Chapter 52 Lu Zhinian’s “Charity”
After receiving the message from Queen Lu, Lu Zhinian played with the jade button on his sleeve and looked at the spring banquet invitation sent from Prince Cheng's Mansion. A smile that he had expected appeared in his eyes.
He knew Song Tangning too well. She had been following him since she was a child and had long been accustomed to relying on him and to the fact that wherever he looked at her was his intention.
She would copy books all night long just for his words, gave up her favorite sweet cakes because he didn't like sweets, searched for a good zither from all masters for his birthday gift, practiced until her fingertips bled, and wished she could stay by his side every day and marry into the Lu family as soon as possible.
It was already the extreme that she could hold on to be angry with Song Mo for half a month after driving him out. How could the little girl bear not to see him?
Xie Yin stayed in Lu Zhinian's room, sipping tea with great gulps, saying disdainfully, "You didn't see how stubborn she was earlier. I thought she was really willing to give you up, but as soon as my father told me that the Empress and Old Madam Lu were dissatisfied with her, she immediately changed her tune."
You're kidding me by saying you won't marry into the Lu family.
Lu Zhinian's eyes flashed with a smile: "Tang Ning is just childish."
"She's not being childish at all. You don't know how miserable Old Madam Song was after she returned that day. I heard she's still not fully recovered from her illness and is so emaciated she almost passed away. That was her own grandmother, and I've never seen her so cruel."
Xie Yin was full of resentment towards Song Tangning.
It would have been fine if the Qian family had been embarrassed that time, but later he took the initiative to admit his mistake, but Song Tangning was still aggressive. Even though he tried to fix it several times, he couldn't even enter the gate of Jiyun Lane.
Song Tangning refused to see him and his mother seemed to have lost her mind and did not help him at all.
She was only slightly injured and nothing serious happened. Even after they apologized, she still insisted on making a big fuss about it.
Although Xie Yin's reputation was not as ruined as Song Jinxiu's, he was not doing much better recently. He felt disgusted at the mere mention of Song Tangning.
"I went to the Song family yesterday. Brother Jinxiu was in a state of depression, being ridiculed by the Hanlin group. Shulan was even worse off. To appease Song Tangning, she secretly left the city alone and went to Lingyun Temple on her knees and kowtows. She ended up fainting outside the city. If someone from Yongshun Marquis's Mansion hadn't happened to pass by and brought her back, who knows what would have happened."
When he went there, Song Shulan looked pale and frail, with bruises on her forehead from kowtows, and her knees and soles of her feet were rubbed to pieces. She had to be supported by someone to walk a few steps before her skirt's knees started bleeding.
Lu Zhinian frowned: "Why would she be like this?"
"It's all because of Song Tangning." Xie Yin's face was full of coldness. "The Song family is in a bad situation. Song Tangning is still obsessed with Lan'er's background. She has turned the Song family upside down. With Xiao Yan protecting her, they can't do anything to her. Naturally, Madam Song and the others can only vent their anger on Lan'er."
"When I went there yesterday, she was punished by the eldest lady. She dragged her injured leg and knelt in the ancestral hall to reflect on herself. She didn't even dare to cry out loud. But it was clearly Song Tangning who was wrong. Why should Lan'er reflect on herself?"
Lu Zhinian was sitting beside the low couch. When he heard the words, he remembered the pitiful look of the woman when he first saw her.
At that time, Song Tangning pulled at his sleeve to show off her two newly acquired pearl hairpins, and asked him coquettishly which one would better match the gorgeous riding clothes she wore on the day of the autumn hunt. The girl in a plain skirt and a delicate face stood in the corner far away, looking at them with admiration but not a trace of jealousy.
Later he learned that she was the concubine's daughter that the Song family had just found. For some reasons, she had been raised outside since she was young. She was only with her widowed mother and lived a poor life.
A random pearl hairpin from Song Tangning could keep her well-fed and well-clothed for half a year, but she never complained or was dissatisfied. Instead, she was full of longing and gratitude for life, and would be filled with joy at the slightest kindness shown.
Compared to Song Tangning, who was raised in luxury and was willful and outspoken since childhood, that girl was neither greedy nor content. Even after learning that her mother was just a concubine, Lu Zhinian found it difficult to feel any ill will towards her. Instead, he felt even more sorry for her difficult situation.
A trace of pity appeared between Lu Zhinian's eyebrows: "Is she okay?"
"What's good? I'm almost tortured to death."
Xie Yin spoke with particular distress: "I heard that the Song family is planning to send Lan'er out of the capital in order to please Tang Ning. She is a weak woman who has already lost her parents. If she leaves the protection of the clan, how will she live in the future?"
Lu Zhinian's eyes turned cold when he heard this. The Song family actually wanted to send the person away.
Was it Tang Ning’s request?
How could she be so willful and ignorant? What good would it do for her to send him away?
Xie Yin felt distressed when he thought of Song Shulan not daring to cry. "Shao Zheng, Tang Ning listens to you the most. Please persuade her. Lan'er doesn't argue with her about anything. Ask her to be more tolerant and give Lan'er a way out."
Lu Zhinian frowned: "I will find a chance to tell her."
Xie Yin came to deliver an invitation to the Lu family. After complaining to Lu Zhinian for a few words, he left for the next house. After the people left, Lu Zhinian frowned slightly.
"My dear, you won't really listen to Master Xie and stand up for Madam Song, will you?"
Song Mo was a little worried: "What Miss Song cares about most is your closeness to other women. She had caused a lot of trouble because of Miss Song before, and now she is finally willing to bow her head and make peace with the Song family. If you mention Miss Song to her now, I'm afraid it will anger her."
"Otherwise, let's coax the young lady first, and then talk about other things after she returns to the Song family."
Seeing Lu Zhinian frowning, Song Mo whispered:
"The Empress is already displeased with the recent commotion, and the Young Master has been forced to yield step by step by Governor Xiao. The Fourth Prince is very dissatisfied with the Lu family. If he can't coax Miss Song to change her mind, then Governor Xiao..."
Lu Zhinian thought of the message the Queen had sent him, and his face darkened.
The most important thing right now is the eunuch Xiao Yan.
Tang Ning is easy to coax. As long as she returns to the Song family, she can be persuaded slowly about Song Shulan's matter.
Lu Zhinian remembered the last time Song Tangning threw away something he had casually given her, and thought that she just disliked his carelessness. Now that she was willing to give in, he would give her some way out.
He asked Song Mo to prepare paper and pen, and after grinding the ink, he personally drew a small portrait of the little girl based on his memory.
"Send this to Cumulus Lane."
Song Mo immediately laughed: "My dear, your painting is so good, Miss Song will definitely be happy to see it."
The people from the Lu family entered the gate of Jiyun Lane. Although they did not see Song Tangning, the portrait was delivered. The servants of the Lu family went back to report with joy, but there was no sign of Song Tangning inside. He did not even look at the scroll. He directly asked Hua Wu to find a place and put it away casually.
Hua Wu held the painting and whispered, "Girl, don't you want to take a look?"
"What's so good about it? It's just something to fool me."
Lu Zhinian has always been arrogant, so arrogant that he thinks that as long as he puts in a little thought, she will treat him with devotion and be filled with joy.
He was probably still feeling proud that she couldn't bear it anymore after just a few days, and was submissive and trying her best to please him like before, so he just gave her a self-righteous "reward". However, he never thought that as her fiancé, it was unreasonable for him to never show up for half a month after she was injured.
The sunlight from outside shone in, leaving a few long shadows on the wall.
Tang Ning looked at his hands, which were covered with scars after the white bandage was removed. The broken nails had not grown back yet, and the soft pink flesh on the fingertips looked inexplicably hideous.
Her long hair was loosely tied into a bun, with the ends hanging down to her waist. The dim light and shadow made it difficult to see the expression in her eyes.
Tang Ning just glanced at the scroll that fell in the corner, and spoke in a soft but extremely cold voice.
"He and I will only be strangers from now on. It doesn't matter whether you look at these things or not. Find a place to keep them. After the Spring Festival Banquet, take back the Song family's things and pack up the things he sent me before and send them back."
She no longer liked Lu Zhinian, so naturally she wouldn't worry about him anymore.
There was no ripple in her heart, and she didn't care at all what Lu Zhinian sent. She was just looking forward to the Spring Banquet in a few days. On that day, she would be able to completely get rid of the Song family and no longer have to have anything to do with them.
…
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