Chapter 177
Chapter 177: Luo Ning Asks the Reason
The Prince Yong manor had sent a message ahead of time.
The Marquis of Zhen Nan finally dared to open his doors and meet with the Duke of the Realm and his wife.
He had no confidence at all. Even though he had clearly been in a winning position, he had still, in front of Madam Zheng, her husband, and Zheng Xiao, furiously scolded his own son.
The Duke of the Realm thought to himself: [This must have been orchestrated by Prince Yong from start to finish. How could the Luo family have this sort of ability?]
With this attitude, Luo Chong Ye was even less impressive than the Zheng family’s chief steward. He was truly humble to the point of being pitiful.
The Duke of the Realm said: “Please speak to the Prince for us and ask him to order the City Patrol Bureau to close the case quickly and let your son return home.”
Luo You had been arrested by the yamen officers of the City Patrol Bureau. Whether he could be released now had to be decided according to the law.
But according to the law, as long as the case could not be concluded, Luo You had to stay locked up.
The street commoners did not understand this kind of struggle. They only knew that Luo You’s maidservant had been forced to commit suicide, and he still had to sit in prison. It was very pitiful.
Luo You was the Young Master of the Marquis of Zhen Nan’s manor, a scholarly youth of Chunshan Academy, and in the future he would be Prince Yong’s brother in law. His status and position were countless times higher than those of ordinary commoners.
If even someone like him had to suffer such grievance and injustice, how could ordinary people not shiver when they imagined it happening to themselves?
So it was not only the commoners who gossiped. Ordinary officials, even those who depended on the great clans, also felt a chill down their backs and quietly helped fan the flames.
The Zheng family had come to apologize because they believed Prince Yong was the mastermind. If he did not loosen his grip, this matter could not be settled. Yet they could not openly kneel and kowtow to Prince Yong, so they had no choice but to give face to Luo Chong Ye instead.
Luo Chong Ye said: “I also hope the case can be concluded soon so that that unfilial son can come home. It truly is the misfortune of our family to have caused such trouble for you, Duke.”
“Children are mostly disobedient,” the Duke of the Realm said with a satisfied smile.
Zheng Xiao, unwilling but with no choice, cupped his hands toward Luo Chong Ye and bowed: “Lord Marquis, I have offended you.”
“Not at all, not at all. Third Young Master, you are too polite.”
Both sides were satisfied.
Luo Chong Ye even felt honored to have met the Duke of the Realm.
Madam Zheng sat to the side with a slight smile and said nothing. It should have been Madam Luo, the lady of the house and head of the family, who hosted her. But no one from the inner residence came out to receive guests, and Madam Zheng could not be bothered to mind it.
Just as they had finished talking, Luo Ning arrived.
Luo Ning was wearing a light colored cloak as she walked slowly into the courtyard of the outer study.
The Duke of the Realm and his wife did not stand up. Only Zheng Xiao rose to greet Luo Ning.
Luo Ning did not look at him. Her gaze swept over the Duke of the Realm and his wife.
Luo Chong Ye frowned and said: “A’Ning, what are you doing here?”
Luo Ning did not bow to her elders. Her calm gaze held a hint of darkness as she asked: “Father, what are the Duke of the Realm and his lady doing here?”
Madam Zheng spoke up: “Miss Luo, we are here to apologize. Because of a single maidservant, such a big commotion has started. The Duke of the Realm’s manor and Her Majesty the Empress both feel very ashamed. Our Duke of the Realm has always been gentle and treats his servants kindly. This little matter happened because of us. It was just that the child was too mischievous.”
What she meant was that a noble great house like theirs would never stir up gossip over a servant. Only a lowly family like the Luo family would make such a fuss over such a small matter.
Luo Ning asked: “Is Third Young Master still considered a child?”
Her words were sharp, and Madam Zheng choked.
Luo Ning went on: “My brother is the one who is still a child. He has not even had his capping ceremony yet.”
Everyone fell silent.
Luo Chong Ye’s brows knit together. He was just about to speak when Luo Ning shot him a glance. That one look was as cold as ice and forced Luo Chong Ye to swallow his words.
Luo Ning asked: “Third Young Master, why did you go looking for trouble with my brother?”
Zheng Xiao said: “It was just playing around.”
Luo Ning said: “The Empress Dowager told our two families to handle this matter ourselves. If I were not thinking of Her Majesty’s face, I would never have agreed to let this go.”
The Duke of the Realm said: “Yes, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is truly fair and broad minded.”
Madam Zheng added: “We are family now, relatives joined to relatives. For our own people to hurt our harmony is just giving outsiders a show for nothing.”
Luo Ning said nothing more.
The Zheng family left behind a stack of silver banknotes and finally departed.
On the way back, they split into two carriages, with the Duke of the Realm and Madam Zheng riding together in one.
The Duke of the Realm said: “That intended consort came in scowling. I thought she would make things difficult for us. I did not expect it was all just a bluff.”
Madam Zheng found Luo Ning ridiculous.
She had looked as if she had come to pick a fight, but in the end, had she not obediently backed down?
These lowborn people, even if they are lifted to a high position, are like monkeys wearing crowns. They are terribly lacking in dignity. Madam Zheng disdained being grouped together with them.
Madam Zheng said: “Of course Her Majesty the Empress Dowager will stand on the Empress’s side, not on Prince Yong’s intended consort’s side. By coming here this time and lowering our status, we have already given Prince Yong plenty of face.”
She added: “Last time, the Luo family blocked me from their gate. I have not forgotten that.”
The Duke of the Realm said: “Let it go. I only hope this matter blows over soon. If the fuss continues, the Emperor will have to step in too.”
The husband and wife both felt much more at ease.
Zheng Xiao sat in the carriage, not exactly happy, because his hidden danger had not been removed.
He had noticed something particularly ridiculous: from the moment the incident happened until now, no one had asked him why he went looking for trouble with Luo You, except for Luo Ning.
His parents did not care.
In the eyes of the Duke of the Realm and his wife, this kind of small matter was not worth mentioning at all. They simply did not care. Now that it had blown up, in their minds, it was only because Prince Yong was angry and wanted to use the people’s resentment to strike at the Zheng family.
So what?
In a few days the storm would pass and everything would be calm again. What could anyone really do to the Zheng family?
The Empress had not summoned him.
The government offices kept saying they were investigating, but no one dared to call him in for questioning.
Only Luo Ning had asked him.
Why he had bullied Luo You.
Zheng Xiao indeed did not know Luo You. A boy like that was not even fit to lick Third Young Master Zheng’s boots.
There was someone else involved.
He was a middleman. He said that the master behind him held the secrets of Zheng Xiao’s filthy affairs with a novice monk from Fahua Temple. If Zheng Xiao helped out and got Luo You thrown into prison, that man would keep the secret forever.
Zheng Xiao had always been careful not to offend such go betweens.
The brokers themselves were not frightening, but once they grew big, the sellers and buyers behind them had powerful and complicated connections. Zheng Xiao was willing to spend money to ward off disaster.
He did not care whom Luo You had offended, nor did he care why the other side insisted on putting Luo You in jail.
He had even planned to start with Luo Ning, slandering her in front of Luo You and forcing Luo You to lose his temper.
Zheng Xiao’s method was very simple, and it worked. He just had to humiliate Luo You and make him fight back.
As long as he raised a hand, Luo You would be arrested.
Mission accomplished.
But the maidservant’s suicide had been something Zheng Xiao never expected, and Luo You’s skill was also something he had not expected at all.
Even more unexpected was that public opinion over this matter had blown up so much.
As for the broker, Zheng Xiao still had not settled the account with him, and there were still people who knew about the dirty things he had done within the Buddhist order.
Lately he had read a few little books and suddenly developed an interest in nuns and monks. He visited several places, but the young nuns were all thin and sallow, dried up and yellow.
By contrast, Fahua Temple had several novice monks who ate well. Each one was plump and fair, more attractive than a young lady.
He had messed around with them for some days, and of course there were people covering for him.
Naturally, this could never be exposed.
If his father found out, he would break his legs. And now that Her Majesty the Empress had gone to Fahua Temple to pray for blessings, if any rumors got out, they would also harm Her Highness.
Zheng Xiao thought: [Once Luo You is released, this matter should come to an end. From now on, I will never go to Fahua Temple again.]
In a good mood, he went home.
That night, Luo Ning and Lin Zhao sat together analyzing Zheng Xiao’s daily routine.
When he went out, how many people he took with him, and where he went, over these past days, Luo Ning had figured it all out.
Lin Zhao said: “Princess Consort, let me do it.”
“I want to go myself.”
Lin Zhao said: “The Prince does not want you to do this. That is Her Majesty the Empress’s own younger brother. There is no wall in the world that does not leak wind. You must not let her bear a grudge against you.”
She added: “I am the Prince’s subordinate. If I do it and Her Majesty the Empress hates me, it will not matter.”
Luo Ning said: “Sister Lin…”
Lin Zhao said: “Princess Consort, I can move faster and finish it with one blow. If you do it yourself, something might go wrong.”
Those words convinced Luo Ning.
Luo Ning said: “Sister Lin, I will trouble you with this. After all the groundwork we have laid these past days, everyone now wants Zheng Xiao dead. Once he dies, even the Emperor will breathe easier. We will make him pay with his life.”
Lin Zhao said that she understood.
However, that very night, everything changed in a drastic way.