Chapter 46 Xiao Haitang is also protective of her shortcomings
The next morning, Tang Ning received a thank-you gift from next door.
Cloud-patterned brocade silk wraps the seeds of the multi-colored crabapple. Dozens of them have already budded, with intricate flowers and leaves that are taller than a person, and more than ten extremely precious crabapple seedlings.
When more than ten palace servants from the Flower and Bird Department carefully moved the flowers and trees into the mansion, Hua Wu was stunned and shocked.
"Did the Governor empty the Imperial Garden?"
Xichun and the others had seen the world before, but they were still stunned by the flowers and trees all over the yard.
"Girl, these are from the palace..."
"Should be, right?"
Tang Ning was a little dazed and at a loss. She just asked Xiao Yan for a few flower branches, thinking of planting them after she came back and then dividing them for cultivation after they grew. But who knew that Xiao Yan would actually bring back so many.
The head of the Flower and Bird Department was an elderly palace servant named Ji, whose smile looked like that of Maitreya Buddha.
Eunuch Ji had long heard that Governor Xiao almost executed the censor in court for this Miss Song, so he showed no airs towards Song Tangning and his face was full of smiles.
"Miss Song, these are sent by Governor Xiao."
"You can keep these multi-colored crabapple seeds for now. I'll teach you how to grow them later. However, these mature crabapples and seedlings must be planted as soon as possible, otherwise the branches will be damaged if the soil dries up. Lord Xiao has instructed me to follow your instructions. Where do you think we should plant these?"
Tang Ning quickly said, "Just plant it in this yard, and go around the wall from here."
Eunuch Ji asked about the location and asked Tang Ning what kind of crabapple garden he wanted. After making a rough plan, he led the people from the Flower and Bird Department to get busy.
The soil in the yard was turned over and crabapple trees were planted one by one.
Although the flowers have not yet bloomed, Tang Ning is already happy about the buds that are about to open.
"Master Governor."
A voice came from behind. Tang Ning turned around, her eyes suddenly opened, and a sweet dimple appeared on her lips: "Brother!"
"It's so sunny, why don't you go hide?"
Xiao Yan's robe fluttered, and her tall and majestic figure came to her side, directly blocking the sunlight that was a little dazzling just now.
Seeing her face slightly red from the sun and beads of sweat on the tip of her nose, he handed her a handkerchief and said, "Sunbathe carefully."
Tang Ning took it and wiped his sweat, a little embarrassed: "I forgot about it while looking at the flowers, why are you back now?"
"There is nothing to do in the court today, so I will come back early."
He glanced at the happy little girl, and his eyes fell on the people in the Flower and Bird Department who were busy planting crabapples not far away.
"I don't know whether these flowers are still blooming, so I told them to dig up some at random. If you like them, you can ask someone to dig up some more from the palace later."
"That's enough."
Tang Ning spoke quickly. That was the palace, not someone's vegetable garden. If she sent so many flowers and trees, she was afraid that someone would catch her tail and accuse Xiao Yan of abusing his power and embezzling public property. How could she dare to let Xiao Yan go again?
"Brother, will people gossip about you for sending so many flowers and trees out..." She worriedly pinched the handkerchief.
Xiao Yan suddenly laughed: "Do you have any misunderstanding about me?"
"ah?"
"This Governor has a terrible reputation throughout the land, and he fawns on the emperor. Everyone says that Xiao is a treacherous traitor who abuses his power in the court."
Seeing the little girl's confused face, he reached out and picked off a leaf that had fallen from her hair at some point, and looked lazy when he withdrew his hand.
"A traitorous minister naturally has his own dignity. If I have to worry about people talking about me even for digging up a few flowers and trees, then I have lived in vain all these years."
Tang Ning was instantly embarrassed: "Brother."
She is not a child!
Whatever you do, try to tease her.
A smile escaped Xiao Yan's throat, and he turned his head to look at her with round, dark eyes. "I just told you to take it if you like it. This governor is not going to fall for a few flowers and trees. Since I can send it away, the palace will know how to handle it."
The people in the Flower and Bird Department were already very efficient, and when they saw that Governor Xiao was coming in person, they moved even faster.
Seeing that the sun was too bright, Xiao Yan called Tang Ning to go to the pavilion nearby.
Xichun and Nianxia brought over some snacks and tea. He looked at them as they quickly left after delivering the food and asked Tang Ning, "How is this new maid?"
"fine."
Perhaps because he was in a good mood, Tang Ning's voice ended with an upward curve, giving it a touch of gentleness that was refreshing.
"They were all implicated in crimes committed by their families and demoted to slavery. They've suffered some hardship before, so they're cautious and polite, and they understand the rules very well. And last night, I spoke with them. Except for Xichun and Nianxia, Fengqiu and Rendong have all studied housekeeping."
"I'm looking for someone to help me sort out the inventory of my grandfather and mother's belongings. After I've sorted things out with the Song family, I'll have to make a deal with them about the assets left behind by my mother and her family. I won't let them take a penny of the money, and I won't let them get anything for criticism."
The Song family never taught her how to manage the household. Her aunt had mentioned it to her in the past, but she was so busy trying to please Lu Zhinian that she learned useless arts like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She only learned half of the account books that her aunt had given her before.
The Song family raised her to be noble and untainted by money, and even the Lu family seemed to have never asked these things of her.
She used to think they loved her and didn't want her to suffer as a housekeeper, but after going through a lot, she vaguely understood that they might have intended to ruin her.
They coveted the things left by their grandfather and mother, and the Lu family had never thought of having a smart daughter-in-law. Now that she was leaving the Song family, she had decided to have nothing to do with them from now on.
So whether it was the family property and money that belonged to the second house, or the things that belonged to A Niang and grandfather, she had to take them back without missing a cent.
Xiao Yan's eyes were generous: "Do you want me to ask someone to help you?"
Tang Ning shook his head: "No need for now. There is a list of the things that my mother left behind, and the deeds of the second house's property are also there. The Song family can't forge it. I want to try it myself first. If there is anything I don't understand, I will ask my brother."
"Can."
Xiao Yan dropped the cup in his hand onto the table and looked up at Tang Ning: "Do you know that the old woman of the Song family has a broken hand?"
Tang Ning hummed, "I know."
The events of the past two days had caused such a big stir, Xiao Yan had threatened the Imperial Medical Bureau and was confronting the Censor in power.
Lord He from the Censorate had his legs broken, but he still had to drag his sick body into the palace and be carried to "kneel" in front of the hall to receive the precepts.
It is said that Lord He vomited blood after enduring ten lashes this morning. If the Lu family had not invited most of the imperial physicians to gather at the He family for a consultation, he might have vomited blood to death.
"Are you scared?" Xiao Yan looked up at her.
Tang Ning shook his head.
"Don't you think I'm cruel?"
"Why do you say that my brother is cruel? They were the ones who had evil intentions first, and I only attacked them because I was protecting me. I am not someone who doesn't know what is good for me."
In the past, people only heard of Xiao's reputation and thought that he was vicious and cruel, killing people like crazy. But after Tang Ning got to know him, although they only spent a few days together, he could see that he was not a bloodthirsty person.
She was not very clear about what was going on in the court, but if the Song family had not repeatedly provoked her and tried to force her, how could he have been so cruel?
She is not an ungrateful person. Her brother protects her, but she goes to help others.
"You are my brother, so naturally I am on your side. Don't say that I am not wrong. Even if I am wrong, it must be the fault of others. They were the ones who provoked me first."
"But you know there are more than one or two people who speak ill of me..."
"So what?"
Tang Ning's expression remained unchanged. "Those with sinister intentions always gather in groups. Those who are jealous of me must know each other. Since they can't compete with me, they can only collude privately and speak ill of me together."
Xiao Yan's eyelashes fluttered slightly at her strange yet self-righteous words, and a smile appeared in his dark eyes.
"You help your relatives but not your husband."
"Who calls you brother?"
Xiao Yan chuckled softly, and the light and shadow were scattered, like frost melting in the spring light.
Canglang stood outside the pavilion and looked at his commander with a smile on his face, and couldn't help but sigh.
This Miss Song must be a honeypot spirit, her mouth is so sweet
…
The people in the Flower and Bird Department are responsible for flowers and plants, and they can take care of the courtyard in just half an hour.
After sending away the people from the Flower and Bird Department, someone from the other courtyard came with a message saying that the man who had gone crazy before had become more sober, so Xiao Yan did not stay in the Tang Mansion for long.
Song Tangning stayed in the backyard to admire the crabapple trees that had not yet bloomed for a long time. Looking at the bulging buds that seemed to be about to burst open at any time, she felt very happy thinking about the beautiful scenery of the crabapple trees in the garden in March and April. However, after dinner, when she heard from outside that someone from the third branch of the Song family had arrived, the smile on her face instantly faded.
"Who's coming?"
"It's Miss San."
The third branch of the Song family has one son and two daughters. The second son, Song Jinnan, who is the legitimate son, is studying abroad, and the fourth daughter, Song Yuanzhi, who is also the legitimate daughter, has followed the third wife, Yu, back to her parents' home. Only the concubine's daughter, Song Ru, from the third branch is left in the mansion.
The mother of this third lady was of a very humble origin, and she became pregnant due to an accident with Song Qin. The Third Master Song Qin did not like her mother and disliked her lowly bloodline. When the child was born, her mother suffered a hemorrhage, and he also became disgusted with this daughter who was born with bad luck. He just gave her a random name and threw her to be raised in the mansion.
Song Ru is timid and cowardly. Because she is not valued by others, she rarely steps out of her room and has no sense of presence in the mansion.
If she hadn't come suddenly today, Hua Wu would have almost forgotten that there was such a girl in the mansion.
Seeing Tang Ning frowning, Hua Wu said, "Miss, the Third Lady might have come here for some business in the mansion. Otherwise, should I ask Guard Hang to chase her away?"
Tang Ning shook her head: "No, let her in."
The moonlight outside was cold and Song Ru pinched her fingers in fear. Her frail figure looked particularly pale in the light of the lantern above her head.
She carefully glanced at the tall gate in front of her and couldn't help feeling a little timid. Just as she was hesitating whether to leave, she suddenly heard someone at the door calling her in.
Song Tangning was stunned when he saw Song Ru in the flower hall. The girl who came in was really shockingly thin.
She was obviously a noble lady in the Duke's Mansion, but her clothes were faded from washing. Even though she tried her best to dress properly, the waist of her skirt was too big and baggy to cover her skinny figure.
"Second sister."
Song Ru's voice was very thin, and she seemed to be lacking in strength. After entering, she lowered her head and hunched her chest, looking timid.
Tang Ning was not as prickly as the Song family members when it came to Song Ru. She spoke gently, "Why are you here so late?"
"Did I disturb my second sister..." Song Ru tugged at her sleeve.
Tang Ning saw that her fingers had turned white with nervousness, and her back was tense, as if she was afraid that she would say something to disturb her. She couldn't help but sigh silently: "No, it's just that it's getting dark outside, and I was a little surprised that you came here so suddenly."
"Hua Wu, go get some hot tea for Miss Sanniang, and some snacks and fruits that are easy to digest."
Song Ru was startled and quickly waved her hands: "No, no, I just came to see my sister."
As if she was afraid that Tang Ning might misunderstand, she whispered,
"The mansion was in a bit of a mess. My brothers and the others didn't care about me. I came out secretly, and my father and the others didn't know..."
"I, I just heard that my second sister was unconscious, so I wanted to come and see her. Since my second sister is fine, I will go back first to prevent father and others from noticing."
Her voice was soft and her palm-sized face was full of nervousness. She bowed to Tang Ning and was about to leave.
Tang Ning quickly stopped her: "Since you are here, why are you in such a hurry to leave? Anyway, you said that the mansion is in chaos, so it won't hurt to stay a little longer."
"But……"
"Don't say but."
Tang Ning waved towards Song Ru: "Didn't you say you came to visit me? I'm a little hungry too. Can you eat something with me?"
Song Ru was a little stunned, and her eyes were dull and round when she looked up.
"Why, you don't want to?"
"No..." Song Ru said quickly, "I, I am willing..."
Song Ru is really timid and would be frightened and at a loss what to do at the slightest noise.
She seemed to never know how to refuse and was afraid of making people angry, so Tang Ning easily kept her. When Hua Wu led Xichun and the others to bring up snacks and tea, Tang Ning saw her swallow in her throat, but quickly looked away.
"Eat some with me. I can't enjoy it alone." Tang Ning stuffed a piece of pastry into Song Ru's hands.
"Second sister..."
"Try it."
Song Ru looked at Tang Ning carefully, and seeing the smile in her eyes, she relaxed a little and started eating the biscuit in small bites.
The little girl moved very gently and ate very carefully. Although the biscuits were easy to fall apart, she didn't drop even a tiny crumb.
Her pale face made her neck look surprisingly thin and her chin pointed. When she held the pastry, her sleeves slipped down, revealing her wrist bones that were protruding due to her thinness.
Song Tangning looked at Song Ru with some regrets. She had never paid attention to this sister from the third house before, because her third uncle disliked her and the third house's legitimate children also hated her. In addition, Song Ru herself was timid and rarely interacted with others. She was even sometimes not seen at family dinners in the mansion. Naturally, she was so "spoiled" that she would not pay attention to Song Ru's situation beyond the third house.
Until she was imprisoned in her previous life, this inconspicuous third sister was the only person in the Song family, besides Hua Wu, who sincerely asked about her well-being.
She didn't dare to let her go, nor did she dare to make enemies with Song Jinxiu and the others. She didn't even dare to say a word for her. After Hua Wu died, she just secretly handed her a few steamed buns and whispered, "Second sister, please be well."
Every time she threw something in through the small hole in the wall, her wrist became as thin as her, who had been living in poverty without seeing the sun for years.
Seeing her finish a piece of crispy cake, Song Tangning handed her another piece of soft cake: "Eat slowly, there's more."
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