Chapter 125 The More You Care, the More Soft-Hearted You Be
Lu Zhinian raised his eyes and sneered: "For the sake of profit, you gave up your own son's father?"
"you!!"
Lu Zhao suddenly raised his hand and was about to slap Lu Zhinian in the face, but when he raised his hand high, it met Lu Zhinian's red eyes.
There was not a trace of admiration in his eyes, but instead they were filled with resentment and coldness.
Lu Zhinian raised his head and said, "Father, why don't you beat me? Wouldn't it be easier if you could just kill me right now?"
Lu Zhao's hand trembled: "Sanlang..."
He moved his lips and wanted to say something, but was blocked by the sarcasm on Lu Zhinian's face. Seeing his expression, Lu Zhinian felt even colder in his heart.
He knew his father very well. If he guessed wrong, Lu Zhao would just get angry and yell at him, but his guilty look could only mean that he guessed right.
Lu Zhao and the others had truly chosen his younger fifth brother over him, using him to settle the Tang Ning incident and maintain the Lu family's peace. Lu Zhinian's eyes were filled with sarcasm, and he felt ridiculous.
He used to be so arrogant that he felt that the Lu family couldn't do without him. He used to think that he was the pride of the Lu family and the person his grandfather and father valued the most. He was high and mighty in front of Song Jinxiu and felt that even if he was imprisoned, he would never end up in such an embarrassing situation as him.
But now, he is just like this.
In the past, everyone said that the aristocratic families were cold and indifferent, and he scoffed at it. But today he realized that under power and interests, everyone is an ant.
In the eyes of his grandfather and others, he was no different from anyone else. Anyone could be sacrificed at the critical moment, including him.
…
"The Yiyang County Princess has come out."
There was a sudden noise outside the carriage, and the people who were originally gathered in front of the door all dispersed. Lu Zhinian, who was still arguing with Lu Zhao, looked up with bloodshot eyes, and saw a woman in green clothes walking out of the Lu family's gate.
She had a veil on her face and tilted her head, talking to someone next to her.
The man who used to be so cold and cruel lowered his eyes like the snow just beginning to melt, his expression gentle and forgiving.
The wind blew gently, and the veil on the girl's face floated, revealing her fair chin, which was completely different from the creepy face full of pus in the dream. Her fair and delicate profile seemed to glow in the spring sun, and her black eyes were sparkling, full of the girl's vitality.
Song Tangning reached out to hold down her blown veil, but her foot accidentally kicked the stone steps in front of the door.
Her body tilted, and the man standing next to her in tight clothes and a cool demeanor quickly reached out to pull her back. When she stood firm, his palm was still loosely protecting her waist.
"Watch the road carefully." Xiao Yan frowned.
Song Tangning frowned awkwardly, but couldn't help but smile. "Brother, have you seen the Lu family's faces? They're all green with envy. And Lu Chongyuan, he looks like he's been seriously ill. I'm afraid the rumors about him vomiting blood are true."
She wrinkled her nose.
"You deserve it for letting them hurt you!"
Seeing her petty and vindictive look, Xiao Yan chuckled helplessly, "Keep your voice down."
Seeing the Lu family members following behind and glaring at her, Song Tangning fluttered her eyelashes and stuck out her tongue through her veil. Then she pretended not to notice them and just looked at the boxes on the carriages outside and said, "How are we going to put so many books?"
Xiao Yan followed behind her: "Send her back to Jiyun Lane first, and find someone to watch over her. We'll send her over after the academy is built."
Song Tangning thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I just happened to see some interesting books, and I can let A-ru read them too."
The little girl tilted her head and walked out while saying:
"Just now, Cao Gong was also very excited and found a lot of interesting books. I originally wanted him to take them home and read them and return them after he was done, but Cao Gong refused. He just said that I should make room in the mansion and he could come over later, or he would wait until the academy was built to read them."
"Actually, he doesn't need to care so much. I just wanted to thank him."
If Cao Dejiang hadn't brought people to help with the selection, it would have taken a whole day to finish all the books. Besides, if she could win over Cao Dejiang and others, it would be worth it for her even if she gave up some of the books.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan glanced at Cao Dejiang, who was talking to Wen Xinhou and the others not far behind him, and chuckled, "If you really appreciate him, you can find a chance to give him the book privately. It's for your own good that I'm not taking the book right now."
Seeing Song Tangning's confusion, Xiao Yan lowered his head and explained in a low voice, "Cao Dejiang's status is different. He is the leader of the clean stream in the court. If he took those books as you asked, then the other court officials would naturally follow suit."
What the capital has the most is powerful and influential relatives. Although Tang Ning is a county lady, there are many people with higher status than her. No one dares to touch the books in her hands if they are in the Lu family, but in her hands, they are a hot commodity that everyone is jealous of.
Once Cao Dejiang opens the door, everyone will come to her to borrow money. If she lends them money, she doesn't know when they will return it. But if she doesn't lend them money, wouldn't that mean she looks down on the Cao family and them?
Although Xiao Yan could protect her and was not afraid of offending people in the capital, Song Tangning still had to live in the capital. Unless she stayed in Jiyun Lane forever and hid under his wings, necessary interactions with other people in the palace were unavoidable.
If Tang Ning offends everyone in Beijing by then, how will he cope with it?
Moreover, Cao Dejiang's move was not only to save Song Tangning from future troubles, but also to help "build momentum" for the unfinished academy.
Xiao Yan whispered to Tang Ning, "You are a woman after all, and you have already broken with the aristocratic family. Given the Lu family's past ruthlessness, even if the academy is built, some people will still be wary and worried that they will make things difficult for you later."
"The power of the aristocratic families cannot be neutralized overnight. However, if people like Cao Dejiang go to the academy to read books, it will not only reassure the students, but also make the aristocratic families dare not easily touch you. Moreover, it is impossible for these people to just go there to read books. If the students in the academy can get some guidance from these court officials, it will be of great benefit to them and will be a great help to their future careers."
Song Tangning was stunned when he heard this: "Brother, are you saying that Cao Gong is helping me?"
Xiao Yan lightly hummed, "I suppose so. Cao Dejiang may be a bit pedantic at times, but when it comes to integrity, no one in the court can match him. If you run into any trouble you can't solve in the future, feel free to seek him out. Even if it's just for the sake of your support in building the academy and benefiting the students, he won't ignore you."
This can be considered as leaving Xiao Haitang a way out.
Song Tangning understood what Xiao Yan meant and opened his mouth: "I have a brother..."
"But I may not be able to protect you forever. If one day I can't take care of you, Xiao Haitang will always have to protect herself."
Xiao Yan looked at the little girl beside him and felt for the first time that he could be so soft-hearted. The more he cared about her, the more he wanted to take care of her. He had never regretted trying his best to do things over the years, but now with her by his side, he felt hesitant.
He knew that every step he took was like walking on a knife edge, and the slightest mistake would lead to his downfall. But he always wanted to leave a way out for her, so that even if he failed in the future, he could still protect her.
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