Chapter 273 Tang Ning, I am very happy
The little girl's gentle "I like" was like a feather brushing past his ear, making Xiao Yan's heart numb.
Xiao Yan only felt a hint of sweetness on the tip of his tongue. He had to lightly press his teeth and lower his eyes to hide the joy that was almost impossible to conceal in his eyes.
Tang Ning seemed unaware of how touching his words were. He only said to Cao Dejiang, "There is one more thing I may need to trouble you with, Lord Cao."
Cao Dejiang felt that the little girl in front of him was pleasing to the eye in every way, and said with a smile, "You say."
Tang Ning said gently, "When we took those books away from the Lu family, Secretary Lu promised to inscribe the name of the academy and erect a monument. Now that the name has been decided, he must write it. He must also be present on the opening day so that all students can express their gratitude to the Lu family for their gift of books."
Cao Dejiang never expected the little girl to say this suddenly, and couldn't help but look at her.
Tang Ning placed her hands on her knees, ignoring his gaze, looking exceptionally well-behaved. "My brother and I both have grudges against the Lu family. I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to enter their gate. We have to ask Cao Gong to go on our behalf and inform Secretary Lu to write the plaque for the academy as soon as possible, so as not to miss the auspicious day."
Cao Dejiang: "...You don't still want him to list for you?"
Tang Ning said softly, "Mr. Cao is wise. On the opening day, I want Secretary Lu to join my brother in opening the academy."
Cao Dejiang: “…”
"If possible, let Secretary Lu give a speech to encourage the students to strive for progress and not let down the Lu family's collection of books."
“…”
Cao Dejiang couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth. This little girl probably wanted to piss Lu Chongyuan off to death.
Everyone knows how those books came out of the Lu family. Unfortunately, the Lu family has now broken with Queen Lu and her son, making the efforts they made to cover up the "scandal" for the Fourth Prince a huge joke. Lu Chongyuan must be regretting it so much, and Tang Ning even poked his lungs.
On the other hand, everyone knows that the Lu family was almost destroyed by Xiao Yan, Guan died, the Lu family lost all reputation, and none of the eldest son and grandson had a good ending.
The Lu family hated Xiao Yan to the core. If they asked Lu Chongyuan to join Xiao Yan in the hospital opening and congratulated him with a smile, would Lu Chongyuan vomit blood?
Moreover, although Tang Ning seemed to be humiliating the Lu family, there was actually a deeper meaning behind it.
If he really agreed to let Tang Ning make this trip for her, in the eyes of outsiders, at least in the eyes of the Lu family, it would undoubtedly tell them that he and Xiao Yan were on the same side.
After Lu Chongyuan returned to the court, Xiao Yan's situation was not good. Once Lu Zhao's case was settled, all the methods he had used before to deal with the Lu family became ineffective.
The Lu family has lost their leverage, and Xiao Yan has lost some of the "favor of the emperor". Lu Chongyuan will definitely find an opportunity to retaliate against Xiao Yan. This little girl clearly wants to find "allies" for Xiao Yan, and even help the eunuch build momentum among the poor students.
Cao Dejiang glared at Tang Ning: "Little girl, you are a bit too treacherous."
Tang Ning looked at him softly and weakly: "Mr. Cao also hopes that the academy will be safe."
Cao Dejiang choked. He was hoping for the best for the academy, but he didn't want to hope for the best for Xiao Yan either.
But this girl had just handed him the opportunity to "leave a good reputation for generations to come" and brought a good reputation to the Qingliu faction. Even though he knew what she was plotting, he couldn't refuse.
Seeing the little girl staring at him with her big eyes that clearly showed black and white, Cao Dejiang was a little amused. Why did he think this girl was innocent before? It was obvious that her heart was similar to Xiao Yan's.
"Okay, stop looking. I'll go to the Lu family for you."
"Thank you, Lord Cao."
Tang Ning pulled out two books from his sleeves like a magic trick and handed them to Cao Dejiang: "This is what my grandfather left behind. I think Cao Gong will like it, so I'll keep it with him for now. When the academy opens, Cao Gong can come to the academy for tea and bring it back."
Cao Dejiang's mouth twitched as he looked at the two rare books.
It was stored temporarily and then taken back to the academy. It was obvious that this "thank you gift" was not intended for him. This little girl was too stingy. She wanted the horse to run, but only gave him a piece of grass!
Cao Dejiang waved his sleeves expressionlessly and put away the two rare copies, and quietly took back the tea he had originally intended to pour for Xiao Yan and the others.
It was a waste of his fine tea cake. He should have just served plain water.
…
Tang Ning left immediately after achieving his goal, and Cao Dejiang did not keep them. When they came out of Cao's house, someone happened to come in from the gatehouse. When he saw them, he quickly stepped aside to avoid them.
"Lord Xiao, Lady Yiyang, take care."
Xiao Yan and Tang Ning got on the carriage, and the person who had just stepped aside looked up.
Uncle Xu was looking at the curtain of the carriage, but suddenly he saw a gap in the curtain. The person inside was looking over here, and his eyes were cold and indifferent.
So sharp.
Uncle Xu's heart tightened and he quickly lowered his head.
Inside the carriage, Xiao Yan's eyes fell on the hunched old man in front of the Cao family's gate, and he couldn't help but frown.
That person...
"Brother?"
Tang Ning saw that Xiao Yan looked unhappy and whispered, "What's wrong?"
Xiao Yan shook his head: "Nothing."
He retracted his gaze, let go of the curtain in his hand, and then turned to look at Tang Ning: "Why did you tease Cao Dejiang just now?"
Tang Ning had prepared the two rare copies to give to Cao Dejiang long ago, but he had delayed them before, so the so-called "temporary storage" was just talk.
Tang Ning said seriously, "Mr. Cao is the Imperial Censor. He has so many people watching him. Giving him gifts openly is not good for him."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan just smiled at her, obviously not believing what the little girl said.
Tang Ning was stared at by him for a moment before curling her lips. "Well, I just thought that Lord Cao liked those rare books. Even if it was just for the sake of reading in the academy in the future, he would at least help me. The Qingliu faction is naturally hostile to the aristocratic families. Even if I don't ally with you, I shouldn't just sit on the sidelines and watch the Lu family."
Xiao Yan listened to her angry words and helped her sit down.
"It's not like Cao Dejiang and the others didn't do nothing. The Censorate has recently impeached the Lu family quite a bit, and the Qingliu faction is also holding on to the Guan family and Lu Zhao's affairs. As a result, His Majesty has also been troubled by the memorials from several censors. If it weren't for this, I wouldn't be so relaxed."
Tang Ning was stunned: "They didn't just sit there and do nothing?"
Xiao Yan hummed, "I have no connection with those upright officials, and they have always despised my reputation. It's impossible for them to openly ally with me, or even help me deal with the noble families. It's not easy for Cao Dejiang to achieve this."
Tang Ning felt guilty when he heard this: "Brother, why didn't you tell me earlier? If I had known, I wouldn't have been so angry with the old man just now..."
Xiao Yan chuckled: "It's okay, it was a matter of mutual consent, and Lord Cao is not that stingy."
If he was really angry, he would not have agreed to go to the Lu family.
Seeing Tang Ning mumbling softly, her pink and white face wrinkled into a ball, he took the little girl's hand and intertwined his fingers with hers.
Seeing the little girl looking up at him, he said softly, "Tang Ning, I was very happy at Cao's house just now."
He never concealed his joy, and his palms were burning as his black eyes stared at her.
He liked to see his little girl scheming carefully for him, liked to see her acting like a cat with its claws outstretched to protect her, fierce yet clever and cunning.
She did not just hide under his wings, but stood by him as she had said before, sharing the ups and downs with him.
"The name of the academy sounds nice, and I like it too."
Tang Ning's cheeks were slightly pink, and she rarely flinched away from his smiling eyes. She just put her fingers closer to his.
"I said I would go with my brother."
"Once the academy opens, brother will no longer be alone."
Xiao Yan's heart softened when he heard this, and he turned around and wrapped her soft hand in his palm.
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