Tang Mingfan said, "Yes, it's him."
Linlin followed Tang Mingfan with Linlin excitement.
Tang Zhuyun: "Xiu'er, go ask your sister-in-law who this Great Confucian Scholar Kong is and how he's so amazing?"
Xiu'er responded and left.
Tang Zhuyun then smiled at Qin Sang, who was hiding behind her, and said, "You've met my father before. He doesn't look down on you. Next time, just greet him politely."
Qin Sang said, "Lord Tang is an honest official for us poor people. I know he wouldn't look down on me. I shouldn't have stood with him, lest people tarnish his reputation."
"You're still poor!" Tang Zhuyun laughed, "Little rich girl."
"Your Majesty, I'm leaving now. Please don't come out to see me off."
"Yes, you should also be careful and not get too close to me, lest Zong Heng target you."
I will protect myself.
After seeing Qin Sang off, Meng Yulan surprisingly came over with Xiu'er.
"Is he really the Great Confucian Scholar Kong?" Meng Yulan's voice was filled with barely concealed excitement.
"Yes," Tang Zhuyun said, "Is he very capable?"
"Impressive," Meng Yulan said. "He never took the imperial examinations, never held an official position, yet everyone respectfully calls him a great Confucian scholar. I never imagined that you, sir, would have such a connection with him."
"Is his personality a bit eccentric?"
It wouldn't be right if it didn't seem strange, given how amazing it is.
Meng Yulan nodded. "Great scholars all have their own tempers. It would be good if we could accept Linlin. I... I'll go back and offer incense to my mother-in-law."
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
Meng Yulan said shyly, "Don't laugh at me, I was just too excited. I can't really help much anyway. If Linlin can become a disciple of Great Confucian Scholar Kong, to put it bluntly, if the baby in my belly is a son, maybe he can benefit from it too..."
Tang Zhuyun: Is it really that exaggerated? People used to idolize celebrities in ancient times too.
This is the Wang Clan of Langya, does that sound familiar?
Langya... where is that?
Even after Meng Yulan returned, Tang Zhuyun was still thinking about this question.
Suddenly, she saw Yanran standing under the eaves, her face as pale as paper.
"Yanran?" Tang Zhuyun quickly stepped forward and grabbed her hand. "What's wrong?"
Yanran bit her lip, her body trembling slightly. After a long while, she spoke with boundless hatred, "Mother, has Hongxiu returned?"
Hongxiu? How could that be?
They were banished to the Red Tent by the Prince of Jin, and now they are probably all bones.
"No, who told you that?" Tang Zhuyun crouched down and hugged her. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid."
"I'm not afraid. If she comes back, I'll take revenge myself!" Yanran said hatefully.
"No, she's dead." Tang Zhuyun patted her back tenderly. "You misheard. We were talking about the Great Confucian Scholar Kong. Brother Linlin is going to become his disciple."
"The Wang Family of Langya?"
"Um."
"Hongxiu is from the Wang Family of Langya." Yanran's voice trembled slightly, yet remained resolute.
She was too weak before, which is why she was bullied!
Tang Zhuyun finally remembered that before Hongxiu was taken away, she said she was from Langya... and then she was covered up and dragged away.
"Does the Wang Family of Langya have any dealings with the Wang Mansion?" Tang Zhuyun asked, then shook her head. "You definitely don't know. Sister-in-law, have you heard of them?"
Meng Yulan shook her head. "The affairs of the Prince of Jin's Residence are somewhat taboo... so not many people talk about them, and I don't know either."
Tang Zhuyun said, "Then we'll ask Song Jingyang when he gets back."
Xiu'er rolled her eyes and said, "You should ask Knee instead of him. He's clueless about things in the backyard! If you ask me, you should ask Nanny Rong."
Tang Zhuyun: "Yes! How come I didn't think of that?"
Yanran lowered her eyes and said sadly, "It's better not to go."
"Why?"
"Because Nanny Rong doesn't like me."
"Ah?"
Tang Zhuyun truly never noticed this problem.
Yanran said in a low voice, "In the past, Nanny Rong managed the Prince's mansion, but she never cared about things in my courtyard. Hongxiu managed those things."
It is for this reason that Hongxiu has been able to deceive her superiors and subordinates for so long.
Tang Zhuyun belatedly realized that Nanny Rong didn't seem to be very warm towards Yanran.
Although it's alright, Yanran is right. It's strange in itself that Nanny Rong doesn't care about things in her courtyard.
Was it because she knew Yanran's true identity that she didn't take it as seriously?
Tang Zhuyun couldn't say anything else, so she took Yanran inside and comforted her.
Yanran said sensibly, "Mother, you don't need to worry about me. I've grown up. If anyone bullies me now, I definitely won't be so weak!"
She wiped away her tears. "I'm going out to practice my boxing for a while."
Tang Zhuyun: "... Go."
Turning grief and anger into strength, well done!
After Yanran left, Nanxing, who had been silent like an invisible person, suddenly spoke up, "Nanny Rong doesn't like Yanran because she doesn't like Yanran's grandfather."
"Ah?"
"His Highness said he has told you about Yanran's background," Nanxing said calmly. "His Highness also said that there's no need to hide the Xiao Family's past from you. Furthermore, His Highness said that it's unlikely you'll take the initiative to ask Nanny Rong about his past, and he wants me to have more opportunities to talk to you about it."
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
She indeed did not go to ask Nanny Rong.
She was tied to the future of the Prince of Jin of Jin and had no choice but to face it; but as for his past, let's just leave it at that.
She disliked the script, which was filled with bitterness and resentment, as an observer; but she also lacked the awareness to truly empathize with the characters.
Little did I expect that the Prince of Jin had also considered these things.
"Yanran's grandfather was a young enemy who killed the person Nanny Rong liked, so Nanny Rong has always disliked their branch of the family."
I see. It's hard to say whether it's right or wrong.
Yanran is innocent, but so is the person Nanny Rong loves; as a victim, she refuses to forgive and is unwilling to associate with the descendants of someone she dislikes—who can say anything about that?
However, since it involved Yanran, Tang Zhuyun still asked a few more questions, "What is the relationship between the Wang Family of Langya and Yanran?"
"Yanran's birth mother, Xiao Mo, came from the Wang Family of Langya, but later became a slave for various reasons," Nanxing said. "Xiao Pang was preparing to marry her and wanted to elevate her status, so he sent someone to the Wang Family of Langya to acknowledge their kinship, and that's how Hongxiu came to be by her side."
What is Hongxiu's identity?
"Xiao Mo's younger sister."
"Ah?"
"That's why His Highness felt comfortable entrusting Yanran to her," Nanxing said coldly. "If the Xiao Family hadn't suffered this sudden misfortune, Xiao Mo and Hongxiu would have already regained their status as daughters of the Wang Family."
However, there are no "ifs".
What was the relationship between the Wang Family of Langya and the Great Confucian Scholar Kong?
Nanxing said, "That's probably another matter. Your Highness, you don't need to worry about it. The Wang Family of Langya is a large clan, with thousands or even tens of thousands of members. Even the Wang Family themselves don't know each other. Hongxiu and the Great Confucian Scholar Kong are probably not related."
Tang Zhuyun rubbed her temples, feeling that she should eat some pig brains to nourish her brain.