That evening, Prince of Jin summoned Tang Zhuyun to his study.
"You sent people to deliver medicine to Huaishang my name?"
"Yes," Tang Zhuyun said matter-of-factly, "Didn't you say you wanted to give him medicine?"
"So, if I said I didn't need it later, did you eat it?" Prince of Jin tapped his long, slender fingers on the table, his imposing aura intimidating.
Tang Zhuyun was no longer afraid of him; he was just a paper tiger.
"I thought you were hesitant to bother me, but I wanted to help you out," she said with a smile. "Did Huaishang to tell you? Did he say anything, and how did it go?"
Prince of Jin: "Very good!"
It worked so quickly?
"If he wants more, I can provide an unlimited amount for free," Tang Zhuyun said. "By the way, Your Highness, Song Jingyang is out delivering medicine now, so when would be a convenient time for you to settle the payment for him?"
The veins on Prince of Jin's forehead throbbed slightly as he sneered, "Settle things for you? Don't you know you belong to me now? Do you think I give you a hundred taels of silver a month for nothing?"
Tang Zhuyun was dumbfounded.
She felt guilty and grateful that the Prince of Jin was helping her carry the hot pot, but to her surprise, he simply took the pot away and kept it for himself.
"Your Highness," she stammered, "How about we split it 20/80?"
"Nine is worth considering."
Is it possible to bargain like this? She offered him twenty, but he said ten would be fine?
wrong.
Tang Zhuyun: "I'm nine, you're one?"
"What do you say? I'll give you ten percent, take it or leave it."
These are robbers!
Tang Zhuyun wanted to cry but had no tears, yet she dared not say no, for if she did, she would truly have no Zidu left.
Seeing her humiliated expression, the Prince of Jin finally felt a sense of satisfaction.
"Why did you send medicine to Huaishang? Have you taken a liking to him?" the Prince of Jin asked through gritted teeth.
"Your Highness, that's not true! Absolutely not," Tang Zhuyun said, trying to dispel any doubts. "If that's what you think, then I will never see Huaishang again!"
Please, I beg you, never see you again.
However, the more eager she was to clear herself of the matter, the more suspicious the Prince of Jin became.
Is she protecting Huaishang?
She actually has moments like this.
very good.
He said slowly and deliberately, "You are my concubine, you know that, and I don't even fancy you."
Tang Zhuyun: Thank you, we're in the same boat.
"It wouldn't be impossible for me to bestow you upon Huaishang. In fact, if you could do me a favor, it wouldn't be out of the question for you to become his principal wife."
Tang Zhuyun: "Your Highness, how could you do this to your subordinate? You know perfectly well that I've already given birth!"
She's not stupid.
Would the Prince of Jin be so kind?
No, that task must have been extremely difficult, even life-threatening.
Besides, this temptation wasn't enough for her at all; she wanted to stay far away and actively get closer to Huaishang. She's brain-dead!
They've become smarter, that's good.
If he can't teach them well, then let her father and brothers teach them.
He has already spoken with Tang Baixin and arranged for him to educate Tang.
Tang Zhuyun was somewhat frustrated and dejected, so she didn't notice the Prince of Prince of Jin's scheme.
She had originally intended to cultivate a good relationship with the Prince of Jin, especially recently.
She wanted to curry favor with the Prince of Jin and get his approval for her "outlandish idea"—she wanted to acknowledge Linlin as her own, even if it was just through adoption or as a foster son.
She was just a concubine with no hope of ever being adopted. Adoption might be a bit of an exaggeration, but getting an adopted son isn't too much to ask, is it?
As it turned out, the Prince of Jin was really too difficult to please; his flattery backfired spectacularly, leaving him utterly frustrated.
The next day, Xiu'er came to call Tang Zhuyun, saying that Meng Yulan was looking for her.
When Tang Zhuyun arrived, Meng Yulan gave Xiu'er some money and told her to take the two children out to play.
Tang Zhuyun became a little nervous upon seeing this. "Sister-in-law, did my brother make you angry?"
Meng Yulan's smile was somewhat unnatural, "No."
"Really not?"
"No, no, the old man treated me extremely well."
As she spoke, she glanced behind the screen and secretly gave Tang Zhuyun a meaningful look.
Tang Zhuyun: "???"
She didn't dare turn her head to look directly in that direction, but secretly glanced over with the corner of her eye, sensing that someone was sitting indistinctly behind the screen.
Is it her brother?
What are they trying to do?
Then she heard Meng Yulan say earnestly, "A-Yun, tell me the truth, is the Prince not good to you?"
Tang Zhuyun: "No, we're just separated by a wall. If it were really bad, you would know."
Of course, hello everyone, I was the last to know; things that happen behind closed doors are really hard to say.
"Tell me the truth."
"That's the truth," Tang Zhuyun said. "Although the prince doesn't smile much and can be quite fierce at times, he's only fierce verbally. Besides, with my free-spirited personality, only the prince can indulge me."
She knew what was going on, so she was willing to reciprocate.
The Prince of Jin gave her a freedom that no one else could give her, and even if it was relative, it was still incredibly precious.
"Then, what do you think of Huaishang?"
Tang Zhuyun's eyes widened. "Huaishang? Sister-in-law, did someone say something to you and my brother?"
Could it be that Huaishang to test the waters?
Tang Zhuyun's heart pounded like a drum.
"No, I just heard that one of the prince's subordinates recently returned and often follows the prince around, so I was just asking."
That wouldn't happen.
However, Tang Zhuyun remained calm and said, "I'm not very familiar with him, we've barely exchanged a few words. Once, the prince said he would send him some kidney-tonifying medicine, so I had Xiu'er deliver it. Later, the prince denied it and blamed me for acting on my own initiative, but I didn't argue with him. Other than that, nothing else."
Meng Yulan breathed a sigh of relief, "I see, then Your Highness must have misunderstood."
What did he misunderstand?
Meng Yulan said, "The prince thought you were interested in Huaishang, but were too embarrassed to say it directly, so he asked your elder brother to talk to you about it."
The Prince of Jin is such a shrewd complainer!
He actually... he actually... Tang Zhuyun was so angry she couldn't speak.
But when she saw Meng Yulan unconsciously touching her lower abdomen, with the happiness of becoming a mother in her eyes, she still held back.
Why should she lower herself to the level of the Prince of Jin? Linlin's identity issue hasn't been resolved yet!
Thinking of this, Tang Zhuyun said, "That's a misunderstanding on the part of the Prince. I'll explain this to him. Brother, don't hide it anymore, I saw you!"
There was no movement behind the screen.
Tang Zhuyun: "... Big brother! Come out here, I have something important to say."
She didn't want Linlin to become a thorn in the side between Tang Baixin and Meng Yulan.
A woman's heart can be very big. For example, now that the Prince of Jin has taken eighteen concubines into his household, she will definitely make a big fuss and be overjoyed.
However, a woman's heart is also small. If they truly love each other, even if they understand that the past cannot be changed, they will always have some reservations.
For example, Meng Yulan and her older brother.
There was still no movement outside the screen.
Tang Zhuyun:???