Meng Yulan was deeply skeptical of life and of the upbringing she had received over the past decade.
"A-Yun, you can't do this." After a long pause, she finally found her voice. "You have to understand, you can't choose who the princess is. Whether your future princess is sweet-talking and treacherous, or insidious and vicious, you have to face it."
Tang Zhuyun: Couldn't the Prince of Jin have chosen a better person?
But she knew that Meng Yulan was right.
"So, what does my sister-in-law think I should do?"
"To be a princess." Meng Yulan looked into her eyes and said, word by word.
Before Tang Zhuyun could even slump her shoulders, Meng Yulan said, "I know you're different, A-Yun, you're capable, but if you don't want to be manipulated, you have to take the initiative first. Regardless of your feelings for the prince, you're satisfied with your current life, aren't you?"
"That's true..."
"In that case, you'll have to put in some effort," Meng Yulan said.
So, instead of teaching me how to perform well at the flower-viewing banquet and leave no room for criticism, you taught me how to be hypocritical, treacherous, and ruthless, silently nipping potential competitors in the bud?
It's so hard, so incredibly hard.
"Sister-in-law, we're not the same," Tang Zhuyun said after swallowing hard.
You're going in both directions, but I'm just walking into a trap.
When the Prince of Jin took a wife, she chose to live a life of ignominy.
She'll definitely be able to hold on, because she still has her Little Lovely Yanran.
"I'll live with Yanran in a quiet little courtyard then, and we definitely won't get in the way."
"Do they kowtow and serve tea to the princess? Do they kowtow and pay their respects during festivals?"
Holy crap!
It must be said that Meng Yulan had keen insight and saw through Tang Zhuyun's weakness at a glance.
"So for your own sake, you have to prove yourself; at the flower-viewing banquet, you absolutely cannot let anyone overshadow you, remember that?"
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
No, rather than that, she would rather try to win over the Prince of Jin directly and get him to let her go, or at least turn a blind eye so that she could go back to her parents' home.
Meng Yulan's next words left Tang Zhuyun speechless.
She said, "This is also the prince's wish."
What does Your Highness mean?
"The Prince and the Master mentioned this matter in a roundabout way, indicating they weren't particularly enthusiastic about the flower-viewing banquet..." Fearing Tang Zhuyun might not understand, she emphasized, "The Prince also hopes this flower-viewing banquet Wuji."
Tang Zhuyun immediately understood that, after all the twists and turns, the Prince of Jin didn't want his marriage to be manipulated, so he wanted her to disrupt things.
Okay, she's good at this.
She originally had no intention of attending these banquets where sisters acted intimately to her face but behind her backs were despicable idiots plotting against her entire family. However, since the Prince of Jin wanted her to be the troublemaker, she would go and stir things up.
Although she was still angry about the arranged marriage, she hadn't given up on the idea of bringing Linlin back, so she still wanted to maintain a harmonious relationship with Prince of Jin.
Meng Yulan wanted to go with her, but Tang Zhuyun refused.
Meng Yulan's current situation is awkward, and she'll probably be ridiculed; moreover, she's pregnant now, so taking care of her pregnancy is the most important thing, and she should avoid contact with those shady characters.
Two days later, Tang Zhuyun, along with Yanran, Xiu'er, Nanxing, waited at the gate for the Prince's carriage to come and pick them up.
I don't know what happened, they haven't come yet.
A moment later, amidst Tang Zhuyun's muttering, the carriage bearing the insignia of the Prince of Jin's Residence slowly arrived.
Just as Tang Zhuyun was about to carry Yanran onto the carriage, she suddenly saw the curtain lifted, revealing the cold face of Prince of Jin.
He was riding in a carriage too?
Before he could hesitate, he said, "Nanxing, take the young master to the carriage in the back, and Xiu'er too. You, come up here—"
Tang Zhuyun lifted her skirt slightly, stepped onto the stool, and boarded the carriage.
Who's afraid of who!
The carriage rumbled along, passing through the bustling city, the noise from outside drifting in.
The Prince of Jin sat upright, his eyes fixed straight ahead, not glancing at Tang Zhuyun at all.
Tang Zhuyun ignored him, leaning against the carriage wall without any regard for her image, tilting her head as she pondered important matters—what's gotten into my lord today? What's wrong with him? Riding in the carriage with him is so boring...
The carriage wheel rolled into a ditch and then rolled out again, causing the carriage to lurch and Tang Zhuyun to bump her head.
Just as she was about to rub it, a large hand suddenly covered her head and gently rubbed it.
Tang Zhuyun was so shocked that her Zidu popped out of her head, and she even suspected that there was someone she couldn't see hiding in the carriage.
Your Highness Prince of Jin, who would do such a thing!
When she saw the expression on the Prince of Prince of Jin's face, she was even more horrified.
Because the Prince of Jin's expression was clearly one of frowning and gritting his teeth, not like a caress, but more like the expression of her scrubbing the toilet.
This guy's gone mad, because his hand was clearly still rubbing her head.
"Be careful." The Prince of Jin withdrew his hand, his expression returning to normal.
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
She didn't speak, because she really didn't know what to say.
"You need to adapt, and so do I," said the Prince of Jin, looking at her bewildered expression. "Mind your affections."
Tang Zhuyun: Where's my tofu?
It turns out that His Highness Prince of Jin was rehearsing and learning how to show affection in public.
But looking at your constipated face, who would guess this is a public display of affection?
Anyone who didn't know better would think you were going to tap me to see if I was cooked or to suck my brains out!
When they disembarked from the carriage, in front of many people, Prince of Jin carried Tang Zhuyun down.
This business was obviously familiar to him, so he lifted Tang Zhuyun down like he was carrying a child.
He arrived carrying his eldest daughter!
The first round of their public display of affection ended with Tang Zhuyun awkwardly wanting to dig her toes into the ground, and Yanran leading Yanran inside.
The flower-viewing party was nothing new, but this time it was held in a warm pavilion, and the flowers were freshly grown in a greenhouse. As always, there were beautiful women, and the sisters were all very close.
Tang Zhuyun found a corner, sat down with Yanran, and ate and admired the flowers attentively until Ruan Anruo arrived.
Looking at Ruan Anruo, who was adorned with jewels and looked like a concubine, Tang Zhuyun said lazily, "What, didn't you see your mistress is here too? Aren't you going to kowtow and serve her?"
Ruan Anruo sat down opposite her, a smile on her face. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought the two were catching up. However, what she actually said was incredibly vicious, "Tang Zhuyun, don't think I don't know what you've done! Your retribution is coming."
Tang Zhuyun: "If I don't do anything, can I really help you and Seventh Master get together?"
Although she appeared nonchalant, she was inwardly worried. Ruan Anruo wouldn't speak without reason; she must have dug some trap for her to fall into today.
Yanran suddenly shouted, "Get away from me! If you don't leave, I'll tell Uncle Qi that you're bullying me!"
Tang Zhuyun felt extremely pleased as she watched Ruan Anruo's face turn bright red instantly—her little girl had learned to protect her.
She adopted the arrogance of a favored concubine and said, "Why aren't you getting out of here? Do you believe I'll hit you? If you get hit, Seventh Master will punish you for making a fool of yourself; if I hit you, the Prince will feel sorry for my hurt hand."
Ruan Anruo stared intently at her, but did not move.
Xiu'er, who had gone out to relieve herself, rushed back, her face full of anxiety and panting as she was about to say something. Suddenly, she saw Ruan Anruo, came over, and shoved her. "Did you send those people outside to disgust my girl?"