Zong Xueci's face flushed slightly. How could she not understand that Tang Zhuyun was mocking them for not coming to pay their respects earlier, and now using the dead as an excuse?
Zong Heng looked at Tang Zhuyun, his brows furrowed slightly, and went straight to the point. "I have something I'd like to ask Your Highness today. Would you mind dismissing the servants?"
"Does Lord Zong think this is appropriate?" Tang Zhuyun asked with a half-smile. "I have nothing that cannot be said to others. Does Lord Zong have anything? If so, then don't say it. I don't want to hear what cannot be said to others."
Zong Heng sneered, "Are you sure?"
"Lord Zong is so young, yet he has gone deaf. It's truly a case of heaven being jealous of talent."
Seeing that her elder brother was about to be provoked, Zong Xueci quickly said, "Your Highness, you misunderstand. My brother is just worried..."
"What's it to you?" Tang Zhuyun sneered. "So, all the men in your Zong Family are dead, and you need women to step in and hold up the sky?"
Zong Heng was enraged—this Tang Zhuyun is truly shameless!
She even wanted to bring up those filthy things in front of her own sister.
Zong Heng, barely suppressing his anger, said, "Xueci, you go out first, I'll talk to her."
Since she's shameless, then he'll make sure she loses face in front of the servants.
Zong Xueci nodded and left.
Tang Zhuyun remained calm and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Lord Zong, you may now express your heartfelt thoughts."
Zong Heng, tall and slender, used his height advantage to look down at her and said, "I don't have any red moles there, not a single one!"
Tang Zhuyun feigned ignorance. "Where? Where? Who said you have a red mole?"
"Tang Zhuyun, don't play dumb. You dare to do it but not admit it?" Zong Heng's eyes flashed with a sharp killing intent. "The Crown Princess said..."
"So it was the Crown Princess who said that." Tang Zhuyun interrupted him without further ado, raising her hand to adjust the white flower at her temple, languid yet alluring. "You two siblings, talk about this and that, red and black moles, behind closed doors, don't drag others into it!"
Zong Heng blushed with anger at her pointed remark. "Tang Zhuyun!"
"Please call me Your Highness, Princess Consort," Tang Zhuyun said calmly.
Hearing her brother's out-of-control shouts from the courtyard, Zong Xueci was worried that something had happened, so she rushed in and looked at Zong Heng with concern.
Tang Zhuyun sat down in the chair. "Lord Zong, this is the Prince's mourning hall. Even if we don't respect the monk, we should still respect the Buddha; even if we don't respect the living, we should still respect the spirits. So please speak politely. I have no intention of making things difficult for you. But you and your brother are known for doing despicable things like kicking widows' doors. Now, do you want to dig up the Prince's grave?"
Zong Xueci quickly said, "Your Highness, you have misunderstood. If Ninth Brother offended you in any way, I apologize on his behalf."
"No problem, no problem," Tang Zhuyun said lazily, leaning back in her chair. "I have no grudge against your Zong Family, but the Crown Princess has gone too far; now Lord Zong has come to our door to demand an explanation. Even a clay figure has some temper!"
Zong Heng's face was ashen.
They still won't let it go?
Tang Zhuyun smiled and said, "Very good, very good."
She smiled and said, "Speaking of which, Lord Zong and I were old acquaintances. There's no need to be so confrontational; let's talk things out. Lord Zong, have you been studying since you left the capital these past few years? What kind of medicine are you taking now?"
Zong Heng ignored it.
Zong Xueci quickly smoothed things over, saying, "Ninth Brother has always been a book at heart since he was little. He won't have any more when he takes medicine..."
She found it strange that Tang Zhuyun said that.
I haven't heard anything about Ninth Brother being unwell. Could it be that there's something she doesn't know, but Tang Zhuyun does?
Tang Zhuyun: "Oh, so you didn't take your medicine. No wonder! Lord Zong, remember to take your medicine before you go out next time, so you don't talk nonsense."
Zong Xueci didn't understand what kind of veiled banter they were exchanging at first, but after hearing this, how could she not understand? She immediately blushed, her face almost burning.
No wonder Ninth Brother, a man who rarely shows his emotions, was provoked; it turns out that Consort of the Prince of Jin is this kind of person!
"Your Highness, what you're saying is truly excessive." Regardless of the circumstances, Zong Xueci had to protect her family, so she spoke slowly, "Aren't you afraid of being drowned in a pig cage?"
Tang Zhuyun's lips curled into a cold smile, "I'm going too far? Your Zong Family bullied us orphans and widows, what a terrible thing you are, why don't you say so? If people really have knowledge in the afterlife, do you believe our prince could slaughter all your Zong Family's ancestors?"
"And also, Thirteenth Miss, right? That pig cage thing was something your father and brothers tricked you into believing. They're incompetent, so all they can do is use women like you to drown in pig cages to gain fame; my father and brothers are different, no matter what trouble I cause, they can always cover for me. Next time, hope you're reborn well and find a father and brothers like mine, and preferably one who dies like me, so carefree."
"You..." Zong Xueci was so angry that she couldn't speak.
"Zong Heng, if you're not satisfied with what you're born with, go home and ask your parents."
Tang Zhuyun had no intention of letting any of them go. "Now I understand a little better. You heard that I'm a good doctor and you have a problem there, so you came to me for treatment? Sorry, I specialize in women and children. You can just cut there and come back to me later. Then you won't have to worry about any red moles. It'll be over and done with."
"You think you can dismiss me with just a few words? Do you think I'm that stupid?" Zong Heng's starry eyes flashed with anger, almost spitting fire.
"You can leave or not, as long as you're not afraid the prince's coffin lid won't hold up." Tang Zhuyun sneered repeatedly, "If you don't leave, stay and be a dutiful son and grandson to the prince, I might reluctantly agree."
"Furthermore, I've never thought you were incredibly stupid; you simply are incredibly stupid!"
She raised her head, her smile cold, and a hint of red inadvertently appeared on her long, beautifully shaped neck...
Tang Zhuyun herself was completely unaware, but Zong Heng's gaze swept over that spot.
Surprisingly, he wasn't provoked into further anger. Instead, he calmed down and said, "We came to pay our respects to the Prince today. Now that we've finished, we won't disturb you any longer. Xueci, let's go."
Zong Xueci's face turned red with embarrassment, but she also admired her elder brother's composure in the face of adversity. Even when he was scolded and had no power to fight back, he did not show any signs of weakness.
Tang Zhuyun has once again won a great victory.
Xiu'er said regretfully, "It's a pity he didn't bring the dog, otherwise I would definitely lock the door and beat the dog today."
Song Jingyang stood to the side, frowning with a bitter expression.
Xiu'er was displeased and nudged him with her elbow. "Hey, Song Jingyang, what's wrong with you? The Princess Consort sprayed someone away, and you're reluctant to let her go? You and Zong Heng are still getting along well?"
Song Jingyang said with a bitter expression, "I'm not happy with him, I'm worried about myself. The prince will make me repeat everything he says, and the princess consort has been nagging me on and on, I can't keep up. How am I going to explain this to the prince?"
The Prince of Prince of Jin's voice rang out. "I heard you, you don't need to explain."
Tang Zhuyun turned around and saw that Prince of Jin was standing at the door at some point.