Song Jinxiu tightly gripped the box in his hand, lowering his eyes to conceal the bitterness in them. When he raised his head again, his face was still pale, but he had calmed down.
"What are you planning to do about Princess Leyang?" he asked in a deep voice.
He looked at Tang Ning and continued, "You don't need to lie to me. You've obviously known about Princess Leyang's plans for a long time. She won't let it go tonight if she couldn't harm you, and when you were speaking with Miss Qian and the others earlier, you seemed to be hiding something. Is there someone else trying to harm you tonight?"
Tang Ning raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to know?"
Song Jinxiu stared at her, his eyes intense.
Tang Ning gave a sarcastic smile. "If you want to know, I'll tell you. A few days ago, the Fourth Prince came to visit my brother under the pretext of a courtesy call. While at the manor, he harassed me and expressed his feelings for me."
Song Jinxiu's face immediately changed.
"Because the Empress lost the favor of His Majesty and her power in the harem, and the Fourth Prince lost the support of the noble families, his influence has waned several times. He must have set his sights on the Rongsheng Academy I hold. Tonight, the Fourth Prince's wife happened to meet Princess Leyang, and she brought up how I was ungrateful to the Empress. I guess it wasn't such a surprise."
After Tang Ning finished speaking, she looked at Song Jinxi, whose face was now dark with anger. "Has your curiosity been satisfied, Sir Song?"
She picked up her teacup.
"The sky is dark. Yuejian, see Mr. Song out."
Yuejian stepped forward and saluted Song Jinxiu. "Sir Song, please."
Song Jinxiu wanted to speak, but Tang Ning had already poured tea and was seeing him off. Yuejian directly stood in his way, and a few servants forcefully escorted him out of the manor. Song Jinxiu could only leave with his shock and confusion.
After everyone left, Tang Ning finally put down her teacup and turned to the side, looking at the silent Xue Ru, who had only raised her eyes to look at her. "What do you want to say?"
Xue Ru pursed her lips. "Did you mean to provoke Song Jinxiu?"
Tang Ning smiled faintly. "What would I provoke him for?"
Everyone knew her current situation. After the Lu family made their move that night, many people were spreading rumors that she now held Rongsheng Academy, and anyone who could seize it would benefit greatly. Song Jinxiu, being in the court, would surely know this.
"There were only a few people tonight. Do you think he didn't suspect the Fourth Prince's wife?"
Xue Ru looked confused. "Then, what were you doing just now?"
"He wants to pretend to be close siblings. Did I not give him the opportunity?"
Tang Ning had long since let go of her resentment toward Song Jinxi. She simply despised the fact that he clearly knew everything but continued to deceive himself.
Time and again, when faced with choices, he had never chosen her as his 'sister,' yet he still brought up the past that only gave him satisfaction, wanting to relive the sibling bond.
Tang Ning gently turned her teacup. "In a few days, it will be the Zhongyuan Festival. There will be a Yulanpen ceremony at Lingyun Temple. I’m going there to pray for my parents."
Xue Ru seemed to understand what Tang Ning was planning. "Sister, do you want to give Princess Leyang and the others a chance to act again?"
Tang Ning nodded. "I don't want to make things difficult for others, but I won’t allow them to harm me. Since they want to ruin me so badly, even sacrificing Sister Yue's life for it, if I don't retaliate, would that not be disrespectful to such a generous gift?"
Xue Ru didn't think Tang Ning's counterattack was wrong. Instead, she said, "Sister is right. Drawing the snake out of its hole is better than letting them secretly covet you. But if you're going to make a move, you need to be thorough and leave them with no chance to turn things around."
Tang Ning hummed in agreement.
Yuejian, standing by, had a serious expression. "I will spread the word about Miss going to Lingyun Temple."
"Keep an eye on Princess Leyang's movements."
"I understand."
As Xue Ru left the flower hall and returned to her courtyard, her small face was hidden in the shadows, filled with gloom.
She hated Princess Leyang, hated the Fourth Prince's wife, hated everyone who wanted to harm her sister! However, when she looked down at her scratched arm, she felt frustrated with her own weakness.
If only she were stronger, if only she could be like Governor Xiao, or like Yuejian and the others, she could protect her sister.
Xue Ru, lost in thought, stopped in front of the courtyard and looked up to see Hang Li kneeling there.
"Hang Guard, what are you doing here?"
Hang Li quickly lowered his head when he saw Xue Ru's gaze. The young girl stood under the moonlight, her fair and delicate face, her clothes and dress covered in dirt, and there were bloodstains on her sleeves. He quickly looked down and softly said, "I failed in my duty to protect the young miss and am receiving punishment."
He had been sent by the Governor to protect the young miss, and no matter what happened, her safety was the top priority. But during the chaos by the lake, he had given in to personal feelings. Even though he saw the young miss in danger in the crowd, he had first gone to rescue this little girl in front of him.
Hang Li had volunteered to endure thirty lashes. Even though his clothes hid the wounds, there was still a strong scent of blood on him. He knew that if it weren't for the Governor and Jin Yun being absent from the capital, or if it weren’t for Cang Lang remembering their years of camaraderie, his actions tonight would have been enough to get him expelled from Jiyun Alley.
Looking at Hang Li's pale face, Xue Ru said, "I’ll go ask sister..."
"Don’t."
Hang Li stopped her. "I failed in my duty. Cang Tongling has already shown leniency. I’m fine. Miss Ru, you should return now. You’re injured too..."
"Tch!"
Cang Lang had just returned and noticed the two speaking in the courtyard. Seeing Hang Li kneeling straight, with Xue Ru looking worried, and Hang Li's pained expression, Cang Lang clicked his tongue but didn't disturb them. He simply bypassed them and headed toward Jiuxiao Courtyard.
"Captain Cang, Hang Li... he..."
"What's wrong with him?"
Cang Lang rolled his eyes. "The Governor sent him to protect the young miss, not to find a wife. He nearly caused the young miss harm because of his personal feelings. Those thirty lashes were what he deserved."
If he hadn't accepted the punishment, he would have been in even worse trouble once Jin Yun and the Governor returned to the capital.
Once inside Jiuxiao Courtyard, Cang Lang found Tang Ning. After learning that they hadn't found the person who caused the disturbance by the lake, Tang Ning wasn’t too surprised. Even if Princess Leyang was foolish, she wouldn’t just send someone randomly to cause such trouble. If it was an insider, they would have hidden themselves well.
"Although we didn't find the person who caused the disturbance, someone in Princess Leyang's manor was injured tonight."
"Who?"
"Princess Leyang's youngest son, Sun Yi. He was out drinking tonight and accidentally injured his arm in a fall."
Tang Ning immediately sneered. "How coincidental."
She had injured the person who was in the water, and now Princess Leyang's son had hurt his arm. She suddenly reconsidered her words. Princess Leyang was truly foolish. She actually dared to send her own son into the water to do such disgraceful things.
"Since he’s hurt his arm, he should rest for a few days. Don’t let him come out before the Zhongyuan Festival."
A broken arm, that's the interest for now.
Cang Lang nodded and then relayed some other news he had gathered before dismissing the people who had come with him. Afterward, he pulled out a letter from his pocket.
"Miss, the Governor has sent a letter."
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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