After Xiao Yan helped Tang Ning stand firm, he looked up at the fourth prince with an unpleasant look in his eyes: "What did His Highness tell me when he was in Hengting Pavilion earlier? You want to protect you and the Queen, this Governor I just lent you the black-armored guard, but if Cang Lang hadn’t been with us just now, would His Highness have planned to let criminals from the Lu family break into the palace?”
When it comes to telling evil people first, no one is better at it than Governor Xiao.
The fourth prince felt guilty when he remembered his hesitation just now: "Master Xiao, I..."
"If Your Highness is unable to take action, I will come."
"Need not!"
The fourth prince instantly forgot why Xiao Yan and Song Tangning went back on their word and came to the Lu family again. They were afraid that he would really take action. He had already broken up with the Lu family and made such a big fuss. If Xiao Yan took over at this time, his father would be left behind. In his eyes, he was indecisive and disconnected from the Lu family.
"No need to bother Governor Xiao, I'll be here."
The fourth prince felt cruel and said to Cheng Ping: "Take Lu Zhongshu and the others to the front hall and place them there. No one is allowed to leave without my instructions. Then let someone interrogate several female members of the Lu family alone and take them to serve them." No one will be spared."
"Xie Guangzheng!!!"
This time, not to mention Lu Qin and the others, even Lu Chongyuan's eyes were splitting.
He guessed that someone must have tampered with what happened today. When he saw Xiao Yan, he already knew most of it. He also knew that the fourth prince was probably instigated and used by that thief Xiao Yan. However, the fourth prince's attitude towards killing the Lu family still made him feel chilled. Furious.
This is his grandson, someone he has assisted for many years.
How could he be so stupid and be provoked by others? The Lu family is his biggest support, but he actually wants to destroy the Lu family himself!
"Xie Guangzheng, don't be deceived by Xiao Yan, this eunuch is just using you..."
"boom!"
As soon as Lu Qin opened his mouth, he was shot through the calf with a sharp weapon. He screamed in pain as he fell to the ground.
Xiao Yan played with the short crossbow in his hand: "It seems that Mr. Xiao Lu still hasn't learned the meaning of dignity and inferiority. Since you can't tell how to speak with this tongue, what better? Don't give up?"
The short crossbow was cocked, and the cold light pointed directly at Lu Qin's head, as if it could kill him in the next moment.
"Xiao Yan, how dare you..."
The word "dare" was still between his lips and teeth, and the crossbow machine trembled slightly, and the crossbow arrow was shot towards Lu Qin in an instant.
The several-inch-long arrow pierced into Lu Qin's thigh with a whirring sound. Lu Qin was about to scream in pain when he suddenly met Xiao Yan's dark eyes.
There was no trace of warmth in those eyes, like thousands of years of ice, as if looking at a dead person. Lu Qin suddenly remembered the scene in front of him of that day when the man in front of him took up the flesh and blood between his legs with a thin blade, and there was a faint tremor in his legs. In a fit of incontinence, he covered his leg that was pierced by the crossbow arrow and his face turned pale.
The rest of the Lu family also had pale faces.
The fourth prince's eyes were full of fear, Xiao Yan sideways glanced: "Your Highness, you are still not going to be tried?"
…
The fourth prince led people to go to the trial in person, while Xiao Yan and Tang Ning stood in the courtyard. They saw that everyone in the Lu family in the flower hall not far away was angry and furious, but seeing Lu Qin's fate but not daring to speak, Tang Ning His eyes paused on Lu Chongyuan, who had an ugly face but suddenly calmed down, feeling that he might not be so helpless.
Her gaze fell on one side of Lu Erlangjun, the inconspicuous person next to Lu Chongyuan.
Tang Ning had met this Erlang of the Lu family. They had met him occasionally when going in and out of the Lu family. This man was taciturn and had no sense of presence, but that sword strike just now... he reacted more decisively and harshly than the rest of the Lu family. But it made her doubtful.
As if he sensed that someone was watching him, Lu Erlangjun suddenly raised his head. When his eyes fell on Tang Ning, she suddenly felt a chill as if she was being targeted by a ferocious beast. The unprovoked crisis made her frown lightly, but she didn't have time to say more. Thinking about it, his head was suddenly turned away by the person next to him.
When the chill disappeared, Tang Ning was confused: "Brother?"
Xiao Yan held up the thing in his hand and raised it: "Do you want it?"
"Huh?" Tang Ning's eyes lit up.
He led the people to the side and looked up coldly at Erlang of the Lu family who had already withdrawn his gaze. When he lowered his head to face Tang Ning, he said gently: "I saw you staring at me just now. I wish my eyes were glued to it..."
Tang Ning was immediately embarrassed. She was indeed envious of Xiao Yan's crossbow. It was different from the ones she had seen in the past. Most of those crossbows in the past were very bulky. Even the hand-held crossbow was difficult for ordinary people to hold. But the one in Xiao Yan's hand was very delicate.
The crossbow body was only slightly larger than his hand, and although the arrow was not long, it was very lethal.
Xiao Yan handed it to her: "Try?"
Tang Ning was eager to give it a try: "Is it okay?"
Xiao Yan didn't say anything, he just put the short crossbow directly into her hand, taught her how to place the arrows, pressed down the hanging knife, and told her to aim at a certain place, then pressed down with his hand, and the arrows shot out instantly. , a "ding" sound pierced into the tree trunk not far away.
Xiao Yan said: "This hand crossbow is exquisite. It can be disassembled and used as an armband or an accessory to hide beside you. In an emergency, even if it is not installed, you can use the crossbow as a hidden weapon."
He took the thing in her hand, disassembled it in just a few moments, and placed the bare crossbow in her hand.
"There are ten silver needles hidden here. They are all poisoned by Madam Qin. They will seal your throat when they see blood. If you are in danger, you can use them directly. If they are not prepared, even a highly skilled martial artist will have trouble evading them. .”
Tang Ning suddenly felt that the thing in her hand was hot, and she quickly returned it to Xiao Yan: "I can't have this, brother, keep it for self-defense!"
Xiao Yan let him go.
"Brother..."
Tang Ning opened her mouth to speak, but when she saw Xiao Yan lowered his eyes, his eyes were full of undisguised passion: "Tang Ning, I have no weakness, the only one is you. As long as you are well, there will be no way for me to retreat in this world." If you protect yourself, you will protect me."
Tang Ning paused and her face softened. She had never doubted how well Xiao Yan treated her, but when she heard his unabashed words, her heart was still tingling with joy.
She didn't push the things in her hand anymore, but carefully put them away.
"I'll put it to good use."
Seeing how precious the little girl was, Xiao Yan's eyes filled with smiles.
…
The front yard of the Lu family was huge. Everyone in the flower hall could only see Xiao Yan, who was wearing a t-shirt and brocade robe, looking down at the little girl whose figure was covered by him, and saying something to the little girl whose figure was covered by him. Outside the hall, there were people waiting in full formation. The black-armored guards and the Lu family were all flustered.
Lu Chongyuan sat aside with a gloomy expression, looking at Lu Qin, who was holding his leg and moaning in pain, and the panicked Lu family, feeling a little sad in his heart.
Once upon a time, who would have thought that the Lu family would be in such a situation.
The young man of the Lu family, Silang, was originally impulsive. Seeing his mother being taken away and his father being hurt by Xiao Yan, he became so angry that he said ferociously: "How dare the fourth prince collude with Xiao Yan and humiliate my mother and the others like this? When he can't find anything, my grandfather will definitely go to the palace to sue them for imperial edict!"
"But the fourth prince is so sure, what if..."
As soon as the girl next to her opened her mouth, Lu Jiashiro glared at her.
"What if something happens? Do you think my mother and aunts and uncles will live with King Cheng?!"
The little girl was not old, and she was so frightened that she shivered and hunched her shoulders with fear in her eyes. The Lu family's fourth man turned his head and said: "Grandpa, you must not let the fourth prince and the others go!!"
The eldest son of the Lu family was not as optimistic as his cousin. He glanced at the people outside and remembered that the fourth prince wanted to take away the female members of the Lu family even if they wanted to break up. He always felt that something was wrong and whispered to Lu Chongyuan. Said: "Cousin, what should we do next?"
Lu Chongyuan raised his eyelids and looked at him: "Wait."
The eldest son of the Lu family looked a little panicked: "But what if the fourth prince really finds something..."
"That will have to wait."
Lu Chongyuan seemed to have calmed down from his initial rage. Although his face was gloomy, he did not panic. Perhaps due to his influence, the rest of the Lu family, which was originally in chaos, gradually calmed down.
The flower hall was extremely quiet, and the occasional noise from the backyard could be heard clearly.
Lu Chongyuan glanced at the people guarding the door, his eyes fell on Xiao Yan's back, and his mind suddenly turned to the fourth prince... No, that should be Xiao Yan's purpose today.
He went to great lengths to instigate the fourth prince to break with the Lu family, and led people to break into the Lu family. Is it really just for a female member of the Lu family who was in love with King Cheng?
Even if these are found out, the reputation of the Lu family will be ruined, but after all, it is just an affair between a man and a woman. If the person who is hooking up with King Cheng is really one of the several daughters-in-law, that is a person with a foreign surname, the Lu family will only be cruel and cut off their arms. How can it hurt the foundation of the Lu family?
Xiao Yan would not do useless things.
Then his purpose...
When the fourth prince pushed out Mrs. Lu, who was covered in blood after being interrogated, Lu Chongyuan's heart suddenly sank. When he suddenly looked up at Xiao Yan, he suddenly understood his intention.
Cheng Ping whispered: "I led people to search the residences of several ladies, and also interrogated the people around them. Everyone else was normal. Only Qin Xin, who was next to the eldest lady Guan, looked flustered and spoke in a sneaky way. The servant asked people to use After being punished, she was allowed to speak."
"According to Qin Xin's account, Guan had already known King Cheng before she joined the Lu family. However, she was already engaged to the eldest son of Lu at that time. The Lu family had intended to choose someone to assist between King Cheng and His Majesty, but they were wavering. , Guan married into the Lu family to serve Prince Cheng for his great cause."
The expressions of those in the Lu family changed.
Guan Shi shook her head desperately: "It's not me, I didn't..."
She looked at Lu Chongyuan with tears in her eyes: "Father, father, believe me, I have not betrayed you, I have never had anything with Prince Cheng, they are the ones who harmed me..."
"Then what were those things found in your house?"
Cheng Ping had contempt in his eyes. He had great disdain for people who committed adultery. He also felt that Mrs. Lu was really despicable. Instead of being a good lady from aristocratic family, she actually worked as a shameful "outlaw".
"Just now, the black-armored guards found the letters between her and Prince Cheng from the dowry box in Guan's room. These letters mentioned a lot of things about Prince Cheng's mansion. Although there was no signature on them, they could only be used to share with Prince Cheng's past handwriting. You can tell clearly by comparing.”
Guan's face turned pale and she shook her head desperately: "It's not me, it's really not me. I haven't seen those letters. I, I don't know where those letters came from..."
Ever since Lu Zhao's accident, she hadn't dressed up properly for a long time, and the dowry box hadn't been opened for more than a month.
She had no idea when those letters were put in, let alone who wanted to harm her. She cried like a mess and crawled to Lu Chongyuan using her hands and feet.
"Father, father, you believe me, those letters are not from me, someone is harming me!"
