Chapter 23: Chapter 23 Was it for Gentlemen?

Song Sinian’s expression had turned even uglier than before.

He remained silent for a moment, and the atmosphere in the study suddenly became oppressively tense.

After a while, his eyes lifted slightly as he looked at Qian Hong, “Does Xiao Jinglan plan to keep sending cubilose to Zhaozhao?”

Qian Hong nodded honestly, “The person who delivered the cubilose said that once the madam has finished it, they will continue to send more.”

Sure enough, as soon as Qian Hong had finished speaking, she felt a chill running down her spine.

“Good, very good,” Song Sinian’s gaze grew darker, “Since Xiao Jinglan said she eats the same as Zhaozhao, she needs to keep her word. You all should know what to do, right?”

Zhao Xi and Qian Hong immediately nodded.

They understood the principle of returning like for like.

Since Xiao Jinglan dared to poison their madam, she should be prepared for the consequences.

The Song Mansion still had plenty of their informants, and swapping Xiao Jinglan’s cubilose for a poisoned version would be effortless.

Song Sinian’s fingertips tapped lightly on the arm of the sofa, then as if remembering something, he turned to Zhao Xi and said, “Compile a list of people within the Song Group who support Xiao Jinglan for me.”

If there were people behind her preventing her removal from the Song Family directly, then their focus would shift to pulling these supporters out one by one!

“Yes, sir,” Zhao Xi nodded, “I will compile a list as soon as possible.”

It seemed their master was truly angry this time.

Zhao Xi sighed softly, as if suddenly remembering something, “Sir, the madam’s school term is about to start. Should we prepare a back-to-school gift for her? Hadn’t the madam also given you a gift before?”

Upon hearing this, Song Sinian raised his eyes to Zhao Xi, “What did she give me?”

Could it have been that painting?

Zhao Xi’s mouth opened, suddenly regretting his impulsiveness, but seeing Song Sinian’s stare fixed on him, he had to press on, “That… isn’t the ear cuff for men? I thought the madam bought it as a gift for you.”

If not, it would be quite awkward.

“Ear cuff?” The image of the delicate accessory flashed through Song Sinian’s mind.

Was it meant for men?

He had thought the item was a girl’s accessory, so he had sent it to Lu Zhaozhao without a second thought.

Song Sinian pondered for a moment, his gaze sweeping over Qian Hong and Zhao Xi, “Can I get it back now, or is it too late?”

“…”

“…”

For several consecutive days, Xiao Jinglan had been idling at the Song Family home without any particular duties.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t willing to do anything, but ever since Song Sinian had told her to stay out of his and Lu Zhaozhao’s affairs, Old Master Song had her copying scriptures at the Song Mansion, claiming it would help her settle her mind.

Fortunately, Old Master Song went out to play chess with a friend today, giving her a moment to breathe.

Previously, Lu Zhaozhao had received her marriage certificate with Song Sinian on the very day they had their blind date, so Mr. and Mrs. Lu, who had originally planned to stay longer, had also returned.

Xiao Jinglan was naturally the first person to receive the news.

She knew that the pretext of Mr. and Mrs. Lu’s “trip” was merely for show; in reality, they just wanted to create more opportunities for Song Sinian and Lu Zhaozhao to be alone together.

They certainly never dreamed that Lu Zhaozhao would be so capable, bringing Song Sinian to his knees just like that.

So, they must be rushing back nonstop now, right?

After Xiao Jinglan revealed her identity, she was quickly led by a servant to the drawing room.

Mr. and Mrs. Lu seemed to have not anticipated Xiao Jinglan’s visit and hurriedly welcomed her.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Xiao Jinglan cut straight to the point, “The two of you must already know about Sinian and Zhaozhao getting their marriage certificate, right?”

Lu Dagui nodded, not saying much.

On the other hand, Cao Mei wore a sighing expression and said, “Our Zhaozhao has been spoiled by me, I never thought she would be so wilful. Her dad and I were also taken aback, so we hurried back.”

“Yes, Zhaozhao doesn’t usually associate much with boys. It’s understandable that she would fall for President Song all of a sudden, given how outstanding he is.” Lu Dagui chimed in with Cao Mei’s words, taking the opportunity to compliment Song Sinian as well.

Although they said so, they couldn’t suppress the corners of their lips from quivering upward; anyone could see that they were about to burst with happiness.

Over the years, countless people had tried to send women Song Sinian’s way, but only the Lu Family had succeeded.

They’d be strange not to be thrilled!

Xiao Jinglan tugged at the corners of her mouth stiffly, “Zhaozhao is indeed a good girl, but I’m afraid I won’t have the chance to chat with her properly in my capacity as an elder. From now on, I’ll have to rely on both of you to handle Sinian’s side of things.”

Upon hearing Xiao Jinglan’s words, both Lu Dagui and Cao Mei appeared puzzled.

“What does Lady Xiao mean? Did Zhaozhao do something wrong at the Song Family?” Cao Mei, a shrewd person, caught the hint in Xiao Jinglan’s words at once.

Xiao Jinglan didn’t beat around the bush, “Ah, I’m not clear myself, I only know that the housekeeper was changed as soon as she moved to Sinian’s. I was just going to check on her when Mr. Song warned me not to meddle in their affairs anymore, I really don’t know what happened…”

Though she appeared not to speak ill of Lu Zhaozhao, her every word and phrase carried a hidden meaning.

Cao Mei glanced at Xiao Jinglan and tugged at the corner of her mouth, “We’ve just come back and are not clear about the specifics. Tomorrow morning, when Zhaozhao returns, I’ll ask her in detail. If she offended Lady Xiao, I will definitely make her apologize to you.”

“Oh, how could I accept that? Sinian cherishes her now, and she might even become the head of the Song Family in the future. I wouldn’t dare to demand an apology from her.” Xiao Jinglan wore a smile, but in reality, she was knitting a thorn into the sides of Lu Dagui and Cao Mei.

Her implication was clear; now Lu Zhaozhao was so favored in the Song Family that even she, a member of the Song Family, dared not speak out, let alone them.

Lu Zhaozhao had grown up under their control; how could they allow a mere girl to slip from their grasp?

As expected, after she spoke these words, the expressions on the faces of Lu Dagui and Cao Mei changed significantly.

Xiao Jinglan was quite satisfied with their reactions and then sighed lightly, “I just came today to pass on a simple message. From now on, we’ll be counting on both of you to take care of Sinian…”

With that, she slowly stood up and continued, “You both just got back not long ago. You should rest up, so I’ll not disturb you any further.”

“Okay, take care, Lady Xiao.”

“…”

After seeing off Xiao Jinglan, Cao Mei raised her hand and swept all the items from the tabletop onto the floor in a rage, “What does she mean? She can’t control Lu Zhaozhao herself, so she comes to us to show off? She’s just a minor wife! She’s really getting above herself!”

Zhao Da Gui glanced at Cao Mei, his face not looking any better, “Setting aside whether what Xiao Jinglan said is true or false, if it’s really as she said, and Song Sinian dotes on Lu Zhaozhao that much, then we must hold onto this card no matter what!”