Song Jingyang thought to himself, "These are all folk customs. Even the Emperor couldn't simply ban them, let alone you..."
However, having served Prince of Jin for many years, he could sense that his master was extremely angry—so even though he didn't know why, he obediently did as he was told.
The poor family hired someone to perform an exorcism, which offended the Prince of Jin. Thinking of the Golden Qilin Guard, they couldn't help but tremble with fear. But that's another story.
The Prince of Jin somewhat regretted letting Tang Zhuyun go out today.
The person he was thinking about was currently on the second floor of the teahouse, watching a Daoist priest perform a ritual with Yanran.
Although she didn't understand it, she still watched it with Jinjin.
Ancient festivals were quite interesting, unlike modern festivals where every holiday has become a shopping festival, with little celebration beyond sending flowers, rice dumplings, and mooncakes.
Yanran was even happier and said, "Mother, it's too late this year, but how about we invite Daoist priests to perform at the Prince's mansion next year?"
The performance... Tang Zhuyun's lips twitched, "Good."
Suddenly, someone rode a horse toward the Daoist priest at an extremely fast speed.
It was a pure white steed, and the boy on horseback was not very old, about sixteen or seventeen years old. He was wearing armor and holding a silver spear, the tip of which gleamed coldly in the sunlight, making him awe-inspiring.
"Who is so arrogant and domineering as to ride a horse recklessly in the bustling city of the capital?" Tang Zhuyun couldn't help but ask.
Nanxing, who had been silent until now, said, "Your Majesty, should I go and stop him?"
Tang Zhuyun shook her head.
There's no need to get involved if you don't know the other party's background.
A moment later, amidst everyone's tension and astonishment, the young man actually reined in his horse and stopped in front of the terrified Daoist priest. The horse's front hooves rose high, almost hitting the Daoist priest's face, which frightened him so much that he turned pale.
The young man reached out and patted the horse's head affectionately, then looked down at the Daoist priest from his high perch. "Hey, you old Daoist priest, are you a real Daoist or a fake one?"
"A real, real Daoist priest..." the Daoist stammered, "No, I don't know if the young general has any instructions?"
"Since you're a real Daoist priest, you must know how to summon spirits, right?" the boy said. "Come with me. If you can summon a spirit, you'll be richly rewarded, and I won't punish you with military rods!"
What an arrogant and domineering person.
Because she was downstairs, Tang Zhuyun could now clearly see the boy's face.
With sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, his brows and eyes were unruly and full of vitality, possessing the fearless spirit of a young man.
However, his way of speaking is truly unpleasant.
The Daoist priest was terrified. "I... I don't know how to summon spirits..."
"You can't even perform a ritual to summon spirits, yet you dare call yourself a real Daoist priest? I think you're just a fraudster swindler!"
As he spoke, the boy thrust his spear into the offering table beside him, creating a long crack in the middle of the table.
The Daoist priest was so frightened that he knelt down and begged for mercy.
The boy scoffed, "I told you, it's all a bunch of lies!"
Seeing his arrogant demeanor, and considering that the Daoist priest kneeling and begging for mercy was already in his fifties or sixties, Tang Zhuyun thought about the Prince of Jin's reputation and had no reason to hold back. She couldn't help but speak up, "He didn't lie to you, so why do you have to force him to do something against his will?"
Xiu'er, who had been holding back for a while, chimed in, "That's right! With that bandit-like aura, even a spirit summoner would be scared away by you."
The boy was displeased and immediately looked up at him.
Tang Zhuyun remained calm—backed by the fearsome Prince of Jin, she had nothing to fear.
When the boy saw her, he was completely stunned, and his hand holding the spear trembled.
He said, "You, you are..."
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
Did he really recognize him and get frightened by the Prince of Jin?
Tang Zhuyun said, "Yes, that's me... You bully people on the streets like this, aren't you afraid of implicating your family? I advise you to restrain yourself, otherwise you'll only hurt yourself sooner or later."
The boy suddenly jumped off his horse and headed straight for the teahouse.
Nanxing shouted, "Insolence! If you don't step back, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Xiu'er: "Nanxing, beat him up!"
The boy did not stop. Soon, the sound of his footsteps came from downstairs, and he appeared in front of Tang Zhuyun.
Yanran held Tang Zhuyun's hand tightly, looking very nervous.
Nanxing took action and got into a fight with the boy.
The boy was quite skilled; he fought Nanxing to a standstill, with neither gaining the upper hand.
In fact, Nanxing should have been more skilled, since she had learned how to kill. However, her opponent was wearing armor and was clearly an official of the imperial court, so she dared not kill him, resulting in a stalemate.
Nanxing said, "Your Majesty, you should go first!"
"Your Majesty?" The young man was taken aback, and his movements slowed down. Nanxing's sword swept past his temple, and a lock of hair fell out.
The boy was furious. "You dare cut my hair? You brat, just wait till I get my hands on you!"
As he spoke, he launched a fierce attack on Nanxing.
Xiu'er stomped her foot and cursed, "Shameless bastard, bullying a woman!"
The boy was taken aback again. "Who did you say?"
Xiu'er: "Nanxing, beat him up! He said you're a man!"
The boy took two steps back, looked Nanxing up and down, and raised his chin. "You're really a woman?"
Nanxing said coldly, "You don't need to know. All you need to know is that I am the kind of person who can take your life!"
Tang Zhuyun: Nanxing is so cool!
Although she herself was quite skilled, compared to Nanxing, she was like a fish trying to swim.
The boy's gaze returned to Tang Zhuyun, staring at her in disbelief, and he murmured, "Auntie..."
Tang Zhuyun's eyes nearly popped out.
Yanran angrily retorted, "Do you want to steal my aunt from my brother? You bad person! Nanxing, beat him up!"
Tang Zhuyun: "You've mistaken me for someone else. I don't have a nephew that old."
The boy, however, became agitated. "Yes, yes, yes, how could you possibly be my aunt?"
Tang Zhuyun looked completely bewildered; was this person out of their mind?
Back then, when her mother gave birth to twins, one of them was thrown away by Madam Song?
She wasn't surprised by anything Madam Song did.
You're my cousin!
Tang Zhuyun: "... I'm older than you."
This hothead is really speechless.
"That's my cousin." The boy said, reaching out to tug at her sleeve, but Nanxing firmly blocked him.
"Are you even human?" the boy shouted.
Tang Zhuyun: "... What do you think?"
"But something's not right..." the boy muttered to himself, "And besides, her skills are inhuman."
Tang Zhuyun patiently said, "Young general, you've probably mistaken me for someone else. But regardless, it's wrong of you to ride your horse recklessly in the street and cause trouble for innocent people."
Xiu'er: "If you're not satisfied, go find Prince of Jin!"
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
"What is your relationship with the Prince of Jin? Are you the Consort of the Prince of Jin?" the young man asked, frowning.
Tang Zhuyun nodded.
"How could you marry him? No, no..."
Yanran retorted angrily, "What nonsense are you spouting? Why can't my mother marry my father! Speaking ill of others behind their backs, you'll have your tongue rot! You wicked person!"