[ Azhu is still the same Azhu after all.]
With Azhu backing her up, Tong Aning couldn't help but straighten her back even more.
Li Yurong covered her face, looking at Azhu in disbelief, and said, "You actually hit me?"
Azhu gripped the whip, glaring at him coldly, "You treated my friend like this, can't I hit you? I advise you to apologize to Aning right now, otherwise..."
Azhu snorted, and the whip fell to Li Yurong's side. The wind it created affected Li Yurong, Li Yurong's face turned ugly.
Azhu was someone who had truly killed enemies on the battlefield. Although she was gentle, a fire burned within her, and her fierce aura made people dare not doubt her words.
The whip that Azhu had used to hit him was still burning with pain; Li Yurong couldn't imagine what it would be like to be whipped again...
After much deliberation, Li Yurong had no choice but to swallow his anger. He gritted his teeth and said, "I'm sorry, Miss Tong."
Then she went to look at Azhu, "Is this alright?"
Azhu nodded. "Our marriage is off."
Li Yurong was now truly panicked. "Why? Just because I spoke rudely to Tong Aning?"
Without hesitation, Azhu replied decisively, "Yes."
She cannot tolerate someone who disrespects her friends marrying her.
Seeing that Azhu was serious, Li Yurong turned and left.
Tong Aning, who was holding Azhu's arm, said, "Wait."
A Shu blocked Li Yurong's path.
Li Yurong turned to look at Tong Aning, "I've already apologized, Miss Tong, what more do you want?"
Tong Aning smiled and said, "That was Azhu's request. I haven't settled accounts with you yet."
[You're saying I'm two-timing? You're saying I'm sowing discord?]
Tong Aning said, " A Shu, give him a beating."
Li Yurong glared at him and said, "You dare!"
"What do I have to be afraid of? Even if I take this to His Majesty, I'll still be in the right. A Shu, strike!"
"Yes."
A Shu started by maneuvering, gradually cornering Li Yurong.
Tong Aning and Azhu arrived outside the private room and heard screams coming from inside.
Yingtao said indignantly, "Serves you right!"
If she weren't less skilled at fighting than A Shu, she would have taken matters into her own hands.
The shopkeeper passed by and asked, "What's wrong?"
Tong Aning: "We're dealing with them."
The shopkeeper paused. Tong Aning, who was usually good-tempered, would actually take the initiative to discipline people. What heinous crime must the people inside have committed?
Looking at Li Yurong's bruised and swollen face, the shopkeeper thought, "She really brought this on herself."
On the carriage of the Marquis's residence.
Tong Aning held Azhu's hand and asked, "Are you really sure?"
Azhu nodded. "Mm."
Then she frowned and said, "For saying things like that, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to kill him."
Tong Aning laughed heartily, "Why are you so short-tempered now, just like Yingyu?"
Looking at Tong Aning, Azhu saw her smiling eyes and all her anger dissipated.
Azhu said shyly, "You and Yingyu are my best friends, so of course I have to protect you."
Tong Aning was deeply moved. She leaned against Azhu's shoulder and nuzzled against him. "Don't worry, I have dirt on the Li family. I'll hand it over to the Emperor and make sure Li Yurong suffers the consequences!"
Marrying Azhu? Dream on!
Azhu smiled gently, "Okay."
The next day, he attended court.
The Li family, acting like villains, filed a false accusation, claiming that Tong Aning and Azhu beat his son without distinguishing right from wrong.
Emperor: "Are you sure, Aning also made a move?"
Li Suihe paused, "Your Majesty, what do you mean by this?"
Is he trying to drag the entire Marquis's mansion into this mess?
Thinking of this, he affirmed, "That's right. Fourth Miss Tong's domineering behavior shows she's done such things many times before; it's all because the Marquis has failed to discipline her properly."
Tong Aobai said coldly, "You've disciplined your child well. Your son said my daughter was two-timing you. You really have excellent upbringing."
Li Suihe choked, then suddenly felt a chill. He looked up and met Xue Lin's terrifying gaze.
Li Suihe's heart skipped a beat. He retorted, "Your Majesty, you cannot show favoritism to Fourth Miss Tong just because she is from the Marquis's household and is the heir apparent's fiancée."
"Shut up."
The emperor had initially been skeptical of Li Suihe's words, but now he was certain that Li Suihe was simply spouting nonsense.
How could he not know how important Tong Aning was to the entire court, and even to the whole of Great Xia?
Could it be that he can't hear his own heart?
Yes.
If this foolish father and son could hear Tong Aning's true feelings, would they still have uttered such arrogant words?
Li Suihe was stunned, unsure of the emperor's temperament, and felt uneasy.
"I will have someone investigate this matter."
"Your Majesty, I have something to say."
The court officials all looked at Tong Aning.
She was a principal officer in the Ministry of Rites, so she wasn't standing near the front.
The emperor's gaze suddenly softened with affection, and he said, " Lord Tong, come forward and speak."
"Yes."
Tong Aning told him all about the Li family's messy affairs.
Not only was Li Yurong already with someone else and the two even had a child, but Li Suihe allowed his clansmen to run rampant in the village, disregarding human life.
They are simply the scum of society and parasites on the imperial court.
The emperor's expression was grave.
Li Suihe's position was not high, but even a minor official like him could do such things at home, which shows the dereliction of duty in some places.
Despite Li Suihe's loud cries that he was innocent, the emperor still ordered him to be taken away.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Meng Yu proposed annuling the engagement, and the emperor had no choice but to agree.
With the matter resolved, Tong Aning breathed a sigh of relief.
The evidence against the Li family is conclusive; all members of the Li family must have their property confiscated and be exiled.
Tong Aning heard that Xue Lin led the raid on the Li family's home.
"Miss, you don't know, Heir Xue actually had two small boats brought over, and Li Yurong stepped on one with each foot to row them out of the city." Yingtao danced with joy, her face beaming with delight.
She never expected that Heir Xue would do this to avenge his young mistress.
Tong Aning was also somewhat surprised. She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Really?"
"Of course it's true! Halfway through, Li Yurong even did a split, hahaha! Miss, how did Heir Xue come up with this idea?"
Tong Aning poured Yingtao a cup of tea, and Cherry, resting her chin on her hand, said, "He's smart."
"Yes, yes, Heir Xue is clever; he and Miss are a match made in heaven."
The two were about to get married, and everyone in the household stopped hiding it and started openly teasing each other.
Tong Aning's mind raced for a moment, then she looked at Yingtao with a sly expression, "Are you saying your young lady is stupid?"
Yingtao stuck out her tongue. "How could I dare?"
*
There is a joyous occasion at the Liang Prince's residence: the youngest son of the Liang Prince is getting married.
Prince Liang is the son of Consort Yun. Consort Yun had three children, two of whom died young. She raised Prince Liang with great difficulty and cherished this son the most.
She's not in good health these days, but she still came to her grandson's wedding.
His Majesty and the Empress both sent gifts to the Liang Prince's residence.
The Prince of Liang was kind and generous, and as the elder brother of the current emperor, he received a constant stream of guests, and all sorts of gifts flowed into his residence, leaving Tong Aning speechless with amazement.
This was her first time meeting Prince Liang, while Lou Yingyu had met him several times before.
She whispered to Tong Aning, "He's the only one who doesn't get angry when I pull his beard."
Tong Aning: "..."
That person is very good.
The wedding procession returned, and the newlyweds were escorted into the main hall. They first bowed to heaven and earth, then to their grandmother, then to their parents, and finally bowed to each other.
Everyone in the Liang Prince's mansion was in high spirits, but unexpectedly, when Xue Xingchao went to deliver food to his wife, he was assassinated.
The Prince of Liang and his wife helped Consort Yun to a side room. Xue Xingchao was pale, and the royal physician was bandaging him.
Xue Xingchao reassured his grandmother and parents, "Grandmother, Father, Mother, don't worry, I'm fine, just a minor injury."
Princess Liang walked up to Xue Xingchao and saw the long wound on his arm. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes. "How can this be considered a minor injury?"
Consort Yun: "Investigate! Investigate immediately! This assassin must not be let off lightly."
"Mother is right," said King Liang, "How dare anyone harm my son in my own residence! I will find that person!"
The guests were temporarily kept at the Liang Prince's residence. At first, most of the guests were dissatisfied, but when they heard that Xue Xingchao had been assassinated, they understood.
After all, they wouldn't feel at ease if the assassins weren't caught.
Su Zhouyue asked Tong Aning and Lou Yingyu to come to her side.
In the end, King Liang and Xue Xingchao identified two people as suspects.
One was the Duke of Zheng, and the other was the bride's father.
Xue Xingchao walked up to Duke Zheng and said, "I also injured that man's left hand. I would be grateful if you could roll up your sleeve and let me take a look."
The Duke of Zheng was so angry that his face turned red and his neck bulged. "To doubt me for such a reason is utter nonsense!"
King Liang walked to Xue Xingchao's side, frowning, and said, "Duke Zheng, what do you mean by this? Could it really be you...?"
The Duke of Zheng cursed, "Nonsense! Have you and your son lost your brains today?"
Xue Xingchao and the Prince of Liang looked rather grim.
Someone who was on good terms with both the King of Liang and the Duke of Zheng stepped in to smooth things over, suggesting, "Why don't we go inside and take a look?"
Both King Liang and Xue Xingchao agreed, but Duke Zheng still refused, covering his left sleeve tightly, clearly indicating that he would never cooperate.
His appearance really does resemble that of someone with a guilty conscience.
Even Su Zhouyue had some doubts. She whispered, "Could it really be the Duke of Zheng?"
Why would the Duke of Zheng, who was perfectly fine, assassinate the son of the King of Liang? The two families had no enmity whatsoever.
Tong Aning: [It wasn't him at all.]
Not him?
What is he feeling guilty about?
[I never imagined that the Duke of Zheng, at his advanced age, would be so...]
What is it?!
Some guests were initially uninterested, but Tong Aning's words piqued their curiosity.
He glanced at Tong Aning several times, both openly and secretly.
[Yet you seem to enjoy playing with the madam so much; your arms must be covered in whip marks, right?]
He and Feng Bo should have common ground.
Feng Bo...
The dead melons suddenly began attacking the guests.
There are actually two people like that in the capital!