Jiyun Alley was full of "joy and harmony," but over at the Lu residence, chaos reigned.
Looking at the ashen-faced Lu Zhinen, the old madam of the Lu family slammed her hand on the table.
“Unbelievable, that wretched thing!!”
She had been the one who showered her with gifts, desperately trying to curry favor and fit into the Lu family, and now she dared to tally up every little thing, humiliating her grandson by stripping him of his clothes in public and tossing him out of the Tang residence, turning the entire Lu family into a laughingstock.
Madam Lu trembled with rage. “That Song Tangning dares to humiliate Sanlang like this, letting her servants disgrace the Lu family—does she still want to marry into our family?!”
“If she truly did, she wouldn't have torn apart our relationship so openly.”
Lu Chongyuan's words made everyone in the hall look up in shock. He, on the other hand, calmly rolled the beads on his wrist, recalling the rumors swirling outside, his expression icy. “That Song girl has likely long harbored thoughts of breaking the engagement.”
At the very least, she clearly had no intention of staying with Lu Zhinen.
“How can that be…” Madam Lu was stunned.
No one understood better than her how much Song Tangning relied on Lu Zhinen. Her entire heart was set on him. She had molded herself into someone who would obediently follow his every wish, never daring to act against the Lu family. How could she suddenly have grown a rebellious streak?
Lu Zhao stood by, looking at the items now laid out in the hall. He didn't care whether Song Tangning had rebelled or not—what bothered him was the memory of the Jiyun Alley servants standing outside their gates, loudly announcing the shameful contents of this very box for all to hear.
“In the third month of the eleventh year of Yong'an, Lu Langjun gifted a wooden hairpin, and the lady returned the favor with a precious jade inkstone, three sets of red gold and pearl hair ornaments encrusted with rubies.”
“In the fourth month of the eleventh year of Yong'an, the lady gifted a painting by the former dynasty scholar Feng He, along with two volumes of Lanting calligraphy. Madam Lu returned the favor with a single strand of coral beads.”
“In the first month of the twelfth year of Yong'an, the lady gifted Madam Lu a delicate Waterheart vase and a set of purple sandalwood screens with pine and crane designs…”
Lu Zhao stared at the list.
If it had only been about the gifts exchanged within the Lu family, that would have been one thing. But for every item the Lu family gave, the servants from Jiyun Alley would announce a counter-gift from Song Tangning. The things she sent were all exquisite treasures, while the Lu family's returns were paltry, thoughtless tokens—often only after receiving five or six gifts from her. The contrast made the Lu family look miserly and stingy.
Lu Zhao couldn't help but feel suffocated, recalling the odd looks from the crowd earlier.
“Mother, Song Tangning has been engaged to the family for years. We're not short of wealth, so why have you been so stingy with her? You give our distant relatives more than this!” he said, his face burning with embarrassment.
“When Song Tangning sent such large gifts to the house, I assumed we were reciprocating appropriately. How could I have known you gave her such paltry things? Engaged for ten years, and you couldn't even fill a box. Do you have any idea what people are saying about us outside? When I heard their comments, I was so ashamed I couldn't even show my face.”
Everyone was saying the Lu family had exploited the belongings of an orphan girl, completely tarnishing their reputation as a noble family.
Madam Lu's face turned pale at her son's words.
Lu Zhinen also kept his head down, staring at the items in the box. He had long grown used to Song Tangning’s presence. He knew she liked him and depended on him. No matter how coldly he treated her, she would always soften her voice, call him "Brother Lu," and follow him everywhere.
When he was in a good mood, or too annoyed by her persistence, he would randomly give her small things, things he never really cared about. But no matter what it was, she always cherished it as if it were a treasure.
That wooden hairpin Lu Zhao had mentioned? He had bought it casually from a street vendor because it looked interesting. Song Tangning had come to him that day, crying, and he had handed it to her just to stop her tears. She had mistakenly thought he had carved it himself, and, with tear-filled eyes, she had smiled and said, “Brother Lu is so kind.”
After that, for a long time, no matter how finely dressed she was, even when wearing luxurious silks and an elaborate hairdo, she always had that simple wooden hairpin tucked in her hair. Even when people laughed at her, she didn’t care. She treasured it with obvious joy.
As Lu Zhinen recalled her sweet voice calling him "Brother Lu," it felt as if someone was squeezing his heart, the pain unbearable.
Lu Chongyuan looked up at him. “Sanlang, what are you thinking?”
“What else can he think? Naturally, we should break off the engagement. Our Lu family cannot accommodate such a difficult woman…” Second Uncle Lu said angrily from the side.
But Lu Zhinen suddenly spoke. “I won’t break the engagement.”
Second Uncle Lu turned, filled with fury. “Sanlang, that Song girl has trampled all over your dignity. What do you mean you won’t break it off?!”
Lu Zhinen clenched his pale lips, recalling what Song Tangning had said to him in Jiyun Alley, a bitter feeling swelling in his chest. He liked Song Tangning. Even though he had pitied Song Shulan back then, in his heart, his future wife had always been Song Tangning.
Second Uncle Lu frowned. “Big brother, do you really still want that Song girl as your daughter-in-law?”
“The Song Duke’s household is no more. Song Hong is in prison and won’t be coming out. That Song girl brought ruin upon her own family without a second thought for her relatives. How can such a heartless, malicious woman be worthy of marrying into the Lu family? And after she’s humiliated Sanlang like this, if we take her back, how will people view us?”
Lu Zhao also felt disgusted by Song Tangning’s cruelty and turned to Lu Chongyuan. “Father, maybe it’s best to end this engagement…”
“No!”
Madam Lu suddenly spoke up.
Everyone turned to look at her. Her hands were trembling slightly as she clutched her sleeve, her lips pale. “This marriage was arranged by the Empress herself, and it’s not just about the Song Duke's household. The Fourth Prince still needs the connections left by the Rong family.”
“Besides, with the gossip swirling outside, if the Lu family truly breaks off the engagement now, it will only confirm that we mistreated Song Tangning. People will say that we’re heartless and cold, abandoning the marriage the moment the Song family fell into decline.”
Lu Zhao and Second Uncle Lu both frowned, while Lu Chongyuan gazed intently at the old madam.
Madam Lu forced herself to stay composed. “Even though Rong Qian’an is gone, there are still many people at court who remember him. Those who owe favors to the Rong family won’t sit idly by while his bloodline is wronged. Part of the reason the Song family fell so quickly was due to those very people pushing the situation along.”
“Sanlang’s official career has only just begun, and the Fourth Prince is in the critical stages of his struggle for the throne. The Empress will never allow this engagement to be broken…”
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