Gu Helian furrowed his brows even tighter. "Do you think I lack your money?"
Once the words left his mouth, he regretted them. Just as he was about to think of a way to make amends, he heard Rong Yue's calm voice. "The Gu family is, of course, not short of money. Who doesn’t know that the Gu family in Zuo Prefecture is as rich as a nation? But the only money I have right now is what I can offer. If you don’t think it’s enough, then I’ll find someone else to look for the house."
Gu Helian was choking with frustration, a sense of irritability rising within him.
"Rong Yue..."
Gu Helian wanted to say something but saw her eyes lifted, her phoenix eyes calm. With Tang Ning and Xue Ru standing beside her and Qian Qi Yue just arriving, all his words were stuck in his throat. Agitated, he shook his sleeve and said, "I didn't look down on you. You don’t have to be so polite."
"It's not politeness, it's etiquette. You’ve already helped me so much," Rong Yue said softly. "I was impolite to call you from Zuo Prefecture in a hurry. Not to mention the misunderstandings in the past. You were willing to help me and Tang Ning because of my father and sister. I’m very grateful."
"I didn’t..."
"Mm?"
Gu Helian opened his mouth, but seeing the looks from everyone in the room, his lips suddenly tightened. After a moment, he gritted his teeth in annoyance. "You also said the Rong family owes me a favor. Even if you didn’t call me, I would still come to the capital when I heard Little Haitang was in trouble. Besides, why are we wasting time on something so trivial? Endless rambling!"
Seeing Rong Yue's expression freeze, Gu Helian, as if someone had choked him, sighed, "I’ll go look for the house now. I’ll have the accountants come find you later."
He hurriedly lifted the curtain and stormed out. Holding the umbrella, he walked into the yard. Looking back at the room, remembering the shock in Rong Yue's eyes earlier, Gu Helian couldn't help but slap his own face. Why did I open my mouth so recklessly?!
Why is it so hard to speak properly?!
Gu Helian felt as if a stone was stuck in his chest. He raised his foot to leave, but as he looked up, he saw Hua Wu coming over with something.
"...Gu Family Master?"
Gu Helian’s face stiffened. "There’s a mosquito."
Hua Wu gasped and looked at the rainy weather.
Is it really mosquito season already?
...
Rong Yue was momentarily stunned by Gu Helian's sudden outburst of anger. After he left, she felt a brief moment of awkwardness.
She felt guilty towards Gu Helian. If she hadn’t been deceived by Xie Tianyu back then, Gu Helian wouldn’t have been given such a bad reputation and expelled from the Rong family, forced to leave the capital. Although he later joined the Gu family and was now living well, Rong Yue always felt like she owed him.
Rong Yue knew that her previous attitude towards him hadn’t been good, which is why she had tried to be polite with him, but she hadn’t expected to make him angry.
She lowered her gaze, suppressing the helplessness in her heart. Seeing the three young girls looking at her, Rong Yue forced a smile and said, "With the imperial edict now, I’m afraid there will be many people coming tomorrow."
In the capital, it's always like this. If she were still the Princess Consort of Cheng Wang, or if she had just divorced Cheng Wang, no one would care about her. But now that she has the Cheng Wang’s estate, and was granted the title of Rong Guo’s Madam, coupled with the "dealings" between Cheng Wang and the Lu family, people would surely come to watch the drama, dig for news, or curry favor.
Tang Ning said, "If Auntie finds it troublesome, I’ll have Commander Hang and the others block them."
Rong Yue shook her head. "Blocking them won’t work. The Rong family will eventually have to deal with people in the capital."
For all these years, she had carried the title of Princess Consort of Cheng Wang, managing everything for Cheng Wang’s estate. Those social relations had all been tied to Cheng Wang’s household. Now, if she wanted to protect Tang Ning and establish herself in the capital, she couldn’t stay hidden forever. She had to let people know that Tang Ning had her maternal family to rely on.
"My health isn’t fully recovered yet, and I don’t want anyone to come because of the Lu family matter. So, if anyone comes, tell them that I’ll hold a banquet in ten days, as the Emperor has granted me the first-class title. I’ll invite them to the mansion for a celebration. Once I’m feeling better in a couple of days, I’ll send invitations."
Tang Ning thought for a moment and thought this was a good idea. "I’ll tell Xichun and the others."
When Qian Qi Yue heard there would be a banquet, she was instantly happy and quickly asked, "Madam, if you hold a banquet, can I come?"
Rong Yue smiled. "Of course you can. I’ll have someone send you and Mrs. Qian invitations. Miss Qian, please do come."
Qian Qi Yue was delighted.
...
Qian Qi Yue didn’t leave Tang’s mansion until the sky was dark. If it hadn’t been for her maid urging her, she might have stayed the night.
After sending Qian Qi Yue off, Tang Ning accompanied Xue Ru to read for a while. When Xue Ru grew tired and went to rest, Tang Ning tidied up and told Hua Wu and the others to rest as well. Leaning against the headboard, she thought about the matters concerning the Empress and the Lu family. She was about to doze off when she suddenly saw a shadow pass by outside the window.
Tang Ning fixed her gaze, but when she looked again, the shadow had already gone. Her eyes lit up as she hurriedly got out of bed, bare-footed, walked to the window, and pushed it open. She saw Xiao Yan walking away from the building.
"Brother."
Xiao Yan turned around and saw the young girl leaning on the window frame, peering at him with surprise in her eyes.
Xiao Yan strode back. "Why aren’t you asleep yet?"
"I can’t sleep." Tang Ning leaned on the window. "Why did you come here so late?"
"I just came from the palace."
Inside the palace, it was full of ghosts and spirits. After Emperor An’s headache subsided, he summoned him to the palace, listening to Emperor An grumble about Lu Chongyuan’s insubordination. The Emperor’s face was twisted with anger as he cursed the Lu family, but then he subtly told him to temporarily shelve the Lu family issue.
Although Xiao Yan had long known that the Lu family had something on the Emperor and that no matter how big the scandal, the Lu family would still be able to make the Emperor retreat, seeing the Emperor’s furious yet powerless demeanor still made him think of how the Emperor had caused the death of his own father to become emperor. It was truly pitiful.
As Xiao Yan looked at the Emperor’s angry and impotent face, for a moment, he felt a murderous intent. After leaving the palace, he inexplicably wanted to see Tang Ning. Even if it was just standing by her window, it helped calm the bloodlust rising inside him.
Tang Ning sensed something was wrong with Xiao Yan tonight. She waved at him, and when Xiao Yan approached, she whispered, "Is something wrong with the palace?"
Xiao Yan shook his head. "No."
"Then why are you upset?" Tang Ning asked.
Xiao Yan hadn’t expected her to be so sharp. He reined in the coldness in his demeanor, relaxing as he looked down at her. "I’m not upset, just a little tired."
When he saw the concern in her eyes, he said, "Lu Chongyuan was released from house arrest yesterday. After his duty today, he sent a memorial to the Emperor, claiming that we had a personal grudge, and that it was improper for me to judge the grain case. He asked for the case to be transferred to the Ministry of Justice and tried by the three judicial offices. The Emperor agreed and ordered that Lu Zhao be sent to the Ministry of Justice’s prison."
Tang Ning was stunned. "The Emperor wants to put the Lu family matter aside and stop the grain case?"
Xiao Yan nodded.
"Has the Emperor lost his mind?"
Tang Ning frowned. Everyone in the capital knew about Xiao Yan’s feud with the aristocratic families, and the Lu family had long been his enemy. The Emperor had previously handed the Lu family’s case to Xiao Yan precisely because of this. Xiao Yan had always wanted to eliminate the aristocracy, and the grain case was something the Emperor had pressured people to investigate. Once Guoshi died, Lu Zhao and the Lu family would definitely fall apart. With a little manipulation, Lu Zhao might even spill the Lu family’s secrets. But now the Emperor had sent Lu Zhao to the Ministry of Justice, clearly not wanting Xiao Yan to intervene.
Tang Ning spoke in a low voice. "What does the Lu family have on the Emperor?"
Lu Chongyuan had only gone to the palace to apologize, and now his house arrest was lifted, and the grain case was stopped. This was completely abnormal.
Xiao Yan saw that she had quickly grasped the key point and smiled. "It’s probably because his position isn’t secure. The Lu family has too many things on him, and they both know each other’s weaknesses. If the net is broken, they’ll probably end up taking each other down. So the Emperor had to step back."
Seeing Tang Ning’s face grow serious, her small face tense, her fingers gripping the window frame so tightly, Xiao Yan spoke gently. "It’s a pity that some things are started by him, but he won’t be able to end them."
The Lu family wanted to retreat.
The Emperor wanted to retreat.
But for some, there was no way out.
His goal had never been Lu Zhao. It wasn’t the other members of the Lu family who could end the Lu family’s fate. There were things Lu Zhao would never reveal, but others would.
He planned to shatter her hopes, force her to cut off her own limbs, and leave her with no choice but to walk the path he had left for her.
Xiao Yan’s eyes grew colder, and as he reached out to touch Tang Ning’s hair, his motion was tender. "Go to sleep. In a few days, there will be more excitement to see."
=================
You can read ahead to chapterr 400 (100+ extra chapters) here
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