"Lu Zhinyan fainted?"
When Song Tangning heard the report from the outer room, she didn’t feel the slightest ripple of emotion. Turning around and seeing everyone in the room looking at her, she was puzzled, "Why are you all looking at me?"
"You didn’t hear? That third young master Lu fainted," Qian Qiyue asked curiously.
Song Tangning was baffled, "So he fainted, what does that have to do with me?"
Qian Qiyue widened her eyes and looked Song Tangning up and down. Seeing that she truly had not even a hint of hesitation or concern on her face, appearing even more indifferent than if it were a stranger, she was full of surprise. "You really don't like that third young master Lu anymore? I remember you were once so determined to marry him, doing everything to please him."
"I was blind back then," Song Tangning said, criticizing herself without reservation. "One bout of blindness in life is enough; you can’t stay blind forever."
Qian Qiyue laughed at her words, "That's true. Your eyes seem much clearer now."
Although Song Tangning hadn’t known Qian Qiyue for long, she genuinely liked this daughter of the Qian family. Despite having few friends, she found herself connecting easily with Qian Qiyue.
After chatting and laughing with Qian Qiyue for a while, Song Tangning walked over to Madam Fu and the others, "I apologize for troubling Madam Fu and Aunt Jun today. The sudden arrival of the Lu family’s visiting card caught me off guard. My brother was tied up with other matters, and my aunt was worried I’d be taken advantage of, which is why Madam Fu and Aunt Jun had to go to the trouble of making this trip."
The Marquise of Wenxin gently tapped her forehead, "I’ve told you before, there's no need to be so formal with me."
Though Madam Fu wasn’t as affectionate, her normally stern face softened somewhat, "The Princess's concerns were justified. After all the commotion between you and the Lu family, it's surprising they showed up empty-handed."
First, the Empress had summoned her, and now, Lu Chongyuan had personally come by. As the Minister of the Central Secretariat, he intended to use his power to intimidate a young, unmarried girl. Madam Fu, though not part of the court, was sharp-minded enough to realize what the Lu family’s elder and younger had said to Song Tangning earlier. If there hadn’t been others present today—if she and the Marquise of Wenxin hadn’t made the Lu family wary—the two Lu men would likely have tried to settle the issue of the engagement with Song Tangning by taking back what their family had wrongfully taken from the Rong family.
It was shocking, and she couldn’t understand why.
"What exactly are you demanding from the Lu family? With all their wealth, why are they so unwilling to return it?" Madam Fu asked, puzzled.
Song Tangning glanced at Xiao Yan, and after seeing her brother nod, she softly replied, "It’s not that they won’t return it, but that those things might not be in the Lu family’s possession anymore."
Seeing Madam Fu frown, Xiao Yan chimed in from the side, "Madam, you may be aware of the many precious items that Grand Tutor Rong left behind—rare books, one-of-a-kind artworks, and priceless antiquities, things far more valuable than gold and silver. After the engagement was arranged between Lu Zhinyan and Tangning, the Lu family, taking advantage of her youth and inexperience, tricked her out of dozens of items. At first, Tangning didn’t realize it, but later discovered that most of those items ended up in the hands of the Fourth Prince, who then distributed them among court officials."
Madam Fu was stunned. "Absurd!"
How could the Lu family dare?
Song Tangning hadn’t even married into the Lu family yet, and they had already touched her dowry, and even used it to bribe officials for the Fourth Prince!
The Marquise of Wenxin hadn’t expected the truth to be so outrageous either. Frowning, she said in a low voice, "No wonder Lu Chongyuan came to see you in person. But Tangning, this can’t be the end of it. With things as they are between you and the Lu family, if you don’t use this opportunity to press them while public opinion is on your side, Lu Chongyuan, being the man he is, will surely bear a grudge afterward."
Song Tangning nodded, "That’s exactly what I think. There’s no possibility of reconciliation between me and the Lu family anymore. Now that we’ve also offended the Empress and her son, I need to ensure the blame for the broken engagement falls squarely on the Lu family. Only if Lu Zhinyan’s reputation is ruined will I be able to protect myself."
Only if the Lu family was at fault would she gain the sympathy of the public.
Only by appearing sufficiently weak could she ensure that, no matter how much time passed, neither the Lu family nor the Empress would dare to harm her easily.
Madam Fu understood Song Tangning’s reasoning. Looking at the clever young woman before her, her expression softened, "Don’t worry, I will testify for you in this matter."
Qian Qiyue added, "And me too! I’ll testify for you as well!"
Although the Marquise of Wenxin didn’t say anything, the gentle pat she gave Song Tangning’s shoulder made her stance clear.
…
Madam Fu didn’t stay long, offering a few comforting words to Song Tangning before leaving. However, after boarding her carriage at the gate of the Tang residence, instead of returning home, she instructed the driver to head directly to the Cao family residence.
After Madam Fu and Qian Qiyue departed, Xiao Yan, upon hearing that Madam Fu had gone to Cao Dejiang’s residence, simply smiled and said to Song Tangning, "The Princess is very astute."
Gu Helian, standing nearby, proudly added, "Of course. She was personally taught by the old master himself."
Xiao Yan glanced at him sideways, "And what does that have to do with you?"
Gu Helian: "..."
Xiao Yan continued, "I heard the Prince of Cheng is unwell, and the heir has been to Jiyun Lane several times. Although the Princess hasn’t seen Xie Yin, mother and son are connected at heart. She’ll soften sooner or later. And with Xie Yin by her side, reminding her of the decades of affection she shared with the Prince of Cheng, Master Gu will likely have to send your sister back to the Prince of Cheng’s residence soon."
"XIAO! YAN!"
Hearing the word "sister" made Gu Helian furious. He pointed at Xiao Yan and shouted, "Do you have no conscience? If it weren’t for me getting the news and bringing people to save you, you’d already be chopped into pieces! I went to all that trouble to bring you back, and this is how you treat your savior?"
"Did I ask you to save me?" Xiao Yan sneered coldly.
Gu Helian: "..."
"You—!"
He jumped up, rolling up his sleeves, ready to settle the score with Xiao Yan, but before he could get close, someone shoved him aside.
Song Tangning looked at Xiao Yan in alarm, "Brother, are you okay?"
Gu Helian held onto the table for support, "..."
Wasn’t he still her uncle?!
Xiao Yan, having been distracted by the argument with Gu Helian, had forgotten about his little sister. Seeing the panic on her pale face, her eyelashes fluttering with unshed tears, he quickly covered the wound at his waist with his sleeve, "Don't worry, it’s nothing."
Gu Helian, unable to stand seeing him comfortable, let out a cold laugh, "Yeah, it's nothing, just a couple of stabs—barely escaped with your life."
"Shut up."
Seeing the young girl’s face grow even paler, Xiao Yan shot Gu Helian a deadly glare and grabbed something off the table to throw at him, "Get out!"
Gu Helian caught the object thrown at him and walked out with a smirk.
Finally alone, Xiao Yan turned back to his little sister, who was biting her lip, looking like she was about to cry. He sighed inwardly, trying to soften his voice as much as possible.
"Don’t listen to his nonsense. It was just a small mistake that left me with a minor cut."
"Really?"
"Really."
"That’s good..."
Song Tangning let out a small sigh of relief, her eyes lowering slightly.
Just as Xiao Yan thought he had successfully brushed it off and was about to find an excuse to leave, Song Tangning suddenly moved closer and grabbed his sleeve, pulling it up before he could stop her.
The moment she lifted his arm, the large bloodstain seeping through his clothes was revealed.
Song Tangning’s eyes reddened, filling with tears, "Brother lied to me."
===========
You can read ahead to chapterr 200 here
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