Tang Ning had stayed at the academy for a long time and had also gone to the library to retrieve a few books. By the time she was leaving, the sky had already darkened.
On the way back to Jiyun Alley, Tang Ning asked Hang Li to drive by Xijue Tower to buy some soft, easy-to-digest pastries. When she visited the Grand Empress Dowager at the villa, she noticed that the old lady liked sweet foods. Although her health wasn't good enough for her to eat too much, a little sweetness might still be allowed.
Tang Ning didn’t want to go out of the city herself as she feared drawing attention to the Grand Empress Dowager’s whereabouts, but she could send Tian Qing to go later in the evening.
When she got out of the carriage, carrying the pastries, Tang Ning turned to Yue Jian and asked, “How is Ling Yin doing?”
Yue Jian immediately understood that she was not asking about Ling Yin specifically. After a moment's hesitation, she lowered her voice and replied, “Everything is fine. Madam Qin’s medicine is being taken on schedule. The old lady's health has improved significantly.”
“Will someone from the imperial estate be visiting the Royal Villa?”
Yue Jian suddenly looked up, startled. “Miss…”
Previously, in the academy, Tang Ning hadn’t asked, so Yue Jian thought she hadn’t guessed the truth. But now, upon mentioning the Royal Villa, Yue Jian realized that Tang Ning had already figured out the Supervisor's identity.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t know that the person at the villa should be the Grand Empress Dowager, who was supposed to be in the Royal Villa.
Seeing Tang Ning’s calm gaze, Yue Jian hesitated for a moment before saying, “The Supervisor has left people at the Royal Villa, so even if someone goes to visit, they won’t be noticed. Moreover, when the old lady was in the palace, no one paid attention to her. Now that she’s out of the palace, no one will visit.”
Tang Ning softly said, “That’s good.”
She lifted her foot to walk into the mansion, and Yue Jian hurriedly followed her. Just as she called out, “Miss,” and was about to speak, a dark shadow suddenly rushed towards them from a distance.
The shadow charged directly towards the gate but before it could approach Tang Ning, Yue Jian swiftly kicked it away.
Yue Jian stepped in front of Tang Ning, protecting her. “Who dares to collide with my lady?”
Hang Li, who had just dismounted from the carriage, noticed something was wrong and quickly walked over, reaching the person in question. He raised his hand, ready to grab the person.
“Don’t hit me!” the person cried, curling up with their hands on their head.
Tang Ning paused for a moment. “Wait.”
Hang Li stopped, and Tang Ning took a few steps forward, frowning. “Xie Yin?”
“Cousin…”
The person on the ground winced in pain and, upon hearing Tang Ning's voice, slowly uncovered their face, revealing a bruised and swollen appearance.
Unlike the energetic young man she had remembered, the youth now looked disheveled, his clothes stained with blood. His shoes were covered in dried mud, and he instinctively curled his body under his hem.
It was unclear who had beaten him, but his once handsome face was now unrecognizable, his complexion dull and grey.
“Is it really you?”
Tang Ning hadn’t heard anything about Xie Yin in a long time. She knew he had been sent back to the Lu family but had lost track of his situation after that. To suddenly see him here—no, it should be Lu Yin—she was both surprised and puzzled.
“Lu Yin, what are you doing here?”
“I…”
When Tang Ning had called him Xie Yin earlier, Lu Yin had been overjoyed. But now, hearing his surname changed, his expression became uncomfortable, and he couldn’t help but shrink away.
“I—I just wanted to see my mother…”
Upon hearing Lu Yin’s intention, Tang Ning’s expression turned cold. “Mother? Lu Langjun, are you mistaken? Your mother should be at the Lu family. This is the Tang estate.”
“Tang Ning!!”
Seeing Tang Ning’s indifference, Lu Yin quickly tried to get up and grab her sleeve, but Yue Jian immediately pushed him out.
He stumbled and, before he could steady himself, hurriedly called out, “I know my mother is here. She always favored me. Please, let me see her.”
With a loud thud, Lu Yin knelt on the ground.
“All the things in the past were my fault. I was unfilial and hurt my mother’s heart, but I truly realize my mistake now. I heard my mother is ill, and I am worried about her. Please, let me see her.”
Seeing Tang Ning only look down at him without moving, Lu Yin crawled forward on his knees.
“Cousin…”
“Enough!”
Tang Ning took a step back. “I am Tang, you are Lu. Who is your cousin? And there is no ‘mother’ here for you.”
“How can there not be? I know my mother is in your estate! I just want to see her…”
“You want to see her for what?”
Tang Ning hadn’t planned to argue with Lu Yin, nor did she want to pay him any attention. However, seeing him persist with his relentless behavior, she couldn’t help but become angry.
“Don’t forget, you already abandoned her as your mother. What’s the point of clinging to her now? Do you want Aunt to remember how you were heartless and ungrateful? Or do you want her to remember how you helped Prince Cheng plot against her life?”
“I… I didn’t…”
Lu Yin’s lips turned white, and he trembled as he softly spoke, “I didn’t… I just want to see my mother…”
Tang Ning couldn’t help but laugh at his words. Looking at him, who wouldn’t even dare meet her eyes, she scoffed.
“You want to see Aunt? What do you want from her?”
“Do you want her to be as obedient as she was when she favored you? Or do you miss the glory and wealth of being the heir to the Prince of Cheng’s estate? When you abandoned Aunt, you didn’t think of the years of mother-son affection. When you helped Prince Cheng plot her death, you didn’t remember her suffering in sickness. Now that you’ve fallen from grace, you remember her?”
“Lu Yin, don’t you think you’re ridiculous?”
Tang Ning looked at the disheveled youth, who had once been the prestigious heir to the royal family. Now, reduced to someone everyone could look down upon, without the crown of nobility, he was just an ordinary person.
He should have understood by now that after that night, his “mother-son” relationship with Aunt was irreparable.
What delusion had led him to believe that he could still show up at Jiyun Alley, calling her “mother”?
Tang Ning didn’t want to speak with him any longer. She found even a single word too repulsive. “Take him back to the Lu family and let them watch their own people.”
Upon hearing “Lu family,” Lu Yin’s face changed instantly.
“I’m not going back. I won’t return to the Lu family. I don’t want to go back…”
He trembled, feeling as though his entire body was in pain.
Since Prince Cheng’s execution, he had been sent back to the Lu family and had changed his surname to Lu. The Lu family had treated him as an outcast, never considering him part of their family.
On the day he entered the Lu family, he was thrown into the most isolated courtyard, where everyone looked at him with scorn. They called him a bastard, saying he polluted the Lu family’s bloodline.
Since Prince Cheng’s execution, the Lu family had lost face, and with the rumors circulating, mocking the Lu family for being cuckolded, they had started torturing him in various ways.
They withheld his food and ridiculed him. Eventually, they even beat him, making him bear the shame of Prince Cheng and Guo’s disgrace.
Ever since he returned to the Lu family, Lu Yin had never had a moment of peace.
They teased him, humiliated him, and beat him to near death each time. Last night, he had nearly been thrown into a well and lost his life.
He couldn’t go back to the Lu family... He couldn’t go back…
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You can read ahead to chapterr 400 (100+ extra chapters) here
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