Lady Deng said sheepishly, "I knew it, that brat has never been reliable."
Then the Prince of Jin, who had already left, was forced to retreat...
Tang Zhuyun glanced under the bed and then at Prince of Jin —it seemed too late to hide now.
Compared to her guilty conscience, Prince of Jin remained calm and composed, showing no sign of panic at being caught red-handed.
He glanced at Tang Zhuyun, a shameless smirk playing on his lips, completely at ease.
Tang Zhuyun: Sure enough, she's no good. She doesn't even have the mental fortitude to do bad things.
If she were to hide under the bed and be discovered by the other parent, she would be so embarrassed she'd want to crawl into a hole.
The Prince of Jin, standing there, exuded an aura of authority, as if he were the embodiment of justice.
Although Tang Zhuyun was mentally prepared, she was still stunned when she opened the door and saw the scene outside.
All the male members of the Xue Family, from Old General Xue to Xue Li, have come, they've all come...
Tang Zhuyun said awkwardly, "Grandfather, eldest uncle, third uncle... hehe, they're all here. The Prince..."
I got bitten by a mosquito and I'm asking for medicine. Will it work?
Prince of Jin strode over, cupped his hands in greeting to Xue Shanting, and said, "General, my daughter is used to being attached to A-Yun, and since she's not here today, I've been wanting to find her."
Xue Lie, his face bruised and swollen, jumped out. "You're kidding me! If your daughter missed her sister, why didn't she come, but you instead?"
Using your daughter as a shield, have you no shame?!
Xue Shanting also said, "Your Highness, does the Xue Family not have a gate? Guests are welcome, but if they come uninvited, they cannot be treated with the courtesy due to guests!"
His words were highly provocative.
The chilling aura honed through years of battlefield experience was also clearly on display.
Tang Zhuyun was sandwiched between the big shots, trembling with fear.
Nanxing subtly pulled her back.
--The battlefield is left to these cockfighting men; they look fierce, but everyone is hesitant to act rashly.
At worst, you'll get a lot of bumps on your head; you won't die.
If no one dies, then it's not a big deal.
Prince of Jin sneered, "If I hadn't come here, how would I have known that the Xue Family still harbored any intention to defy the imperial decree? My marriage to A-Yun was arranged by the Emperor, yet the Xue Family still dares to think of keeping A-Yun here—how audacious!"
Tang Zhuyun tried to pretend to faint again.
My head is so big!
Xue Lie retorted, not to be outdone, "If my sister is unwilling, the Xue Family will give everything to keep her."
She has already said she is willing.
The Xue Family family didn't care about the facts at all; they just imposed their own ideas on Tang Zhuyun.
Tang Zhuyun blushed. When she said those words, she hadn't considered that Prince of Jin was eavesdropping.
The Prince of Jin said coldly, "The Xue Family's past indifference to their daughter's behavior is just as foolish as their current attempt to interfere with their granddaughter's!"
These words were so hurtful that all the Xue Family members present looked sad and ashamed.
Xue Lie: "Enough with the nonsense, let's fight! Big brother, go and beat him up!"
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
He got beaten up and now he's thinking of taking it out on his older brother.
Xue Shanting looked at Tang Zhuyun.
Tang Zhuyun felt even more embarrassed, but still forced herself to say, "Grandpa, the Prince just came over for a visit tonight, and then Fourth Son came."
Then the two of them got into a fight under the bed.
Note: It's under the bed; don't get the wrong idea.
Xue Shanting immediately understood what she meant.
Tang Zhuyun's attitude showed no reluctance; she genuinely wanted to help Prince of Jin.
Since that's the case...
Xue Shanting spoke in a serious voice, "This is the capital, under the emperor's nose. Don't be so quick to shout for war."
Xue Lie: Wasn't he beaten up?
Does this mean we're only allowed to take a beating, but not to fight back?
Especially that despicable Prince of Jin, who even covets his sister!
Xue Shanting looked at Prince of Jin and said coldly, "Your Highness, please let His Majesty decide on this matter of trespassing into the Xue Family family residence!"
Tang Zhuyun's mouth dropped open in surprise. Was she going to complain to the Emperor?
This is so embarrassing...
Fortunately, the Prince of Jin remained rational enough to say, "As long as it doesn't harm A-Yun's reputation, I'll accompany you to the end!"
Then he was "asked" to leave.
To be precise, they were driven out under the watchful eyes of the Xue Family family.
Before leaving, the Prince of Jin gave Tang Zhuyun a deep look, and then left unhurriedly.
Tang Zhuyun was initially worried that the Xue Family family would bring up the matter again, but Xue Shanting simply told her to rest early and then left her courtyard with his men.
Tang Zhuyun: So what exactly are these people trying to say in riddles?
Even though they hadn't exchanged many words, why did she feel that they had already reached some kind of consensus?
Fortunately, no one reminded her of the embarrassment she had felt at the time.
The Prince of Jin came again the following evening.
Tang Zhuyun: "... You, you just walked in like that?"
Didn't the Xue Family increase their security measures?
The Prince of Jin said, "Let's feint to the east and attack in the west, drawing their attention to Xiao Ye."
Tang Zhuyun: "Aren't you afraid Xiao Ye will get stewed?"
The Prince of Jin said, "To make a long story short, I must leave as soon as possible."
He came today partly to see her, and partly because he didn't want her to worry.
"Oh, go ahead, what's wrong?"
"Xue Shanting took the matter to the Emperor, but he only said that I had trespassed into the Xue Family; he didn't mention our meeting, so you can rest assured."
Tang Zhuyun: "... Then how do you explain it?"
"You are the princess my father bestowed upon me in marriage, yet the Xue Family dares to defy the imperial decree," Prince of Jin said calmly, "So I am not in the wrong either."
And then what?
Tell me the results quickly!
"Each of them will be fined three months' salary, and then the marriage will proceed as planned." The Prince of Jin raised an eyebrow smugly.
Tang Zhuyun: They're fining me again... All this time, I've lost a year's salary.
Although she was rather dim-witted, she still thought of something else and said, "Your Highness, let's consider this a formal recognition of my relationship with the Xue Family."
The Prince of Jin nodded.
Tang Zhuyun asked, "So, how did you and my grandfather discuss this?"
The Prince of Jin's eyes gleamed with admiration. Truly worthy of being his man; he was always so intelligent and perceptive!
He hadn't originally intended to hide this from her.
"A-Yun, the Xue Family intends to relinquish their military power."
The teacup in Tang Zhuyun's hand nearly rolled away.
"It's because of me, isn't it?"
The Xue Family clearly has a bright future ahead of them, so how could they easily hand over their livelihood?
The Prince of Jin grasped her slightly cool hand. "To say that there's no reason without you is to lie against your conscience."
He hadn't actually expected the Xue Family to go this far.
"... But it's not entirely for you. Like the saying goes, 'Once the rabbit is dead, the hunting dog is cooked; once the birds are gone, the bow is put away,' the Xue Family also wants to retreat gracefully and bide their time."
As long as the Xue Family family members continue to be successful, are they afraid of not having the opportunity to make a name for themselves?
However, not everyone is willing to retire so gracefully at the peak of their career.
Tang Zhuyun murmured, "No matter what, I really didn't expect them to go to this lengths for me."
"A-Yun," said the Prince of Jin, "Look at me!"
Tang Zhuyun tilted her head slightly, looking into his deep black eyes.
(I was a little late today, I'll continue updating later)