Chapter 12 Tang Ning Hates Him
Bang!
Fu Laiqing slapped the hand off his collar: "What are you pretending for?!"
"The mountains are covered in snow, the roads are slippery when it's dark, and wild animals often roam the mountains. When you left Miss Song in the forest, didn't you think she would be in danger?"
"You were so determined to escort your concubine's daughter to the Qian family banquet, fearing that she would suffer any injustice. Did you ever think of sending someone to look for your abandoned sister?"
When the whole place was silent, Fu Laiqing's voice was extremely sarcastic.
"Master Xiao Song's heart is harder than stone."
Song Jinxiu's face suddenly turned pale. How could this happen... He had clearly told Tang Ning to return to Lingyun Temple. He clearly remembered that the place was not far from the temple...
He was afraid that Shulan would be in danger, so he protected her and left, but there were still Xie Yin and Lu Zhinian.
The two of them were so close to Tang Ning, why didn't they leave any followers or guards?
Fu Laiqing looked at him with disdain, snorted coldly, and turned away.
The people who had originally stopped around also had different expressions.
The incident with the Qian family happened in the morning, and after half a day, everyone knows everything they need to know.
In the past, the eldest son of the Song family was always well-mannered and well-behaved. No matter what he did, he was always meticulous and impeccable. The reputation of the Duke of Song's Mansion was excellent. But who would have thought that Song Jinxiu could be so cruel to his own sister, and that the Song family treated a concubine's daughter like a treasure...
Many people shook their heads. Although they didn't say anything, their gazes were like needles, making Song Jinxiu unable to stay for a moment.
Song Jinxiu left in a hurry, and the crowd dispersed, talking to each other. The Duke of Song's Mansion became the most lively source in the capital today.
When Song Jinxiu returned to the Duke's Mansion with a grim expression, Old Madam Song and Song Hong were already waiting in the front hall. Song Shulan was kneeling on the ground, her figure frail, with mud stains on her plain long skirt.
"Father, what are you doing?" Song Jinxiu strode in and reached out to help Song Shulan. "Why are you kneeling? The ground is cold. Get up first."
"Brother..."
Song Shulan's lips were pale and she looked like she was about to cry when she looked up.
Old Madam Song sat on the chair with a serious look in her eyes: "Tell her to kneel down!"
"grandmother!"
Song Jinxiu frowned in disapproval, "Tang Ning's matter has nothing to do with Shu Lan..."
"If it's not her fault, then who else could it be? If she hadn't instigated it, would you be so confused?"
Madam Song was immediately furious. Her son was a wealthy man who had always cultivated himself and never made mistakes. Everyone in the capital praised him for his good temper, but he had to deal with what happened yesterday and was ridiculed and mocked.
"Song Shulan is a concubine who is not worthy of being on the stage. You pity her background and want to praise her. I won't stop you, but have your grandmother and I ever told you not to go too far?"
"Your father was already giving her face by letting her be a concubine. Finding a good family to marry her off to would be a sign of our Song family's kindness. But you, on the other hand, actually let her step on Tang Ning's head!"
Song Shulan's body trembled slightly when she was scolded, and tears rolled down her face.
Song Jinxiu couldn't bear it: "Mother, Shulan never wanted to step on anyone. It was Tangning who was narrow-minded and made things difficult for Shulan. That's why I couldn't help but scold Tangning."
"What happened in the mountain yesterday was my fault. It was my inconsiderateness that made Tang Ning angry. I will explain it to her when she comes back..."
"Explain? Did you know that Song Tangning went to Prince Cheng's Mansion?"
Song Jinxiu was stunned.
Song Hong, who was standing nearby, spoke in a deep voice, "Today at the Qian family, Xiao Yan personally escorted Tang Ning there. What you, Xie Yin, and the other two did at Lingyun Temple yesterday is now known to everyone."
"Princess Cheng was furious and beat Xie Yin in public. Tang Ning also exposed Shu Lan's identity. Afterwards, Princess Cheng took Tang Ning directly back to the palace."
Song Jinxiu didn't expect Tang Ning to be involved with Governor Xiao, and he didn't expect that she didn't return home.
He thought Tang Ning had returned.
Song Hong seemed to see through his thoughts and said calmly:
"Tang Ning fell off a cliff yesterday because her horse was startled. If Xiao Yan hadn't happened to pass by, she would have been dead by now. But even if she survived, she would have been seriously injured."
"Everyone who attended the banquet at the Qian family today witnessed Tang Ning being carried into the Qian family by Xiao Yan's men. Not a single part of his body was intact."
Song Jinxiu's face turned pale.
He thought that Fu Laiqing had deliberately spoken to provoke him in the palace and that he was exaggerating.
It was just a short while in the mountains, how could Tang Ning be injured so badly?
"Do you know what people are saying outside now?"
Old Madam Song's expression was cold. "Those people said that you were cruel and vicious and harmed your own sister. Our Song family is despicable and shameless, bullying the orphan of the second branch who lost his parents."
"Tang Ning is the only blood of your uncle and aunt. If she really died in the mountains yesterday, the gossips of those people outside would have broken your spine."
The color drained from Song Jinxiu's face.
Old Madam Song said, "I originally thought that with Princess Cheng's personality, she would definitely come to our house about Tang Ning's matter. Even if she beat you up like she did to Prince Xie, or took her anger out on Song Shulan and upended the roof of our Song family, it would at least mean that the matter could still be negotiated. At worst, I, an old bone, could come forward to plead for you, and she and Tang Ning would always let the matter go for my sake."
"But from this morning until now, since Tang Ning entered Prince Cheng's mansion, no one has come to the Song family, let alone question us. Do you know what this means?"
Old Madam Song’s words made Song Jinxiu’s mind go blank.
How could he not understand what Old Madam Song meant?
If Princess Cheng came to make trouble, it meant that Tang Ning felt wronged and cried to her about what the Song family had done. Only then would Princess Cheng stand up for her, vent her anger, and come to her house to seek justice for her.
But Princess Cheng didn't come, which meant that Tang Ning didn't want to mention the Song family at all.
Tang Ning hated him.
Old Madam Song said, "If Tang Ning wanted to come back, Princess Cheng wouldn't have said nothing. She has been turned cold by you and is fed up with the Song family."
"As long as she stays in Prince Cheng's mansion, you and the Song family will be blamed. As long as her injuries haven't healed, everyone will only remember how the Song family bullied her and how you, the eldest brother, abandoned her."
"After your grandfather passed away, your father should have inherited the title of Duke, but His Majesty has been keeping this matter under wraps, suppressing your father's inheritance. You finally entered the court, and your future seemed promising. You would surely surpass your father in the future. However, today's incident has become a big deal, ruining your reputation as an official and bringing disrepute to the Song family."
"Your father can forget about inheriting the title. How will you be able to gain a foothold in the court in the future?"
Song Jinxiu's face turned pale: "Grandma..."
He had never thought about these things before, nor had he ever thought that Tang Ning would hate him.
He just didn't want her to be so domineering, and he just felt that she was not as sensible and well-behaved as before.
She was so intolerant of Shulan, making things difficult for her and being aggressive towards her. If this were to get out, people would just laugh at her for being uncultured.
As the eldest brother, he just wanted the sisters to get along and wanted to teach Tang Ning a lesson, but he never thought of hurting her, let alone causing her to almost lose her life...
"I'm going to Prince Cheng's Mansion to apologize to Tang Ning and pick her up."
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