Chapter 56 Scandal Exposed

"When Young Master Song broke into my room and stole, did you ever consider what a gentleman's virtues were? When you helped Song Shulan tarnish my father's reputation, forcing someone who had nothing to do with him into his family, making him restless in the afterlife, and causing my mother to be gossiped about and ridiculed, did you ever remember that you were still my brother?"

Wow——

Song Tangning's words were like cold water dropped into boiling oil, and the entire flower hall was instantly filled with noise.

"Miss Song, what do you mean by this?" Mrs. Qian was astonished.

"I'll have to ask Mr. Song about this." Tang Ning looked at the people in the hall and said, "Mr. Song, you've always been eloquent and strict with others, always talking about morality and integrity. Don't you want to explain?"

Everyone looked at Song Jinxiu in unison.

The color drained from Song Jinxiu's face. Even Madam Song, who had previously complained about Tang Ning, was now filled with panic. She stood up and said anxiously, "Tang Ning, what nonsense are you talking about?!"

Prince Cheng also stood up quickly: "Tang Ning, stop messing around."

Lu Zhinian couldn't help himself and frowned, saying unhappily: "Tang Ning, you should be careful with your words. Jin Xiu is your brother, how can you say that he stole your things?"

Such a strong Song Tangning made him feel unfamiliar.

Seeing Lu Zhinian's face full of disapproval, Song Tangning turned his head away and ignored him. He just looked at Song Jinxiu, whose expression changed drastically, and slowly stood up.

"Mr. Song should recognize this jade pendant, right?"

A jade pendant slipped from her sleeve and landed on her palm, revealing her hands, which were still injured and covered with scars, to everyone.

The noble ladies at the banquet saw the hideous new flesh remaining on her fingertips and they all screamed and felt pain in their fingers. Even Lu Zhinian frowned, as they never expected that Song Tangning was actually so seriously injured.

Song Tangning ignored everyone's gazes and looked at Prince Cheng with the bamboo-patterned jade pendant in his hand. "Uncle, did you really get this jade pendant in Anzhou?"

King Cheng's expression changed.

"Song Tangning!" The old concubine of Prince Cheng's mansion felt that something was wrong and said calmly, "Is this how you question your elders?"

"Only those with virtue can be respected elders. How can those without virtue be worthy of Tang Ning's admiration? Tang Ning just wants to know the truth, why is the Concubine Dowager so anxious?" Princess Cheng stood in front of Song Tangning.

"you!"

The old concubine's face was filled with rage, while Princess Cheng looked at Prince Cheng beside her.

"The Song family favors Song Shulan too much, and my sister and Song Xi are even more deeply in love. I doubt Song Shulan's identity. I always feel that even if Song Xi really has an affair, he would definitely not do such a thing as keeping a mistress."

"I asked you to help me research Song Shulan's background. After you did, you told me that she is indeed Song Xi's daughter. You said that Song Xi and her biological mother had a fleeting romance, and this jade pendant was a token of their love. But a few days ago, this item was lying among the relics Song Xi left for Tang Ning, in the Song family's Shi'an Garden."

"I'm curious, where did the prince get this jade pendant? Did the prince deceive Tang Ning and me, or did the Song family deceive the prince?"

Prince Cheng's face turned pale and blue when she asked him that question, and he felt a chill down his spine when he looked into Princess Cheng's cold eyes.

When did she become suspicious?

How much does she know about the Song family's affairs?

Prince Cheng never thought that Princess Cheng had known about Song Shulan's unusual background for a long time. The expression on her usually gentle face could not be maintained, but since Princess Cheng asked him if he was deceived by the Song family, it meant that she was showing mercy.

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Prince Cheng hesitated for only a moment, and then gave up the Song family without hesitation.

"Song Jinxiu, didn't you tell me that this jade pendant was something that Song Shulan had kept close to her, and that it was a relic left to her by her mother after her death?"

Prince Cheng said sternly, "I believed you. I thought you were sincere in your repentance and wanted to make peace with Tang Ning. I persuaded her to come to the banquet. But you, the Song family, deceived me like this. You even used your uncle's relics as a token of Song Shulan's life experience. You are totally ignorant!"

As he spoke, he turned his head to look at Princess Cheng and said urgently:

"Mother Yue, I didn't know the Song family was so shameless. I love Tang Ning as much as you do and I don't want to see her suffer any injustice. I really didn't know that the jade pendant was stolen by the Song family. I was also deceived by them."

Song Jinxiu's face turned pale: "Your Highness..."

"Don't call me the king. I didn't know you were so shameless!"

Seeing Song Jinxiu's blood drain away, and King Cheng treating him like a pawn, Song Tangning said coldly, "So this is what you mean by admitting your mistakes, brother?"

All the guests in the flower hall showed disgust on their faces and started to talk in low voices.

"Why is he like this?"

"What about Master Yutai? Such behavior is despicable and shameless."

"Not only is he shameless, he stole people's belongings and wronged his elders, and still claims to know his mistakes. He's really pretending."

"Just now I thought Miss Song was a bit aggressive and that Song Jinxiu was suffering, but now... Bah, it turns out that there is no good person in the Song family, bullying a little girl who has no parents..."

Although the discussion was low, the flower hall was so small that even if the voices were lowered, every word fell into Song Jinxiu's ears.

Seeing her son's reputation ruined, Madam Song was anxious and angry. She suddenly stood up and said, "How can you blame my son for everything? It was clearly the prince who told us to take one of Song Xi's old things so that Tang Ning would believe Song Shulan's background..."

"Mother!!"

It was too late for Song Jinxiu to stop it. Madam Song's words made everyone look sideways.

Madam Song regretted what she said the moment she blurted it out. When she looked up, she saw Prince Cheng's stern eyes and was so scared that she quickly took a step back.

Princess Cheng slowly looked at Prince Cheng, whose face was ashen. "So, this is how you love Tang Ning?"

"Mother Yue..."

Swish!

Princess Cheng directly pushed away Prince Cheng who was trying to pull her away.

Prince Cheng immediately said in a hurry: "Niang Yue, please listen to my explanation..."

"What are you explaining? Explain how you colluded with the Song family and how you used those things to deceive me?" Princess Cheng's eyes were red.

"No, I didn't. I never lied to you. It was the Song family who slandered me..."

Just as King Cheng finished speaking, a cold voice suddenly came from outside.

"The Song family is really wronged. It was clearly a consensual affair, but now they have to take the blame."

Everyone in the room turned their heads.

When he saw who it was, King Cheng was immediately furious: "Gu Helian, what are you doing here?!" His eyes were full of fierceness: "Who let him in?!"

"I put it there."

"Yuen Niang?" Prince Cheng was stunned: "You, why..."

Princess Cheng's expression was cold: "Since I am hosting the banquet today, I can naturally invite anyone."

"But he is Gu Helian!" King Cheng was furious.

Gu Helian sneered when he heard this: "What's wrong with Gu Helian? My Gu family can't enter the gate of your Prince Cheng's Mansion, or have you done something wrong that you can't bear to see me?"

Seeing King Cheng glaring at him, he made a "tsk" sound.

"Don't act like that. If it weren't for Rong Yue inviting me, I wouldn't even bother setting foot here. Just look at the banquet in your mansion. It's so simple and cheap, with a shabby house and shabby tables. It's not even as good as the casual family banquets in Zuozhou. And you still have the nerve to invite all the nobles in the capital to attend the banquet without even thinking it's shabby."

Everyone at the table: "..."

The Prince Cheng's Mansion could not be described as "dilapidated" in any way. Although it was not the most magnificent mansion in the capital, the scenery was excellent.

If someone else said this, they would definitely be considered ignorant and outrageous, but looking at the person who said it, everyone was heartbroken and silent.

The spring sun was shining brightly outside. Gu Helian stood in front of the door wearing a crimson robe made of Shu brocade with cloud patterns. The lapels and cuffs were all woven with gold. The rhinoceros horn on his waist was inlaid with precious stones. His black hair was tied on his head with a golden crown. The huge red jade on the crown made him look "rich and noble" all over.

If it weren't for that face that was untouched by time and truly handsome, this outfit would have looked extremely vulgar on anyone else. But on him, the red and gold only made him look flamboyant and dazzling.

Seeing King Cheng's eyes wide open with anger, Gu Helian's venom doubled: "Why are you glaring at me? Are you trying to show off how big your eyes are?"

"you……"

"What do you mean, you stutter?"

"Gu Helian!!!"

"Why are you shouting so loudly? It's so rude." He rubbed his ears. "Fortunately, this is the palace. There's not even room for one more table. If it's really that poor, then I'll leave."

King Cheng was so angry that his face turned ashen, his mouth opened and closed, his chest heaved, and he almost burst into cursing.

Everyone at the table had a strange look on their faces, even Song Tangning looked dazed. They had never expected that the rumored Gu Helian would look like this.

"Gu Helian, stop making trouble." Princess Cheng frowned and looked at him.

Gu Helian Zhangyang lowered his eyes instantly, looked at Princess Cheng whom he hadn't seen for a long time, and sneered: "You really have something to do, Gu Helian, don't make trouble if you don't have anything to do."

Princess Cheng frowned slightly.

Gu Helian hummed softly, losing her joking mood, and raised her eyes coldly: "I haven't been to the capital for a long time. If Xie Tianyu hadn't done anything about it, I wouldn't have wanted to set foot in this damn place even half a step."

"The dignified Prince Cheng colluded with the Duke of Song's Mansion, using the excuse of going to Anzhou to investigate the background of the Song family's concubine's daughter. He secretly instructed the Anzhou government to forge Song Shulan's family records. Not only did he help the Duke of Song's Mansion with this forgery, he also colluded with them to fabricate a past relationship between Song Xi and Song Shulan's biological mother, blaming the illegitimate child of Song Hong's extramarital affair on the second wife of the Song family."

"It's disgusting to talk to such a despicable person!"