed her some steamed buns through a hole in the wall, whispering, "Second Sister, take care of yourself."
Every time she slipped something through that small hole in the wall, her wrist was as thin and frail as Tang Ning's own, as they both clung to survival in the shadows, away from the light.
[You can read ahead to chapterr 100 here]
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T/N: *Xi Chun means Spring. She is one of the new maids
*Xiong is another way of saying brother. It's not as widely used in modern times compared to Gege.
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