Chapter 56 – Taken Away by Men in Black

“Mother, do you know how hateful Tang Chaoyang is? She sprinkled some powder on me and made me laugh like a lunatic for ages!”

“What kind of vicious woman is she, to be allowed to stay in this house? Wouldn’t it be better to have her live elsewhere?”

Su Ling threw herself tearfully into Madam Li’s arms, sobbing miserably. While she was under the powder’s effects, she’d been truly terrified.

“How dare Tang Chaoyang!” Madam Li gently comforted her daughter, but her eyes flickered with disgust.

No matter what happened, you should never drug your own family!

If the Su family hadn’t kindly taken in her and her mother, would the two of them be living such good days now?

Even the Yong’en Marquis Estate no longer bothered with Tang Chaoyang.

If she couldn’t even show gratitude, fine, but to start bullying her daughter under their own roof?

Madam Li was furious. She ached for her daughter and could never stand by while she was bullied.

Her expression went cold as she said in a low voice, “Nanny, go and personally summon Tang Chaoyang here! Today, I’m going to ask her properly—how could she treat her own cousin with such cruelty, stooping to the vile act of using drugs?”

For someone taking shelter under another’s roof to be this arrogant—who did she think she was?

It had to be said, some of Madam Li’s thoughts were much the same as Su Ling’s.

“Mother, you mustn’t.”

Su Miao stepped into the room just then.

She’d overheard part of the conversation outside. After saluting Madam Li, she said calmly, “Mother, Cousin is someone the Su family intends to protect.”

Su Ling froze. She hadn’t expected her elder sister to defend Tang Chaoyang.

“Sister, what do you mean? You want to let Tang Chaoyang bully your own sister with impunity? She drugged me, you know!”

Su Miao sat down and asked evenly, “And why did Cousin drug you?”

Su Ling huffed angrily. “I just accidentally bumped into her. She demanded an apology, and I wasn’t in the mood, so I didn’t apologize—and she drugged me!”

Su Miao didn’t quite believe it was that simple. She looked at Su Ling, her gaze tinged with doubt. “Are you sure that’s all it was?”

“Mother, Sister doesn’t believe me.” Su Ling looked at Madam Li, aggrieved.

Madam Li frowned faintly. “Miao’er, you’re too softhearted. Stay out of this. Nanny, go bring Tang Chaoyang here.”

Nanny Zhao immediately went to call Tang Chaoyang.

Su Miao saw she couldn’t stop her mother and could only try to persuade her. “Mother, no matter what happens, you mustn’t make this into a big scene. Otherwise, Grandmother and Grandfather will be displeased.”

Madam Li gave her a reassuring look. “Don’t worry. I only intend to scold her a bit. I know my limits.”

She knew both the old madam and the old master of the house were fond of Tang Chaoyang.

She was only going to lecture the girl a little—nothing serious.

Su Miao accepted her assurance and forced herself to set aside her misgivings for now.

Nanny Zhao went to Lanting Courtyard to fetch Tang Chaoyang, only to find she wasn’t in the residence.

Madam Li had been waiting to give her a scolding, but never imagined she wouldn’t even get to see her.

“I heard she goes out nearly every day. Who knows what she’s doing?” Su Ling sneered. “Even after divorcing, she still won’t stay quietly at home. She’s always disappearing. Who knows what disgraceful things she’ll end up doing?”

“Ling’er!” Su Miao frowned.

That was going too far.

Su Ling snorted. Her sister was siding with Tang Chaoyang again. “What, I can’t even say a few words?”

Madam Li watched her two daughters about to argue yet again over Tang Chaoyang, and her head started to ache. “Enough. You two, both of you, say less.”

She turned to her elder daughter and spoke earnestly, “Miao’er, Ling’er is your own sister. Don’t let an outsider damage the bond between you.”

Su Miao didn’t keep arguing. She simply answered in her steady way, “Yes.”

Once her daughters left, Madam Li sighed. It seemed her younger girl and Tang Chaoyang were born incompatible.

Just then, the head maid came in to report that Old Madam Wang had arrived.

“What is she doing here?” Madam Li asked, puzzled.

She’d already sent word to Old Madam Wang that Tang Chaoyang had refused to marry Wang Quan.

Why had the old lady come in person again?

Old Madam Wang had indeed come for Tang Chaoyang’s sake.

She suspected her son had been bewitched by Tang Chaoyang!

She hadn’t wanted to come herself. But she also couldn’t bear to see her son moping around. So in the end, she’d come to the Su family to speak with Madam Li.

“Old Madam, please have a seat. What brings you here today?” Madam Li asked with a polite smile.

Old Madam Wang glanced around at the servants waiting in the room.

Madam Li immediately understood and told them all to withdraw.

Old Madam Wang sighed. “I’ve come shamelessly to trouble you again—for the sake of my younger son. My boy truly wishes to marry Miss Tang.”

Madam Li hadn’t expected Wang Quan to be so set on Tang Chaoyang. She was rather surprised.

After a slight hesitation, she replied, “In this matter, as her eldest aunt, I truly have no authority to decide.”

She could help observe candidates for Tang Chaoyang, but she didn’t have the power to force her into marriage.

Old Madam Wang smiled. “I hear that the incense at Chengqi Temple in the capital is very efficacious. In two days, I’m planning to go offer incense. If Madam has time, why don’t we go together?”

The unspoken meaning was obvious: Madam Li could bring Tang Chaoyang to Chengqi Temple, and Old Madam Wang would bring Wang Quan, so the young people could meet again.

Madam Li thought for a moment, then nodded. She’d been planning to take her daughters to the temple to offer incense anyway.

Lately, nothing had been going smoothly, and she felt troubled. She wanted to pray for peace.

“Nanny, when Tang Chaoyang returns, have her come see me,” she instructed.

**

Ma Jiang respectfully led Tang Chaoyang into the schoolhouse. In his deep voice, he reported, “Miss, I have already had the building remodeled as you instructed. During this time, I’ve also sent people to spread word among the commoners.”

Most of the common folk didn’t believe there really was a school that was free of charge.

Tang Chaoyang’s school wasn’t large. It could hold at most sixty students.

For now, she only planned to enroll poor children who truly wanted to learn, aged eight to fifteen.

At the moment, her purse was painfully light. She’d have to go out and hawk her skills, treating patients to earn more silver.

After inspecting everything, she nodded. “I trust your work. The only thing missing now is a teacher.”

The first person who came to mind was the coughing young master Qin, who kept reading even while recuperating.

Maybe she could invite him to teach here?

She’d worked so hard to drag him back from death’s door—it wouldn’t hurt to give him something to do, would it?

But noble young men from great houses seldom humbled themselves to teach poor children.

She couldn’t be sure Qin Ruoming would set aside his pride.

She shelved the thought for now. Later, when she went to the Prince Cheng’s manor, she could ask him directly.

Qin Ruoming had no idea that, as he lay weak in bed, he was already in Tang Chaoyang’s sights.

At that moment, he was consoling Princess Consort Cheng. “Mother, please don’t blame yourself. That I’m still alive is already a blessing.”

The princess consort had been blaming herself endlessly for not guarding against Madam Mei, which had nearly cost her son his life.

Thinking of Madam Mei, she said coldly, “Qin Yu was sent back to the manor by the Embroidered Guards. His legs have been crippled—he’ll spend the rest of his life bedridden.”

Was this karma?

When Prince Cheng saw his once-healthy son carried back with both legs ruined, he didn’t dare enter the palace to petition the new emperor.

All he could do was vent his frustration by visiting his concubine.

With his face still covered in blistered sores, any concubine who saw him wanted to retch. The smarter ones feigned illness to avoid him.

As for Madam Mei’s death, it had only made Prince Cheng grieve for two days.

**

After leaving the school, Tang Chaoyang passed a pastry shop and decided to step inside to buy a box of cakes.

She hadn’t expected to run into Dong Xinrui, who had just come out.

They passed each other without so much as a glance.

But in the next instant, chaos erupted.

A group of black-clad men suddenly appeared. The guards protecting Dong Xinrui were cut down almost instantly.

Sensing something terribly wrong, Tang Chaoyang tried to dart back into the shop. These men were clearly targeting Dong Xinrui—most likely the same assassins who’d tried to kill Fei Yan before.

Dong Xinrui, her face pale with terror, instinctively grabbed Tang Chaoyang’s arm.

In that brief moment, two of the black-clad men seized them both, pressing cold blades against their throats.

Tang Chaoyang’s right hand, caught in Dong Xinrui’s death grip, couldn’t reach her whip in time.

The next instant, both of them were knocked unconscious and carried away.