Chapter 26: Lang Jiu had a venomous tongue and a complete disregard for whether others lived or died.

Having heard the Lady Cui's assurance, Lang Zhengping’s tense face finally relaxed somewhat. Yet, the thought of the Old Master Zhao’s passing caused his brows to furrow again. He coughed, glancing at Lang Jiuchuan, who was lost in a daze.

Lang Jiuchuan was still wondering what the Gong family and the "root of the path" were. She did not feel they were unfamiliar, yet she could not recall the details. She really needed to find her lost soul.

Hearing Lang Zhengping call her, she snapped back to reality and looked over.

Lang Zhengping looked at her and said, "There is an old saying that trouble comes from the tongue. Even if curses and such notions are baseless and ridiculous, your words were malicious, which is a major taboo for most people. Not to mention that Old Master Zhao’s passing was so sudden, your words proved prophetic. The Zhao family may not be entirely without suspicions. If you know anything, you might as well speak up so we can find a way to handle this and avoid a feud between our two houses."

Lang Jiuchuan smiled. "You might as well just call me a harbinger of doom!"

Lang Zhengping’s hand trembled, his mustache quivering with rage. His eyes widened like copper bells, and he gripped the lid of his teacup, ready to hurl it as he usually did when lecturing his own sons. But the moment his hand moved, it was pressed down.

He looked down to see the hand belonged to Lady Fan, who was shaking her head and giving him a look. *Contain yourself. You are only the uncle; it is not your place to lash out when the girl's own mother is sitting right here.*

Lang Zhengping took a deep breath. He endured it, though it felt like a lump in his throat.

Lady Cui did not disappoint him; her face darkened as she scolded, "What kind of attitude is that? How are you speaking to your elder? Where is your upbringing?"

"Madam asks a good question. Where is my upbringing?"

Lady Cui’s expression shifted. "You!"

Seeing the two clashing, Lady Fan quickly stood up. "Alright, alright, sister-in-law, calm your anger. The child is still young."

Lady Cui’s chest heaved, her lips pressed into a thin line.

Lang Jiuchuan found it all dull. She looked at Lang Zhengping and said, "You don't need to worry about the Zhao family. They didn't do anything to me when they came today, and they won't bring this matter up again. In fact, they should be thanking me. Just you wait."

Having said that, she stood up, gave a slight nod, and walked away.

*Look at that insolent attitude,* Lang Zhengwen thought. *Not only has this girl brought back a rebellious streak, but she is also a thorn in our side!*

Lang Zhengwen, who had remained silent, shook his head. This niece was truly difficult to manage; there would be plenty of headaches in the future. But now was not the time to focus on Lang Jiuchuan; family matters were more pressing.

"Big brother, regarding today's incident, shouldn't we order everyone in the household to keep their mouths shut? If word gets out, it will be detrimental to the Marquis’s estate. If it reaches the ears of the Emperor, he might think our household management is lax and that we lack filial piety..."

Lang Zhengping tapped his fingers on the table, pondering for a moment. "No, we will not hush this up. It doesn't matter if it spreads. In fact, I must go to the palace and weep."

The others were stunned, puzzled.

"The crying child gets the milk. The Lang family is already in decline. With Father’s passing, we have moved further from the center of the imperial court. And yet, there are people using such venomous, underhanded methods against us; it is nothing short of an attempt to wipe us out." Lang Zhengping’s face was cold. "Political strife between factions is common, but using such sinister, evil sorcery is something the Emperor will not tolerate. It is a major taboo."

Lang Zhengwen nodded.

"We should feign weakness when necessary. Regardless, we must observe mourning for several years. Let us use this time to lie low and sharpen our strengths, and we must carefully educate the next generation." Lang Zhengping sighed with a sense of desolation. "Our family’s talent gap is too severe. Without outstanding descendants to step up, we will fall even faster."

A heavy silence fell over the group.

It was true. A dozen years ago, they had at least produced the unconventional Lang Zhengfan—a young hero who unfortunately did not live past thirty.

In Lang Caimeng’s generation, there were over a dozen boys and girls, yet not one was truly capable. Even the eldest grandson, Lang Caimeng, was only a provincial graduate at twenty-one. A grandson could end mourning after a year, but without a metropolitan degree, even with a civil service position and an excellent record, could he ever reach the fourth rank?

Lang Zhengping felt heavy-hearted. "Prepare yourselves. I am going to submit my request to enter the palace. This matter should be handled sooner rather than later."

"Understood."

Lang Jiuchuan left the study and did not return to the mourning hall; she was "frail," after all. On her way to Old Madam’s Kangshou Courtyard, she kept pondering the words "Gong family" and "root of the path," convinced she had heard them before but unable to place them.

*Ah, this useless brain!*

Lang Jiuchuan tugged at her hair and suddenly stopped, as someone had darted in front of her.

Jianlan, following behind, was startled and instinctively stepped in front of her, watching the person opposite with caution. "Who are you?"

The person was a young man in coarse linen clothes, his hair tied with a cloth band. His features were refined, and perhaps because he had nearly bumped into them, he looked somewhat flustered. He stepped back and bowed. "I am Liu Ming. Please forgive my rudeness."

Jianlan looked him over, frowning. "You are a student from the South Courtyard; why have you come here?"

The powerful families in the capital often kept protégés. The Marquis of Kaiping was no exception. Those protégés and advisors lived in the South Courtyard, which had its own entrance. It was unexpected to see one in the main courtyard.

"I intended to offer incense to the late Marquis, but I must have taken a wrong turn," Liu Ming said, looking ashamed. "I nearly bumped into the young lady. I am truly mortified."

The latter part was directed at Lang Jiuchuan, accompanied by another refined bow.

Lang Jiuchuan raised an eyebrow, stepped forward to look closely, and said to Jianlan, "Have someone throw him out. Don't let him dirty the Old Master's eyes at the mourning hall."

Jianlan was stunned. Liu Ming stared at Lang Jiuchuan blankly; this was not how he had expected it to go.

Lang Jiuchuan looked at him with utter disdain and sneered, "Not only is your heart crooked, but you are also reeking of a foxy, seductive stench. And you dare to offer incense to the late Marquis? Are you trying to die?"

Liu Ming’s heart hammered, his face flushing crimson as he tried to argue.

Lang Jiuchuan, however, had no intention of listening to his nonsense. She said to Jianlan, "Well? Go."

Jianlan let out an "ah" but hadn't moved yet when Liu Ming said with a look of humiliation, "I merely lost my way. How can the young lady insult me so? I may be a protégé of the Marquis's estate, but I am not someone to be insulted at will."

Lang Jiuchuan laughed. "You rushed up to me, wasn't it to climb the social ladder? If you can't even handle a little insult, how do you expect to climb high? Does the high society of Wujing really prefer this 'courageous and unyielding' act of yours?"

"You!"

Lang Jiuchuan walked away without another word. Jianlan signaled a servant to drag him off.

Liu Ming was so angry he could have stomped his feet. Before he left the South Courtyard, He Chao next door had mockingly laughed at his wishful thinking, and sure enough, he was right.

*But wasn't this Ninth Young Lady just brought back from the countryside?* he thought. *How is she more difficult to deal with than those raised in the inner chambers? And her tongue is so sharp! Clearly, she wasn't raised with any proper upbringing.*

Once the area was quiet, several figures emerged from the shadows.

Lang Zhengping said to the steward beside him, "Go investigate that Liu Ming. If there's anything suspicious, throw him out."

"Understood."

Lang Zhengwen frowned. "Brother, did you listen to Ninth Lady and agree that the protégé was trying to climb the social ladder?"

Lang Zhengping snorted. "Walking into the main courtyard at lamp-lighting time and getting lost—a young girl wouldn't believe it, and you do? If it had been a thin-skinned girl from the inner chambers, she might have been fooled."

*It’s just a pity,* he thought, *that he ran into someone with a poisonous tongue who couldn't care less if he lived or died. He hit a steel plate!*