The Duke Meng's Residence provided a very generous dowry, which Meng Yulan accepted in full; as for the people who sent it, Meng Yulan returned them, citing that she had nowhere to live at home.
"Sister-in-law, what will happen after we move to the new house?" Tang Zhuyun asked curiously.
She knew that Meng Yulan had completely given up on her family, but she still needed to leverage their influence, so striking the right balance was difficult.
Getting too close makes you vulnerable to being taken advantage of; getting too distant prevents you from being used either—it's a dilemma!
Meng Yulan remained calm and composed. "It's alright. After I give birth, I'll move to a new residence and will need a servant from the Duke's mansion."
How could the Duke's mansion feel at ease without keeping an eye on her? And without anyone by her side, how could they relay her thoughts back to the Duke's mansion?
"It doesn't matter if this person is an informant; it's all about how you use them." She patiently and meticulously instructed Tang Zhuyun, "In the future, people will always try to put others around you. You don't have to make a scene. Since they're being given to you, you'll definitely be able to handle them. Guide them to your advantage and make them work for you."
Tang Zhuyun has a headache.
Thankfully, Prince of Jin usually acts like he's unapproachable, and when he gets stubborn, he doesn't even respect the Emperor. So, probably no one would be so foolish as to send him gifts or people to try and get close to him.
At least for now, things are alright.
Meng Yulan flipped through the dowry booklet and said, "I'll give you some of these things so you don't have to buy them yourself."
Tang Zhuyun hurriedly waved her hand. "Sister-in-law, I don't want to. I didn't even intend to take a single blade of grass from our Tang Family with me."
She hasn't contributed anything to her family, causing her father and brothers endless worry, and yet she still has the nerve to take a piece of her family's land?
Moreover, she had seen the accounts of the Prince of Jin's Residence, and the amount of silver on the surface had astonished her.
Indeed, poverty limited her imagination.
Come to think of it, she hasn't properly inquired about the inheritance since the Prince of Jin "came back to life"!
But then I thought, the Prince of Jin is back, and the keys to the treasury have to be returned. My heart aches.
Your Highness, you can die a little longer, just let her enjoy a few more days of living off silver notes!
Given that the Prince of Jin so wealthy, it's absurd that she would go to raise his children and have to bring her own provisions.
"These all belong to my nephew and niece, and no one can take them away," Tang Zhuyun snorted.
Meng Yulan pointed her index finger at her forehead and said, "You little miser."
"Me, stingy? You've never seen enough of your sister-in-law."
Those people on the Huaishang are the true masters of miserliness!
Meng Yulan said, "No matter how rich the Prince's mansion is, it's not yours; no matter how difficult things are for our family, this is our way of showing our goodwill. You should just accept it, but are you going to abandon your nephews and nieces in the future?"
"That's definitely not possible."
"Isn't that it?" Meng Yulan laughed. "I know you're impatient with superficial things, but people are just so materialistic. They only care about how much dowry you have and how much your family values you. Besides, it's also about the Prince's reputation... Even though the Prince of Jin might not value it, your family can't hold you back in this matter."
"We don't need to put on a show of wealth beyond our means," Tang Zhuyun said. "Everyone knows what the Tang Family's situation was like before."
"However, now that the Duke's mansion has delivered eighty loads of dowry, which was done right under everyone's noses, there's no reason not to give you a dowry," Meng Yulan said with a smile. "If we give it to you, just accept it; there will always be a time when they'll ask you for it back."
Tang Zhuyun: "Okay, okay, I don't care anymore, I'll listen to my sister-in-law."
Meng Yulan's smile gradually faded, and she said in a low voice, "A-Yun, your sister-in-law also has a favor to ask of you."
"What?"
"If anything happens to me during childbirth... I know you will save me, but sometimes, life is short, and even a little can be saved. If that day ever comes, I will entrust my child to you, and all my dowry will be entrusted to you for safekeeping. When the child grows up, you can give him half, and the other half to Linlin."
It's more accurate to say it's for Xie Tang Zhuyun than for Linlin.
Tang Zhuyun felt a dull ache in her heart as she listened.
Although she knew it was an extremely rare event, the mother's heartfelt plans for her children were so sincere and touching.
"It's not that I don't trust your older brother, but the backyard is ultimately not a man's place..."
"I understand, I promise." Tang Zhuyun held her hand. "We agreed that if one of us has an accident, the other will take care of the other's young child."
"Good."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
"Your Highness, the Prince has moved!" Xiu'er said as she entered.
"Where did you move to?" Tang Zhuyun asked in surprise.
"Of course it's next door!" Xiu'er said. "I need to go and put the ladder away to prevent him from climbing over the wall and taking advantage of us."
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
If the Prince of Jin wanted to climb the wall, would he need a ladder?
Sure enough, in the evening, Yanran clamored to play shuttlecock. Tang Zhuyun came to the courtyard and heard the Prince of Prince of Jin coughing next door.
Yanran: "Mother, has Father caught a cold? Would you like to go and take a look at him?"
Tang Zhuyun: "No, your father is in good health! Come on, let's play shuttlecock!"
"Okay."
Listening to the laughter of Tang Zhuyun and Yanran next door, Prince of Jin felt both gratified and itchy. Looking at the wall in front of him, he found it an eyesore no matter how he looked at it.
Why didn't he have someone put a door in the middle when Xiu'er was always running back and forth between the two houses?
Even through a crack in the door, you can see it, right?
Too late for regrets!
The mother and daughter were playing shuttlecock when Linlin returned from Great Confucian Scholar Kong's place.
Yanran smiled and said, "Brother, let's play shuttlecock together."
Linlin smiled and waved her hand in refusal, "You guys play. Before it gets dark, I'm going to find the Prince to practice archery for a while."
Tang Zhuyun: "Go, go."
To prevent someone from constantly faking a cough and accidentally coughing up their lungs!
However, Linlin returned after a while, laughing, "The prince sent someone back to the palace to fetch my bow. Anyway, I have nothing to do today, so I'll play with you for a while."
Tang Zhuyun found it strange; Linlin usually wasn't interested in playing shuttlecock, but today she actually wanted to play.
Fine, you're just playing. But what's with kicking the shuttlecock all the way to the neighbor's in just a few moves?
Before she could even ask Linlin to deliver it, Prince of Jin had already jumped onto the wall, shuttlecock in hand, and turned his head away, saying, "I wasn't looking at you."
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
So what if you look? I'm not going to vanish just because you glance at me. The problem is you peeked and then specifically insisted you didn't look—where's your shame?
And Linlin, don't pretend to be innocent for her, she clearly planned this with the Prince of Jin!
That bastard Prince of Jin, he even uses Zidu!
Prince of Jin weakly stated that it wasn't him who used Linlin at all; it was Linlin who came up with the idea!
The Prince of Jin, with his head tilted to the side as if paralyzed, said, "Don't look at me either. Do not look at what is improper!"
Tang Zhuyun hurled the shuttlecock he had thrown down at him again, yelling, "I'll smash you to death, you bastard!"