Chapter 238 It’s all my brother’s fault
The bright moon was hanging high in the sky. Tang Ning led Hua Wu back to the backyard with a blushing face. After walking in the night breeze for a while, the heat on her face gradually dissipated.
She patted her cheek lightly and asked Hua Wu beside her, "Auntie, are you okay today? Can you have dinner tonight?"
Hua Wu whispered, "Patriarch Gu has taken the princess out of the house."
Tang Ning was stunned: "When did it happen?"
Hua Wu said, "Just as it was getting dark, the girl went to the Governor's Mansion. The Gu family master brought food to the princess, but when he saw that she refused to eat or drink, he drove all the servants out of the room. Then, I don't know what he said to the princess, but she started crying. Then the Gu family master ordered someone to carry the princess out of the mansion in a sedan chair."
"Why didn't anyone tell me? Is anyone going with my aunt?" Tang Ning turned her head and asked.
Hua Wu said, "It was the princess who forbade me to tell the young lady, and she also forbade anyone to follow her when she went out. However, when Patriarch Gu went out, he took Mu Feng and the others with him."
"Master Gu also said that he would send the princess back later and also send Doctor Sun back home, so the girl doesn't have to worry."
Tang Ning felt a little relieved after hearing this. Gu Helian would not harm her aunt, and since she was just sending Doctor Sun back home "on the way", her aunt's body would probably be able to withstand it.
She had originally planned to go see Princess Cheng, but when she knew that she had been taken out of the mansion by Gu Helian, she turned around and walked towards her own yard.
"Did Doctor Sun give me the medical fee when he left?" Tang Ning asked.
Hua Wu nodded and said, "I gave it to you. Doctor Sun was very happy after seeing it."
Tang Ning laughed when he heard this: "Of course he is happy."
Those silver coins are nothing to worry about. Doctor Sun comes from a wealthy family and has no shortage of money for his medical consultations. Anyone can give those valuable things, but the three medical books compiled by Madam Qin cannot be obtained no matter how much silver they are.
Moreover, in the past few days, whenever Madam Qin came over, he would ask about medical matters and Madam Qin would never be stingy, and would teach him all she knew about acupuncture and Chinese medicine.
Imperial Physician Sun was initially forced to stay in the mansion unwillingly, but later he wished he could never leave. Even when Princess Cheng no longer needed the imperial physician's constant care, he still did not mention leaving.
During the day, he went to the Imperial Medical Bureau to be on duty as usual, and went straight to Jiyun Lane after his shift. Every time he saw her, he smiled as if he had picked up a gold ingot. If you didn't know him, you would think he was the boss here.
The master and servant were talking about interesting stories about Doctor Sun. When they returned to the courtyard, they saw Song Ru sitting in the room reading a book.
"Sister." Seeing Tang Ning coming back, Song Ru immediately smiled.
"Why are you still reading so late?"
Tang Ning had just said that when the word "read" suddenly brought back memories of Xiao Yan's teasing of her earlier. The heat that had already subsided came back to her again, making her feel quite uncomfortable and she spat softly, secretly cursing her brother for being so dishonest.
Looking up at Song Ru's puzzled expression, Tang Ning coughed and cleared his throat: "If you want to read, ask someone to turn on the light. Be careful not to hurt your eyes."
Song Ru said obediently: "I didn't look at it for long. I wanted to review what my sister taught me before, so that I won't forget it after not reviewing it for a long time."
Tang Ning naturally wouldn't stop her from moving forward. He just sat beside her and said, "Is there anything you don't understand?"
"have."
The little girl quickly put the book aside and pointed to a page, saying, "Sister, I turned to this page and saw that it says a gentleman should always reflect on himself with nine thoughts and understand himself three times. What nine thoughts are they referring to?"
Tang Ning leaned over, saw where she was pointing, and softly explained to her: "A gentleman has nine thoughts: seeing with clarity, hearing with intelligence, looking with warmth, looking with respect, speaking with loyalty, doing things with respect, asking questions when in doubt, resolving problems when angry, and thinking of righteousness when seeing gains. In simple terms, they are gentleness, courtesy, frugality, modesty, loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, righteousness, and propriety."
Song Ru took careful note and whispered, "What about this?"
"This sentence comes from Mencius's Li Lou's wisdom and Gongshu Zi's ingenuity. Without rules, there can be no square or circle..."
After she finished explaining in a low voice, she realized that the book was a bit strange. She took it and looked at it, then burst out laughing: "Have you finished reading the books I gave you before? You're reading the diary first?"
Song Ru had never received any enlightenment since childhood. She started learning to read after moving to Tang Mansion. She was extremely intelligent and learned to read quickly. She could learn as much as others would take one or two years in just a short period of time. But even so, it was not yet time for her to read these letters.
Those notes were part of the "collection of books" brought back from the Lu family. They contained the insights left by some sages after reading and "enlightenment". For example, the first half of this note almost discusses the similarities and differences between the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, while the second half extends it to the people's livelihood, the court, and the way of governing the country.
Tang Ning would read it when he had nothing to do these days and found it quite helpful, but it was obviously not suitable for Song Ru at the moment.
Song Ru was a little embarrassed: "I have already read all the books that my sister gave me. I saw this book on the table, so I took it and read it."
Tang Ning closed the notebook and put it aside: "Don't rush to read this one. I'll get you a few other books tomorrow."
Song Ru nodded: "Okay."
After the two sisters had agreed, Tang Ning gestured for Song Ru to get up from the small table. She followed her to the couch and sat down before saying, "Did you know about my visit to the Song family?"
Song Ru said "hmm": "Sister Nianxia told me."
Tang Ning hadn't told her that Song Tan hadn't included her in the family tree. She simply said, "I've removed your name from the Song family tree. From now on, you're no longer a daughter of the Song family. You said before that you wanted to take your mother's surname. Do you still think so now? Have you changed your mind?"
Song Ru quickly said, "No, I want the last name Xue."
Tang Ning looked at her seriously: "You have to think it over clearly. I originally planned to let you take the surname Rong, which will be good for your future..."
"I know, sister is thinking about me."
Song Ru smiled softly. "I betrayed my biological father earlier, which allowed me to break away from the Song family. I asked Governor Xiao to use this as an excuse to protect me. Many people have already said that I am cruel. Now that I have lost my clan, I will definitely be slandered and ridiculed. I know that you want to use the Rong family name to protect me, but sister, I don't care about that."
"Aru..."
"Sister, listen to me first."
Song Ru held Tang Ning's hand. Her wrist was very thin and her fingertips were not round at all, but her smile was full of vitality, and her big black and white eyes were particularly serious.
"I never thought I would have such a good life now, nor did I think I would be able to leave the Song family one day. I am very content with what I have now."
"I can't be a daughter of a noble family, nor do I want to climb up the social ladder. Even if we ever get married, I hope to meet someone who doesn't mind my background and who likes me because I'm Xue Ru, not because I changed my surname to Rong."
When she showed her little fangs, her thin little face showed a maturity that was inconsistent with her age.
"My sister asked me to take the surname Rong because she was afraid I would be wronged in the future. But if someone would wrong me just because my surname is not Rong, why would I want to wrong myself and be with him?"
"I have a sister. Even if my last name isn't Rong, she won't let anyone bully me, right?"
Tang Ning was stunned by her words. After a moment, a smile spread in her eyes. She reached out and pinched Song Ru's face: "Sister will naturally protect you."
Seeing the little girl grinning and showing her dimples, she laughed softly.
"Since you've made up your mind, from now on you'll be called Xue Ru."
Song Ru... No, it should be Xue Ru. The little girl with a new name smiled particularly brightly. She rubbed Tang Ning's shoulder and said, "Thank you, sister."
Tang Ning stroked her hair and said, "In a few days, I'll go to Jingzhao Prefecture to change your registration."
Xue Ru nodded: "Okay."
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