Meng Yulan said, "I'm fine. This child is very well-behaved and doesn't cause any trouble at all. I guess he'll grow up to be as sensible and considerate as Linlin."
Tang Zhuyun smiled and touched her slightly protruding belly.
"A-Yun, where's Nanxing who's with you?"
"Nanxing?" Tang Zhuyun asked. "I don't know. She disappeared after the prince's accident."
"Will she have a problem?"
Tang Zhuyun thought for a moment and then shook her head, "I don't know."
She now sees everyone as a suspect, yet no one seems to have a motive.
She had no idea what had happened between Nanxing and Prince of Jin before, so she had no way of guessing.
Meng Yulan shook her head. "Remember, never keep someone like this around in the future. Even if it's the prince who ordered it, you can always find a way to get rid of them."
When it comes to power struggles within a family, she's the real expert.
However, after she married Tang Baixin, she could only pass on her skills to her sister-in-law.
Unfortunately, Tang Zhuyun may not have the opportunity to use it now.
As they were talking, Yanran came out of the inner room, her hair disheveled, her eyes red and swollen like peach pits. She threw herself into Tang Zhuyun's arms and started crying again, "Sister, I dreamed of Father. Father was soaking wet, and he said he was cold..."
Linlin appeared out of nowhere and said, "Dreams are always the opposite of reality. The Prince is definitely alright now. So many people went out to search and rescue, and they found nothing so far, which means the Prince must have been rescued."
"Why doesn't Father come back to find us?"
Linlin was speechless.
Tang Zhuyun chimed in, "Perhaps it's because your father lost his memory and forgot his identity. I once heard a story about someone who lost his memory and only remembered it years later!"
If she cannot change the fact that the Prince of Jin is "gone," then she hopes that the grief of losing her biological father will be diluted by time.
She wanted to give Yanran something to hold onto, until Yanran grew up enough to see through the lie.
Her strongest urge to cry lately has been because of Yanran and Linlin.
Those who are gone know nothing, but those who are alive suffer for it.
"Then when will Father remember the way home?"
"It might be soon, or it might be a little slow. Shall we give him more time?"
Yanran nodded vigorously, tears streaming down her face.
Tang Zhuyun asked Xiu'er to take the two children to wash up.
Meng Yulan wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and sighed, "It's so hard on the child. But thankfully, Yanran still has you. A-Yun, don't just focus on being sad; you need to pull yourself together."
Tang Zhuyun nodded.
She was Yanran's last hope; she had to hold on.
What Meng Yulan wanted to say was also about this matter, "... Have you ever considered that, given your current status, it's impossible for you to even look at Gu Yanran?"
"I know, I'm trying to figure something out."
"I don't know if I can help, but I can give it a try," Meng Yulan said.
"Sister in law?"
"You forgot? My aunt is Consort De," Meng Yulan said. "Consort De has always served the Consort De, so the Emperor also respects her greatly."
"But..." Tang Zhuyun couldn't continue.
But Meng Yulan has already broken ties with the Duke Meng's Residence. Would Consort De still acknowledge her as her niece?
Since Meng Yulan entered the Tang Family, she has hardly left the house, nor has she visited Consort De again. The reason she brought it up now is entirely for her own sake and for Yanran's.
"It's alright, I'll give it a try. The worst that can happen is just setbacks." Meng Yulan held her hand. "A-Yun, we'll all try. Just because the Prince hasn't been found yet doesn't mean something's happened to him. Even if something did happen to him, you still have your older brother and sister-in-law. They'll definitely help you raise your two Zidu and won't let anyone bully you."
Tang Zhuyun's eyes welled with tears.
Even though Yanran is someone the Emperor is well-known to, those who serve her still bully her because she has no one to rely on.
Therefore, she must keep Yanran by her side.
She didn't expect others to understand her persistence, because it would be difficult for others to empathize with her, and they wouldn't know what kind of little angel Yanran was to her.
Unexpectedly, Meng Yulan understood it.
"A-Yun, I'll help you," Meng Yulan said. "My aunt has liked me since I was little, so I probably still have some influence with her. I'll go and sound her out first, and if it goes well, I'll arrange for you to take Yanran to pay respects to the Emperor."
The greeting was a pretense; the real intention was to play the victim.
Tang Zhuyun, worried about her health, said, "Sister-in-law, then I'll go to the palace with you."
"No need. With your personality, you should avoid going to the palace if possible. I'm going now. When your older brother comes back, please tell him for me."
Upon hearing this, Tang Zhuyun was even more determined not to let her go.
"You didn't even tell my older brother he couldn't go! I already have a plan, listen to me..."
After listening to her, Meng Yulan said, "That's fine, but I'll go see Consort De. With her help, our chances of winning will be much higher. Don't worry, she's my aunt, I know her. Please don't act impulsively, let's take it one step at a time."
"Sister-in-law, don't push yourself, your body..."
"I know, I wouldn't joke about a child," Meng Yulan said.
She entered the palace by carriage and didn't return until the afternoon.
She said, "A-Yun, it's done."
Tang Zhuyun didn't know how she had spoken to Consort De, but seeing that her expression wasn't good, she guessed that she had probably been wronged. "Sister-in-law, I..."
"Don't say anything. You've helped me so much before, now it's my turn; besides, there's not much I can do," Meng Yulan said.
She didn't go home immediately; her expression was conflicted.
"Sister-in-law, is there anything else you want to say to me?"
"Yes. Consort De told me today that the Emperor asked her who was most suitable to raise Yanran, and she gave a vague answer." Meng Yulan lowered her eyes and said, "A-Yun, the Emperor is now inclined to believe that Prince of Jin is really gone... Perhaps in a few days, Prince of Jin's Residence will hold a funeral, even if Prince of Jin is not found... You should prepare in advance."
Is he really gone like that?
Without the truth, is this how a conclusion is drawn?
Prince of Jin is the Emperor's own son; he is a prince of the blood!
Is this the sorrow of having no mother?
The Prince of Jin never mentioned his birth mother...
At the same time, Linlin was talking to Yanran.
"Yanran, you must listen to your brother, otherwise you'll never see your aunt again, understand?"
Yanran was about to cry—she already had no father, and she couldn't bear to lose her sister too.
"Don't cry, listen to me!"
Yanran tried to hold back her tears, but started hiccuping instead, "Brother, hiccup, I don't, hiccup, cry..."