"What's wrong?" Tang Zhuyun asked, putting down the medicine in her hand.
This is medicine for Qingfeng.
Originally, after the Prince of Jin "died," she was promoted to Princess Consort; however, considering that she would lose her powerful backer and would have no one to protect her if she continued her ambiguous relationship with male prostitutes, she ended the business.
But since the Prince of Jin was still alive, she had to continue making money, so on the first few days of the Lunar New Year, she "returned to her old ways".
Xiu'er was used to being loud and boisterous, so when she said something was wrong, it was probably just some trivial matter like a stray cat stealing a fish or someone tripping over the threshold when going out... Tang Zhuyun didn't take it to heart, and her tone was still lazy.
Upon hearing Xiu'er's next words, she sprang to her feet as if springs had been implanted in her bottom.
Xiu'er said, "A heavily pregnant woman has arrived outside, saying she's carrying the prince's child and is coming to visit!"
Tang Zhuyun: What?!
Could the Prince of Jin really have such a romantic affair?
How could a woman survive the Prince of Jin's relentless advances and even become pregnant?
Go out and see!
Xiu'er muttered, "It's definitely fake. They just heard the prince is dead and want to take advantage of us!"
Tang Zhuyun: "How could that be? It must be true!"
It must be true!
Her time to shine has come!
She promised the Prince of Jin she would take care of his women and children, and here she is!
Now that she's taken good care of him, does that mean we can cooperate smoothly and continue discussing Linlin's background?
Besides, the prince having a son is such a wonderful thing!
Therefore, Tang Zhuyun really had to suppress her excitement to go out.
A young woman, about fifteen or sixteen years old, stood outside the door. She had bright eyes and white teeth, a slender waist and bushy hair. She wore a low-cut ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) made of soft, gold-threaded silk, and a dark green fur coat over it. She was a beautiful woman, graceful and delicate, like a willow swaying in the breeze. In short, she was stunning!
To make the Prince of Jin bow down, one probably needs someone like this.
However, Tang Zhuyun was not stupid. As a princess, she still had to maintain the proper decorum.
She stood on the steps, looking down at the woman, and said, "Did you say you were pregnant with the prince's child?"
The woman bowed Yingying, her voice as melodious as a nightingale's, "This servant, Hongfu, greets Your Highness, the Princess."
Tang Zhuyun had a toothache.
They dealt with Hongxiu first, and now Hongfu has appeared?
Why is it that the Prince of Jin is destined to be surrounded by prosperity and confusion?
Whose daughter are you?
Tang Zhuyun had a vague feeling that this woman did not seem to come from a respectable family.
Hongfu eloped at night. As a person of lowly status, who would give their daughter such a name? Moreover, they would not allow their daughter to show her face in public or become pregnant out of wedlock.
--One oddball is enough; how can there be oddballs everywhere?
Sure enough, Hongfu said that she herself was a girl from the Emerald Mist Pavilion.
Emerald Mist Pavilion? That name sounds familiar.
Oh, Tang Zhuyun suddenly remembered, isn't the Emerald Mist Pavilion right across from Qingfeng Tower?
Xiu'er said, "The top courtesan of the Emerald Mist Pavilion? Didn't you say you only sell your art and not your body? Turns out you're a prostitute pretending to be virtuous, ptooey!"
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
Hey, speak properly, why are you swearing?
If she weren't special, would the Prince of Jin have taken a liking to her?
Who knows, the child she's carrying might really be the Prince of Prince of Jin's!
If it's a son, wouldn't he be the eldest son of the Prince of Jin?
Tang Zhuyun is still waiting to make a name for herself!
She looked at Hongfu and said, "Do you know that impersonating a member of the imperial family is a capital offense that could lead to the extermination of nine generations of one's family?"
Hongfu replied, "I know."
As they were talking, Nanny Rong came out.
She had clearly heard the whole story, and her tone was anxious and angry. "Impossible! How could the Prince go to a brothel!"
Tang Zhuyun: Granny, don't exaggerate. I know this.
Didn't she and the Prince of Jin meet by chance at Qingfeng's place?
Because of this, she even suspected the Prince of Jin's sexual orientation, but later forgot to ask Qingfeng for confirmation.
In fact, Tang Zhuyun did have some faith in Hongfu.
In any industry, those who reach the top do not rely solely on luck, and Hongfu was no exception, relying not only on luck and her looks.
She must be knowledgeable and capable.
Since she dared to come today, it at least shows that there won't be any obvious problems on the surface.
Hongfu mentioned a date, Tang Zhuyun thought about it carefully for a long time before finally realizing that it seemed to be the date she and Prince of Jin had their chance encounter at Qingfeng's place.
Could it be that the Prince of Jin was looking for Hongfu across the street, saw her, and that's why he came to catch her in the act of adultery?
He felt he could live a carefree and happy life, but his future concubine would have to behave herself. This was exactly the kind of thing the Prince of Jin would do!
Nanny Rong vehemently denied it—why did this kind of trouble have to interfere at such a crucial moment of family reunion?
No, she absolutely won't allow it!
Tang Zhuyun tried to dissuade her, saying, "Granny, the truth will out; since she's telling such a convincing story, for the sake of the Prince's offspring, let's believe her for now. If we find out she's lying later, we can pursue the matter further."
Your Highness, look how reliable I am!
It's a pleasure working with you!
Nanny Rong looked at her, trying to find jealousy and restraint in her eyes, but she was ultimately disappointed.
Nanny Rong suddenly realized that even if the prince could recognize the young master back, the princess would not treat the prince differently because of it.
The road ahead for the prince is long and arduous.
However, no matter what, Nanny Rong didn't believe that Prince of Jin would really go looking for a woman like Hongfu.
Suppressing her complex emotions, Nanny Rong looked at Tang Zhuyun and said softly, "Your Highness, how do you intend to handle this?"
"She might be carrying the prince's child, so we must treat her well; however, we don't know her background, so we can't just bring her into the prince's residence. In my opinion," Tang Zhuyun said, "We should rent a courtyard for her near the prince's residence, hire two people to serve her, settle her down first, and investigate other matters while she's taking care of her pregnancy. What do you think, Granny?"
This is an extremely appropriate arrangement.
It wasn't the princess's fault that she didn't understand the prince; however, Nanny Rong was still very satisfied with her thoughtful consideration of prioritizing the prince's offspring.
"This old servant believes that Your Majesty's consideration is very appropriate."
Hongfu bowed gratefully to Tang Zhuyun, her eyes filled with relief.
Tang Zhuyun saw her expression and couldn't help but wonder, was this true or false?
After settling Hongfu in, Tang Zhuyun planned to investigate, only to find that there were few capable people available.
However, since Hongfu brought a lot of onlookers with her when she came, Tang Baixin also heard about the matter and volunteered to investigate.
Tang Zhuyun: "Brother, you can investigate, but don't contact Hongfu. The child in her womb can't be harmed, otherwise it will become a false accusation against me."
Tang Baixin nodded, saying with satisfaction, "A-Yun is much more mature and composed in handling matters now."
Tang Zhuyun accepted the praise.
However, she was truly unworthy of the phrase "calm and collected," especially when, in the dead of night, Huaishang and Song Jingyang, covered in blood, brought back the Prince of Jin with his intestines spilling out. Tang Zhuyun almost went mad.
"Your Highness, what's wrong with you!"
"Tang Zhuyun, Linlin, I ask you, Linlin, is she my child?" Prince of Jin's face was as pale as paper. He tightly covered his wound, but his eyes were urgent as he asked with all his might.