Chapter 396 Is Xiao Yan not in the capital? !
Tang Ning knelt on the ground with red eyes. Although she was still stubborn, there was more hesitation on her face.
Emperor An looked at her with tears in her eyes. She was obviously regretful but she just bit her lips and refused to say anything. For some reason, he was reminded of Xiao Yan's bad temper.
"You're just like your brother, incredibly bold. With what you just said, I could have your head and no one would say a word!"
Seeing the little girl's face turn pale, she subconsciously grabbed the hem of her clothes and tightened her jaw, feeling fear.
Emperor An looked at her tearful face and suddenly lost interest in caring about it.
He was in the wrong regarding the Lu family's affairs.
Today's events were indeed not suitable for Xiao Yan to investigate. He and the Lu family had always been at odds with each other, and he must have held a grudge against the Lu family for plotting against him several times.
If he really found something he shouldn't have found, there was no guarantee that he would be able to force Xiao Yan to let go again.
Emperor An's expression relaxed slightly, and he glanced at Tang Ning unhappily: "Alright, get out now, I'm tired of watching you."
"Then my brother..."
"Didn't you say your brother was seriously injured? Let him continue to take care of him!"
Tang Ning hesitated when he heard this but did not stand up.
Emperor An was annoyed: "I have already forgiven you and your sister for your disrespect. Why are you still not satisfied?"
Tang Ning said softly, "Tang Ning doesn't dare, but you are always soft-hearted and you called Lu Chongyuan into the palace. Maybe he will say a few words to you later, and you will be angry with my brother again."
"Or I'll kneel a little longer to avoid you calling me back and forth..."
“…”
Emperor An's face darkened and he cursed angrily.
“Get out!”
These brother and sister are more annoying than each other!
Seeing Emperor An’s face darken, Tang Ning quickly left.
After everyone left, Emperor An couldn't help but curse, "Song Tangning was such a well-behaved girl with a gentle personality. How did she become like this?"
"Xiao Yan himself has a bad temper, and now he's raised a son who's even more daring than him. If Rong Qian'an knew about this, I don't think he'd be able to hold it down even under his coffin!"
Eunuch Feng felt embarrassed when he heard that. That young lady was not obedient or docile at all. She was simply a carnivorous plant that would eat people without leaving any bones behind.
"That's because Your Majesty is tolerant." He flattered him.
Emperor An was annoyed: "I just indulged them too much."
Although he was angry, Emperor An didn't want to do anything to Song Tangning.
He drank some tea brought by the outsiders, and after feeling relieved, he asked Eunuch Feng, "Did you go there today? Was Xiao Yan really seriously injured?"
Eunuch Feng's heart tightened. "Imperial Physician Jiang said that Governor Xiao's injuries are indeed quite serious, but it doesn't look to me like the rumors that he's bedridden. I'm afraid Governor Xiao's disregard for the Privy Council's affairs has been somewhat deliberate."
He had served Emperor An for many years, so he naturally knew how suspicious Emperor An was.
As the emperor's personal servant, he must not side with Xiao Yan, not even a little bit.
Eunuch Feng carefully considered his words, "Your Majesty is aware of the methods of those in the Privy Council. Even if Governor Xiao couldn't get up, it wouldn't be difficult for him to investigate the Lingyun Temple incident with just a few instructions. However, he simply ignored them, clearly deliberately allowing the matter to escalate."
"Although we don't know who was responsible for the death of the Fourth Prince's wife, if it hadn't been delayed, it wouldn't have gotten to this point. When I led my men there today, Governor Xiao spoke as if he were angry with Your Majesty."
Emperor An sneered when he heard this: "He is petty, vindictive and protective of his shortcomings."
"I suppressed the Lu family's affairs before, and he got hurt. Then Song Tangning got into trouble again. The fourth brother and his men were so mean. I think he just wanted to vent his anger on Song Tangning."
He didn't care about the death of the Fourth Prince's wife. A notorious prince's wife was dead, so what? What's more, he hated the Fourth Prince in the first place, so naturally he hated him as well.
Eunuch Feng asked carefully, "Should we summon Governor Xiao?"
Emperor An looked at him coldly: "What's the point of summoning him? To let him point fingers at me and make trouble again?"
Eunuch Feng said awkwardly, "Those imperial guards in Jiyun Lane..."
"Withdraw."
Emperor An rubbed his brows in annoyance. As his restlessness grew, he said impatiently, "Since Xiao Yan needs to recuperate, tell him to take good care of himself. Tell Cao Dejiang to keep an eye on the Zhao family's affairs. No one from the aristocratic families is allowed to interfere in this matter."
"The Lu family..."
"Let Wu Huai investigate and see what the Lu family is hiding."
Eunuch Feng quickly accepted the order.
Emperor An had been disturbed by the noise all morning and felt a headache. He took out the brocade box containing the golden elixir from his sleeve and swallowed two pills. He stood up and said, "I'm going to rest for a while. I have a headache."
"But Your Majesty, you summoned Lu Langling to the palace. He should be here soon..."
"He's here, let him wait outside!"
Emperor An became annoyed when he heard Lu Chongyuan's name. He said something coldly and turned away.
Eunuch Feng felt relieved and quickly trotted after him: "Let me help you."
…
Tang Ning waited for a while in the corridor leading out of the palace before she saw Cang Lang who had been released.
Seeing that he looked unhappy, Tang Ning asked, "Did His Majesty torture you?"
Canglang shook his head: "No, I just got beaten with a few boards."
The incident in the Privy Council caused too much trouble, and the governor was not in the capital, so he, as the "chief", was the first to be punished.
When he was taken away, he heard Emperor An tell Yu Yanfeng and others to go to Jiyun Lane to let the governor into the palace. He panicked at the time, but he was locked up in the palace and had no way to escape.
"Girl, the governor's side..."
"It's fine for now."
Tang Ning said something soothing, and seeing that Canglang wanted to ask something, she whispered to him, "Let's talk about it after we get back."
The two of them left the palace gate in a carriage. Canglang thought they were going back to Jiyun Lane, but who knew that the carriage was heading in another direction. When the carriage stopped outside Rongsheng Academy, Canglang was puzzled.
Tang Ning said nothing, but got out of the car and entered the academy, heading towards the mountain behind the academy.
When I was almost at Shengningju, I saw Yuejian standing in front of the courtyard.
"Girl, Lord Cao is here."
Tang Ning nodded and walked inside.
Tea had already been brewed in Shengningju. The small stove was burning brightly, and the aroma filled the air as the tea boiled. Mr. Tong was talking to Cao Dejiang.
Seeing Tang Ning come in, Mr. Tong stood up and said with a smile, "I said the princess wouldn't be here for a while. Since you're here, you two can chat first. I'll go mark today's papers with the people in the courtyard. The list of classes will be posted in three days."
Tang Ning said gently, "Thank you for your hard work, sir."
After Mr. Tong left, Tang Ning walked to where he had been before and sat down on the ground.
Yue Jian quickly took the used teacup off the table. Tang Ning took a new teacup from the stove and filled it with tea. He also filled the cup in front of Cao Dejiang, and then said to Cao Dejiang respectfully:
"Thank you Cao Gong for saving me today in the palace."
Cao Dejiang didn't smile. "Do you think I'm willing? You and Xiao Yan are so audacious!"
After Tang Ning met Cao Dejiang in the palace, she knew that some things could not be hidden from him. Cao Dejiang knew more about her and her brother than others. She could hide her acting from others but not from him.
Seeing that he looked unhappy, Tang Ning said, "My brother and I had no choice."
Seeing her like this, Cao Dejiang felt furious. It would have been fine if she had just made a few excuses, but the look on her face was that she was giving up after being exposed by him?
He suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice: "Where did Xiao Yan go?"
Seeing that Tang Ning seemed to want to speak, his eyes were sharp:
"Don't tell me he's in Jiyun Lane. Xiao Yan is a shrewd man. He wouldn't take the risk of angering His Majesty unless it was absolutely necessary, and then ask you to come to the palace to negotiate for him."
"He hasn't shown up since Lingyun Temple. The situation in the capital is getting increasingly muddy. I sensed something was amiss. Is Xiao Yan not in the capital?!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com