Both father and son were stunned.
Huaishang? What does this have to do with Huaishang?
"A-Yun, why are you out here? It's so cold, come inside quickly." Tang Mingfan felt that his daughter's face was so thin it was only the size of a palm, and it increasingly overlapped with the face of his wife in his memory.
Tang Baixin also said, "We'll take care of things outside, A-Yun. Please accept my condolences and take good care of yourself. Father is still alive, so you still need to help your elder brother take care of him..."
Is this because they're worried she'll go with the Prince of Jin?
No, it won't.
Even if she and Prince of Jin hadn't reached the point of sharing life and death, after much painful reflection, she would still have to shoulder the responsibilities that he could no longer bear.
For example, Yanran.
She herself had received so much love and care from her father and brothers; how could she dare to let them grieve for her sake?
Dying is easy, but to live on with difficulty is true responsibility.
Tang Zhuyun said in a hoarse voice, "Father, elder brother, I'm sorry to have troubled you again. I'm fine. I just want to find the murderer and give the Prince and Yanran some answers."
Because of working non-stop for many days and not being able to eat, Tang Zhuyun caught a cold, and Zidu hurt.
Everyone assumed she was heartbroken and had cried herself hoarse.
Only her closest relatives knew that she hadn't shed a single tear since the Prince of Jin's incident.
Even if she wasn't truly sad, she was still somewhat distressed, yet she couldn't shed a tear.
"A-Yun, if you're upset, just cry. You're making Dad and your older brother very worried." Tang Baixin stepped forward and hugged his younger sister, his eyes full of pity.
"He's alright, Father, Brother, the Prince is fine," Tang Zhuyun said. "The Prince was a very good swimmer when he helped catch fugitives before, Elder Brother Chang has seen that too... The Prince is alright."
Based on their long-standing relationship, she didn't believe that Prince of Jin was in trouble; but considering practical interests, she couldn't admit that Prince of Jin was in trouble either!
Yanran has been crying for the past few days, and Tang Zhuyun has been staying with her.
Tang Zhuyun thought a lot about the future.
In the worst-case scenario, if the Prince of Jin really dies, what will they face next?
Yanran is the only daughter of Prince of Jin. She is still young, and the Emperor will take her into the palace to be raised by the concubines or by another prince.
Tang Zhuyun's social status was far too low.
Yesterday, she overheard her father and brother saying that they were glad she wasn't a concubine, otherwise she would have been tied to the Prince of Jin's Residence forever.
While such considerations may seem somewhat callous, given that the Prince of Jin has already acted this way, it's only natural for them to think of their own family.
Tang Zhuyun, however, felt somewhat regretful.
If she were a concubine, she would be qualified to raise Yanran.
Whether the Prince of Jin of Jin lives or dies, she has no regrets and can't care about him; she only cares about Yanran.
--This child, who had finally transformed from a near-autistic state into this sensible and considerate person, would be like tearing Tang Zhuyun's heart out to anyone else.
In the past few days, Tang Zhuyun has thought things through very clearly. No matter who she is dealing with, she must show that she is deeply in love with Prince of Jin and does not believe that Prince of Jin is dead.
As long as the Prince of Jin is alive, there is no reason to give Yanran away to someone else.
Although this is not a long-term solution, it can bring temporary stability.
As for the future... if Prince of Jin is indeed not found, and the Emperor accepts it, or if what is found is a cold corpse, then Tang Zhuyun has decided to pretend to crash into the coffin.
Of course, she must have informed her elder brother beforehand, and then her brother would have someone put in a good word for her with the Emperor, asking if she could be made a concubine because of her loyalty.
Imagine if the Prince of Jin died. She could have returned home and remarried, but she refused and remained so loyal. The Emperor was moved and would have no problem making her a concubine.
If things were even better, perhaps she could inherit the Prince of Jin's business and live a life with Yanran.
That would be the best possible outcome.
Money, leisure time, kids, and no man to wait on—isn't this the life of a god?
Anyone who tries to bully her will be crushed by the chastity archway.
From a practical standpoint, the death of the Prince of Jin was a good thing for her.
However, this does not mean that Tang Zhuyun wanted him dead, especially since his "death" was still shrouded in mystery.
If Yanran or Linlin ask about it later, what should she say?
"Father, I've been thinking carefully about what happened these past few days," Tang Zhuyun said calmly. "Usually, Song Jingyang serves the Prince to court, except for that one day, it was on the Huaishang."
"Well, that doesn't prove anything, does it? Huaishang has been following the Prince for many years," Tang Baixin said fairly.
"Not only that," Tang Zhuyun said, "When the Prince went to court, besides Huaishang, there were other guards accompanying him, but in the end, only the Prince was injured. The others only suffered minor injuries. Don't you find that strange, brother?"
That was absolutely a precision strike.
She would find it hard to believe unless there was collusion from within.
Wasn't it said that the guards around the Prince of Jin were all loyal? She didn't see it at all.
Tang Mingfan stroked his beard and said, "A-Yun is right, Father has been thinking about this too."
"His Majesty couldn't possibly be unaware of something so obvious. Father, why do you think His Majesty has chosen to remain silent?"
The emperor's heart is unfathomable, but there are always those who can glimpse the light of day. Tang Zhuyun thought that if Tang Mingfan didn't know, then no one else would.
Tang Mingfan sighed, "A-Yun, you overestimate your father. I don't need to guess the Emperor's thoughts."
In the past, he was only responsible for being loyal to the emperor and loving his country; he was open and honest, so why did he need to guess the emperor's thoughts?
His success today is entirely due to the emperor's appreciation and promotion; he has never flattered the emperor.
"But don't worry, A-Yun, no matter what, the Prince cannot die without a clear explanation. With your father here, we will definitely get justice for the Prince!" Tang Mingfan said firmly.
"Hmm," Tang Zhuyun said.
Actually, she just wanted to know the truth. If the opponent was too powerful, then... well, never mind.
If the Prince of Jin is truly gone, are these people really going to be buried with him? If you can win, you can take revenge; if you can't, you have to kneel. That's the reality.
She wasn't close enough with Prince of Jin to the point where she would risk everything to avenge him.
The one who most wants to avenge the Prince of Jin right now is Linlin.
Linlin also began to have doubts about the points she raised.
Linlin now suspects that his biological father killed his idol and vows to avenge the Prince of Jin.
Tang Zhuyun could understand his strong emotions.
Sincerity begets sincerity, and the Prince of Jin truly had nothing but praise for him.
The next day, Meng Yulan came to keep Tang Zhuyun.
Putting herself in Tang Baixin's shoes, she felt that if something happened to Tang Baixin, her world would collapse; so she wanted to comfort Tang Zhuyun and spent the last few days with her.
Tang Zhuyun advised her to go back, "Sister-in-law, there will probably be more people coming later. Don't let them bump into you. You have to take care of your health."
Although she was just a concubine without a title, she was the only woman of the Prince of Jin, and with Yanran present, some of the Prince of Prince of Jin's men came to kowtow to her.
They didn't come in; they just kowtowed outside, left their gifts, and left.
Tang Zhuyun realized for the first time that Prince of Jin's popularity wasn't as bad as she had imagined; as the saying goes, "when people leave, the tea grows cold," and even though Prince of Jin was gone, his subordinates still came to visit Yanran and her, which showed that he had kept his word.
I wonder if she'll ever have another chance to get to know him again.
Your Highness, I hope you are safe.