The Prince of Jin had not been at the Court of Judicial Review for long. Although Chang Zhi thought he was a decent man, especially since he put on no airs when catching thieves and was skilled in a fight, Chang Zhi was not foolish enough to bare his heart to him right away.
People like him had more holes in their hearts than a sieve. Chang Zhi was a rough fellow who could not outwit them, so he generally kept his distance.
Still, he had to show the prince due respect.
So today, when the Prince of Jin heard that Chang Zhi was coming over to mooch a meal and said he wanted to come along, Chang Zhi hesitated briefly. He decided there was no harm in sharing a meal. At worst, he could keep an eye on Tang Zhuyun and make sure she did not pounce on the prince and pin him down. So he agreed.
But even after they had finished eating, he still could not tell what the Prince of Jin was after, and he could not help asking.
The Prince of Jin said, "I saw her save someone yesterday, and her methods were rather unusual. I was merely curious."
Understanding dawned on Chang Zhi. "Yes, yes, yes, I'd never seen anything like it before either. Oh, I meant to ask her yesterday how she learned it, but today it slipped my mind completely. I'll ask her in a bit!"
The Prince of Jin shook his head. "There's no need for that."
He had already made up his mind.
Tang Zhuyun returned from a walk with Linlin and yawned. "Brother Chang, I'll leave him to you. Your Highness, please make yourself at home. I'm going back to rest."
Chang Zhi quickly sent the yamen runner back, then led Linlin and the horse outside.
The Prince of Jin stayed behind. Watching Tang Zhuyun's back as she ignored him as though he were invisible, he spoke slowly. "Miss Tang, I have a favor to ask."
Tang Zhuyun had just stepped one leg over the threshold. Hearing him, she looked back with a radiant smile, parted her thin lips, and said three words: "I can't help."
A show of kindness for no reason meant someone was after either her virtue or her possessions.
Her virtue was out of the question; she would break all three of his legs. As for her possessions, he could do as he pleased. In this shabby house, there was little worth taking besides the people.
She was not about to lose her head just because someone of his lofty status had lowered himself to speak politely to her.
It could be nothing good.
"Perhaps you can't help, but if you can, I'll pay you."
"Do I look like I'm lacking anything?" Tang Zhuyun asked with a smile.
Even if he offered himself to her, she would not care for him. She was not the one short of men.
"Silver."
Tang Zhuyun wanted to plant her hands on her hips and laugh at the heavens. What a joke! Who was short of silver?
She had her cold-dish recipes, a goose that laid golden eggs!
At least she was provided for over the next year or two. She, short of silver? Hmph!
"Your elder brother embezzled five or six thousand taels of silver."
"Bullshit!" Tang Zhuyun's face and neck turned red with anger, and she cursed outright.
Her elder brother was such an upright man. Even her borrowing loan-shark money had made him that angry, so how could he possibly have embezzled money?
This was outright slander against the Tang family's good name.
The Prince of Jin said mildly, "You'll know in a few days."
"Get out!" Tang Zhuyun pushed him toward the door in a huff. "Get out of here!"
She had even fed him. From now on, she would rather throw the food to the dogs than give him any.
The Prince of Jin said, "If you need anything, you can come to the prince's residence and find me. If I'm not there, leave a message with the gatekeeper. Once I hear of it, I'll come find you."
With that, he gave Tang Zhuyun a long look, his dark eyes deep, coldness shifting within them, then turned and left.
Tang Zhuyun was so angry she wished she could chase after him and scratch up his face.
He asked her for help, and when she refused, he cursed her family?
Bastard! He had better not let her see him again, or she would throw a handful of itching powder at him and make him question his life!
But for some reason, Tang Zhuyun could not shake a sense of unease.
After Tang Baixin returned, she pulled him into her room and told him everything from beginning to end. Sounding him out, she said, "Elder brother, don't you think the Prince of Jin is awful? I don't know what he wanted my help with, but I figured nothing good would come my way, so I turned him down outright. Then he said that. Isn't he hateful?"
Tang Baixin said calmly, "You were right not to pay him any mind."
He looked at Tang Zhuyun, a hint of relief in his eyes, and patted her shoulder. "A-Yun has grown up. I can rest easy now."
At those words, Tang Zhuyun's heart sank.
She did not know if she was reading too much into it, but those words sounded terribly ominous to her.
Tang Baixin smiled at her. "I understand. Don't worry, I'll handle it."
"Handle it?" Tang Zhuyun looked into his eyes. "How are you going to handle it, elder brother? Are you going to hold the Prince of Jin accountable for spreading rumors?"
"No," Tang Baixin said. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
Although Tang Zhuyun felt something was not quite right, she thought again: if her elder brother had really embezzled that much silver, he would have spent some on the family, wouldn't he?
But when she transmigrated here, the family had been so poor they could barely put food in the pot. Clearly, that bastard the Prince of Jin was talking nonsense.
It couldn't be true!
Hmph, he'd better not let me see that bastard again, Tang Zhuyun thought through gritted teeth.
Yet in the middle of the night, while she was sleeping soundly, a noise from the next room woke her.
It sounded like a cudgel thudding against flesh, interspersed with muffled groans and subdued scolding.
Tang Zhuyun jolted awake. It was coming from Tang Mingfan's room!
She hurriedly rose, threw on her clothes, slipped into her shoes, and pushed open the door.
The chill of the night made her shiver, but the candle burning in Tang Mingfan's room and the shadow of a figure swinging a stick down across the paper window made her heart tighten.
Is Father beating elder brother?
If that's true, could what the Prince of Jin said during the day be true too?
She crept closer and heard Tang Mingfan roar, "What have I taught you since you were little? If something isn't yours, you mustn't touch so much as a needle or a thread!"
"Father, I've made a terrible mistake. Your son has been unfilial!"
"Why did you take the silver? Where did it go?"
"Father, it was all my fault. I gave in to greed for a moment. It had nothing to do with anyone else. The silver, the silver was stolen..."
Tang Zhuyun's heart sank to the bottom of a valley.
When her elder brother said it "had nothing to do with anyone else," was he trying to keep her out of it?
It was not that she was trying to take the blame, but her predecessor had brought the family to such a state. If Tang Baixin really had embezzled silver from the imperial court, it was most likely because of her.
Honestly, her elder brother! It would have been better if he could have returned the stolen money, but the silver had also been stolen from him.
Had the little thief who stole the silver also reported her elder brother while he was at it?
No, if the matter had not yet come to light, how did the Prince of Jin know about it?
Had he deliberately set a trap to frame her elder brother?
With how devious he was, it was entirely possible!
You damned cur, to stoop so low! This isn't over! Tang Zhuyun thought through gritted teeth.
But if Tang Baixin would not say anything, how could anyone help him?
With that thought, Tang Zhuyun pushed the door open and entered.