Chapter 41 If You Lie to Me, I Don’t Want You
"The princess is back?"
When Princess Cheng returned to the palace, she happened to run into Song Hong who had just left. Prince Cheng heard the sound of servants greeting outside the door, and when he looked up and saw Princess Cheng, his heart skipped a beat.
When did she come back?
Princess Cheng brought Nanny Jiang in and asked, "Are there any guests in the mansion?"
"Why, did you meet?"
Prince Cheng stood up and walked over to help Princess Cheng back to the house. He did not hide anything in his words, but instead took the initiative to mention Song Hong.
"They're not from the Song family. Song Hong came to bother me, saying that Tang Ning had Xiao Yan break the old lady's hand. He also stopped the doctors from the Imperial Medical Bureau and the pharmacies in the capital from coming to see her. He said the old lady was seriously injured and begged me to go to the Imperial Medical Bureau on his behalf."
"How could I agree to this? He kept pestering me, and I had a hard time getting rid of him. You ran into him, and did he give you any trouble?"
Princess Cheng looked at King Cheng who was looking at her with worry, and felt a chill in her heart.
She just asked casually and didn't even mention Song Hong, but Prince Cheng took the initiative to explain. If she didn't know why Song Hong came to the palace, she would probably be extremely pleased with Prince Cheng's honesty and believe what he said without a doubt.
Princess Cheng suppressed the urge to yell and feigned anger, "How dare he come to you? That old woman from the Song family beat Tang Ning so badly that her face was nearly disfigured. She's still unconscious, and I haven't settled the score with them yet. How dare he bother to mess with you?"
"I just saw the carriage leave but didn't see anyone. I didn't expect it to be those bastards from the Song family. I'm not done with them..."
Princess Cheng turned around angrily and tried to leave, but was quickly stopped by Prince Cheng.
She turned her head and slapped Prince Cheng on the arm: "You're stopping me? You're not siding with those bastards from the Song family?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Why would I side with them? They've already walked away. Are you going to chase them and start a fight on the street?"
Prince Cheng helplessly pulled Princess Cheng aside and said, "You are so impatient and always get angry easily. Tang Ning is your most beloved child. How can I bear to see her suffer? When Song Hong came to me, I rejected him outright. Otherwise, how could he have argued with me for so long?"
"What if he refuses? You should slap him hard!"
"Niang Yue..." Prince Cheng was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. "He's the Minister of the Central Secretariat, not an ordinary citizen. Besides, the one injured in the Song family is Tang Ning's elder."
"Right now, Madam Song has lost her hand and is unconscious with a high fever. If she doesn't recover any longer, she might even die. If I continue to make things worse, what will others say about me? And Tang Ning, people outside will also say she is cruel and heartless."
He was still as handsome as ever in his middle age, and with deep helplessness in his heart, he held Princess Cheng's hand and spoke softly.
"Don't you know how I treat you? How can I be tolerant towards outsiders?"
Princess Cheng looked up at him and saw that he was sincere and affectionate. Both his face and his eyes showed the deep affection that she was familiar with, but her heart was falling.
He is still lying to her!
Princess Cheng's eyes were red. "I know you're on my side, but the Song family is too bullying. You don't know how badly Tang Ning was beaten. That old hag was trying to disfigure her. I grew up with my elder sister, and she only has this one daughter. If anything happens to her, how can I face her?"
"I know you have a good relationship with your sister, so you should love Tang Ning. I love her too. Stop crying."
Prince Cheng held Princess Cheng in his arms and coaxed her gently.
Princess Cheng leaned on his shoulder and asked, "Your Highness, has the person you sent to Anzhou returned with the news? Have you found out what happened to Song Shulan?"
Prince Cheng paused and continued to stroke her back gently. "How can it be so fast? Anzhou is several days' journey from the capital. Once we get there, we still have to find a way to investigate. With all these things going on, even if we rush, it will take more than half a month to go back and forth. But I think you are probably overthinking this."
"The Song family isn't crazy. How could they use a woman of unknown origin to confuse the Duke's bloodline? Besides, that concubine's daughter looks a bit like a member of the Song family."
"Tang Ning is angry with the Song family and has wild imaginations, and you let her do whatever she wants. Although I promised to have someone investigate, this matter cannot be made public. Otherwise, if nothing is found, if outsiders know that Tang Ning is interfering in the affairs of the elders in the mansion, they might even talk about her."
Princess Cheng's palms were cold, her heart sank to the bottom, and even the last bit of hope was gone.
Noticing the silence of the person in his arms, Prince Cheng said softly, "What's wrong? Are you unhappy?"
He kissed Princess Cheng on the forehead.
"I'm not blaming you, but Tang Ning is a daughter of the Song family after all. If she gets too upset with them, she'll be the one who suffers. Although you and I can protect her, we're not her parents after all."
"I will urge them to investigate the matter in Anzhou as quickly as possible, but shouldn't you also pay more attention to the mansion? Yin'er has been depressed these past few days, always saying that you care more about Tang Ning than your own son, and that even I, your husband, am not as good as her."
"Yue Niang, you are partial to me too."
The sweet words of the past have become particularly hurtful.
Every seemingly heartfelt word made Princess Cheng's heart tighten, and she felt a little breathless as she grabbed her sleeves tightly.
She pretended to be embarrassed and pushed away King Cheng who wanted to get closer.
"You're an adult, yet you're still jealous of a child."
Princess Cheng stood up and stepped back, saying, "Anyway, I'm telling you, if the Song family dares to bully Tang Ning, I'll never let them go. If you dare to help them, I won't want you anymore."
"Is Yue Niang so cruel?"
"I'm serious." Princess Cheng looked serious, "You know my temper."
"Yes, yes, my wife Yue hates evil and cannot tolerate any grain of sand in her eyes. Your husband will remember this."
Princess Cheng saw that his eyes were full of helplessness and indulgence, and his face also had the doting and gentleness that once made her happy, but he still didn't tell her a word of truth. There was no guilt or remorse in his smiling and sweet words, and he didn't hesitate to lie. It made her feel cold and a chill spread down her back.
The man who had been by her side, the man she had married and lived with for nearly twenty years, the man who had given birth to her children, she had never noticed that he had this face.
He was not the sincere and frank man she knew, nor was he the man she knew who never hid anything from her. He acted so realistically, and when he lied to her, he was sincere and heartfelt.
He seemed to have been very skilled in deceiving her a thousand times, which made her even begin to doubt how much of their deep love was real.
After coming out of the study, Princess Cheng returned to her residence with a forced smile.
As soon as the door closed, she swayed and her face turned as pale as paper.
"princess!"
Nanny Jiang quickly supported her and saw that her eyes were red, with tears that she had been suppressing for a long time floating in her eyes.
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