The Prince of Jin said to himself, "If I die, then so be it. Everything in the palace will be left to you. You can raise your child and live a good widow's life!"
Tang Zhuyun: "... Wasn't I the same way?"
"Does saying it this way make you feel more at ease?"
You know what, it's true.
Tang Zhuyun laughed, "Your Highness, may you live to be a hundred years old."
Of course, if it really doesn't work out, don't force yourself; even death is acceptable.
"I will leave the capital after the Lantern Festival."
"Huh? Do I really have to go?"
"What, you still can't bear to let me go?"
Tang Zhuyun: "I was thinking of Yanran..."
The Prince of Jin sneered; he knew she wouldn't care about him.
"Make preparations for tomorrow night..."
As they were talking, Prince of Jin suddenly slipped behind the screen, and then Xiu'er's voice came through.
Tang Zhuyun breathed a sigh of relief.
The Prince of Jin has said too much to her; she really needs time to process it.
Sometimes, in front of these intelligent people, she felt like an old ox, having to repeatedly ruminate what she had eaten in order to digest it.
Xiu'er came in, holding several talismans in her hand.
Tang Zhuyun teased her, "Why are you back so soon?"
"Song Jingyang went to return the peach wood sword for me, so I just bought a few talismans..." Xiu'er sniffed, "What's that strong smell in this room? Why does it smell like mutton?"
Tang Zhuyun: "No, I don't think so."
"Yes, my nose is even more sensitive than a dog's!" Xiu'er said. "Did you steal some food yourself? I saw the bowl, and it hasn't been washed yet!"
Tang Zhuyun: "Come on, I'll go to the kitchen and make you a bowl too."
"Alright. Hey, wait a minute, let me see where it's best to put this talisman... It's to ward off evil spirits. You can even see ghosts in broad daylight, how much resentment do you think the prince must have felt after his death! Hey, this screen is nice..."
Tang Zhuyun grabbed her arm, "No need, we can stick it on when we get back. The cat might snatch the mutton away."
"Alright," Xiu'er said. "When I came back just now, I also put one up at the main gate. The guards asked me what I was guarding against, but I dodged the question. If they find out I was guarding against the Prince's return, they'll beat me up, won't they?"
Tang Zhuyun: If you don't leave, the prince is going to jump out and beat you!
I don't know what happened to Prince of Jin; he almost fell into Xiu'er's trap again. Is this a case of one thing subduing another?
Tang Zhuyun did not see Prince of Jin again before New Year's Eve.
After dinner on New Year's Eve, Tang Zhuyun kept watch with her two children, teaching them how to play Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game) using homemade cards.
The two children were too young to stay awake and soon became drowsy.
Tang Zhuyun said, "Go to sleep, everyone. We don't have the custom of staying up all night on New Year's Eve in our Prince's Mansion."
--While she still has the power this year, let the child go.
After the two fell asleep, Tang Zhuyun covered them with blankets. Suddenly, she heard a soft crackling sound. Turning around, she saw Prince of Jin sitting on a small stool by the brazier, peeling and eating the chestnuts she had roasted.
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
How can this person be so bold?
"The two children just went to sleep!"
The implication is, what if he wakes up?
The Prince of Jin said dismissively, "They've endured so long, they wouldn't wake up even if there was thunder outside. And look at the firecrackers, they're still going off every now and then!"
Although the Prince of Jin's Residence's residence was holding a funeral and there were no celebrations, the death of a person is something that "relatives may grieve, but others will sing," a time of universal celebration. Who would remember that a prince had died?
Tang Zhuyun got off the kang (a heated brick bed) and saw him reaching for the roasted sweet potato again. She said, "Eating these on an empty stomach will make your stomach uncomfortable. There's still some food warming on the stove in the kitchen; I'll go get it for you."
"I'll go myself."
Tang Zhuyun didn't stand on ceremony; it was dark outside, and there was snow on the ground, so she was too lazy to go out.
While eating, the Prince of Jin asked her, "Did you save this for me? How did you know I would come?"
"If you're not coming, then just feed the cat," Tang Zhuyun said, rolling her eyes.
Thinking that he was lying alone in the coffin, which was quite pitiful, I left him some hot food.
Of course, she wouldn't deliver it; she just guessed that the Prince of Jin would come looking for food.
Food is the most important thing for people!
After the meal, the two remained silent, somewhat awkwardly.
"Your Highness, are you full?"
"Um."
"Then why don't you go back?"
Go back to your coffin and lie down!
Prince of Jin: "I won't go back."
Tang Zhuyun noticed his gaze on her and immediately became alert. "Your Highness, I have something I'd like to say to you..."
"You say."
"Right, I never thought I'd become a princess, and neither did you; but I feel the basis for me becoming a princess is that you're gone... Now that you're back, sigh, being a princess isn't a game, so you can't just send me back to the Tang Residence... How about we just make do?"
"Make do? How can I make do?"
The moment the Prince of Jin saw her darting eyes, he knew she was up to something.
"It's me, isn't I? I'm not particularly interested in matters of love... If you like anyone, just bring them into the manor, and I promise to treat them well; I won't harm your offspring, and I'll be a good steward for you. With me in charge of the entire manor, you can rest assured!"
He's impotent, so she gives him medication; his woman is pregnant, so she helps maintain the pregnancy and even helps with delivery—she provides a one-stop, diamond VIP service from conception to birth.
The only condition is, don't sleep with her.
"Are you uninterested in matters of love, or in me?" Prince of Jin sneered. "Could it be someone like Qingfeng who could entice you?"
"No, no, no, Your Highness, not even a man will do."
"Women are fine?"
Tang Zhuyun: "Your Highness, I'm speaking to you politely!"
Nothing else, she just doesn't want to fulfill her obligation to sleep with someone.
It wasn't that Prince of Jin didn't interest her—quite the opposite, Prince of Jin was the type she fantasized about having a sugar daddy or kept man when she reached the pinnacle of her life—but the problem was—
Men are like toothbrushes; even if someone else has used one, it's not that she can't use it, but the unease in her heart is something she just can't suppress.
If she had been used before, she wouldn't have known and would have been confused; but if she has to share her services with others for a long time in the future, can she accept that? Does she think she's living up to her education?
Some things you have to do when in Rome, but this is something she just can't get past in her heart.
She admitted that she herself couldn't accept things as they were, so she didn't force the Prince of Jin to do anything; was it enough for her to be beautiful on her own?
She gave Prince of Jin unlimited freedom and treated him like a superior. Wasn't that a good thing?
Was she so stunningly beautiful that the Prince of Jin couldn't live without her?
If she thinks that way, then she's out of her mind, like someone who didn't use an umbrella on a rainy day.
The Prince of Jin suddenly stood up and walked towards her.
Tang Zhuyun's heart pounded wildly. She foolishly thought that Prince of Jin was probably enraged and now planning to spend New Year's Eve with her or something.
Your Highness, I can't do it!