Chapter 158 Xiao Yan: How about changing my surname? I can take the surname Tang
Xiao Yan did not hide from Xiao Haitang the fact that Emperor An was suspicious of him. Song Tangning stayed in Jiyun Lane and had too close contacts with him, which would sooner or later catch the emperor's attention. There were some things she had to know so that she could be on guard.
Moreover, the little girl in front of him has been growing up. She doesn't want to be a greenhouse flower and wants to have a different future, so he can't raise her to be ignorant of the world.
In the court and the capital, there are some things she will come into contact with sooner or later.
Xiao Yan said to her, "In His Majesty's eyes, I am a helpless yet extremely useful sword. My life and death, honor and disgrace, all depend on the Emperor's favor. He has entrusted me with power and asked me to clean up the court on his behalf, but he will also be wary of this sharp blade of mine turning against its master."
"Yue Fengcheng is His Majesty's eyes. Only when he sees my loyalty with his own eyes can he use me with confidence."
Song Tangning was a little bit unbelievable: "Your Majesty doesn't believe you?"
"He doesn't trust anyone." Xiao Yan said as if he was accustomed to something: "As an emperor, you are alone. If you trust others too much, you will hand over the throne and your life to others."
"But..." Emperor An clearly allowed Xiao Yan to seize power in the court.
Xiao Yan seemed to know what she was about to say and laughed, "That's because Your Majesty knows he can control me. No matter how much power he gives me, he can easily take it back."
Tang Ning was thoughtful after hearing this: "So, my brother left Mr. Yue behind to protect His Majesty's eyes, so that His Majesty could see the loyalty you wanted him to see..."
She paused before she could finish her words, and subconsciously looked at the tall man standing next to her, with a look of surprise on her face.
But if my brother is really loyal to the royal family, why should he be on guard against Mr. Yue?
The emperor's eyes, Emperor An's suspicion, since my brother knew it all and kept him by his side, he should have taken the initiative to take him with him to avoid suspicion when doing things, but Jinyun looked alert when he mentioned that Mr. Yue suddenly returned home.
What he said was "Mr. Yue did not leave the mansion." In other words, in Jinyun's eyes, Mr. Yue should not have stayed in the Governor's Mansion today. Moreover, Xiao Yan was not surprised at all after hearing what he said, which only meant that Mr. Yue was deliberately sent out.
Today, Xiao Yan teamed up with Minister Qian to deceive the Lu family, causing damage to the aristocratic family. This was something that Emperor An was happy to see. Xiao Yan's expression of loyalty in this way would only win the emperor's favor.
But when he acted, he was wary of the palace and diverted Emperor An's attention...
What did Xiao Yan do that the palace couldn't know about? Or did he harbor ulterior motives towards the royal family?
Song Tangning's eyelashes trembled slightly, and when she looked up, she met Xiao Yan's calm gaze.
"Brother..."
"Um?"
She opened her mouth to ask why.
Everyone in the capital knows that Xiao Yan is loyal to Emperor An, and all the people in the Privy Council are Emperor An's lackeys and are at the mercy of the emperor. Everyone knows that he is the only one who has the emperor's favor, which is why he has such tremendous power, and his loyalty has earned him the power he has today, which allows him to compete with the aristocratic families.
No one has ever suspected that he had ill intentions towards Emperor An, and no one has ever suspected that he had other intentions towards the aristocratic families.
But why did he tell her this secret?
Seeing that she was hesitant to ask something but didn't know how to start, and seemed to be doubting whether she was wrong, Xiao Yan directly denied her suspicion.
"Since you said you wanted to stay in Cumulus Lane with me, knowing more is the only way to keep you safe."
Song Tangning was shocked by his almost tacit words.
Cang Lang came in from outside: "Master, the carriage is ready."
Xiao Yan said "hmm": "Let's go."
…
On the way to meet Gu Helian, Song Tangning was immersed in the feeling of discovering a shocking secret. She secretly glanced at Xiao Yan from time to time, pinching her fingertips in anxiety.
Xiao Yan seemed unaware that she was looking at him, and had no awareness of dropping a thunderbolt. He just closed his eyes and leaned against the wall of the car to take a nap.
Outside, the rain was pouring down, and as the carriage swayed, a faint dampness drifted in with the wind, enveloping Xiao Yan, making the man, whose profile was sunk into the shadows, look even more strange and unpredictable.
Only when the carriage arrived at the gate of the Gu family did Song Tangning come back to his senses.
The house Gu Helian bought in Beijing was his typical style: large, opulent, and extravagant. The red gold plaque in front of the door was adorned with a dazzling circle of gemstones, the doorknob on the vermilion gate was made of gold, and the stone drum in the front yard was carved from sapphire. In front of the hall stood a massive Lingbi stone statue, naturally shaped like a red rabbit chasing the moon, a sight that drew the eye.
Song Tangning looked at the gold-embellished cups brought over by the Gu family's servants. Even though he was distracted, he couldn't help but grumble in a low voice: "Isn't Uncle Gu afraid of being targeted by thieves?"
Such flaunting of wealth is simply enviable.
Xiao Yan looked at the cups and plates on the table and sneered, "Vulgar."
Song Tangning quietly touched the real gold and silver on the dessert plate and muttered silently: She also wants to be so vulgar.
When Gu Helian heard that Xiao Yan came to see him, he didn't want to see this shameless bastard at all. He came over to take a look because Song Tangning also came. He was still dressed in the eye-catching golden crown and jade waist. As soon as he arrived at the door, he heard Xiao Yan's word "vulgar" and sneered.
"How can a vulgar place like mine be allowed to visit Lord Governor Xiao? Please don't pollute your noble character."
He almost said directly, "You are so noble, get out of here!"
Song Tangning quickly stood up: "Uncle."
When Gu Helian heard the word "uncle", she thought of the heartless man in Jiyun Lane and snorted coldly: "When there is something, it's uncle, and when there is nothing, it's Master Gu. I haven't seen you come to see me for such a long time. What's the matter? Is your uncle so worthless?"
He glanced at Xiao Yan and spoke even more venomously: "A young girl like you doesn't understand the difference between family and friends. You've always associated with treacherous people and tarnished yourself for nothing."
Song Tangning: "..."
Xiao Yan's eyes turned cold, and he sat on the chair and said sarcastically, "What Patriarch Gu said makes sense. We have to distinguish between close and distant relatives. After all, Patriarch Gu has been away from the capital for many years, and the Rong family no longer has your name. It's a stretch to say that you are Princess Cheng's brother. It's really inappropriate for Tang Ning to call you uncle."
"Tang Ning, please be careful in the future and don't call the wrong person, Master Gu."
Gu Helian felt as if his lungs were stabbed, and glared at him: "Xiao Haitang calls me uncle, what does it have to do with you?!"
Xiao Yan said: "I am his brother."
Gu Helian sneered: "Bullshit brother, your surname is Xiao and hers is Song, why do you want to change your surname to marry into her family?"
Xiao Yan looked at her coldly: "How about changing her surname? She is related to me."
Gu Helian: “…”
"Master Gu wanted to change it, but unfortunately no one wanted it."
"you……"
Gu Helian was so angry that she felt depressed. This bastard was so shameless.
He suddenly turned his head and glared at Song Tangning: "Xiao Haitang, who are you kissing?!"
Although Xiao Yan didn't say anything, he raised his eyelids slightly and looked at Song Tangning without blinking.
“…”
Song Tangning's scalp tingled under the stares of the two men, and she felt a huge pressure. She glanced at Gu Helian, who was staring at her with a fierce look, and then at Xiao Yan, who had a cool look in his eyes. She felt that if she gave a wrong answer, the roof of the house would be torn down by the two men. She tried her best to make things fair between the two of them and put on a smile: "Brother, uncle, too."
Gu Helian glared at her immediately: "Why am I behind Xiao?!"
Xiao Yan raised his lips: "It is important for people to know themselves."
Gu Helian turned around and rolled up his sleeves. Song Tangning quickly covered his brother's mouth and said to Gu Helian urgently, "Uncle is in front, you are in front, I am with uncle!"
Xiao Yan's eyes suddenly turned cold, and he saw Xiao Haitang turned her head and blinked at him, as if begging for mercy. His lips were blocked by her soft hands, and the fragrance filled his arms. He then hummed softly and let her cover her mouth without saying anything else.
Although Gu Helian won, she felt jealous when she saw Xiao Haitang standing next to the shameless man, covering her mouth but still looking protective of him. "What a perfunctory response!"
Song Tangning was embarrassed and quickly changed the subject: "Uncle, my brother and I are looking for you for something serious."
Gu Helian walked to the front with a flick of his sleeves, sat down on the golden nanmu chair and sneered: "Tell me, what does this bastard want to trick me into doing now?"
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