Since it was their first time entering the Prince's residence, Tang Zhuyun arranged for both Zidu to sleep in her own room.
Linlin was on the couch, while Yanran was on the kang (heated brick bed).
After both Zidu fell asleep, she lingered in the warm and cozy bed, struggling for a while before finally getting up, dressing, and going to collect the river lanterns.
Although not accepting it wouldn't be a big problem, she still didn't want her and her two children's good intentions to be gossiped about.
In the dead of night in the twelfth lunar month, even a drop of water can freeze instantly.
Tang Zhuyun carried the lantern herself, shivering from the cold, as she walked towards the lake.
She didn't encounter a single person along the way.
The Prince's mansion was in complete chaos. The vast inner courtyard was eerily quiet, with not a single person on night duty.
The outer guards should be alright, otherwise, thieves would probably have worn down the threshold of the Prince's mansion by now.
When Tang Zhuyun reached the lakeside, she discovered that the river lanterns were gone!
She clearly remembered that this was the place!
She knew she sometimes had a bad sense of direction, so she memorized the way she came, and she was certain she hadn't misremembered the crooked tree by the lake.
Tang Zhuyun bent down, picked up a lantern, and approached the ice surface, staring intently for any trace of ice lanterns.
Persistence pays off, and she indeed discovered something was wrong.
There were signs of tampering on the ice; the three ice lanterns had indeed been pried off!
"Who's so shameless as to try and steal from a dead man!" Tang Zhuyun cursed angrily. "Be careful, or the Prince might come to your house in the middle of the night!"
"Never mind," she took a deep breath and muttered to herself, "Life is so beautiful, yet you're so irritable. That's not good. Anyway, it's just a few river lanterns; take them if you want."
Prince of Jin:??? Life is so wonderful?
Is she really better off without him?
Tang Zhuyun turned to walk back, but her foot slipped, and she fell flat on her back with a cry of "Ouch!" The lantern slipped from her hand.
However, because she was wearing a thick coat, she didn't feel much pain.
"Your Highness, look how much I've suffered to pay homage to you," Tang Zhuyun said, sitting up and rambling on. "So you must bless me, right?"
Just as she was about to stand up, she suddenly felt as if a dark shadow had flashed by near the crooked tree.
"Who?" Tang Zhuyun immediately became alert.
The only answer she received was the sound of the wind rustling through the branches.
Did she see wrong?
Tang Zhuyun didn't dare linger. She picked up the extinguished lantern and hurried back by the moonlight, glancing around warily as she went.
She was certain that someone had been there just now.
If it was just a servant stealing, that would be one thing, but if it was a bad person... she dared not think any further.
The next day, everyone came to pay their respects. Tang Zhuyun entertained the female guests, and the Crown Prince, along with several princes and the Seventh Prince, helped out in the front courtyard.
Tang Zhuyun strongly suspected that those people were the murderers who harmed Prince of Jin, but she had no evidence.
The Crown Princess, the Prince of Yong... all sorts of big shots came, but she didn't remember many of them. Anyway, she just knelt down to express her gratitude.
She and the Prince of Jin had helped each other in the past, so they were even; but after his death, she felt she had lost out because of the few hours she knelt there today—if he didn't protect her properly!
The chili water on the handkerchief worked wonders; Tang Zhuyun cried her heart out, but she was worried about the two children in the front yard.
Finally, after the guests had all left, the Crown Prince entered with several princes. Tang Zhuyun bowed to them, and then heard the Seventh Prince say flippantly, "They say if you want to look pretty, wear mourning clothes. Little sister-in-law, you certainly look even better than before today."
"Seventh Brother!" The Ziyan conveyed disapproval, but he didn't turn hostile. He simply said, "Don't joke around in this kind of setting."
The Seventh Prince remained silent, his gaze lingering on Tang Zhuyun's face like an annoying fly.
Tang Zhuyun suddenly looked up, her eyes sparkling, Yanran at the Seventh Prince.
The Seventh Prince looked smug.
The others who saw this all looked disdainful.
--This Tang Zhuyun is indeed as shameless as the rumors say; the Prince of Jin's body is barely cold, and she's already looking for a new lover.
It is foreseeable that the area in front of the Prince of Jin's tomb will become a lush green grassland.
After saying a few polite words, the Crown Prince left, but the Seventh Prince, who always followed him closely, did not move.
"Seventh?"
"Brother, you should go back first. Poor Sixth Brother, no one Gu Family after he died. Only my sister-in-law is managing the household. I'll stay and help out."
"Then thank you very much, Seventh Master." Tang Zhuyun said quickly, worried that the Crown Prince would not allow it.
She didn't know who Prince of Jin had offended to warrant such a deadly situation, but she did know that the Seventh Prince was the one who was most prone to causing trouble!
She didn't want to get involved in Prince of Jin's messy affairs, but the Seventh Prince dared to flirt with her in front of everyone. If she didn't set an example for him today, wouldn't more people bully the orphan and widow in the future?
She doesn't like testing or intimidating; if she's going to come, she'll go all out!
The Seventh Prince did not leave until nightfall.
Tang Zhuyun was having dinner with the two children, massaging their legs and applying medicine, while the Seventh Prince sat beside them with his legs crossed.
Song Jingyang repeatedly invited the Seventh Prince to leave, but the latter ignored him.
Tang Zhuyun shook her head at Song Jingyang without showing any emotion.
Yanran nervously grasped Tang Zhuyun's hand, while Linlin kept looking at Tang Zhuyun with concern in her eyes.
When Tang Baixin over today, he brought Xiu'er with him.
He hasn't left yet; he's helping to greet the guests who haven't left in the front yard.
However, since there's no proper master in the backyard, there are hardly any guests anymore.
Tang Zhuyun whispered a few words to Xiuer, then asked Xiu'er Nanny Rong to help the two children wash up and go to bed. She then went to the mourning hall, with the Seventh Prince following her triumphantly.
Song Jingyang lagged behind by more than ten steps. Seeing that the two ahead had already turned out of a doorway, he quietly asked "Trees," "What... what do we do now?"
"Go and see for yourself," came the Prince of Jin's cold voice, unreadable.
He didn't believe for a second that Tang Zhuyun had taken a liking to the Seventh Prince; that cunning vixen was probably up to no good.
She couldn't stand to be taken advantage of; the Seventh Prince's teasing remark had crossed her line.
The Prince of Jin was very much looking forward to it.
Only two or three servants remained in the mourning hall, still arguing over food.
Upon seeing Tang Zhuyun and the Seventh Prince arrive, the group fell silent.
Tang Zhuyun said, "You've all worked hard, please go and eat."
Upon hearing this, the group quickly withdrew.
It seems the rumors circulating in the manor were true; this is indeed a clay statue of a bodhisattva, indifferent to everything.
Tang Zhuyun walked to the basin for burning paper money, sat down on the prayer mat, took the tinderbox next to her, lit the paper money, and slowly threw it in one by one. The firelight made her face look red.
The Seventh Prince squatted down, suddenly reached out and pinched her chin, glanced at the coffin again, and smiled wickedly, "Little sister-in-law brought me here, is it to... you and I... aren't you afraid that Sixth Brother will crawl out of the coffin and drown you in a pig cage?"
"Of course I'm afraid," Tang Zhuyun said with a raised eyebrow and a smile, "But my curiosity about Seventh Master makes me willing to take the risk."
"Curious? Isn't it admiration? What are you curious about?"
"I'm curious about what this man, who's as sharp as a needle, looks like!"
No sooner said than done, Tang Zhuyun grabbed his shoulders and executed a beautiful over-the-shoulder throw, perfectly replicating the spectacular scene from their first meeting!