Miss Truth
Chapter 171 - 109 The Xiao Family of Lanling

Chapter 171: Chapter 109 The Xiao Family of Lanling

The three of them made their way back to Yingmei Temple along the shaded path. Halfway up the mountain, faint sounds of a guqin playing drifted up from below.

Ran Yan paused in her steps. This melody had been a daily source of entertainment for her these past few days, the same tune of "Phoenix Seeking His Mate" played over and over again. Yet, each rendition carried slight variations. Today, however, the music was almost discordant, a brief mess of notes abruptly stopped.

Ge Lan stole a glance at Ran Yan. She probably knew who was playing that song, and at this moment, aside from the heartbroken Sang Chen, who else could produce such a lonely tune?

Ran Yan paused only briefly before she continued up the mountain.

Upon entering the bamboo forest, they saw Ran Yunsheng, dressed in a gray long robe, standing on the steps, frowning at her.

Seeing this, Ge Lan guessed that Ran Yunsheng had something to say. She tugged on Wan Lu, and the two of them stepped back a few yards.

Ran Yunsheng sighed in disappointment, "Ah Yan, in the end, you still won’t listen to advice."

Without responding, Ran Yan listened as he continued, "Today, the Lanling Xiao family came with a marriage proposal. They speak of Xiao Song. Ah Yan, tell Shilang honestly, have you taken a fancy to him long ago? Is that why you won’t agree to Mr. Sang’s proposal?"

It wasn’t unreasonable for Ran Yunsheng to think this way. What a coincidence it was that right after Sang Chen’s proposal, the Xiao family’s followed immediately!

Ran Yan was as surprised as when she heard about Sang Chen’s proposal, "The Xiao family’s proposal?"

Her romantic prospects seemed to fluctuate wildly, one moment the hot topic of the town, the next shunned by all, and now her luck had turned once more with two prestigious families proposing marriage! The first thing that occurred to Ran Yan was that Ran Wen must be ecstatic!

"You didn’t know?" Ran Yunsheng, hearing her tone, believed she wasn’t feigning ignorance, and his displeasure eased slightly. "This time, your marriage must be settled. Whether it’s the Boring Cui family or the Lanling Xiao family, they are beyond the wildest dreams of small clans like ours... Alas, I’m afraid Uncle may have changed his mind."

"What do you mean?" Ran Yan removed her mask, revealing a deeply furrowed brow. Xiao Song was notorious for being a "wife killer." Could Ran Wen really be so blinded by self-interest that he’d send his own daughter to her death?

Ran Yunsheng’s eyes, clear but filled with complex emotions, felt it would be too cruel to tell Ran Yan the harsh truth, but at this point, she needed to be aware of the situation. "In the Clan Chronicles, the Lanling Xiao family is a Military Merit Family, while the Boring Cui family is a respected scholarly clan. In terms of rankings, the Xiao family might be a few positions lower, but Xiao Song is the legitimate third son of the Duke of Song, a young and influential Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Criminal Justice within the Xiao clan. Compared to the less flourishing Cui family with six branches, he is several grades higher. Uncle and the elder clan members..."

Duke of Song Xiao Yu!

The Xiao clan was vast, having founded both the Qi Dynasty and the Liang Dynasty of the Southern Dynasty. Once an imperial family rich in descendants and distinguished individuals, during the Southern Dynasty, the Xiao clan had been the family of thirty prime ministers, leading to the saying "Two Dynasties’ emperors, nine Xiao prime ministers." Thus, Ran Yan hadn’t considered Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu was a Sui Dynasty loyalist, his sister being Emperor Yang of Sui’s empress. He had achieved the high position of Silver Qing Guanglu Daifu (a noble rank) at a young age, a legend in his own right even more so than Xiao Song. With the fall of the Sui Dynasty, Xiao Yu, being straightforward, talented, and a son-in-law of the Grand Ancestor Empress Dugu of the Tang Dynasty, earned the trust and favor of Tang Taizu Li Yuan.

After Tang Taizong Li Shimin ascended to the throne, he granted a poem: "The strong winds show the strength of the grass; the turmoil reveals the loyalty of a minister." But Xiao Yu was too frank, often causing public confrontation with others in Court, stirring up chaos among officials, and as a result, was frequently removed from his posts and sent home for self-reflection as if it were routine.

"Duke of Song was appointed four times to the position akin to Prime Minister, and the last time he was dismissed by the emperor and sent home for self-reflection was in the eighth year of the Zhenguan era. Although he currently only holds the post of Inspector of Qi State, everyone knows that it’s only a matter of time before the emperor calls him back... So if you marry Xiao Song, the Ran family will benefit greatly," Ran Yunsheng explained everything clearly. Between Xiao Song and Sang Chen, the Ran Family would undoubtedly choose Xiao Song. In comparison, Ran Yan’s life seemed incredibly insignificant.

Ran Yan also understood crystal clear, who she married was not her decision to make. From the perspective of the Clan, the only thing that had to do with her personally was—to obediently follow the decision.

"With that said, there’s nothing for me to do." Ran Yan said languidly.

Ran Yunsheng naturally heard the suppression behind her words and comforted her, "I’ll try my best to maneuver, but Shilang’s abilities are limited. Boring’s Cui Clan and Lanling’s Xiao Clan are both beyond my control. In the end..."

"I understand, Shilang, thank you." Concerned about the slightly emaciated look of Ran Yunsheng, Ran Yan said, "You must take care of your own health... For this matter, perhaps we could cooperate with the Gao Clan."

"The Gao Clan?" Ran Yunsheng’s eyes lit up. Ran Yan’s stepmother was no easy character, but his hope faded immediately, "She certainly doesn’t want you to marry Xiao Song, yet she would be even less willing to see you marry Mister Sang. Xiao Song is said to outlive his wives, and if you truly end up marrying him... maybe... that would only serve her interests, without any downsides."

Ran Yan could imagine what it was like for the Xiao Clan, not to mention whether she was able to protect herself in such a complex and dangerous place, even if she could, why would she subject herself to such suffering for no reason?

"If it won’t work out, Shilang needn’t worry further. Going to find Sang Chen today was my own impulsiveness. I assure you such incidents won’t happen again. You must take good care of yourself... I don’t want to marry into the Xiao Clan, by any means necessary. As for this matter..."

Ran Yan’s words were cut off halfway by a languid voice, "Hmm, it seems that the seventeenth lady has found someone she fancies? Let me guess..."

Ran Yan turned sharply and glared coldly at the handsome man dressed in a purple wide-sleeved robe.

Not far away, Wan Lu’s mouth was covered by Bai Yi, and Ge Lan was held by two government soldiers.

Upon seeing the visitor, Ran Yunsheng’s expression changed subtly. He didn’t know how long Xiao Song had been there, nor how much of the conversation he had heard. Even the last sentence Ran Yan had uttered would have been enough to wholly offend the Xiao Clan. Yet, at this moment, what most concerned him was the implication behind Xiao Song’s words. Could it be that Yan had found someone special?

"Within ten steps, kill one man, without leaving a trace for a thousand miles?" Xiao Song asked directly without beating around the bush.

"If Langjun Xiao has spare time on his hands, perhaps he could spend it pondering over the case. The citizens of Suzhou would be grateful for that." Ran Yan’s gaze was cold, and her wariness towards Xiao Song grew. She could somewhat guess why he was suspecting her, no doubt because of the umbrella and the medicine in the tea.

The first time Ran Yan encountered Xiao Song, he was hunting down Su Fu, and she suspected that he hadn’t given up yet. So, was his proposal to the Ran Family because of this reason as well?

"Shilang, may I have a few words alone with your sister?" Xiao Song asked, a light smile on his face as he looked at Ran Yunsheng.

Seeing Ran Yunsheng hesitate, Ran Yan said, "Don’t worry, Shilang. Langjun Xiao is, after all, a court official, not like the usual unruly youths. He probably won’t do anything disgraceful."

Xiao Song’s brows arched, not like the usual unruly youths, yet she still managed to call him one in a roundabout way. Looking at Ran Yan and seeing that from composed, she had turned into a little beast with sharp claws and fangs, Xiao Song wasn’t angry but somewhat pleased.

"Wife Ran, let’s set aside our personal grievances for now. I ask for your assistance with this case. As for the reward, you can ask for any two things that Inspector Liu and I have the power to grant," Xiao Song said, his expression becoming earnest.

Ran Yan’s eyes brightened, "Really?" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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