He seemed to be talking about someone else's affairs, but the meaning behind his words made people feel cold all over.
"My father felt that there were too many termites in the clan, and that if he wanted the clan to be strong, he had to purge them first. He thought that my grandfather supported him, but he forgot that those termites could not survive without nutrients. After the failure, my grandfather pushed my father out in order to appease the uncles in the clan."
This push cost him his life.
Tang Ning's heart was shaken when he heard this, and he couldn't help but said angrily: "How could he do this?"
Xiao Yan lowered his eyes and said coldly: "Why not? Driven by interests, everyone is an ant. My grandfather has been high and mighty for a long time, and he cannot tolerate anyone challenging his authority."
"He is not a very capable person. He could not suppress those clansmen who harbored disloyal intentions. He originally wanted to use my father to fight against them and both sides would suffer losses, but he did not expect that it would almost shake his own position in the end. In order to protect himself, he naturally had to sacrifice a son he did not like very much."
Tang Ning felt his bones go cold when he heard this, both because of the coldness and indifference of the grandfather that Xiao Yan mentioned, and also because of his words that everyone is an ant.
She opened her mouth, wanting to ask why Xiao Yan chose this path in the end, since his father was not as vicious as the rumors said. He clearly had a better path and better choices, and he was no worse than anyone else in the court, but why did he choose to enter the palace with a castrated body and become a eunuch who was hated by everyone.
So what about the so-called murder of his father and brother?
But when she met his cold face, she suddenly didn't dare to ask.
She was afraid of poking at his scars, and also afraid that the truth would be embarrassing.
Tang Ning quickly changed the subject and whispered, "I think what my brother said is wrong. Although interests are important, there are always more important things in this world."
"Is there?"
"Of course!" Tang Ning said firmly: "No matter what happens in the future, I will never sacrifice the people I care about."
Xiao Yan turned his head to look at her: "Who do you care about?"
Tang Ning nodded heavily: "I care about my brother, my aunt, and A-Ru, Hua-Wu, Sister A-Yue, and Sister Qin..."
At first, his brows slightly relaxed, and he felt that the words "I care about you, brother" made his heart soften, but as more and more people came out of her mouth.
The collapsed heart seemed to be poured into mud, which made his face dark. The corners of his eyes drooped when he glanced at Tang Ning, and he suddenly reached out and took the cup from Tang Ning's hand.
"You have such a big heart when so many people want you to care about it."
Tang Ning: "...Brother?"
What is he talking about?
Seeing her looking at him blankly, Xiao Yan felt as if his breath was stuck in his chest. He put the cup on the table with a thud and turned his head to say, "It's getting late. You should go back."
Tang Ning: "???"
Xiao Yan said outside: "Someone, send the girl back."
Tang Ning: "…"
Seeing Jinyun coming in, she was full of doubts.
Aren't they having a heart-to-heart talk?
Why did you suddenly get angry and chase people away...
…
When Tang Ning came out of Heli Hall, Jinyun saw him off with an umbrella. When they arrived at the gate of Tang Mansion, Hua Wu, who had received the news, was already waiting there.
After handing the person over to Hua Wu safely, Jin Yun said to Tang Ning:
"The governor asked me to tell the girl that the case of the Song family will be sentenced in the next two days. Song Hong and Old Madam Song, as well as Song Qin, the third branch of the Song family, were exiled to the wild land. Song Shulan and the brother and sister of the third branch of the Song family were saved by Song Jinxiu for his merit in exposing the corruption of the Lu family."
"All of the Song family's property except for the second branch's property was confiscated. The Song clan paid a large sum of money and expelled Song Hong from the Song family."
"The governor said that since the girl has no intention of getting involved with the Song family anymore, he has sent someone to the Song family's ancestral tomb to move your parents' coffins out in the next two days. It's up to you to decide whether to move them to another cemetery or back to the Rong family."
After saying this, Jinyun paused.
"And your last name, maybe Madam Sui Rong or something like that."
Tang Ning was still thinking about Xiao Yan's sudden anger, but he came back to his senses after hearing Jin Yun's words: "Did my brother ask you to do it?"
Jinyun nodded: "Of course it's the governor."
Tang Ning felt relieved. She thought she had really done something wrong and offended her brother. After she relaxed, she saw Jinyun was still waiting for her reply.
She thought for a moment before saying, "My grandfather is the only one left in the Rong family. When he died, he didn't want to mobilize a large army, so he just found a place outside the city. There's no need for my mother and the others to move there. I want to leave a separate forbidden area behind the academy, separate from the academy, and bury my mother and the others there, and then move my grandfather's grave there as well."
The Rong family is dwindling in numbers, but the academy is still prosperous. As long as the academy continues to exist, there will be many people paying tribute to them, and I think my grandfather will be happy too.
"As for me, I'll just go with the surname Song."
From then on she called Tang Ning.
Jinyun nodded: "Okay, then when you choose a place, let Hang Li come and tell me, and I will bring people with you to move the tomb of the Song family."
Seeing Jin Yun bow and step away, Tang Ning quickly called him, "Commander Jin."
"Does the lady have any other instructions?"
"Brother's waist injury hasn't healed yet. He was tossed around again today. When you go back, check on his injury. If the wound has opened again, you must reapply medicine. I saw that he looked like he was caught in the rain. Remember to ask the kitchen to make some ginger soup for brother to dispel the cold, so that he won't catch a cold."
Tang Ning thought of the blood on Xiao Yan's waist and couldn't help but say a few more words.
"My brother is a strong-willed man who never shows weakness to others. The wound on his waist keeps coming back and never gets better. You should keep an eye on him and don't let him suffer all the time. If the wound doesn't get better, you must go find Sister Qin. Also, it's getting late today, so let my brother rest early and don't get too tired. There is so much work to do in the court."
Jinyun listened to the little girl's nagging instructions, her words were full of concern. When he mentioned Xiao Yan's waist injury, his almond eyes were filled with heartache. He deliberately sighed: "The governor has a cold temper, how can I control him? If I say too much, I'm afraid I'll be punished."
Seeing Tang Ning frowning, he said:
"But the governor is willing to listen to the girl's words. He treats you differently."
Tang Ning thought of Xiao Yan's leniency towards her, pursed her lips and said, "Then if there is anything wrong with him, come and tell me."
Jinyun bowed his head: "Okay."
Tang Ning was supported by Hua Wu as she entered the mansion. When Jin Yun looked up, his face was full of smiles. He originally thought that the governor was just wishful thinking, but perhaps even she herself did not realize how much the girl cared about and indulged the governor.
The governor was injured in the waist, but she knew that her injury was "not healed", which would not be the case for ordinary siblings.
Jinyun turned around and went back to the Governor's Mansion next door. When he arrived at Heli Hall, he saw his own Governor sitting coldly at the desk, flipping through the files in his hands.
His face was indifferent, his eyebrows and eyes remained the same, but the resentment in his body could float away eight hundred miles away.
Seeing him coming back, Xiao Yan only glanced at him and asked, "Did you send him back?"
Jinyun said: "Send it back."
Xiao Yan clenched the file in his hand and said, "What can I say?"
"I have already told the girl everything the governor instructed me to do."
Seeing that Jinyun didn't say anything after he finished speaking, Xiao Yan became even more angry. That heartless guy didn't even thank him and didn't care why he was angry?
The cold white fingers flipped the files with greater force, and murderous aura almost filled the air.
Jinyun saw that the dossier was about to become the ghost of his own supervisor, so he suppressed his laughter and coughed softly, "Oh, by the way, I forgot that the lady just told me that the supervisor's waist injury has not healed yet, and asked me to apply medicine for you. She also asked me to ask the kitchen to make some ginger soup for you, so that you won't catch a cold in the rain."
"The lady said that the governor has a strong temper and is afraid that you will not only endure the pain but also worry that your wound will split again if you toss and turn. She told her subordinates to find her if you really feel unwell."
Xiao Yan's endless resentment stopped, and he suddenly looked up: "What did she say?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he met Jinyun's suppressed smile. His eager joy suddenly turned into shame and anger. Xiao Yan gritted his teeth and said, "Are you tired of living?"
The file in his hand was about to fly away, and Jin Yun said sternly: "I dare not, but is the governor feeling unwell now?"
Xiao Yan: "…"
He raised his hand, and the file flew straight towards Jinyun with a "swish".
Jinyun quickly dodged and retreated to the door, smiling and holding the door panel to the inside and said: "It's late at night, Lord Governor, go to bed early. If you feel unwell at night, don't hold on, so as not to worry the girl..."
"Bang!"
An inkstone flew over the threshold and fell outside the door, and the man died with his eyes open.
After Jinyun narrowly avoided the attack, he dared not to tease her anymore and quickly turned around and ran away.
In the room, Xiao Yan's white jade-like face was tense, his sword-like eyes were angry, but his ears were reddened by the candlelight in the room. Under the swaying light and shadow, his neck hidden in the collar was faintly stained with red.