Tangning settled down in Jiuyun Lane, and the Lu family was extremely quiet.
The outside world seemed to be fine, but the excitement of the Qian family that day had not passed at all. The Song family and Song Jinxiu had been living in extremely dire straits for several days.
Song Hong had previously felt that Song Tangning was being fooled and had never properly dealt with Song Shulan's past. The fact that her biological mother was an outsider could not be hidden from anyone who wanted to do it.
When it was found out that the concubine of the Song family was actually a concubine, and the concubine of the Song family pretended to be a concubine and was humiliated as a legitimate child, and almost killed the orphan of the second wife, the entire Song family was directly pushed to the forefront.
Not long after the early dynasty began, Song Hong and Song Jinxiu were impeached by the imperial censor one after another. One was accused of lax family governance, and the other was scolded for not cultivating personal ethics.
Although Emperor An did not ask questions in court, after learning about the Song family's affairs, he left the Song family's father and son in the palace after the morning court.
The spring sunshine is getting stronger, and the dazzling light hurts people's eyes.
Song Hong and Song Jinxiu stood outside the Royal Palace, the vermilion door was closed tightly, and the courtiers and palace people coming and going outside looked at each other with various colors, either mocking, disdainful, or looking at the excitement, staring at the father and son. Feeling embarrassed and embarrassed, not to mention the still young Song Jinxiu, even Song Hong, who had always been proud of his determination, was blushing and had a thick neck, wishing he could just dig a hole and bury himself.
"Why does Duke Cao have to be in trouble with Song Hong?" someone not far away asked in a low voice.
Standing next to him was Cao Dejiang, the imperial censor who impeached the Song family and his son in the early dynasty. Hearing this, he only said coldly:
"I have never been in trouble with anyone. It's because the Song family has no moral character and has tarnished the reputation of the Qing Dynasty courtiers. They behaved stupidly and brought the court into disrepute. I fulfill the responsibility of the censor."
"But the outside wife is just a family matter after all..."
"How about the family affairs? If you don't cultivate yourself and manage the family, how can you govern the world? Moreover, the Song family is honored by Taifu Yuyin. How much of Song Hong's success today is due to Taifu's help. Now that Taifu is dead, the Song family is bullying Taifu's bloodline. , how can I just sit back and watch?”
The two sides were not far apart, and Cao Dejiang's voice did not avoid the Song family father and son at all.
"When the old Duke died, if it hadn't been for the Taifu's protection, the Song family's position as Duke would have been banned long ago. With the ability of the Song family, let alone the minister of Zhongshu, it would be difficult for him to stay in the Qing aristocracy."
"The members of the Song family are like a fish in water in the court. It is more or less relying on the inheritance of the Taifu. After the death of Mrs. Ke Rong, the Song family bullied her orphan like this. Do they really think that there is no one in the Rong family?"
Cao Dejiang looked at Song Jinxiu coldly.
"Master Yutai..."
Ah!
He walked away with a puff of his sleeves, his sneer full of ridicule.
Song Hong's face turned pale, and Song Jinxiu beside him was even more embarrassed and embarrassed.
In the Royal Palace, Emperor An laughed and shook his head when he heard that the young eunuch in front of the door was reporting back to the outside: "This Mr. Cao is still so cold and blunt. I remember that he was at odds with the Taifu, but I never thought that he would take the place of the little girl from the Song family. Get ahead.”
Xiao Yan heard the words and said quietly: "The disagreement between Cao Gong and Rong Taifu is just about political affairs. They are similar in age and were once the mainstay of the court. There will be more or less sympathy between wise ministers, and the Song family They have gotten too close to the aristocratic family recently, so it would be a good thing for Your Majesty to teach them a lesson."
"You are the only one who is smart." Andi glanced at him.
After he walked to the chessboard and sat down, he said to him, "Come and play chess with me."
Xiao Yan walked over, rolling the bottom of his purple robe over the edge of the table, and sat directly opposite Emperor An.
There was a red sandalwood chessboard on the table. After Emperor An placed the white piece, he asked, "I heard that you gave the house on Jiuyun Lane to that young lady of the Song family?"
"No, Princess Cheng paid thirteen thousand taels of silver for it."
"Just coax me, how many people wanted to ask you to buy that house before, not to mention thirteen thousand taels, even thirty thousand or fifty thousand, and you didn't let go. Now, half of it has been given to someone else's girl. Why, with Is that little girl so attracted to each other?"
Xiao Yan didn't look at Emperor An's smiling eyes, as if he couldn't hear the probingness in his words at all.
He just put the black piece on the chessboard, lowered his eyelashes and said: "There is a certain affinity, otherwise Wei Chen would not have picked up the person on such a big mountain."
"Your Majesty also knows that Wei Chen has been worrying about the food supply recently. Those aristocratic families are like turtle shells and can't find a way out. I was having a headache, and God took pity on this fateful minister who came to my door. So rare.”
Emperor An burst out laughing when he heard this: "You are such a hard-hearted person, and you don't understand the slightest bit of compassion."
"Wei Chen is a useless person, who can I show mercy to?"
"How pitiful is that little girl?"
"I saved her life and gave her a place to stay. How could she be pitiful? If she hadn't fallen to her death at the bottom of the mountain cliff, she would have been pitiful."
Emperor An seemed to be amused by him. After the trace of doubt in his heart was dissipated, he looked at more and more chess pieces on the chessboard and said, "You are so unscrupulous in what you say, but the Song family has indeed attracted a lot of attention recently. So Song Hong is getting too close to the Queen and her son, so he should be beaten."
After he finished, he asked again,
"Have you ever seen the concubine of the Song family? What does she look like?"
Xiao Yan frowned slightly: "Two eyes, one nose, and a pretty white face..."
"Hahahahaha."
Emperor An laughed harder and harder, and his hands holding the chess pieces were shaking. That's right. He asked a eunuch what a woman looked like. What was the difference between asking a monk about a comb?
The gloomy mood in the morning because of being suppressed by the aristocratic family became clearer. After Emperor An placed the chess piece, he said to Xiao Yan:
"It's a shame that you don't have to marry a wife because of your temper, otherwise you would have to suffer a lot from someone else's daughter. But since that little girl from the Song family has fallen in love with you and you have accepted her as your adopted sister, then you should protect her more."
"There is no need for taboos on the part of the Song family. It just so happens that the dukedom of that country has been hanging for a long time. A few days ago, I was thinking of letting Song Hong seize the title, which would be regarded as the completion of the relationship between the monarch and the old Duke of Song. But if he If you can’t even handle the family affairs, there’s no need to keep the title.”
What he dislikes the most is being close to aristocratic families.
There were more chess pieces on the chessboard, and Emperor An looked confused.
"Lately, Lu Chongyuan has been jumping more and more violently, pressing forward step by step, trying to force me to give in. In the past, he still showed some restraint to save my face, but today he wants to go against me even if I want to build a platform for inquiry. He just rides on my head, I will never tolerate his power."
Xiao Yan looked at Emperor An who was suddenly cold and angry, and calmly said:
"Your Majesty, don't take it to heart. The reason why the Lu family is so domineering is because they are angry because of the grain issue. It is also because they are afraid that they cannot bear it anymore."
"I am pointed by your majesty's sword, and I will definitely eradicate the family for your majesty and restore purity to the court."
Upon hearing this, Emperor An's dark bird of prey dissipated and returned to gentleness.
"You still understand me best."
He looked relaxed and said, "The pill pills you donated to me earlier were very useful. I feel very energetic recently. You contributed the pills to me. What reward do you want?"
Xiao Yan lowered his head and said, "I am lucky to be able to serve Your Majesty. Everything I have is a reward from Your Majesty. I only wish Your Majesty a long life and have nothing else to ask for."
Andy laughed out loud immediately, patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "You are always so considerate."
"Only you can make me feel at ease."
At the end of the game, Xiao Yan lost to An Di just in time.
It was a half-victorious victory over Xiao Yan, who was always known for her intelligence. Emperor An felt refreshed, as if all the previous gloom had been thrown away. He led the eunuchs accompanying him to the harem, completely forgetting about it. The Song family father and son were still standing outside.
Xiao Yan stood up and walked out of the hall, holding the handkerchief and wiping the shoulder that had just been patted with disgust.
"Master Governor, Minister Song and the others are still standing there."
Xiao Yan threw away the handkerchief and glanced at the father and son who were dizzy from the sun: "Your Majesty went to see Concubine Chen. He didn't give any orders. He only said that he would not think of summoning them later."
The guard understood instantly.
The Song family father and son really provoked Governor Xiao as the rumors said.
Everyone knows that Your Majesty has gone to the harem and will not come back to the main hall before tomorrow.
The guard did not dare to say anything and stood back in front of the palace to continue guarding. Song Hong and his son stood there from morning to afternoon. When their faces were pale from the sun, they wanted to find someone to ask what Emperor An meant, but the guards in front of the door only said that Your Majesty is still here. Without explanation, the two of them did not dare to leave without permission even if their legs were weak.
Both of them were wealthy people. After having breakfast in the morning, they had not touched a drop of water or eaten a grain of rice all day long. Their legs were trembling and they were feeling dizzy.
When it got completely dark, the palace guards lit the palace lanterns and the palace became quiet.
He didn't know how long he stood there. When Song Hong couldn't bear it anymore and almost fainted, someone said they could go back.
Song Jinxiu, who was limping with a pale face, supported Song Hong, who also had weak knees. The two of them walked all the way from the Imperial Palace to the official road and out of the palace gate. Their staggering and embarrassed appearance caught the eyes of all the palace people they met. Those who were surprised The look in his eyes made Song Jinxiu wish he could faint.
After being supported on the carriage, the father and son were sent back to the Song Dynasty Duke's Mansion. Mrs. Song and the first lady hurriedly welcomed them out.
"What's going on? Why are you back so late?"
Normally, they should go back home in the afternoon when they are on duty, but today, both father and son never came back.
It was already approaching Haishi, and the palace doors had all been locked. Not to mention Mrs. Zou, Mrs. Song, couldn't sit still, even Mrs. Song was extremely anxious.
Song and Hong were helped into the room by their servants. When they sat on the chairs, they were in so much pain that they could not even feel their legs.
The two drank several cups of tea, and Song Hongcai said with a pale face: "Today morning, Jin Xiu and I were impeached by Duke Cao. His Majesty became angry, and Jin Xiu and I stood in front of the Royal Palace all day."
Zou's face changed: "Why did Mr. Cao impeach you? We have no old grudges with the Cao family."
"It's not because of Tang Ning!"
Song Hong's face was so ugly that he was not as gentle as before when talking about Tang Ning.
"When Tang Ning caused trouble, I knew that the connections left behind by the Rong family would definitely backfire, but I didn't expect that even before Grand Tutor Rong's old friends took action, Cao Cao wouldn't be able to tolerate me."
Cao Dejiang and Grand Tutor Rong were not on good terms in the past, and they would often argue in court. Who would have thought that after Grand Tutor Rong passed away, Duke Cao would actually stand up for his trace of blood?
Mrs. Song's eyes were heavy: "What did your Majesty say?"
"Your Majesty didn't say anything, nor did he reprimand us, but it's this cold treatment that makes me feel uneasy."
If he was reprimanded a few times, he could still defend himself, but the Holy Emperor kept them cold from the beginning to the end, and asked them, father and son, to stand in front of the temple and be reprimanded.
Song Hong's lips were dry and cracked, and it hurt so much when he spoke.
"Mother, Duke Cao impeached us for not being able to manage the family well. He said that Jin had not cultivated his personal ethics. He also criticized me for Shu Lan and Tang Ning. If His Majesty is really disgusted with us because of this, then the title of the Duke's Palace..."
Mrs. Song's expression darkened.
Zou looked at Song Hong and Song Hong who were pale and embarrassed, and at Song Jinxiu's legs that were still trembling even though he was sitting there, his eyes were red with anger.
"I'm just saying that Song Tangning is not a good person. How big of a thing has to cause uproar in the city. She caused a lot of trouble, but she asked you to take the blame for her. Now she has made it in front of His Majesty. She is deliberately trying to kill you. ?”
The Song family has always had a good reputation, and the Lu family also helped out, seeing that the attack on the king was imminent, but now it was all ruined by Song Tangning.
Zou was full of resentment when he spoke;
"If the title of the Duke's Palace is lost, and if Jin Xiu loses his official reputation due to this incident and makes His Majesty disgusted, Song Tangning and I will never be done..."
"Okay, don't you think the fuss is enough?"
Mrs. Song scolded her coldly. Seeing Mrs. Zou's indignation, she said angrily,
"When you did this before, you should have thought of cleaning up your tail. You wanted to keep people, but you didn't clean up your identity. Why did you blame others for taking advantage of you?"
Song Hong looked embarrassed. How could he have thought that Song Tangning, who had always been obedient and obedient, would suddenly be so ruthless?
Mrs. Song took a deep breath. Although she was disgusted with the trouble Tangning caused and was angry with her for not caring about the overall situation, now was not the time to vent her anger. She should think about how to get Song Tangning back.
What was being discussed outside was nothing more than Song Shulan's identity, and the fact that they allowed the concubine to bully the legitimate daughter, almost killing her.
Song Shulan can be sent out of the Duke's Mansion to live outside the city for a period of time, while Song Tangning can only return to the Mansion and the Song family will get along harmoniously, and the gossip outside will naturally fade away. There is always no shortage of excitement in the capital. Look, as long as there is something new, it won't take long for no one to remember this bad thing about the Song family.
Song Jinxiu looked complicated: "Tang Ning won't come back that easily."
That night when he begged her like that, Shu Lan knelt and kowtowed, and Tang Ning didn't feel any softer even after she said all her good things.
She seemed determined to embarrass the Song family and make them feel uncomfortable.
"I'm afraid Tang Ning hates me so much that she won't tolerate Shulan's incident at all. That night she even said she wanted to break off the engagement with the Lu family. And in order not to see Xie Yin, she didn't even stay at Prince Cheng's Mansion and followed him overnight. Xiao Yan moved to Jiuyun Lane together, and she doesn't give anyone any favors."
"Then go to the Lu family. She likes Lu Zhinian so much, so she must be just saying angry words..."
Before Zou finished speaking, Song Hong shook his head: "The Lu family will not stand out."
Although Lu Zhinian was also involved in the Qishan incident, in the final analysis, Song Tangning was not dead. Although Lu Zhinian's words and deeds were faulty, they were not considered serious crimes. It was not like the Song family was being held on to the censor's impeachment because of Song Shulan's identity. The problem was never Qishan's fault, but Song Shulan's fault for pretending to be a concubine and bullying his direct descendants.
The Song family has lost face today, and Lu Chongyuan didn't say anything to help them out in the morning. At this time, the Lu family hopes that the Song family can gain all their notoriety, so how can they push Lu Zhinian out to take the blame for them?
Mrs. Song's eyes dropped calmly when she heard this.
The affairs of the Song family cannot be delayed, and she must not let Song Tangning ruin the future of the son of the Song family. Moreover, there is no room for mistakes in the marriage with the Lu family. If Tang Ning continues to make trouble, she will offend the Lu family...
This matter must be settled as soon as possible.
Mrs. Song said in a deep voice: "If she doesn't see you, she won't even want to see me as a grandmother. I will personally go to Jiuyun Lane to beg her to come back."
She also feels sorry for Tang Ning, but if she blocks the Song family's way, don't blame her for being cruel.
