After Tang Zhuyun left, Yanran asked Xiu'er, "Is today the twenty-eighth?"
After receiving Xiu'er's affirmative reply, Yanran excitedly said, "The peddler is coming to the back gate today, shall we go and take a look? Sister Xiu'er, I'll buy you a flower to wear!"
Xiu'er smiled and said, "I know, you also received your monthly allowance on the 25th, didn't you?"
In order to cultivate her two children's financial literacy, Tang Zhuyun gave each of them one tael of silver per month for their own use.
Yanran is a spendthrift. She's always eager to spend money as soon as she gets it, and then she runs out of money at the end of the month and goes to Linlin to beg for money.
Yanran smiled sweetly.
"Okay," Xiu'er agreed, "But we need to make this clear beforehand, miss. It's right by the back door. You can't take Jiaojiao out there to scare people, and you can't run around."
Yanran readily agreed.
Xiu'er said something to Meng Yulan, then took Yanran's hand and walked outside.
As she walked, she said, "The prince isn't here right now, so we have to keep a low profile. You don't want Mother Consort to be replaced, do you? Maybe someone's plotting something wicked, and we definitely won't fall for it."
"Okay, I definitely won't fall for it!" Yanran promised confidently, humming a little tune and skipping along with her.
Meanwhile, Tang Zhuyun hurriedly followed Nanxing to the Great Xiangguo Temple.
It was exactly the 28th, and there was also a gathering at the Great Xiangguo Temple. The carriages had difficulty moving through the crowded throngs of people.
Tang Zhuyun was getting impatient, so she simply jumped off the carriage and walked over.
"Your Majesty, you're in the back mountain," Nanxing led the way.
The two soon arrived at the back mountain, where the environment was serene and quiet, with the occasional melodious chirping of birds.
The road was difficult to walk on, Tang Zhuyun carefully lifted her skirt; her white embroidered shoes inlaid with pearls were covered in mud.
The further you walk, the deeper and more secluded it becomes; the vegetable garden cultivated by the monks has turned into a forest overgrown with weeds and trees.
Tang Zhuyun had a feeling that she was about to be sold out by Nanxing...
Nanxing seemed to sense her emotional fluctuation and said, "Your Majesty, there are too many people coming to become my disciples, Great Confucian Scholar Kong is overwhelmed with them, so he has moved to the back."
"Oh."
Sure enough, a corner of a thatched hut soon emerged from among the branches and leaves.
Further on, you'll see two figures, one tall and one short, standing under a tree in front of a thatched hut, each holding a scroll and seemingly reading.
Besides Linlin, the other man looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old. He was tall and elegant, with a refined and dignified air. He wore a white robe that gave him an ethereal and otherworldly quality.
Tang Zhuyun thought, this must be the grandson of the Great Confucian Scholar Kong.
What was it called again? Oh right, Xiyou!
Listen to that fancy name!
Linlin saw her from afar and quickly stepped forward, bowing her head as she said, "Auntie, what brings you here?"
Tang Zhuyun said, "I heard you were stung by a bee? Come, let me see."
Linlin said, "I'm fine... my eyes just feel a little stuffy."
Tang Zhuyun looked at his right eye, which was almost swollen into a slit, and couldn't help but say, "You're still okay! Come on, let me take a look."
Linlin shrank back, somewhat embarrassed. "Auntie, it's really okay. I'm all grown up now, I'm a man..."
Upon hearing this, Tang Zhuyun realized that things were not looking good.
Why do I have this feeling of being infected by Chang Zhi?
"Linlin, if you get sick or injured, you need to see a doctor promptly. It's not about being delicate; it's about taking responsibility for yourself."
At this moment, Xiyou stepped forward and said, "So it's Your Highness, the Princess. Linlin, let Her Highness take a look."
Linlin then obediently stepped forward.
The little boy's strange sense of pride made him not want to be looked down upon by his senior classmates.
Tang Zhuyun treated his wounds and applied a layer of green ointment to his eyelids.
"Should we apply it to your right eyelid too?" Tang Zhuyun joked.
Linlin blushed. "Auntie!"
He introduced Tang Zhuyun, "This is my senior brother Kong Xiyou. Senior brother, this is my aunt!"
Kong Xiyou bowed to Tang Zhuyun.
Tang Zhuyun nodded in acknowledgment: Hello, Xiyou, my Lovely little brother.
"Alright, I won't bother you anymore," she said with a smile. "Study hard, I'll make you chicken wings for dinner tonight."
No doubt about it, the Prince's Mansion is truly a place of wealth and luxury.
Song Cui'er said that the prince kills a chicken every day... In reality, the prince's mansion kills at least dozens of chickens every day.
Tang Zhuyun, the future princess, exercised her princess rights ahead of time, frequently sending Xiu'er to the palace to ask for chicken wings, chicken feet, chicken necks, chicken gizzards... until she could finally gather enough ingredients for a dish!
After transmigrating, her family was destitute, and she never dared to imagine that one day she would be able to eat a whole plate of chicken wings and chicken feet.
Marrying a prince definitely has its advantages!
Kong Xiyou couldn't help but wonder, "Braise chicken wings? I don't know how to do it."
Thanks to Linlin, he had the opportunity to taste Tang Zhuyun's unique culinary skills a few times, and he still found them quite novel.
Great Confucian Scholar Kong went to play chess with Master Hong'en, so Tang Zhuyun didn't need to go in to pay her respects and prepared to leave directly.
However, Linlin tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Auntie, there's something I want to tell you alone."
Tang Zhuyun was taken aback. What was it? Couldn't they wait until they got home to talk about it?
However, she came to the side with Linlin.
She crouched down slightly, listening intently as Linlin spoke in her ear.
"Auntie, could you please take a look at my senior brother's illness?"
Tang Zhuyun was somewhat surprised and couldn't help but look at Xiyou.
The little boy Xiyou, has fair and delicate skin; judging from his complexion, he doesn't seem to have any health problems.
Is there some unspeakable reason behind it?
"I've actually wanted to ask my aunt to take a look at him for a while, but I was afraid he wouldn't agree..."
Tang Zhuyun: It's not that you're afraid I won't agree?
Why should a "patient" like him refuse a general practitioner who is well-versed in both Chinese and Western medicine?
I can treat any ailment, from neurological disorders to cardiovascular diseases, urological conditions to orthopedic ailments, from the tips of his hair to the soles of his feet!
"My senior brother never said it, but I know he often has headaches," Linlin said softly. "He also knows I've noticed and doesn't want me to tell the Master."
Tang Zhuyun: Are you sure he has a headache, and doesn't just not want to study?
If it were her, spending all her time reading the Four Books and Five Classics and writing rigid essays, she'd definitely have a terrible headache too.
"Auntie, please think of something and let my senior brother take a look. Otherwise, I won't feel at ease."
Tang Zhuyun sighed: He really is her own son!
He's not her biological son, so he shouldn't treat his mother like this.
What could she do?
She has no choice but to go see it!
Tang Zhuyun hesitated for a moment, then walked up to Kong Xiyou and said, "Young Master Kong, I suspect you are ill."
Xiyou was clearly taken aback by her fierceness and was momentarily stunned.
But then a hint of anticipation appeared in his eyes. "I wonder why Your Highness says this?"
"Would you believe me if I told you about a doctor's intuition?"
Xiyou's expression clearly showed that he didn't believe it.
Tang Zhuyun said, "Let me check your pulse. I hope I'm wrong, okay?"
Xiyou seemed somewhat resistant.
Tang Zhuyun: "If I'm right about the symptoms and can really diagnose the illness, then it means I'm not just making things up, and I might actually be able to cure the disease and save lives; if I'm just talking nonsense, then you won't lose anything by looking, right?"
It is unacceptable to conceal one's illness and avoid seeking medical treatment.