Tang Zhuyun stood beside Prince of Jin —or rather, was forcibly pulled there by Prince of Jin —and listened attentively to Xue Xian's words.
She was very curious whether her mother, whom she had never met, truly had such an illustrious background.
From the few words her father and brothers spoke, she could sense that her mother must be a hardworking, gentle, and somewhat weak person, law-abiding and honest.
As she listened, she realized something was wrong! This wasn't about her mother's background; it was clearly about her parents' background!
It turns out that when the Prince of Wu rebelled, many people were implicated, including the unfortunate Li Family and Xue Family.
These two families have been friends for generations, and in this generation, Old Master Li and Xue Shanting are even closer than brothers.
Good brothers, let's go into the oil pot together, and the two of them fell victim to the Prince of Wu's rebellion.
However, since Old Master Li was a confidant of the Prince of Wu, his crimes were even more serious, and his entire family was executed.
A loyal servant took a young master back to his ancestral home; this man was Tang Mingfan's uncle.
Unfortunately, the loyal servant fell ill after returning home and had to entrust the young master to his elder brother and sister-in-law. He saw that his sister-in-law was greedy and mean, but there was no one else he could entrust with the young master. So he forced his sister-in-law to make a poisonous oath that if she accepted the gold and silver he brought back, she would definitely support the young master's studies.
Tang Zhuyun was speechless upon hearing this. Studying is important, but you can't eat just by studying!
You should at least make sure the young master is well-fed and clothed before you talk about his studies...
Oh, and this loyal servant also brought back a baby girl, who was supposed to marry Tang Mingfan in the future.
Studying can lead to a career, and marrying can lead to a family. The loyal servant had arranged all the most important things for himself, and then he breathed his last.
Tang Zhuyun: In other words, his father brought his own wife with him.
This baby girl is Xue Shanting's only daughter.
"My sister was only a few months old back then," Xue Xian, that imposing man, said, tears welling in his eyes. "She couldn't be raised on the road to exile, and there was no one to rely on. Father said, since my sister was already betrothed to the Li Family since birth, let them be together..."
Tang Zhuyun didn't know what to say.
"After losing contact, we never forgot our sister. Our second brother was seriously wounded on the battlefield, and before he died, he kept saying that if we found our sister, we should go to her grave and tell her..." Xue Xian wiped away his tears and couldn't continue.
Xue Shanting's third son, Xue Xian's third younger brother Xue Zi, continued, "Last year, after much searching, we finally found her, only to discover that my poor sister had already turned to dust twenty years ago!"
Tang Mingfan looked on in disbelief.
He had lived for over forty years, always believing himself to be the son of the Tang Family, but now he was told that his actual surname was Li; the person he had longed for for over twenty years had actually been connected to him since before he was even born...
Tang Mingfan was so shocked that he was speechless.
Xiu'er, who is usually very talkative, didn't dare to make a sound in this situation and silently served tea.
Xue Shanting grabbed a teacup and threw it at Tang Mingfan.
Tang Zhuyun reacted quickly, instinctively trying to stop him, but unexpectedly, Prince of Jin moved even faster, directly blocking his way.
The teacup hit the Prince of Jin on the forehead, spilling tea leaves all over his face and water all over him.
Tang Zhuyun quickly pulled out a handkerchief to wipe him.
Fortunately, although he looked disheveled, his forehead was only bruised and there was no bleeding.
She had just breathed a sigh of relief and was about to speak when she heard Prince of Jin ask, "Were you splashed with tea?"
Tang Zhuyun stared at him blankly.
Isn't he the one who got smashed and looks disheveled now?
"A-Yun?" the Prince of Jin called out worriedly, "What's wrong?"
"I'm fine." Tang Zhuyun lowered her head and looked down. "Is Your Highness alright?"
"Fine."
"Then you should go back and change your clothes... um, get some rest."
You don't need to come over again.
Don't get involved in old, trivial matters.
The Prince of Jin refused to leave.
Judging from the Xue Family's actions, they intend to take Tang Zhuyun back.
What if something unexpected happens to the wedding arrangements that have already been made?
My dream wife has flown away, who can I cry to now?
Especially Xue Lie, that hothead, he's clearly capable of anything; he might really go and cast a wide net to rescue Tang Zhuyun...
Seeing that the Prince of Jin was alright, Tang Zhuyun looked at Xue Shanting instigator.
Xue Shanting sneered, "Now you know how to protect your own father, but do you know that your own mother, who risked her life to give birth to you, is now all alone in the underworld?"
Tang Zhuyun could understand his grief over losing his daughter. After all, he had waited and hoped for so many years, only to find out that his daughter had become a skeleton. It was a heartbreaking experience for an elderly person to bury their child.
However, she also sided with her own father.
No matter how good the people underground are, they are all legends; Tang Mingfan, however, was a real person who lived beside her and showed her the utmost fatherly love.
"Old General Xue," she began slowly, "My mother is all alone in the underworld, but what do you think my father should do? Should he leave my elder brother and me behind to join my mother in the afterlife?"
Xue Lie became anxious. "Sister, this is your maternal grandfather, you can't talk to him like that!"
Xue Lie's father was Xue Shanting's second son, who died in battle. Xue Shanting felt sorry for him because he had no father, so he always took him in with him, and the two had the closest relationship.
"The truth of what happened back then can't be explained in a short time," Tang Zhuyun said.
Whether she acknowledges him or not, doesn't she have to listen to her father first?
If Tang Mingfan is truly a scoundrel who has wronged his wife, then he should bear the wrath of the Xue Family. But in an era of male chauvinism and polygamy, how many people could remain chaste and faithful to their deceased wife for twenty years?
The Xue Family shouldn't have been so harsh on him.
Besides, that's her father; how could the scales in her heart possibly tip towards someone else?
"Why do you think Fourth Son recognized you?" Xue Shanting said painfully, "Because after we found out about your mother last year, my people inquired about what happened back then in the village and found an artist to paint a portrait of your mother based on everyone's descriptions... When your maternal grandmother learned of her death, she held the portrait and cried until she went blind."
Tang Zhuyun sighed inwardly, feeling as if a heavy stone was pressing down on her heart.
The Prince of Jin calmly took her hand.
His hands were firm and strong, and even though they were still damp, they were still warm.
Tang Zhuyun was stunned for a moment, and before she could pull her hand out, she couldn't... pull it out anymore.
Xue Shanting said, "I know how harsh that Granny Song was to your mother back then. You think I shouldn't have lashed out at her? As a husband, did he take care of his wife? After your mother died, did he take good care of you?"
"Isn't he responsible for your past outrageous behavior? When you were forced to marry the Prince of Jin, did he help you out? If the Prince of Jin hadn't died once in between, you'd still be a concubine. Tell me, shouldn't I have lashed out at him?"
Tang Mingfan's face turned ashen, and he trembled as he asked, "Old General Xue, how did my mother treat Huainiang so harshly back then?"