Tang Ning was unaware that the marriage arrangement between the Wenxin Marquis House and the Lu Wang Mansion had fallen through. She merely wore a solemn expression as she returned to the Tang Mansion with her entourage.
Once she disembarked from the carriage and stepped through the mansion gate, Tang Ning suddenly turned to Yuejian and instructed, “Don’t tell my brother about what happened tonight. He’s still injured and can’t move; we don’t want him to worry.”
Yuejian paused for a moment, then replied without changing her expression, “It’s hard to hide things in the capital. The Governor will find out.”
“Then, we’ll wait until it’s impossible to hide it, and only then will we speak. Make sure no one in the mansion disturbs my brother.”
“If the Governor asks…”
“I’ll explain it to him myself.”
The others around them overheard the conversation between Tang Ning and her servant, but no one thought much of it.
The entire capital knew that Xiao Yan had been severely injured while saving the emperor, so they assumed Tang Ning was simply trying to shield him from worrying. Everyone just thought Tang Ning was being considerate, only Song Jinxiu couldn't help feeling a tightness in his chest.
Even though he had seen Tang Ning and Xiao Yan being intimate more than once, and saw her being as close to the eunuch as she had been to him in the past, he still couldn't let it go.
That “My Brother” was supposed to be reserved for him. He, too, was Tang Ning’s brother, yet now she treated an outsider more intimately than she did him.
As the bitter emotions surged within him, Song Jinxiu suppressed them and followed the others into the Tang Mansion.
When Huawu and the others saw that Tang Ning and Qian Qiyue had changed clothes and that Xue Ru had some scratches, they were startled.
“Miss, what happened to you? How did you get hurt?” Huawu asked anxiously.
Tang Ning replied, “It was an accident. Have someone bring some ice cubes. Ah Ru, go and apply some medicine first.”
Xue Ru, however, stubbornly refused. “I’m fine. I’ll apply the medicine later.”
The unexpected events of tonight left her worried.
Tang Ning met her gaze, thought for a moment, and decided not to insist that she leave.
Huawu quickly returned with the ice cubes. After Tang Ning asked everyone to leave, she applied the ice cubes to Qian Qiyue’s swollen face while speaking to Fu Laiqing: “Earlier, in the lake, you were hurt while trying to save someone. Shouldn’t you go change into clean clothes and apply some medicine first?”
Fu Laiqing had been wearing dark clothes the whole time and hadn’t said a word during the journey, so no one had realized he was injured. Now, when Tang Ning spoke, others looked at him in surprise.
Qian Qiyue reached up to stop Tang Ning from applying the ice to her face, then got up, saying, “Fu Laiqing, you’re hurt?”
Fu Laiqing shook his head. “No.”
When Qian Qiyue frowned and kept looking at him, Qi Cheng also looked him over. He waved his hand nonchalantly, signaling that he was really fine.
“I was already in the water. The county princess doesn’t have much strength. It’s just a scratch on my arm. Really, I’m fine.”
“But just now, at Yuelai Building, what happened between the county princess and the Lu Old Princess? Why did they have a conflict and even get into a fight?”
At the mention of the Lu Old Princess, Qian Qiyue grew furious. She covered her face and said, “Who knows what kind of medicine they took? They stopped us from returning to the mansion for no reason, then when we got there, they tried to intimidate me and Tang Ning. When we fell into the water, anyone who saw us should have tried to help, but that Lu Old Princess tried to hit us for not kneeling!”
“If only I hadn’t been tricked into losing strength in the water, I would’ve given that An mama a few good lashes…”
As she spoke about the lashes, she reached down to pat her waist, only to realize her whip was missing. Her face turned red with frustration.
She had finally found a whip that worked well, but it had been knocked out of her hands by those two scoundrels when they dragged her into the lake.
Fu Laiqing felt something was off. “The Lu Old Princess is strict with rules, but I don’t think she would’ve fought someone over such a small matter.”
Tang Ning replied, “Someone must have instigated her.”
Hearing this, Song Jinxiu’s expression changed slightly. He thought for a moment, then said in a deep voice, “Your fall into the water tonight wasn’t an accident. I saw someone deliberately bump into you near the lake. Afterward, that person blended into the crowd. And after you fell into the water, a man deliberately approached you. It seems this was all a setup to ruin your reputation.”
“Only a few people knew you were good at swimming when you were young. If you and Qian Qiyue both fell into the water and couldn’t save yourselves, and then were pulled out by those two men in front of everyone, at the same time as the Lu Old Princess, who is strict and adheres to tradition…”
Everyone’s faces turned pale as they processed the situation.
Qi Cheng narrowed his eyes and spoke, “Master Song, are you suggesting that the plotters are connected to the Lu Wang Mansion?”
Fu Laiqing frowned. “That doesn’t make sense. If it were the Lu Wang Mansion’s scheme, the Lu Old Princess wouldn’t have been foolish enough to expose it herself, thus offending people and leaving evidence. Moreover, the Lu Old Princess values propriety. She doesn’t seem like the type to use a woman’s reputation to trap the county princess.”
“Are you saying that the Lu Old Princess was used as a pawn?” Qi Cheng asked, his voice low.
The room fell silent for a moment. Xue Ru, who had been holding her arm, remained quiet, but her gaze was unusually dark. Song Jinxiu and the others began to realize the truth, and their emotions stirred.
If the Lu Old Princess was being used as a pawn, then who was behind the scheme to harm Tang Ning and the others?
Tang Ning, sitting quietly, said softly, “The Princess Leyang Mansion had discussed a marriage alliance with the Cheng Wang Mansion. They wanted to marry a legitimate daughter of the Princess family to Xie Yin, but the plan fell apart due to the Cheng Wang Mansion’s rebellion. A few days ago, Princess Leyang suddenly brought this up again and told my aunt that she wanted to change the betrothal.”
Everyone stared in shock.
“She wants to change who?” Song Jinxiu asked.
Tang Ning sneered. “Me.”
Qian Qiyue jumped up, throwing the ice pack she had been holding onto the table with a loud crash. “Has she lost her mind? How could she think of swapping you for Xie Yin? That scoundrel has already returned to the Lu family. Why doesn’t she go to the Lu family to change the betrothal? Why choose you? Does she think you are easy to bully?!”
Fu Laiqing and Qi Cheng were also dumbfounded. Was Princess Leyang really insane to even entertain such an idea?
Tang Ning’s tone was filled with disdain. “She thinks she can bully me because I have no father, no mother, and no family to protect me. When we fell into the water earlier, I was already suspicious. I didn’t know if this plot was aimed at me or at Qian Qiyue. But when I saw Princess Leyang and the Fourth Prince’s wife tonight, I knew exactly what was going on.”
Song Jinxiu clenched his fists in anger. “So, Princess Leyang, failing to exchange betrothals, then decided to ruin your reputation and force you to marry?”
His face was full of fury. “How dare she?!”
Qian Qiyue’s eyes were burning with rage. “That old hypocrite!”
She stood up, ready to charge out, but Fu Laiqing quickly blocked her way. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to settle the score with her! She almost killed both me and Tang Ning!”
“You can’t go.”
Fu Laiqing grabbed her arm. “The person who bumped into you and made you fall into the water was only seen by Song Jinxiu. That person hasn’t been found yet, and the man in the water is still missing. If you just rush to the Princess Leyang’s Mansion, there’s no evidence. Not only will you fail to get justice, but Princess Leyang might also turn it against you.”
Seeing the fire in Qian Qiyue’s eyes, he lowered his voice and continued, “She’s a princess, and her identity alone holds weight. If we accuse a royal family member without solid proof, it would be a huge crime. Also, the incident of you and the county princess being approached by men in the water cannot be leaked. Although those two didn’t succeed, rumors spread like wildfire. If it gets out, someone might fabricate lies and ruin your reputation.”
Qian Qiyue fumed. “So, we just let it go?”
“Of course not.”
Song Jinxiu spoke coldly from the side. “You and Tang Ning can’t seek trouble with her, but others can.”
"Princess Leyang used old Princess Lu as a knife. If she had just instigated a few words in Yuelai Tower and let old Princess Lu take the lead, it would have been fine. At most, it would have created some resentment. But if old Princess Lu knew that she was almost used by others to ruin Tang Ning and Miss Qian, and caused the Lu Palace to have a grudge with Governor Xiao Yand the Qian family, how could she let it go?"
The Lu Wang Mansion still had an old marquis who sacrificed for the country, and the Lu Old Princess held a high position in the family. If she wanted to teach Princess Leyang a lesson, there were many ways to do so.
Fu Laiqing rarely agreed with Song Jinxiu, but he nodded in agreement. “He’s right. You and the county princess shouldn’t get involved. Let Master Qian or Xiao Supervisor send someone to the Lu Wang Mansion. Someone will definitely find trouble with Princess Leyang.”
Qian Qiyue scowled, clearly unwilling to accept the situation.
Tang Ning spoke again, “Cang Lang has already sent people to surround the area near Yinghe Lake. We might be able to catch the culprit.”
Moreover, she had a feeling that tonight’s events were only the beginning.
With Princess Leyang’s personality, if one plot failed, she might not give up. Moreover, there was the hidden involvement of Empress Lu. The Fourth Prince’s wife showing up there tonight couldn’t be a coincidence.
If Princess Leyang’s scheme regarding her fall into the water was coordinated with Empress Lu and the Fourth Prince’s wife, then they were all involved. This kind of shameless scheme wouldn’t end with just tonight. Having experienced what happened, Tang Ning had a vague idea of what Empress Lu wanted.
She lowered her eyes, a mocking look in her gaze. Empress Lu was clearly scheming for the Fourth Prince’s sake, going so far as to target her.
Empress Lu really thought she was easy to bully?!
Tang Ning’s eyes darkened with determination. She hadn’t mentioned anything about Empress Lu to the others, nor had she shared all her suspicions. She simply turned to them and said:
“Since Master Song saw the appearance of the person who attacked, have them draw a portrait and secretly search. And with the sudden fireworks explosion, there should be a clue.”
Qian Qiyue muttered angrily, “Don’t let me find the evidence!”
After learning the truth about the fall into the water, everyone’s mood was far from good. Tang Ning comforted Qian Qiyue, and when it was already late, had someone escort her back to the Qian family. Fu Laiqing and Qi Cheng didn’t stay long.
Once they left the Tang Mansion, Fu Laiqing called out to the furious Qian Qiyue.
“What are you doing?”
“Don’t be impulsive about tonight’s matter…”
Qian Qiyue was about to retort but then remembered that Fu Laiqing had saved her life in the water earlier. She bit her lip and said, “I know!”
She wasn’t stupid!
After a moment, she glanced at Fu Laiqing, whose clothes were still a bit wet. “Thank you for saving me in the lake earlier.”
Fu Laiqing replied, “No need to thank me. I just happened to be there. Anyone would’ve saved you.”
“That’s different. You saved me. I owe you my life. If you ever need anything, just ask.”
Qian Qiyue reached up and patted his shoulder twice, then quickly added, “I have to go back. I need to tell my father to help me and Tang Ning. You should hurry and change your clothes, or you’ll catch a cold.”
Fu Laiqing agreed, “Okay.”
As Qian Qiyue got into the carriage and left, Fu Laiqing’s eyes lingered on the carriage until it grew distant.
Qi Cheng, standing next to him, spoke in a low voice.
“Just happened to be there, huh? Anyone would’ve saved them?”
He reached out and slapped Fu Laiqing’s arm, causing Fu Laiqing to shiver, his face pale.
Qi Cheng’s gaze was filled with bitterness. “Fu Laiqing, you’re so righteous.”
He paused for a moment, then continued mockingly. “I wonder who it was, looking at Miss Qian falling into the water, who ran faster than a dog.”
He jumped into the water without even a second thought, passed the Princess of Yi Yang County, and swam straight towards the other person!”
Fu Laiqing’s expression froze, and he explained awkwardly, “I know both of them, and the situation was urgent. The county princess can swim, so I had to choose her…”
Qi Cheng burst out laughing. “Oh really? So there’s nothing going on between you and Miss Qian? I misunderstood. Since you and she have nothing going on, when I return, I’ll have my mother go to the Qian family to propose.”
“We’re like brothers. You saved your future sister-in-law. Once we marry, I’ll make sure to thank you and your sister-in-law properly!”
With that, he turned and walked away.
Fu Laiqing, normally calm, immediately panicked. He grabbed Qi Cheng’s arm, “No, you can’t propose!”
Qi Cheng raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”
Fu Laiqing stuttered for a while, then saw Qi Cheng turn to leave. He quickly grabbed him. “You can’t go propose!”
Qi Cheng smirked. “Oh? Fu Laiqing, you’re getting anxious?”
The scoundrel was acting all innocent!
Fu Laiqing turned red, his ears burning as he looked at Qi Cheng, whose face was full of mockery. After a while, Fu Laiqing couldn’t help but slap Qi Cheng on the head. “In any case, you can’t marry Qian Qiyue!”
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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