Meng Yulan smiled and said, "Why don't you go and take a look first?"
If she wasn't mistaken, it was most likely that the Prince of Jin wanted to give Tang Zhuyun some kind of surprise.
"That's right, Mother." Yanran shook Tang Zhuyun's sleeve, insisting that she go out.
Tang Zhuyun had no choice but to follow her out.
Once outside, they discovered that the person delivering the goods was dressed as a soldier, looking travel-worn, with two baskets on his horse, the contents of which were unknown.
Upon seeing her emerge, the man bowed and said, "Your Highness, I have brought you some things from Tang Bay as ordered by the Prince."
Tang Bay?
That's the closest seaside city to the capital.
Xiu'er came out following the smell, sniffed, and said, "Why does it smell like rotten fish?"
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
Could it be that the Prince of Jin has begun to suspect she is a sea monster again and has sent her "feed"?
As it turned out, she was right.
The Prince of Jin of Jin sent over: a jar of drunken shrimp, a jar of drunken crab, and two jars of salted fish...
--This was an urgent dispatch, delivered to the capital in just three days.
Xiu'er looked at the huge sea crabs, each weighing over a pound. Although they were drunken crabs, they still looked very fresh, and she was extremely surprised.
Wow, these crabs are huge!
"Your Majesty, shall we steam this?" she asked Tang Zhuyun.
Tang Zhuyun smiled and said, "Steaming is fine too, but the most authentic way to eat it is like this."
Looking at the bluish-white crab, Xiu'er opened her mouth wide. "Eat it raw?"
"Yes!"
As she spoke, Tang Zhuyun had already plucked off a crab claw, put it in her mouth, and bit into it with a crisp sound.
The rich, savory meat juices burst on her tongue, leaving Tang Zhuyun completely satisfied.
Xiu'er: "What's the difference between this and eating raw meat and drinking blood?"
"No hair, no blood, just crab shells and crab roe," Tang Zhuyun laughed. "Go steam some, save some for me to enjoy."
When the Prince of Jin secretly climbed over the wall at night to visit Tang Zhuyun, he also tasted these shrimp and crabs.
The fact that this wall was so easy to climb deeply moved the Prince of Jin.
As expected, he still had to marry a daughter from a civil official's family.
The walls of a military general's house are really hard to climb.
The Prince of Jin grew up in the northwest and later came to the capital. He did not like the shrimp and crabs from the sea.
But as he spoke, he disassembled the crab, filling the crab shell with large chunks of crab meat and crab roe.
Tang Zhuyun: "Eating it like this is too much trouble. I prefer to just bite into it."
After saying this, she narrowed her eyes and stared at the Prince of Jin: "Do you still think I'm a sea monster, so you're deliberately testing me like this?"
"So, did I succeed in my test?" The Prince of Jin's originally aloof expression was softened by a smile, which appeared even more gentle in the dim candlelight.
"It's a success," Tang Zhuyun said. "I confess, I am the Little Mermaid."
The Prince of Jin laughed and then pushed the crab shell towards her.
Tang Zhuyun: "No need to be modest, I've already eaten a lot."
The Prince of Jin said, "I don't like to eat these things."
"Real?"
"Well, because I rarely eat it, I'm not used to it. Crabs are okay, but I can't eat sea crabs."
After a pause, Prince of Jin looked at Tang Zhuyun with a deep gaze. "You must have lived by the sea before, which is why you like it so much, right?"
Tang Zhuyun nodded.
This is the more reliable speculation!
She picked up a small spoon, scooped up a spoonful of crab meat, and put it in her mouth. "I can also cook many other ways of cooking shrimp and crab. Mmm, delicious!"
"Then you should cook for me more often in the future, so I can broaden my horizons." Prince of Jin had already picked up another crab and started peeling it for her.
He remembered that Tang Zhuyun liked it, but it was hot in the summer, so this was the only way to send it to her.
"There's another type of shrimp you mentioned to Yanran before, called mantis shrimp?"
Tang Zhuyun nodded vigorously.
Mantis shrimp, let's go!
"Local fishermen say the fish aren't plump enough now; the best time is around Qingming Festival. I remember next year."
"This was rushed here, so the pressure of eating it is too much," Tang Zhuyun said. "If we have time, we can go to Tang Bay to eat together, with Linlin and Yanran. They've never seen the sea before!"
"Okay. I'm not good at guessing what women want, so if you have anything you like, whatever it is, tell me."
"I can't guess what men are thinking, so if you have someone you like, whoever it is, please tell me."
Some things need to be made clear before getting married.
"I like you."
Tang Zhuyun smiled, "I know. However, Your Highness should understand what I mean."
The smile on Prince of Jin's face faded inch by inch, and his gaze was fixed on Tang Zhuyun.
Tang Zhuyun did not back down. She ate the last bite of crab meat without getting any soup on her hands.
She put down her spoon, picked up a handkerchief, and gently wiped her mouth, saying, "Your Highness, it's not that I want to spoil the mood, but I feel it's necessary to be frank with you before we get married."
"Speak," said the Prince of Jin, his hand gripping the cup, where the veins on the back of his hand throbbed faintly.
"Our marriage was ordained by the Emperor; no one else could have made that decision," Tang Zhuyun said. "I will treat the Prince the way he treats me; but please forgive me, because I fear I would be too calculating in matters of the heart, unwilling to give even a little more."
"If Your Highness is willing to live with me, then we can live happily together; if Your Highness feels that I am old and unattractive, and has fallen in love with someone else, then... Linlin is grown up now, you can bring her into the manor and give her any title you wish."
"Don't mess with me. I'd rather be a peaceful princess."
"I could even maintain this relationship with the prince."
"But going back to sleep is absolutely out of the question."
"Unless Your Highness intends to bully the weak and turn against me."
She knew how difficult it was for a prince to abandon his three wives and four concubines; but she, having traveled from a thousand years ago, had decided to embark on this relationship. Was it easy for her?
Only by striving in both directions can we have something to look forward to in the future.
She understands the ways of the world, just as she can to some extent understand Tang Mingfan's neglect of her; she can comprehend Meng Yulan's schemes and humility...
But she herself has no intention of compromising.
"I know it's difficult," Tang Zhuyun said with a determined yet playful look, "But Your Highness, why did you insist on taking a liking to me?"
If a man can't make a promise even when he's deeply in love, then it's best to end things now.
"What if I," the Prince of Jin's throat bobbed slightly, "Did I refuse?"
"A clean break."
What if I force you?
Tang Zhuyun said with a half-smile, "Your Highness, confiscate the tools used in the crime."
Prince of Jin: "..."
"Looks like I can't resist, so I'll just let you do as you please," he said with a smile. "Just don't do anything that kills the goose that lays the golden eggs."
Kill the chicken to get the eggs.
Tang Zhuyun: I'm no longer pure.
At the same time, I'm sorry to say, but she really can do it, and she's absolutely fast, ruthless, and accurate, with painless egg retrieval!
The Prince of Jin gently pried open her clenched fist under the table, sighed, and said, "What a cowardly little thing."