Chapter 59

Xiao Yu paused for a moment, then feigned surprise and asked, "Brother, do you mean the Crown Prince of Chang wants to kill me? But I don't know him at all, why would he want to kill me?"

Song Yanqi sighed, his tone quite helpless, "We can't keep it from you any longer. All of this is because of your status as a member of the royal family."

Xiao Yu was startled. Just as she had guessed, were they really protecting her?

Xiao Yu's fingertips twitched slightly as she considered the matter in her mind, then listened to Song Yanqi continue.

It turns out that the current emperor is the second son of Prince Chang. Before ascending the throne, he pretended to be very good, being tolerant and kind, and was deeply loved by the local people. Prince Chang was also the elder brother of the late emperor, so it was quite legitimate for the new emperor to choose Xiao Cheng'an for his banquet.

At the time, several regents, including Song Yunzhou, were deceived by his outward appearance and chose him from among the royal princes. However, after ascending the throne, his true colors were revealed. He spent his days indulging in pleasure, disregarding the lives of the people, plundering their wealth, expanding the palace, and lavishly selecting concubines. He made no political achievements, was incompetent and tyrannical, and favored his relatives. Some loyal ministers were imprisoned and had their homes confiscated simply because they were dissatisfied.

Song Yunzhou, as the leading regent, deeply regretted his decision and joined forces with the other regents to try to depose the emperor and install a new one.

However, the news leaked out, and in order to protect his son's throne, Prince Chang began to assassinate royal princes. Several royal princes in the court have already been killed.

Originally, Xiao Yu's identity did not pose much of a threat to him, but due to a series of coincidences, she married the Prime Minister's daughter, which made Prince Chang feel threatened, leading to the subsequent ambush. Now, Prince Chang's heir is openly trying to kill her.

How could the Prime Minister's residence possibly sit idly by?

After listening to Song Yanqi's explanation, Xiao Yu pursed her lips, her face expressionless, but her heart was anything but calm. She picked up the teapot beside her and poured herself a cup of tea, her slender fingers resting on the edge of the cup.

According to him, it was basically the same as my guess. Could it be that I really misunderstood my father-in-law's family?

After silently weighing the options in his mind, Xiao Yu had already made a judgment. He glanced at Song Luo Ning with a guilty conscience, realizing that he had caused the young lady to suffer because of his vague guess. He should have comforted the young lady immediately.

Overwhelmed with guilt and self-reproach, Xiao Yu gently grasped Song Luo Ning's hand across the small table.

A sudden warmth touched her palm, and Song Luoning was startled. Her jade-like fingers, half-drawn from her sleeve, curled up. She looked up at her, wanting to pull them back, but her fingers were gripped tightly, her delicate face furrowed.

Subconsciously glancing at his father and brother, Song Yunzhou naturally noticed Xiao Yu's subtle movements. His expression paused for a moment, then he cleared his throat. These young people are getting more and more unruly. They really don't respect their father-in-law at all. They dare to hold his precious daughter's hand right in front of him. Song Yunzhou took a deep breath, and after a while, he closed his eyes and looked away. Oh well, it's all for his daughter's happiness.

Out of sight, out of mind.

"..." Song Luoning blushed.

That lecherous man has absolutely no regard for the occasion!

Because her father and brothers were present, Song Luoning bit her lip and remained silent.

Song Luoning's silence seemed to be a tacit agreement. Xiao Yu was in a great mood and spoke with more confidence. Since her father-in-law's family was on her side, she could breathe a sigh of relief. At least she was not alone now.

Xiao Yu squeezed the soft jade in his palm, still wanting more. After a while, he reluctantly let go, stood up, straightened his clothes, and respectfully clasped his hands together, saying, "Please enlighten me, Father-in-law, on how to proceed now."

Seeing this, Song Yunzhou felt a mix of emotions, his mouth twitching involuntarily. He waved his hand and said, "Sit down." After a moment of silence, he said, "In my opinion, since the Prince of Chang asked you to bring people out, he must have been prepared for the plan to fail. This woman is left by your side both as his spy and as an opportunity to sow discord between you and Ning'er, in order to achieve his goal."

? !

Xiao Yu suddenly realized that she had only thought about the male lead wanting to kill her, and hadn't thought of this. Sowing discord between her and the young lady was the same as sowing discord between her and the Prime Minister's Mansion. This male lead is ruthless enough.

As expected, experience matters. Xiao Yu asked cautiously, "So what should we do next?"

Now that she was certain of the man's reason for wanting to kill her, and given that her father-in-law's family had been so supportive, it would seem like she was a pushover if she didn't fight back.

This is not like her at all.

With her fiery temper, she simply couldn't tolerate it.

"Don't rush, let's not alert them yet, let's observe the situation." Song Yunzhou narrowed his eyes, his face darkened, and he said with a hint of protectiveness, "Do they really think my Prime Minister's residence is easy to bully?"

Faced with her father-in-law's imposing manner, Xiao Yu naturally didn't dare to utter a sound. She wasn't stupid; her father-in-law must have a plan, so she just needed to cooperate.

After his father spoke, Song Yanqi stood up and said, "I will send someone to keep an eye on that dancer."

Song Yunzhou pondered for a moment: "Just keep an eye on things secretly, and make sure no one notices."

Listening to the two's meticulous arrangements, Xiao Yu couldn't help but look at the young lady. Her fingertips twitched, and she wanted to take her hand, but what should she do? As if seeing through her intention, Song Luo Ning glanced at her, pursed her lips, and looked away.

"My lady, now you know that there's really nothing between me and that Yuan Niang, right?" While the group was discussing, Xiao Yu secretly moved two steps closer to Song Luo Ning and whispered.

Song Luoning glanced at her with mixed feelings. What could she expect from this scoundrel? She held back and focused her attention back on her father and brothers. In the end, she was still worried that she would do something like getting married again, so she secretly glanced at her out of the corner of her eye.

The rest of the conversation revolved around the tyrannical emperor, which Xiao Yu wasn't very interested in. His wife wouldn't let him touch her either. Finally, the conversation ended, and as it approached dusk, Song Ling'er was already waiting in the courtyard. When she saw them come out, her eyes lit up, and she excitedly rushed over, stuffing the kite in her hand into Xiao Yu's hand. She tilted her head and asked in a childish voice, "Uncle, can you fly a kite?"

"Ling'er, don't be rude," Li Yan stopped her.

"Sister-in-law, it's alright." Xiao Yu's heart softened, amused by her adorable appearance. He took Song Ling'er's little hand, tilted his head, and smiled at Song Luo Ning, "Would it be alright if Uncle and Aunt accompanied Ling'er?"

"Okay, okay." The little dumpling looked at Song Luoning with anticipation.

"..." This lecherous man actually used Ling'er to force me to agree to fly kites with her.

Song Luoning glared at her irritably, bent down and tapped Song Ling'er's nose, her lips curving into a smile as she said softly, "Let's go, Auntie hasn't played with Ling'er in a long time."

Song Ling'er was overjoyed. Her eyes widened and blinked brightly. She couldn't wait to break free from Xiao Yu's hand, clapping her two chubby little hands together and excitedly asking, "Really? Auntie isn't lying to me?"

"Mmm." Infected by her joy, Song Luoning's face showed a touch of emotion.

A child's innocent smile is the most touching.

"Little sister, let them play. Let's go to the flower hall and talk," Li Yan advised.

Even though Song Luoning's body wasn't the same as before, she didn't dare to joke about her health.

Song Luoning shook her head: "Sister-in-law, I haven't spent much time with Ling'er either."

“But…” Li Yan hesitated, and wanted to say something more, just then her second sister-in-law Wu Yimo and third sister-in-law Su Ran walked in with their maids.

Wu Yimo glanced at the group and chuckled, "If you ask me, you shouldn't stop her. I think my little sister's illness has improved a lot. If she wants to go, let her go. Besides, with her husband there, what's there to worry about? The young couple is enjoying their honeymoon phase. Why are we meddling?"

"..."

Song Luoning blushed deeply, glared at Xiao Yu, and, suppressing her embarrassment, stepped forward and curtsied: "Second sister-in-law, third sister-in-law, you've come too."

"Get up, get up, we're all family, no need to be so polite." Wu Yimo helped her up, glanced towards the study, and stuck out his tongue: "Luckily your second brother isn't here, otherwise he would have given me another lecture."

His words drew laughter from everyone.

Wu Yimo was the daughter of the Minister of Works. The Minister of Works had his daughter late in life and doted on her, spoiling her rotten. He was unwilling to let her learn the manners of a well-bred lady, and her willful and capricious nature was well-known in the capital at the time.

He toned it down considerably after getting married.

Her success is inseparable from her old-fashioned husband. She made a fuss at first, but Song Yanting was not only old-fashioned but also stubborn, which eventually smoothed out her temper.

“I just heard from the servants that you’re back, so your third sister-in-law and I came over. You know your third sister-in-law’s personality…” Wu Yimo complained with a smile.

"Second sister-in-law!" Su Ran glared at her, making a move to hit her.

"Why can't we say anything?" Wu Yimo hid behind Li Yan, and Su Ran couldn't catch her, so she stomped her feet in anger.

Song Luoning chuckled: "No rush."

The third sister-in-law, Su Ran, had the exact opposite personality to Wu Yimo. Her father was a doctor in the Hanlin Academy, well-educated and reasonable, but slow-paced and spoke softly, which often made her the target of teasing from the second sister-in-law.

Song Luoning took Su Ran's hand and said a few intimate words.

On the other side, Wu Yimo glanced at Xiao Yu, his smile widening. He couldn't help but pull Su Ran towards him and teased, "Little sister, why don't you go and fly kites with your brother-in-law? Don't worry about us, or keep him waiting."

Huh? Xiao Yu blinked. Even someone as thick-skinned as her felt a flush on her face. Not to mention Song Luoning, who was always thin-skinned, she wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

"Second Sister-in-law." Song Luoning's fair cheeks flushed red, making her even more beautiful than the peach blossoms of early spring.

Xiao Yu was stunned, a warmth rose in her chest, and she subconsciously licked her lips.

Song Luoning's breath hitched.

What kind of expression is that lecherous guy making?

"Alright, alright, you know our little sister is shy, so you tease her as soon as she arrives. Come on, let's leave the kite-flying to your brother-in-law and Ling'er. You come with us to the flower hall to talk." Li Yan took Song Luoning's hand and walked out.

She was really worried.

Xiao Yu: "..." What happened to flying kites together?

The three of them chatted and laughed as they left the courtyard, surrounded by their maids.

Xiao Yu touched his nose, staring blankly in the direction Song Luo Ning had left.

"Uncle, let's go fly kites too." Song Ling'er's soft voice pulled her back to reality.

Sigh! I was hoping to develop a better relationship with the young lady.

"Is Uncle reluctant to part with Aunt?" Song Ling'er asked innocently, tilting her head, seeing that she wasn't in a good mood.

"Huh?" Xiao Yu was taken aback, feeling a little awkward that a young girl had seen through his feelings. He quickly grabbed her hand and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Am I that clingy?"

The little dumpling thought about it seriously and nodded: "Mm."

Xiao Yu: "..."

What? She's not clingy at all!