Lu Zhinian looked at the long scroll on the ground, his expression shifting between blue and white, filled with embarrassment.
Song Tangning said, “The Lu family is prominent and lacks for nothing. Lord Lu, being a gentleman of great virtue, surely you would not take advantage of an orphan girl like me.”
“Forget about the loose change of a few thousand taels of silver and some small items that were previously spent on the Lu family. Let’s just consider it as me paying my own medical bills due to my blindness over the years. But for these other items, Lord Lu, you wouldn’t dare to deny them, would you?”
“Some of these things were left by my grandfather and mother, and some I bought with my own money. Regardless of which, they are all traceable,” Lu Zhinian clenched his fists tightly, staring at the girl who was humiliating him with these items, gritting his teeth. “Song Tangning, are you really going to settle the score with me over these worldly possessions?” He was incredulous and utterly humiliated, unable to understand why Song Tangning had changed so much.
She used to be so obedient and compliant, but now she was actually arguing with him over these vulgar matters. Had she truly gone mad?
“Since they are worldly possessions, what does Lord Lu care about them?” Song Tangning raised an eyebrow. “Or is it that the Lu family can’t afford to pay?”
“Song Tangning!” Lu Zhinian shouted angrily, feeling that she was being unreasonable. “What do you think these are, precious items? What do you take the Lu family for? If it weren’t for our engagement, if it weren’t for treating you like family, how could the Lu family care about these worldly items?”
“Then return everything without missing a single item. If one item is missing, it would be a disgrace to your Lu family!”
“You!” Lu Zhinian was so furious that he almost fell over, his face darkening immensely.
But Song Tangning merely addressed him, “My parents have passed away, and the Song family has nothing to do with me anymore. You almost harmed me on the mountain for another woman. You are heartless, cold, and untrustworthy. The Lu family looks down on me, an orphan girl. I have no desire to cling to you, Lord Lu; I just want you to return my belongings, and we’ll be even.”
“I am without father or mother, without kin or clan, and I fear no one. You have three days. If Lord Lu cannot return everything, then I will have no choice but to go to the Jingzhao government to sue the Lu family for deceiving the orphan of a court official, seizing the inheritance left by my grandfather and parents. At that time, when things come to a head, it will not matter if Lord Lu loses face.”
Seeing Lu Zhinian’s eyes nearly pop out with rage, she added, “Oh, right, Lu Zhongshu has immense power in court, so the Jingzhao government may not take my case, but my brother is in charge of the Privy Council and is the emperor’s ear and eye. He loves to handle these injustices, and Old Madam Fu has also said that if I am bullied, I can seek her out. I’m sure that Lord Cao and the officials at the Imperial Censorate would be very willing to speak up for an orphan girl like me.” She wielded the authority of her family like a weapon, playing the rich and willful card to perfection.
“I have no money to spare, but I have plenty of silver. If not, I can help several impoverished students from the Jingji Institute. Throwing a pile of silver around, I’m sure they would be more than willing to promote the Lu family’s good name.”
“Song Tangning!!!” Lu Zhinian gripped his fists tightly; all semblance of gentlemanly conduct had vanished. He glared at Song Tangning, feeling as if his mind were buzzing with noise, and he could not comprehend how all the familiar relationships from the past had been turned upside down.
She was demanding those items from him and wanted to ruin his reputation with the Lu family. The person who had once been so affectionate had suddenly become so cold-hearted.
She was truly trampling their past feelings into dust.
As Song Tangning looked at his furious and disheveled state, she suddenly understood why Xiao Yan always liked to be so sharp-tongued, leaving others struggling for words.
It turned out that there was no need to be polite to someone with whom you had enmity; as long as they were unhappy, she felt comfortable and happy.
“Guard Hang, escort Lord Lu out and return the items of the Lu family as well.”
“Understood.” Hang Li immediately called out to the outside, and soon someone came in, carrying the items and pushing Lu Zhinian out. As he struggled to speak, Hang Li quickly tore a piece of Lu Zhinian’s sleeve and stuffed it in his mouth.
Lu Zhinian’s words got choked back; he struggled but could not break free as he was forcibly led outside.
As he strained to look back at the hall, he saw that the girl with red marks on her face was becoming increasingly distant, far enough that he could not see her expression clearly. However, the frost in her eyes seemed to linger in his mind.
Until he was roughly shoved down the steps in front of the Tang residence, Lu Zhinian stumbled and fell to the ground.
Two rolls of items came crashing toward his face, rolling off his disheveled clothes onto the ground.
“Lord Lu, since your Lu family looks down on my lady, deceiving her with those shameless words, my lady does not need to cling to you. The things your Lu family has sent to my lady over the years have all been returned to you, piece by piece. Whatever benefits your Lu family received from my lady, please return them all.”
“You have three days; if Lord Lu does not return everything on the list, even if it is just one item short, then I will see you in the Jingzhao government.” Hua Wu followed Hang Li out, instructing someone to place a small box in front of Lu Zhinian. After relaying Song Tangning’s instructions, she couldn’t help but add a comment upon seeing the crowd gathering outside.
“Lord Lu, my lady once wholeheartedly devoted herself to you.” She had been by Song Tangning’s side for many years, witnessing how her lady had transformed from a bright sun into someone oppressed, longing to pour out her sincere feelings, always prioritizing Lu Zhinian’s affairs.
But Lu Zhinian had betrayed her.
Hua Wu said with disgust, “You are not worthy of my lady’s kindness.” Lu Zhinian sat on the ground in disarray, facing the items thrown out from the Tang residence. The small box contained some scattered trinkets, each preserved meticulously, clean as if someone had wiped them regularly.
But after all these years of engagement, the items sent by the Lu family were so few that the box wasn’t even half full, making it appear pitifully sparse.
Lu Zhinian felt the peculiar looks from the crowd around him. The piece of clothing that had been torn off him could no longer conceal his back. He yanked the cloth from his mouth, his pale face flushed with shame and anger.
Beside him, Song Mo crawled over, helping him and draping his outer garment over Lu Zhinian’s shoulders. “My lord…”
Lu Zhinian gritted his teeth hard. “Leave!”
“My lord!” Seeing Lu Zhinian walking quickly, Song Mo hurried to follow him out, leaving the small box abandoned at the entrance of the Tang residence.
The onlookers exchanged glances, feeling that this scene was oddly familiar.
That day, Old Madam Song had been thrown out in a similar manner, and it wasn’t long before the people of the Song family were successively imprisoned.
Now, even Lord Lu had been thrown out in disarray, with a box said to contain items given by the Lu family to the young Song lady.
But the items in that box were indeed too shabby; were they really sent by the Lu family?
The Lu family, outwardly wealthy, was so “frugal” that they were truly stingy. Those items would be unpresentable even for families of slightly higher status, let alone for noble families.
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You can read ahead to chapterr 182 here
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