Chapter 305: Let Tang Ning lose her reputation but not her virginity
Seeing the Fourth Prince frown, Queen Lu continued.
"Your father is a suspicious person by nature, and he would never trust anyone easily. However, Xiao Yan always managed to accurately grasp the emperor's intentions. Moreover, before he appeared, although your father was somewhat dissatisfied with the aristocratic families, he was still relatively harmonious on the surface. However, since Xiao Yan came to power, the relationship between the royal family and the aristocratic families has become like water and fire."
"Rather than saying that Xiao Yan was helping your father eliminate the aristocratic families and clean up the government, it's more accurate to say that he was the one who gradually led your father to fear the aristocratic families, provoking hatred between the two sides and inducing your father to break with the aristocratic families until today."
Queen Lu thought of what Xiao Yan had done, and a look of emotion appeared on her face.
"I had some suspicions about his identity earlier. He was too cruel to the Lu family. If he was just trying to please your father, he would have left himself no way out, considering his shrewdness. It wasn't until I sent someone to investigate this time that I discovered his identity was different."
"Even if he is not from the He family, he must be related to the He family."
The expression on the Fourth Prince's face kept changing.
Empress Lu looked at him and said, "Zheng'er, losing the Lu family is nothing. The aristocratic families may not always be peaceful. The Second Prince is only temporarily in power, but as long as Xiao Yan is willing to assist you, you still have a chance. Don't blame yourself and lose your fighting spirit."
The Fourth Prince's originally anxious heart gradually calmed down with Queen Lu's words, and he even felt a little secretly happy: "It's my fault. Thank you, mother, for your advice."
"Between you and me, mother and son, why should we thank you?"
Seeing that he had perked up, Queen Lu's expression relaxed.
"Although Xiao Yan promised me to assist you, and I may let him be the regent for the throne in the future, there is still something missing between us. That eunuch has no relatives or friends, and the only person he cares about is Song Tangning. I want to send her to your house as a concubine. What do you think?"
The Fourth Prince was stunned for a moment, and a beautiful figure appeared in his mind.
She has a small, fair face, the size of a palm, skin as smooth as fine white porcelain, and her almond-shaped eyes sparkle when she smiles.
The Fourth Prince's throat moved, and he recalled the faint fragrance he smelled in the carriage that day. The scent of the young girl made him miss it for a long time afterwards.
Although Song Tangning wasn't the well-behaved girl he liked in the past, her appearance was indeed very attractive. If she could enter the mansion...
"Of course I am willing. Xiao Yan treats Song Tangning very well. If I can allow her to enter the mansion, Xiao Yan will definitely pay more attention to my affairs. But mother, Song Tangning is not an ordinary woman. She is ruthless to the Song family and was also very decisive when she broke off the engagement with the Lu family. I'm afraid she won't be willing to be a mere concubine."
If the position of the Fourth Prince's Consort was still there, he would still have some confidence, but as a concubine...
He subconsciously felt that Song Tangning would never agree.
Empress Lu laughed when she heard this: "Mother will naturally find a way to make her agree."
The Fourth Prince was curious: "What method?"
Queen Lu waved to him, and after he leaned over to her ear, she whispered a few words to him.
The Fourth Prince's expression changed. After Empress Lu finished speaking, he couldn't help but look up and asked, "Would Princess Leyang really do that?"
"She's a fool. She's only hoping to find a good marriage for her son. She's already considered Song Tangning hers. If she knows the normal path won't work, she'll naturally resort to unconventional methods."
Empress Lu sneered before saying, "Don't worry about this matter. Mother will naturally make the arrangements. You just need to recuperate."
"Also, Xiao Yan was injured while rescuing the emperor yesterday, and he probably won't be attending court for a while. When you leave the palace later, go visit him in person. This will not only show your sincerity towards him, but also give you a chance to spend time with Song Tangning. If you can make her feel more favorable towards you, it will also be beneficial to you in the future."
The Fourth Prince thought of Song Tangning's face and couldn't help but say, "Mother, please don't let Tangning really lose her virginity to Princess Leyang..."
Empress Lu was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing at the Fourth Prince's expression: "Oh? So the prince is interested in her?"
The fourth prince's face flushed immediately: "Mother!"
Empress Lu laughed, "Alright, alright, I won't laugh at you. Since you like her, I will naturally protect her innocence. Don't worry, I will only let her have a bad reputation and let people point fingers at her. I won't really let her get involved with others. I will definitely let her be accepted into your palace with a clear conscience."
The Fourth Prince was delighted to hear this: "Thank you, Mother."
…
Xiao Yan was seriously injured and could not move, so he stayed in Tang Mansion to recuperate. Although some people outside were puzzled, they did not find it too strange when they heard that Madam Qin was temporarily staying in Tang Mansion.
It was already afternoon when Tang Ning heard the rumors of Lu Qin's hidden illness.
"How did the Cui family know about Lu Qin?" Rong Yue was curious.
Gu Helian scoffed, "Lu Qin said it himself. After he was captured last night, he was put on trial that very night. Not wanting to be charged with murdering the emperor, he insisted that he only wanted to deal with our little Haitang. But if you want to kill someone, you have to have an excuse."
Although Tang Ning and the Lu family had a long-standing grudge, it was impossible that the matter that caused Lu Qin to kill someone in anger was just a small matter. Lu Qin initially said that he only resented Tang Ning for humiliating the Lu family yesterday and just wanted someone to teach Tang Ning a lesson, but he never wanted to kill her. However, this excuse could not convince the people in the criminal department.
Once you enter the Criminal Department, no one can keep silent. After being tortured, Lu Qin confessed his impotence with his own mouth. Someone from the aristocratic family had already been gathering information outside, and the people from the Criminal Department only revealed a little bit. Naturally, the Cui family knew about Lu Qin's hidden illness.
"I heard that after Lu Chongyuan and Cui Lin quarreled at the palace gate, he went back and called the palace doctor. When he got off the carriage, he had to be supported by someone beside him to stand steadily." Gu Helian's face was full of gloating: "Cui Lin is also useless. He didn't even anger Lu Chongyuan to death."
If this matter fell upon him, he would ridicule Lu Chongyuan and the Lu family eight hundred times, and he would lose if he failed to anger Lu Chongyuan to death.
Rong Yue was helpless when she heard this, and Tang Ning suppressed a smile and said, "Cui Lin is naturally not as good as my uncle."
As for the uncle of the Gu family, there is no one else in the whole capital who can speak as well as him. That’s not right, except for my brother.
Gu Helian was not ashamed and raised her chin: "Of course."
When a servant came in and said that the Lu family had arrived, Rong Yue frowned and asked, "What are they doing here?"
"In reply to Madam, the Lu family said they came to apologize to Governor Xiao in compliance with the imperial decree."
Tang Ning asked, "Who are these people?"
"There's Erlang of the Lu family, and two doctors from the Imperial Medical Bureau. Oh, and the Fourth Prince is here too."
Tang Ning was really surprised this time. Her brother had already expected the Lu family to come last night. She didn't find it strange that the somewhat weird Erlang of the Lu family came, but what was the Fourth Prince doing here?
Didn't he fall off a horse and get injured before? It's hard to recover from such a serious injury, so why did he come here at this time?
Seeing her frown, Gu Helian said, "Is there a problem? Should I go meet them?"
"No need." Tang Ning shook his head: "Since the Lu family is following the emperor's order, my brother must see him. As for the Fourth Prince, let him in first and see what he wants."
After ordering the servants to go out and invite people in, Tang Ning stood up and said, "Aunt, Uncle, I'll go see them first."
Rong Yue hummed, "Be careful. If anything happens, send someone to call us."
Gu Helian also said, "Since the Lu family has come to apologize, you shouldn't be so nice to them. They've already fallen out, so this one doesn't matter. Xiao Yan was injured so badly, don't give in easily without giving the Lu family a stab."
It would be a waste not to slaughter the piglets that come to your door.
Tang Ning understood: "Don't worry, uncle, I will."
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