Prince of Jin extended his hand to Tang Zhuyun: "I just climbed out. It's very cold down there, your hands are still cold. Feel them."
Tang Zhuyun took two steps back, puffing out her cheeks in anger, and said, "Is it fun to scare people so early in the morning, Your Highness!"
She couldn't help but look at Xiu'er, who had fallen to the ground.
"He won't die." The Prince of Jin looked disgusted.
Tang Zhuyun: "Song Jingyang! Song Jingyang!"
Where did that lackey go when it mattered most?
"Shut up!" the Prince of Prince of Jin roared. "I cannot be seen by anyone yet."
Tang Zhuyun: "... Your Highness, that's not fair of you! Either you're really dead, or you're not. What's the point of pretending to be dead?"
It's really inconsiderate to cause trouble during the Lunar New Year!
The Prince of Jin gritted his teeth and said, "Then tell me, do you want me to really die or not?"
Of course... he's not dead. Who would curse someone to death during the New Year? That's just asking for trouble!
Besides, the person isn't dead yet. Now you're saying he wants to die? Are you going to kill him on the spot? It's not like you're killing a chicken.
"Of course I hope Your Highness lives to be a hundred years old," Tang Zhuyun muttered, "But look at what you've done... I won't say anything, you can cry all you want, but Yanran is so sad! And what about Nanny Rong..."
No, Nanny Rong wasn't that sad; before, she thought Nanny Rong was hiding her sadness and forcing herself to be cheerful, but now she realized how foolish she was!
Seeing her expression, the Prince of Jin knew she had figured it out and praised her inwardly.
She's smart enough.
However, he showed no mercy verbally, coldly saying, "Shouldn't you be sad right now?"
"Sadness? Your Highness, didn't you return?"
Is this a final burst of energy before death, a chance to continue dying a little longer?
"I'm back. Your chastity memorial arch has been destroyed. Aren't you heartbroken?"
Not feeling sorry for them... how could I not!
It's not just my heart that hurts; my internal organs are aching too.
Despite the excruciating pain, Tang Zhuyun said in a fawning tone, "Whether you live or die, I'll be equally happy, equally happy."
You will live forever in my heart!
Prince of Jin: "Say it again!"
"No, you scared me. I meant, it's better for you to be alive than dead... At least Yanran has a father..."
"Aren't you always quick-witted? How come this is the only good thing about me being alive?"
He could only survive with her because of Yanran's influence?
Tang Zhuyun lied through her teeth, "There are too many benefits, I could talk about them for three days and three nights and still not finish. But you see, it wouldn't be good if someone saw you come back from the dead, so you'd better hide it quickly?"
She wanted Jingjing; she wanted to go back and process the devastating news that the Prince of Jin was still alive.
She really couldn't recover in less than three days.
Her plans for the future were completely disrupted, and her expectations for the future turned into anxiety—now she was a princess, and she and Prince of Jin were in the same boat.
When Song Jingyang arrived and saw Xiu'er lying on the ground, he panicked.
"She's been knocked unconscious by your prince, take her back first," Tang Zhuyun said.
Song Jingyang looked at Prince of Jin with a hint of resentment in his eyes, then picked up Xiu'er and carried her away.
Tang Zhuyun: Look, Zidu knows how to embrace a woman. If this were the Prince of Jin, wouldn't he carry her away like a sack of potatoes?
"Your Highness, if there's nothing else, shall we each continue with our duties?"
You lie down in the coffin, I'll leave.
"Each performs their own duties?"
"Hide well, I'm leaving!"
You've been a ghost for a few days and you can't understand human speech anymore? You're just pretending!
"Leave?" Prince of Jin narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Tang Zhuyun, not missing a single change in her expression. "You're leaving already?"
Tang Zhuyun was stunned.
"Does Your Highness mean I should stay?"
A love story between a human and a ghost?
"Don't you want to ask me what exactly happened?"
Tang Zhuyun sighed and then said, "If I ask you about this, will you really tell me? Rather than you racking your brains to lie and me wasting my emotions listening to lies, wouldn't it be better for us both to save ourselves the trouble?"
He wanted to tell her that he had already said it; if he didn't, why should she be met with rejection?
Some melons are edible, a sweet treat to the palate; but some melons are poisonous, and just looking at them is suicidal, let alone taking a bite.
The Prince of Jin was that poisonous melon.
"Your Highness, I'm leaving now, nothing else." Tang Zhuyun turned and left without looking back.
"Halt!" said the Prince of Jin. "Now that you know my secret..."
"My mouth is tighter than a dead man's," Tang Zhuyun vowed confidently. "I will act as if I've never seen you today!"
In my heart, you are dead, but immortal.
"No," something suddenly flashed through Tang Zhuyun's mind, "Your Highness, does the Emperor know about your faking death?"
If the emperor didn't know, that would be deceiving the emperor. Even if he "came back to life," he would die immediately, so there would be no waste of a coffin.
But this could implicate her, the princess, and even her family!
The Prince of Jin said with a half-smile, "What do you think?"
Sigh, what can I say to him? Not a single word of the truth comes out.
Tang Zhuyun glared at Prince of Jin, then turned and ran away.
Whatever, I'm not putting up with this anymore! She still needs to go back and check if her two kids are awake!
Prince of Jin: "..."
However, after Tang Zhuyun returned home and thought about these things carefully, she was so angry that she gritted her teeth.
She completely forgot to ask about that important matter!
Did he take the ice lantern? Was it him who pretended to be a ghost and scared her into falling into the river that day? Did he eat the dumplings? Did he close the book?
If it weren't for this prince, she would still be on her way to find the ghost.
It's Chinese New Year, stop making a scene!
After calming down for a moment, she thought about how she was now tightly bound to Prince of Jin's ship, and she knew before that Prince of Jin and the other Zidu on good terms... It felt like a forty-meter-long sword was already at her neck, and she no longer had any intention of taking Linlin under her wing.
He even considered severing ties with his father and brothers, unsure if that would even work.
However, when she saw Yanran, and thought about how she could grow up healthy and happy under her father's care, she immediately thought, "Well, if she's alive, she's alive. At least she's of some use."
However, the two children still sensed that Tang Zhuyun had become depressed.
Yanran, forgetting her own grief, kept coming over to comfort Tang Zhuyun: "Mother, don't be sad. Father is probably recuperating somewhere and will be back in a few years."
These were Tang Zhuyun's words of comfort to her.
Tang Zhuyun felt bitter inside. She couldn't even wait a few more days, let alone a few years. Who knows where they might be eavesdropping on their conversation right now!
Linlin also said, "Auntie, I'm here! I won't leave you! I'll help you take care of my little sister, and if... if you can have a younger brother or sister, I'll help you take care of them too."
Tang Zhuyun's eyes widened.
"... It's Sanshui from the family at the end of our alley, the one who was born posthumously, I know him," Linlin said sadly.
Tang Zhuyun: Child, you know too much!
If she were to give birth to a child, wouldn't the Prince of Jin kill her?