Seeing Jin Yun laughing beside her, with brows that hid her eyes, Song Tang Ning felt so embarrassed that she dug her toes into the ground. “...Did you already know, big brother?”
“Otherwise, what?”
“Then you purposely teased me...” Xiao Yan smirked, “Our little Haitang has finally learned some tricks. Shouldn’t I play along? But your ability to fool people is still a bit lacking. Next time, learn from me. When you’re deceiving someone, don’t blush; be steadier. Otherwise, you’ll be seen through at a glance.”
Song Tang Ning: “……”
The little girl, who had just been worried, now turned beet red, feeling that her neck was burning as she looked at Xiao Yan, whose eyes sparkled with laughter, wishing she could just bury herself.
After she hurriedly turned and ran into the Princess of Cheng's chamber, Jin Yun couldn’t help but laugh so hard that her stomach hurt. “Be careful, Lord. If you tease Miss Song too much, she might rebel against you.”
“If she rebels, that would be fine.” He would prefer the girl to be a bit more spirited, lively like other young ladies, rather than always cautious and timid, like a little beast hiding in its shell, tentatively extending its antennae to probe the outside world, appearing overly obedient.
Xiao Yan glanced toward the room and turned back to Jin Yun, his smile fading a bit. “Have someone investigate Prince Cheng.”
“Understood.” Jin Yun agreed, “Right now, Prince Cheng is under house arrest, so it should be easy to investigate him…”
“Don’t investigate him in relation to the Song family.” Jin Yun was surprised to hear this. Then she listened to Xiao Yan say, “Investigate whether there were any outsiders or affections involved in the household before Prince Cheng and the princess were married.”
“And also, after the incident in the Eastern Palace, Prince Cheng was originally the first choice for succession. But later, he suddenly disappeared, and instead, His Majesty emerged. Go check what happened during that time and look into whether there were any abnormalities with the Rong family during that period.”
Jin Yun's eyes widened in surprise. “My lord, are you suspecting that the matter between Prince Cheng and the princess is related to the change in succession in the Eastern Palace?”
Xiao Yan’s eyes darkened. “I just find it a bit coincidental.”
Jin Yun’s expression immediately became serious. If it was just that inexplicable dream of Miss Song, it could be overlooked; he would have someone investigate but wouldn’t take it too seriously. However, if it were related to the change in succession in the Eastern Palace, then even if he had to dig three feet into the ground, he would have to uncover the truth.
“I will have someone investigate it immediately… No, I will go myself!”
==========
After failing to use her wits for the first time, Song Tang Ning felt utterly deflated.
Once she escaped Xiao Yan and entered the Princess of Cheng's chamber, she forced herself to muster some energy and walked over, only to see the princess leaning against the soft pillow, her face pale and lips pursed, with a hint of anger in her eyes. Opposite her, Gu He Lian also wore a stern expression, looking furious.
Hearing footsteps, both of them looked up when she entered.
Seeing Tang Ning, the princess’s expression softened slightly. Tang Ning obediently approached, “Aunt, Uncle.”
Gu He Lian’s face darkened when he heard her call him “Uncle,” and he snapped at the little girl entering, “What’s wrong with you? I told you I’m not your uncle!”
“Why are you being so harsh on Tang Ning?” The princess was extremely protective. Angrily, she turned to Tang Ning and said, “You can’t call him ‘Uncle’; he has long been expelled from the Rong family by your grandfather. He is now the head of the Gu family in Zuo Zhou, immensely wealthy, far beyond what we can aspire to.”
Gu He Lian was immediately left speechless. “Rong Yue, has your conscience been eaten by dogs?!”
“Say one more word!” The princess’s anger flared up immediately.
“Damn it, I’ll say it! Back then, you believed that scoundrel Xie Tian Yu and didn’t believe me. Now you’re being fooled and thinking about sending me a message. I traveled miles to return to the capital because of your words, and instead of giving me a smile and a thank you, you start with cold sarcasm.” Gu He Lian was so enraged that he was incoherent. “I was kicked out of the Rong family, but do you know why? If it weren’t for that shameless hypocrite, I wouldn’t have fallen to that state. Yet you were fooled by his sweet words, so now you deserve to be deceived…”
“Gu He Lian!!” The princess slammed her hand on the table and shouted angrily, but as she tried to get up, her vision went dark.
“Aunt!” Song Tang Ning was startled and quickly reached out to support her.
Gu He Lian instinctively reached out too, but seeing the princess being supported by Tang Ning and sitting back down, he withdrew his hand without a trace, with only the hand clenched tightly beneath the scarlet sleeves betraying his emotional turmoil.
Gu He Lian, gritting his teeth, said, “Rong Yue, Xie Tian Yu was never the person you thought he was. He was despicable and shameless back then. You were blinded by his passion, and whether you believe it or not, I had nothing to do with what happened back then. I have never harmed you.” He took a deep look at the princess before waving his sleeve and turning to leave.
The princess sat on the couch, her expression shifting continuously. She opened her mouth to say something, but until Gu He Lian left the room, she remained silent.
Tang Ning, watching the two of them argue, felt a bit at a loss. Earlier, she had sensed something was off between her aunt and Gu He Lian. Her brother had told her that Gu He Lian had some feelings for her aunt. When she called Gu He Lian “Uncle” just now, it was merely a reflex. She hadn’t expected it to escalate into such a quarrel.
“Aunt, the head of the Gu family…”
“Don’t mind him.” The princess lowered her eyes, hiding her thoughts, and when she spoke again, her voice was slightly hoarse. “He’s always had that temper; he hasn’t changed in years.”
Jiang Mama, nearby, was alarmed. “Your Highness, why bother arguing with Lord Gu? Although his temper isn’t good, it’s because he cares about you. Moreover, you’re pregnant now; the doctor said your pregnancy is unstable, and it’s truly not advisable to get angry.”
“What’s so delicate about it?” The princess spoke casually, but she couldn’t help but touch her abdomen.
After giving birth to Xie Yin, she hadn’t become pregnant again for many years. In her heart, she felt regret for having only one child, thinking that her life would just be like this.
Previously, her monthly cycle had been delayed for a long time, and she thought it was because she had been too worried about Tang Ning’s affairs and because she had noticed that Prince Cheng had been deceptive, causing her sleepless nights. She thought that her mood was so suppressed that it affected her body, but she never expected that after so many years, she would be pregnant again.
If she hadn’t left the Cheng Wangfu and hadn’t realized that Prince Cheng was not the person she thought he was, if they were still as affectionate as before, the arrival of this child would surely have made her ecstatic.
But now…
The princess’s eyes held a mix of emotions as she touched her abdomen, feeling unable to be happy.
“Aunt,” Tang Ning asked with concern, “are you okay?”
The princess shook her pale head slightly. “I’m fine; I’m just thinking that this child came at the wrong time.”
Tang Ning pursed her lips at her words. She should have advised her to relax and not overthink, that the child was a child and Prince Cheng was Prince Cheng. But when the words reached her lips, she felt that nothing she could say would be appropriate.
Just as she was pondering how to speak to the princess, she saw Hua Wu hurriedly enter from outside.
“Miss, Lord Lu has arrived.”
==============
You can read ahead to chapterr 142 here
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