As she laughed, Tang Ning's gaze suddenly fell on He Lanruo's hair, and she reached out to her with amusement.
He Lanruo watched in bewilderment as Tang Ning's hand drew closer and closer to him, a unique, warm fragrance wafting from her sleeve towards his nose.
For no apparent reason, the man in white felt a slight itch in his throat. He wanted to cough lightly to clear his throat, but he didn't dare to cough at all. He was worried that if he coughed for no reason, Tang Ning would immediately pull her hand back in fright.
So, Helan Ruo could only suppress the urge to cough while watching Tang Ning's hand gently fall into his hair. After a slight movement, he saw Tang Ning smilingly extend her palm in front of him, "So, so careless! You have several leaves stuck in your hair..."
Upon seeing the two green and yellow leaves lying in Tang Ning's palm, He Lanruo was momentarily surprised, but then chuckled.
"I was too quick to dodge and didn't notice. I must have accidentally gotten some on me. Thank you."
"No, you're welcome... Achoo!"
Before Tang Ning could finish speaking, her nose itched, and she couldn't help but sneeze.
He Lanruo, who had been smiling, saw that she was sneezing and dared not let her stand in the wind any longer. She immediately said goodbye and prepared to return the way she came. Anyway, she had already asked clearly that Tang Ning had no intention of breaking off the engagement. It was all her mother's fabrication.
It really is...
Heaven knows how his mother, who is over thirty, can still be so playful all the time. I heard that she wasn't like this when she first married into the Duke's mansion; she seemed gentle, steady, and very cautious in her words and actions. After all, the late emperor's harem was later controlled by that concubine, and apart from her own son, the children of the other concubines didn't have good lives, and his mother was no exception.
Who could have predicted that after marrying into the Duke's mansion and his father, perhaps because her father spoiled her too much, her personality became more and more like a child's. She could still pretend to be proper in front of outsiders, but when she was in front of him and her father, she was really...
Thinking of this, Helan Ruo chuckled to herself and took the initiative to say goodbye to Tang Ning, telling her to rest early, take good care of herself, and not get sick again, as it would make her feel unwell.
Having just said those words, Helan Ruo hadn't even turned around when, as if suddenly remembering something, she looked straight at Tang Ning.
"Oh, right..."
"Hmm? Is there anything else?"
Tang Ning tugged at her rabbit fur cloak.
"Nothing else, it's just that you fell into the water at the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet, and the matter between Qin Qianqian and Wei Jing. I've spent a few days investigating and have almost finished everything..."
At this point, He Lanruo paused slightly.
Hearing him say that, Tang Ning unconsciously loosened her grip on the cloak.
"Do you want to know?"
Seeing her slightly dazed expression, Helan Ruo asked hesitantly.
Hearing this, Tang Ning looked up at the man in front of her, who was frowning and whose eyes were filled with worry, and pursed her lips slightly, "Mm."
A soft "hmm" escaped her nose.
"So……"
Since Tang Ning chose to know, He Lanruo had no intention of hiding anything and directly told the story behind the two incidents that she had investigated.
Who orchestrated her falling into the water? The fact that Qin Qianqian and Wei Jing were caught in bed together must have been a scheme by someone else. That person was probably originally after him, but unexpectedly brought Qin Qianqian and Wei Jing together.
"Regarding your falling into the water, based on the statements from the investigation, I can only roughly guess that it was the maid named Lüyi, who served Qin Qianqian, who contacted the maids in the Princess's residence. Including that poor scholar who appeared later, it was also Lüyi who made the contact. It's just a pity that as soon as you fell into the water, Qiuling from the Princess's residence immediately left the residence, and my people haven't been able to find her yet. So for the time being, we don't know whose side Qiuling is on."
At this point, Helan Ruo hesitated for a moment, but still voiced her speculation, "Qin Qianqian is just a young lady from a respectable family. She shouldn't have the power to extend her reach into the Princess's residence. In addition, considering what we overheard Qin Qianqian saying behind the rockery that day, I'm more inclined to believe that this person might be..."
"Are you working for Wei Jing?"
Tang Ning, whose face suddenly turned pale, automatically finished He Lanruo's sentence.
"Tang Ning..."
He Lanruo's brows furrowed even more noticeably.
He wasn't trying to speak ill of Wei Jing behind Tang Ning's back, but if this person was indeed Wei Jing, who had just returned to the capital from the military camp, and was indignant because of the change of his fiancée and his dissatisfaction with Tang Ning, and knew that his mother held a chrysanthemum appreciation banquet at that time every year, and had bribed Qiu Ling in advance in order to frame Tang Ning later, then Wei Jing was truly unacceptable.
Rather than letting Tang Ning continue to think about him, it's better to help her remove this rotten flesh as soon as possible.
As the saying goes, a short pain is worse than a long one, isn't it?
Moreover, what he found out matched what Qin Qianqian had said that day. Wei Jing, who had just returned to the capital, had changed his marriage partner and started talking recklessly in front of Qin Qianqian, even telling her that he had already bribed the person.
Unexpectedly, he didn't make a move because he was attracted to Tang Ning, but Qin Qianqian took full advantage of him.
Based on what he found, this was the only way he could deduce it.
He didn't suspect that the maid Qiuling was someone's spy. After all, he had investigated her and found that she had been working as a servant in the Princess's mansion for a long time. He heard that she was only nine years old at that time. It couldn't be that she was already someone's spy at that time, could it?
Thinking of this, Helan Ruo's eyes darkened slightly.
If Qiu Ling had already belonged to someone else by then, he could only say... the person behind her had grand ambitions.
Just as Helan Ruo was getting deeper into her thoughts, Tang Ning slowly raised her still somewhat pale face and said, "Yes, I understand. Thank you for telling me these things."
Seeing Tang Ning's expression, He Lanruo tried to ignore the pang of pain in her heart and gave her a reassuring smile. "That's only right. Also, since you're going to marry me, I should tell you about the situation in our Duke's mansion. Just like you heard, at my mother's chrysanthemum appreciation banquet, my good second uncle dared to lay a hand on me. I'm sure there will be more trouble in the future. You don't need to pay attention to them then. Those people will only resort to these underhanded tricks because the old lady is still around."
"Once you're in the Duke's mansion, you won't have to deal with those people at all. If you're not happy living there, I'll bring you to the Princess's mansion. If that doesn't work, I can accompany you back to the General's mansion. Is that alright?"
Upon hearing Helan Ruo's accommodating words, Tang Ning looked at him in surprise, then slowly, slowly revealed a gentle smile and nodded slightly.
"good."
It's good that you laughed.
He Lanruo breathed a sigh of relief, then seemed to remember something. Her eyes flickered, and she spoke to Tang Ning again, "By the way, when I ordered people to investigate those events earlier, my men discovered that another group of people were also investigating them. They were Wei Jing's men."
Before Tang Ning could say anything, she saw He Lanruo frown with some difficulty. "It's just that their investigation seems to be... it seems to be targeting me. Although I don't know what kind of misconception I gave Wei Jing that made him think that I was behind your falling into the water and his affair with Qin Qianqian, maybe... maybe I misunderstood."
"I'm telling you this now not for any other reason than because I'm worried that if Wei Jing really produces some unfounded evidence to prove that I did those things, you'll misunderstand, and that won't be good."
Helan, tea and tea aroma, said Ruo Ru.
That's really amazing!
Tang Ning, who always spoke to others like this, was hearing a man use such tactics on her for the first time.
She had to admit that it was indeed a very novel experience.
You didn't mean anything else, but you did.
It means they want to smear Wei Jing's reputation.
This kind of tactic is utterly inferior to that of the straight-laced, masculine Wei Jing, isn't it?
If Helan Ruo is so capable, how come she couldn't handle Ji Muqing?
Oh, I forgot, his former opponent was mentally unstable.
As the saying goes, even a novice can defeat a master with a flurry of punches. And since the other party is the ruler of a country, no matter how great his methods are, he will find it difficult to use them effectively.
Tsk.
Thinking this to herself, Tang Ning briefly closed her eyes, then opened them again, a smile spreading across her face. "Yes, I understand. I won't misunderstand. I believe you."
She looked at Helan Ruo with exceptional sincerity in her eyes.
Seeing her like this, Helan Ruo was stunned for a moment, then she also raised the corners of her mouth. After telling Tang Ning to rest early and not to catch a cold, she took two steps back and quickly disappeared into the night.
Helan Ruo did not appear again in the following days.
But he didn't show up. Instead, Tang Ning noticed that Wei Jing had suddenly started coming to the General's Mansion more frequently.
To avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings, Tang Ning would immediately lead her maids to make way for him from a distance as soon as she saw him. Even when Wei Jing looked like he had something to say to her, she did not approach him to chat.
Unfortunately, the other party was determined to ambush her, and Tang Ning couldn't escape it even if she wanted to.
On this day, Tang Ning was sitting on the corridor of the General's Mansion Garden, breaking off pieces of pastry and feeding the koi in the pond below. Because she had left in such a hurry, she forgot to take her cloak. Chun Tan had things to do, so she only had Chun Mian, a maid, with her. Seeing that the early winter wind was biting and cold and that Tang Ning was not dressed warmly, Chun Mian was worried that her young mistress would catch a cold, so she immediately wanted to persuade her to go back together.
Meanwhile, Tang Ning, who was enjoying feeding the fish, didn't want to leave for the time being. So, Chun Mian had no choice but to hurry back to Lanqin Courtyard to get Tang Ning a hand warmer and a cloak.
"Tang Ning".
Just as Chunmian left, Tang Ning, who was still breaking open her snack, suddenly heard a long-lost yet familiar voice behind her.
Upon hearing such a sound, Tang Ning paused in her hand as she broke off a pastry. She stared blankly at the koi carp below, which were crowding together to grab food. She didn't know how much time had passed before she slowly withdrew her hand and turned her head away.
Sure enough, she saw Wei Jing, dressed in a blue-black robe, standing at the bottom of the steps on one side, looking intently at her.
With just one glance, Tang Ning immediately threw all the pastries she had broken into tiny pieces into the pond, ignoring the raging carp below, and got up to walk to the other side.
Upon noticing Tang Ning's actions, Wei Jing could no longer stand still and caught up with her in a few steps, blocking her way.
"Now, is there really nothing left for us to say, Ningning...?"
Hearing this, Tang Ning suddenly chuckled softly, then took a breath and looked directly into Wei Jing's eyes, "What do you want to say?"
Seeing the obvious aloofness and indifference on Tang Ning's face, Wei Jing clenched his fists, feeling somewhat bewildered. How could things have turned out this way between him and Tang Ning? Clearly... clearly Tang Ning's gaze towards him wasn't like this before. Before, when she looked at him, her eyes sparkled, as if they were filled with dappled sunlight, as if he were her whole world, the only existence she could see in this world.
Ever since he returned to the capital and met Tang Ning at the General's Mansion, her gaze has never changed.
Until now.
Wait, it has never changed.
So that means that ever since the two reunited at the General's Mansion, Tang Ning had already...
Could it be that she had already developed feelings for him after he saved her in Xihe County?
Thinking of this, Wei Jing felt as if his heart had been pricked by needles, a fine, persistent pain.
Seeing that Wei Jing was just looking at her and didn't seem inclined to speak, Tang Ning glanced at the completely exposed corridor and frowned slightly. "If you don't have anything to say to me, I'll be leaving now."
As she spoke, Tang Ning took a step forward without hesitation, but the next second her wrist was grabbed.
The moment she felt the pressure on her wrist, Tang Ning immediately lowered her head and looked directly at Wei Jing's hand that was holding her wrist.
Noticing Tang Ning's gaze, Wei Jing, whose mouth tasted bitter, slowly released his hand.
As soon as he let go, seeing that Tang Ning was about to leave again, he took a deep breath. "Tang Ning, don't you want to know the truth about why you fell into the water, or even the reason behind what happened to Qianqian and me back then?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Ning, who had only taken two steps, slowly stopped.
"It is... Helan Ruo."
As expected, Wei Jing, just as He Lanruo had predicted, poured all the blame onto him.
Young man, how can your naive tricks compare to the fragrant green tea of Helan Ruo?
What's more, they even dared to raid the general's mansion at night to play puppet shows for her, and even used a falsetto to dub the dolls.
You don't know until you compare. Once you compare, you're incredibly weak, aren't you?
Tang Ning, who was standing with her back to He Lanruo, closed her eyes.
“These past few days, I’ve had my men investigate everything thoroughly. It was all Helan Ruo’s doing behind the scenes. He deliberately sent someone to push you into the water, and he also set a trap for me and Qianqian. Although I don’t know how you two met, I’m certain that Helan Ruo has been in love with you for a long time. All of this was just to break us up so he could take advantage of the situation and get you engaged to him. And now, he’s succeeded.”
Wei Jing didn't care whether the flawed evidence he found was true or false; all he knew was that he didn't want Tang Ning to marry He Lanruo, and that she was in such a hurry to marry him.
Even if Helan Ruo didn't do it, he is definitely not as gentle and harmless as he appears.
He could sense that although Helan Ruo looked different from him, appearing nonchalant and indifferent to everything, she was actually just like him at heart, equally prone to overthinking and stubbornly refusing to give up until she hit a wall.
Anyone of a certain age in the capital knows that he had a very close relationship with Consort Chen, the granddaughter of Prime Minister Ji, and they had even reached the point of discussing marriage.
It wasn't until later, after Ji Muqing entered the palace, that their affair gradually faded away.
He knew he wasn't a good match, but that didn't mean Helan Ruo was Tang Ning's perfect match.
Tang Ning is a good girl, a girl who couldn't be better.
He had already hurt her badly once, and he didn't want her to be hurt again because of Helan Ruo.
Although Ji Muqing is now the Consort Chen, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, he should never leave the palace again, what if there is an exception? With Helan Ruo having the same stubborn nature as him, will he still be able to see his wife Tang Ning standing right beside him?
Just assume he's slandering us, just assume he's jealous, just assume he's afraid.
May I?
Wei Jing thought to himself sadly.
Fortunately, Tang Ning was unaware of Wei Jing's inner thoughts, otherwise she would have immediately clapped and exclaimed that even scumbags could have a telepathic connection!
So why didn't Wei Jing tell the original owner that He Lan Ruo was most likely a trap?
Oh, well, he had Qin Qianqian back then, and he couldn't see anyone else. Why would he bother with a fiancée he had finally managed to get rid of?
Oh.
"Really? I see..."
Tang Ning's voice was somewhat ethereal as she asked the question.
After saying that, she slowly turned around.
Before Wei Jing could even show a look of surprise, he saw Tang Ning look up and stare directly into his eyes. "I don't care who caused my drowning anymore. I only have one question for you..."
Upon hearing Tang Ning's words, Wei Jing suddenly felt a bad premonition.
Then he looked at Tang Ning and asked, word by word, "When you first returned to the capital and learned that I had become your fiancée, did you... did you ever have the thought of ruining my reputation? Hmm?"
As she asked this question, Tang Ning's eyes reddened slightly.
Not only her, but even the original owner of this body was eager to know what would happen after she saw the young general who had once descended from the heavens like a god to save her, after she was filled with love for him and grateful to the heavens for their favor, and after she shyly and excitedly accepted Wei Jing's various advances towards her.
Did Wei Jing feel nothing but disgust and dislike for her, and even wish he could personally ruin her reputation to get rid of her completely?
Is that really the case?
As soon as Tang Ning finished asking her question, Wei Jing's face immediately lost all color. He stared into Tang Ning's eyes without blinking, his lips moved several times, but he couldn't utter a single word.
With that expression, how could Tang Ning not understand?
It turns out that what Qin Qianqian said was true. No wonder she was so fearless!
So the story isn't entirely true after all. It's not like Wei Jing did what he did after hearing about Qin Qianqian's marriage proposal. In reality, he had already harbored the intention to destroy Tang Ning the moment he learned of her existence.
Thinking about it this way, the original owner really shouldn't have gone to the capital to find any parents!
After all, even marrying a county magistrate who could be her grandfather as a second wife would be better than losing her life so tragically.
Tang Ning sighed inwardly, but couldn't help but chuckle softly on the surface.
Those two laughs felt like a sudden axe blow to Wei Jing's heart, leaving a gaping hole, with a cold wind rushing in.
It was both cold and painful.
"I think I understand. I wish you and Qianqian a long and happy life together."
Tang Ning forced a smile and said this.
Before she could turn around after saying that, she heard Wei Jing call out to her in a hoarse voice.
"Tang Ning... I know that no matter what I say now, you probably won't believe me... This."
With trembling hands, he pulled a brocade box from his robes and handed it to Tang Ning. He opened it, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace. "A wedding gift…you wouldn't refuse, would you? Even though we're no longer engaged, we're still friends, right? Here you go…"
Upon hearing this, Tang Ning looked down at the emerald bracelet inside the brocade box.
this……
Before she could say anything, she suddenly caught a glimpse of someone standing behind Wei Jing out of the corner of her eye.
Seeing this, she smiled and said, "No need. I think someone would be more suitable for such a precious gift than me."
As soon as she finished speaking, Tang Ning turned to leave, but unexpectedly, the person behind her grabbed her sleeve. Tang Ning tried to pull it but couldn't budge it, so she took a deep breath.
"I'm already engaged to someone else. Please, I'm begging you, spare my life. Don't bother me anymore, don't come to the General's Mansion to talk to me about these trivial things, and don't... do anything you shouldn't do."
After speaking, Tang Ning forcefully pulled up her sleeve.
Wei Jing watched as Tang Ning's taut sleeve was pulled, and watched as his fingers turned white from straining so hard that he still couldn't stop the fabric from being slowly pulled away from his hands until it was completely gone.
Once she pulled out her sleeve, Tang Ning walked forward without looking back.
Wei Jing stared blankly as the other person's figure completely disappeared around the corner, not even knowing what he was thinking for a moment.
"Ah Jing!"
Even when Qin Qianqian finally couldn't help but call out to him, he showed no intention of turning around.
Seeing this, Qin Qianqian, who had been watching from the sidelines for a long time, finally took two steps forward and stood in front of the distraught Wei Jing. She forced herself to ignore Wei Jing's strange behavior and deliberately focused her gaze on the bracelet in his hand, exclaiming with delight, "What a beautiful bracelet! Can I look at it..."
Before she could finish speaking, Wei Jing slammed the lid of the brocade box shut, put the bracelet back into his pocket, and turned to walk out.
Completely unprepared for the other party to treat her so disregarded, Qin Qianqian gritted her teeth in resentment, "I know, that's a family heirloom bracelet that your mother passed down to the next generation of wives, right? Have you forgotten that when you were eight years old, you stole this bracelet to give to me, but your mother refused, so you took it back!"
Unfortunately, Wei Jing didn't even stop after hearing Qin Qianqian's words.
Seeing him like this, Qin Qianqian, on the verge of a mental breakdown, shouted at his back, "Is this fair? Wei Jing, are you fair? I was even willing to be your concubine, but you would rather give this bracelet to Tang Ning, who is about to marry someone else, than even let me see it. Is this fair?"
Hearing this, Wei Jing finally stopped and said in a low voice, "Do you really think I don't know? You used me to make Tang Ning fall into the water. Even the ambiguous words that Tang Ning and He Lanruo heard behind the rockery were deliberately plotted by you."
"Become my concubine? Qin Qianqian, don't you think it's ridiculous to say such a thing? Isn't it because you have no other choice but to become a concubine? If you had a better option now, you would never choose to become my concubine! Since that's the case, why should I care who I give the bracelet to?"
"You are nothing more than a concubine."
After saying that, Wei Jing lifted his foot again and walked straight out.
After hearing everything Wei Jing said, Qin Qianqian stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
"Wei Jing! You bastard!"
After uttering those words in a tearful voice, she collapsed to the ground, finally unable to hold back her tears and sobbing uncontrollably.
And this is only the beginning.
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