The Prince of Jin suddenly laughed, his eyes shining brighter than any star in the sky.
He said, "If you lose, accept the bet and marry me obediently, and don't cause any more trouble."
Tang Zhuyun: "Do I need to admit defeat?"
Isn't that an imperial edict?
For someone as cowardly as her, losing her chastity was a small matter compared to preserving her life; how could she possibly have the courage to disobey an imperial decree?
Does she have a rebellious streak?
The Prince of Jin said, "Then just consider it as me letting you win for free. Now tell me, do you agree or not?"
A windfall?
Was it given to you by the Prince of Jin?
Tang Zhuyun hesitated for a moment, "What if I win?"
"You propose it," said the Prince of Jin.
"Any conditions are acceptable?" Tang Zhuyun swallowed, barely able to contain her excitement.
Prince of Jin: "Now, bring it up and let me hear it."
Tang Zhuyun: "How could I possibly come up with that in such a short time?"
Whatever she asked of the Prince of Jin, didn't he usually grant it on the spot?
She didn't want to get married, but this was not a matter that the Prince of Jin could decide.
She needs to think carefully about her future requests.
But thinking about it this way, the Prince of Jin was actually quite good to her.
The Prince of Jin said, "Then I'll fulfill my promise after we're married. You can name any conditions you want."
Tang Zhuyun: "It's a deal! Your Highness, I'm going in now. Thank you for tonight, remember to apply some more medicine when you get back."
"Go." The Prince of Jin looked at her, his eyes filled with tender affection, his gaze so intense it was almost unbearable to look directly at him. "Remember our bet."
The night breeze was slightly cool. Tang Zhuyun pulled her clothes tighter and was about to go inside when a furry thing crawled under her skirt and brushed against her thin gauze pants. She screamed "Ah!" in fright and trembled all over.
The Prince of Jin had far better eyesight than her and had already seen it clearly.
He put his arm around Tang Zhuyun's shoulder. "Don't be afraid, it's Jiaojiao. Jiaojiao, come back! Lie down!"
The lively little tiger, for some reason, was particularly afraid of Prince of Jin. Hearing his scolding, it came over and lay down at Prince of Jin's feet, as obedient as a cat.
No, it's even more obedient than a cat.
Tang Zhuyun: "Your Highness, is this little tiger a bit silly? Why is it so afraid of you? Shouldn't we find a real tiger to teach it how to be a tiger?"
Prince of Jin: "..."
Tang Zhuyun crouched down and picked up Jiaojiao, unaware that Jiaojiao was wearing a high-waisted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) today. As she crouched, Prince of Jin could see her clearly...
Prince of Jin wanted to look away but couldn't bear to, his face flushed with turmoil, yet he still didn't look away until Tang Zhuyun stood up with Jiaojiao in her arms.
"So heavy!" Tang Zhuyun complained, rubbing her nose against Jiaojiao's. "You're a big tiger, you know? You have your pride too! Next time we'll be fiercer, okay?"
Prince of Jin: "Is this the king's doing?"
"Haha, that's not what I meant. It just means a tiger should look like a tiger."
"Like Xue Lie?"
Tang Zhuyun laughed loudly, "Pretty much. I think Xue Lie is quite Lovely."
Lovely? Is that a suitable word to describe a man?
"Alright, it's getting late, Your Highness. You have to attend court tomorrow, so please go back and rest early," Tang Zhuyun said, struggling to hold Jiaojiao in her arms.
"Okay, I'll watch you go in."
Xiu'er had already heard the noise and came out with a lantern. When she saw Tang Zhuyun carrying Jiaojiao, she became quite agitated. "Your Highness, it's so dirty! You should go back and change your clothes and take a bath..."
She worries herself sick and tired every day about the uncleanliness of her family members.
Prince of Jin returned to his room but couldn't fall asleep, so he summoned Song Jingyang and chatted idly for a while.
Song Jingyang yawned, "Huh? Xue Lie?"
The prince isn't sleepy, but he is!
What happened to Xue Lie?
The Prince of Jin said, "He is the Princess's cousin."
Song Jingyang was bewildered; had he gone dazed?
Xue Lie is indeed the Princess Consort's cousin, but what's so special about that?
No, Your Highness is so insightful; since you specifically brought it up, it must be more than that.
Song Jingyang bit his tongue, instantly sobering up, and tentatively asked, "Your Highness, do you mean that Xue Lie has made outstanding military achievements, and the Xue Family will surely prosper for decades to come? Are you worried that a marriage alliance would attract too much attention?"
Imagine back then, the Xiao Family hadn't even officially become imperial relatives before they were already wiped out.
The Xue Family is a newly powerful family, and the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is a high-ranking official. With all these factors combined, the prince is in grave danger!
The Prince of Jin asked, "Is Xue Lie married?"
Song Jingyang: "No, I haven't heard of any engagement. After all, the Xue Family can only take a concubine if they have no sons by forty, so they must be very careful when choosing a wife... Ah! Your Highness, are you worried that Xue Lie will steal the Princess Consort from you?"
A hint of unease flashed across the Prince of Jin's face. "Can he possibly outmaneuver me?"
"Of course we can't beat them. In this matter, whoever has the thicker skin wins!"
Prince of Jin: "..."
"No," Song Jingyang hurriedly said, "What I meant was, with my thick skin, I'm your capable assistant, and I'll definitely help you successfully marry the Princess!"
The Prince of Jin remained silent.
Song Jingyang yawned again and muttered under his breath, "You're overthinking this. Even if we don't look at anyone, there's still the young master, isn't there? What are you afraid of?"
They both had sons, so how could they possibly separate?
Prince of Jin sighed inwardly. Tang Zhuyun's ideas were different from those of the common people!
Although she denied being a sea monster, the Prince of Jin still felt that she was different from ordinary people, but he couldn't think of any other possibility.
The Prince of Jin's biggest worry right now is that the Xue Family's sudden appearance will affect his marriage to Tang Zhuyun.
Tang Zhuyun was naive and didn't realize just how stubborn and annoying the Xue Family members were.
If the Xue Family is truly stubborn, their marriage might really change...
"I can't possibly..." Song Jingyang said after hearing his concerns, "Your Highness, you're overthinking it. You and the Empress have weathered so many storms together, how can things change so easily! The Emperor has already delivered the Empress's dowry, there can't be any more changes."
After a long silence, the Prince of Jin said, "Go see Wang Fu tomorrow and tell him this..."
Song Jingyang agreed, then thought for a moment and said seriously, "Your Highness, don't forget, Wang Fu is on the side of the Princess Consort. So you still have to rely on the Princess Consort, otherwise Wang Fu won't be of much use."
The Prince of Jin grunted in acknowledgment and dismissed him.
When Tang Zhuyun returned home, she whispered to Xiu'er, "Is my father asleep?"
Xiu'er muttered, "How could he possibly fall asleep? Master is with him! Madam didn't dare to sleep either, she kept having Lüzhu eavesdrop on the sounds outside, afraid that Master might do something rash."
Zidu asleep?
"She's asleep. Linlin fell asleep in the master's room because she couldn't stay awake any longer, so I carried her back."
Tang Zhuyun tiptoed in and, as expected, saw Tang Mingfan and his son still sitting face to face.
"A-Yun is back," Tang Baixin said, standing up.