"You need to be wary of the Empress. I have a feeling that her sudden gift-giving to you and Tang Ning is not without ill intentions."
After the banquet in Jiyun Alley ended, Rong Yue and Tang Ning saw off their guests. The wife of Marquis Wenxin and Madam Qian stayed a little longer.
The wife of Marquis Wenxin harbored a strong dislike for the Lu family because of her close friendship with Rong Yue. She had always felt uncomfortable about the matter with the Lu family's First Lady, but with King Cheng and Lady Guo already receiving their punishments, there was no way to continue investigating. However, she found the sudden favor from Empress Lu strange—like a weasel wishing a chicken a happy new year.
After the incident with Lu Zhi Nian, Tang Ning had no further connection with the palace, yet the Empress insisted on making it known to everyone in the capital how much she favored and valued Tang Ning. It was quite unusual.
"The Empress knew full well that there were so many people present, but she publicly pressured Tang Ning to accept her favor," the wife of Marquis Wenxin said with concern. "When you and Tang Ning go to the palace to thank her, I will accompany you both." As the wife of a noble, and with her husband holding military power in the capital, it was normal for her to accompany them to pay their respects.
Rong Yue gently patted the wife of Marquis Wenxin’s hand and reassured her, "Don't worry, it's fine. Although Tang Ning and I promised to visit the palace and thank her, we still need to wait until the matters at Rong Sheng Academy are settled first..."
The academy was newly built, and there were still many issues inside and out.
Who knew when things would be settled?
Old Madam Fu, understanding Rong Yue’s meaning, furrowed her brows and said, "Still, don't be too careless. Even though the visit to the palace can be delayed, she is the Empress, after all. She has been able to maintain her position in the center of the palace all these years despite the turmoil with the Lu family. That alone shows she is not to be underestimated."
"People in her position care about their status and face more than anything else. If there were no reason behind it, she would never show weakness voluntarily. You and Tang Ning should be cautious in the coming days."
Madam Qian also spoke, "Old Madam Fu is right. It’s better to be cautious in everything."
Because of Qian Bao Kun’s influence, Madam Qian knew a bit more than others and couldn’t help but glance at Tang Ning, "Especially with your academy. So many people are watching, and then there's that Princess Leyang..."
Madam Qian’s brows furrowed lightly. "You need to be careful."
Tang Ning knew they were concerned and nodded seriously. "Alright, my aunt and I will be cautious."
After seeing them off, Fu Lai Qing came to pick up Old Madam Fu. As he helped her into the carriage, he vaguely heard a familiar voice and quickly drew back the curtain to look outside. There, he saw Qian Qi Yue talking with Madam Qian.
Qian Qi Yue, with her sharp phoenix eyes, was saying something to Madam Qian, her chin raised and her pale face full of arrogance. She looked like a proud peacock, staring down at the surrounding birds with a haughty expression.
Fu Lai Qing couldn’t help but laugh at the image that appeared in his mind. He remembered hearing about the wife of the Tai Chang Temple’s minor official being kicked out of the Tang residence, and for some reason, he instinctively linked it to that little girl nearby.
"What are you looking at?"
Old Madam Fu glanced outside, and seeing Tang Ning's figure faintly visible in the distance in front of the Tang residence, she thought Fu Lai Qing was staring at her. She sighed, "Stop looking, that little girl already politely turned you down. It’s not meant to be for our Fu family to marry her."
Fu Lai Qing was stunned and couldn’t help but chuckle. "Grandmother, I wasn’t looking at the Princess of Yiyang."
"You weren't looking at her? Who else could you be looking at?" Old Madam Fu shot him a sharp look. "Don't think I don't know that you came to pick me up just for that!"
Old Madam Fu had clearly seen through her grandson’s thoughts, scolding him, "If only you had worked harder before and left a good impression, maybe you wouldn’t have been turned down before you even opened your mouth."
She really liked Tang Ning and felt that the Fu family would never have to worry for three generations if they married her. But who could have guessed that after just one visit, Tang Ning rejected them? Her grandson had been outright shut down.
Old Madam Fu couldn’t help but look Fu Lai Qing up and down, disapproving of his appearance. She had been a beauty in her youth, and her older brother, Cao Dejiang, was also a handsome man. But how had it turned out that Fu Lai Qing looked like a pancake that had been steamed too long?
Not fair enough, not handsome enough, not tall enough, just clumsy-looking.
Old Madam Fu rolled her eyes and scolded, "She rejected you, so don’t keep using me as an excuse to get close to her. It’s so embarrassing."
"..." Fu Lai Qing could only sigh in defeat.
Suddenly, he had a thought: His grandmother and that young lady from the Qian family would probably get along very well.
They were both stubborn and unreasonable!
The maidservants and attendants who had followed Old Madam Fu overheard the conversation in the carriage and couldn’t help but laugh quietly.
Fu Lai Qing, his face filled with frustration, decided to change the topic. "By the way, Grandmother, I heard that the wife of the Tai Chang Temple’s minor official and the wife of the Lord of Zhongyong were kicked out of the Tang residence halfway through? What happened?"
Old Madam Fu naturally knew about it. "They’re all gossiping women who love to talk behind people's backs."
"Did the Princess of Yiyang argue with them?"
"Not really. It was that little girl from the Qian family who scolded them," Old Madam Fu said with a smile in her eyes as she remembered the words Qian Qi Yue had said. "That little girl from the Qian family is quite sharp-tongued, very straightforward. She’s a lot like her father, actually."
Fu Lai Qing nodded knowingly. "I knew it must be related to Qian Qi Yue."
Old Madam Fu liked Qian Qi Yue’s protective nature, and she felt the Yellow Lady had a sharp tongue. Her family’s internal matters were already widely known, yet she had the nerve to interfere with the affairs of other families. She knew full well that King Cheng had wronged Rong Yue, yet she still stood there and shamelessly pointed fingers.
Old Madam Fu snorted, "Let’s not go back to the manor just yet."
"Huh?" Fu Lai Qing was confused.
"Let’s go to the Cao family."
She had to have a proper talk with her older brother!
Fu Lai Qing looked at his grandmother’s serious face and had a feeling that someone was about to be in big trouble.
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You can read ahead to chapterr 400 (100+ extra chapters) here
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