Xiu'er asked curiously, "Your Highness, what did the Prince say?"
Song Jingyang quickly pulled her aside—what she said, was that something they could ask?
His prince is exceptionally talented, something they cannot comprehend.
Tang Zhuyun: Your prince is seriously ill and can't speak.
The note read, stroke by stroke. "Not enough for five hundred, you still have to consummate the marriage!"
Tang Zhuyun: I don't want to consummate our marriage, I only want to complete your grave!
Xiu'er said, "I could have guessed it, it's definitely still about consummating the marriage... mmm..."
Song Jingyang covered her mouth, "Grandma, don't talk nonsense."
Xiu'er bit him.
Song Jingyang winced in pain and had no choice but to let go. Xiu'er quickly said, "Your Highness is only thinking about this one thing right now. Don't think I don't understand."
Song Jingyang: "This, this is only human nature..."
If Xiu'er found out this was his terrible idea, would she stab him?
Tang Zhuyun chuckled and said, "I can't show you, but that's the gist of it. Wait, I'll go in and reply."
Song Jingyang: "No rush, no rush. Take your time to think it over and write more. The Prince is definitely looking forward to your reply."
Tang Zhuyun couldn't help but roll her eyes. As expected of Prince of Jin's lackey, he knew exactly what was on his mind.
She went in for a moment and then came out, blowing the ink off the paper before handing it to Song Jingyang: "Here, reply."
Song Jingyang was extremely surprised. "So fast?"
"No more nonsense, this is everything your prince wanted."
Song Jingyang accepted it with some skepticism.
Linlin and Yanran were feeding Xiao Ye raw meat, and he waited for Xiao Ye to finish eating, muttering to himself.
Seeing Tang Zhuyun go to gather her herbs, Song Jingyang mustered his courage and secretly opened the note.
five hundred?
The note contained only those two bold words, barely visible on the paper; otherwise, it was completely blank.
What does this mean? Is it a secret code between the prince and princess?
Five hundred times of consummation? As expected of a prince, so vigorous and virile!
Song Jingyang happily tied the note to Xiao Ye's leg and let the latter take it away.
The Prince of Jin received it that very night, and opened it with great anticipation by the campfire, and then... it exploded!
Tang Zhuyun! You just wait!
I'm giving you one last chance: rewrite it!
Tang Zhuyun could picture Prince of Jin's furious expression as she read his letter, laughing Zidu ached.
She asked her two children to write a letter to the Prince of Jin.
She and Prince of Jin really had nothing to talk about. She had two things to do: first, prepare for Prince of Jin's burial; and second, figure out how to deal with Zong Heng.
Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory in every battle.
Tang Zhuyun asked Song Jingyang to investigate the Zong Family's recent movements.
The Golden Scale Guard ' ability to gather information was truly legendary. Song Jingyang told Tang Zhuyun that Zong Xueci seemed to be planning to enter the Eastern Palace. Although he wasn't sure, it was pretty much the case.
Tang Zhuyun: "A fool plus a fool, that's double foolhood. What can the Zong Family possibly expect from Zong Xueci?"
Song Jingyang said, "Your Majesty, Zong Xueci simply didn't know you always acted unpredictably that day, so she was caught off guard. This woman is quite formidable."
"How impressive?" Xiu'er glared at him. "Compared to me, who's more impressive?"
Song Jingyang: "There's no comparison."
"How can it be incomparable?"
"This isn't true. In my eyes, you're better than everyone else, so don't make me compare you to anyone else—of course, no one can compare to you."
Tang Zhuyun: Song Jingyang, hurry up and publish your book! I'll make a fortune selling your book if I travel back in time!
Xiu'er indeed fell silent.
"Zong Xueci's birth mother climbed the social ladder through her husband's influence, so she had to leave her mother behind and keep her son. From birth, she had no aunt to protect her," Song Jingyang said. "She grew up under the care of the Third Madam Zong, who is also the mother of the Crown Princess."
Even though her birth mother was "killed by illness" by her stepmother—a fact that was no secret in the Zong Family — Zong Xueci never showed any resentment. She served her stepmother wholeheartedly, and from childhood to adulthood, she remained unmoved by anything others said.
"Your Majesty, she's only sixteen this year, but she's incredibly shrewd," Song Jingyang added. "She's still unmarried, and many people say that Madam Zong San is deliberately making things difficult for her, but she doesn't seem to be in any hurry at all, at least she's never shown it."
Moreover, Zong Xueci was Zong Heng's favorite younger sister.
"So Your Highness, if you intend to target Zong Xueci, you should think carefully."
Tang Zhuyun suffered a loss at Zong Heng, and given her personality, she would definitely retaliate.
She is currently observing Prince of Jin, making it difficult for her to even see men outside the family. It won't be easy for her to directly confront Zong Heng, so she still needs to build a bridge through Zong Xueci.
Tang Zhuyun seemed to be deep in thought.
She tells her two children stories before bedtime.
Linlin fell asleep quickly, but Yanran remained awake.
"What's wrong?" Tang Zhuyun asked with a smile, "Are you tired from practicing archery during the day?"
Yanran suddenly choked up and said, "No."
Tang Zhuyun quickly pulled her into her arms, wiped away her tears, and whispered, "Does Yanran miss her father?"
"No, it's just... it's just that today I heard Song Jingyang tell you about 'leaving the mother and keeping the child'... My birth mother..."
"No, I can assure you it's not." Tang Zhuyun felt a pang of sadness.
Yanran never mentions it, but that doesn't mean she doesn't yearn for or imagine her birth mother.
Your birth mother was a very, very good person...
The Prince of Jin and Tang Zhuyun had discussed Yanran's background.
Yanran's biological father was named Xiao Pang. He was the most useless member of the Xiao Family family in this generation. He was good for eating, drinking, and having fun, and did not do any proper work, but he did not have any bad intentions.
Yanran's birth mother was a maid in the Xiao Family named Xiao Mo. Although she was a maid, she had learned martial arts from her master since childhood and was skilled in riding and archery. She had been on the battlefield and was very brave and valiant, which made several Zidu in the Xiao Family fall in love with her.
Tang Zhuyun was unsure whether the Prince of Jin was included.
However, there is no doubt that the Prince of Jin also greatly admired Xiao Mo.
However, Xiao Mo took a fancy to Xiao Pang, a playboy. Even the patriarch of the Xiao Family was reluctant to give such a good girl to Xiao Pang. Later, seeing that Xiao Pang was determined, he thought of using Xiao Mo to keep Xiao Pang on his toes and encourage him to improve himself.
Unexpectedly, the two had a secret affair.
Xiao Mo is pregnant and goes to the ancestral temple to confess her sins.
The ancestor had already sensed the crisis facing the Xiao Family and, after explaining the situation to her, "kicked" her out of the Xiao Family.
If it turns out to be a false alarm, then let Xiao Pang marry her; if it is truly an unavoidable disaster, then at least leave an heir for the Xiao Family.
There must have been several other pregnant women who were sent away like that at the time... but it's unknown if there were any others.
Later, the Xiao Family was indeed executed. When Prince of Jin returned, Xiao Mo, who had survived, entrusted Yanran to him and then committed suicide...
"But Father never told me that," Yanran sobbed, "If she were still alive, she wouldn't let anyone bully me, would she?"
"Yes," Tang Zhuyun replied without hesitation, "She is a very, very good person, and she wouldn't want to leave you."