Madam Wang was aware of her awkward position, so she rarely visited.
From this perspective, Tang Zhuyun felt that her few friends were all very considerate of her.
For example, Qin Sang, and Madam Wang.
"Your Majesty," Madam Wang, getting straight to the point as she entered, "I heard from my husband that the Prince has been impeached, and the Emperor seems quite angry."
Tang Zhuyun: Is there no justice in this world?!
When the Prince of Jin travels a great distance on official business, for whom does he serve?
The main question is, what kind of bad things could the Prince of Jin possibly do?
"What do you mean?" Tang Zhuyun asked, barely suppressing her anger.
"I've heard," Madam Wang stammered, "That's just talk, it might not be true, Your Highness, please don't be angry."
Tang Zhuyun: I'm not angry.
She just felt sorry for the Prince of Jin.
If the more work you do, the more mistakes you make, then everyone might as well just lie down and do nothing.
"... It is said that Lord Sun has been brought to justice, and his family should have been imprisoned, but the Prince made an exception for a maid named Zhu'er..."
Tang Zhuyun: "???"
Is it raining red?
Would the Prince of Jin show leniency to a mere maid?
What kind of divine pig is this?
Could it be that the Xiao Family has another hidden gem?
This is something I really can't think about too much; it gives me a headache.
"I was afraid that Your Majesty might not be able to handle this news at first, so I thought I'd come and confide in you. I feel there might be a misunderstanding."
Tang Zhuyun was very happy.
Her friend didn't keep it from her even though she might discover her husband's affair.
No matter how cruel the truth may be, she doesn't want to be deceived.
Moreover, the truth may not be so cruel.
Tang Zhuyun still finds the whole thing a bit funny.
If the Prince of Jin were so easily won over, he wouldn't have remained single for over twenty years.
After seeing Madam Wang off, Xiu'er said, "Who's so wicked as to cause you trouble at this crucial moment?"
Tang Zhuyun said dismissively, "If it's true, then the prince is just making things difficult for me; if it's false, I'm not bothered."
Xiu'er said, "It's not that bad, it really isn't."
Tang Zhuyun said with a grin, "Speaking up for the Prince?"
"No, if you and the Prince were an old married couple, I wouldn't be surprised if he did this; but the Prince hasn't succeeded yet, has he? Stealing is worse than not stealing at all. You are still the same now."
Xiu'er gave a thumbs up.
Tang Zhuyun couldn't help but laugh.
She didn't believe it either, but she was just following her heart.
She stood up, stretched, and said, "Is the dough ready? Are the molds ready? We should make Qixi Festival pastries now."
Qiaoguo is a type of pasta dish. Different patterns are made by pressing them into molds, and then they are fried in a pan with a thin layer of oil. It is sweet and delicious.
It wasn't that it was particularly delicious, since the manor had no shortage of food; the main thing was the festive atmosphere, and Yanran liked playing with noodles.
In ancient times, Qixi Festival was not Valentine's Day, but it was more like Women's Day.
There are many kinds of activities, but they all boil down to two main categories: praying for skill and praying for children.
Tang Zhuyun wasn't particularly interested in either of these, but she was happy to celebrate the holiday.
The festival should have a sense of ritual, so we made Qiaoguo (a type of pastry) and performed the needle-throwing ritual to pray for skill, and the festivities lasted until very late.
Xiu'er covered the sleeping Yanran with a light blanket, and seeing Tang Zhuyun still reading under the lamp, she said, "Your Majesty, you should rest early. Reading at night is not only bad for your eyes, but it also wastes lamp oil."
Tang Zhuyun smiled and said, "Let me finish reading this page."
The book is by Kong Xiyou, a record of trivial matters in the palace of the previous dynasty. It seems a bit obscure, but Xiyou is indeed a rare treasure. He made detailed annotations and comments, and he is simply a walking joke teller.
This book was originally borrowed by Linlin, but Tang Zhuyun discovered it by chance and took it with her.
Xiu'er yawned.
Tang Zhuyun smiled and said, "Go to sleep."
"No, if I go to sleep, you don't know how late you'll stay up."
Tang Zhuyun reassured her repeatedly before Xiu'er finally left, still feeling uneasy.
Her mother has been coughing a bit these past few days, so she needs to go back and take care of her; otherwise, she definitely wouldn't have left.
With no one to stop her, Tang Zhuyun became unrestrained, unable to stop watching and laughing as she watched, until... a shadow fell over her.
She looked up in shock and saw the travel-worn Prince of Jin standing by the bed, smiling at her, his beard unkempt and his face covered in dust.
"Your Highness, have you fallen into a trap?"
The Prince of Jin she had ever seen was always clean and tidy; she couldn't recall ever seeing him so disheveled, as if he had crawled there in a disheveled state.
The Prince of Jin chuckled foolishly, "A-Yun, I'm back."
"I know," Tang Zhuyun said irritably, lifting the covers to get up. "It's filthy. Take off your robe. There's water in the basin. Wash your hands and face. I'm too tired. If you don't want to wash your feet, just lie down for a while."
She'll just change the bedding tomorrow.
"Take a nap, I'll make you something to eat, and I'll wake you up when it's ready."
This idiot, he's got panda eyes, he looks awful.
The Prince of Jin, however, gazed at her, unwilling to look away.
"I'm not sleepy, I'll go to the kitchen with you," said the Prince of Jin.
Tang Zhuyun glared at her. "Serves you right for being sleepy!"
The sound of the night watchman's gong could be heard in the distance, announcing the arrival of the next day.
The Prince of Jin said, "Fortunately, we returned in time for Qixi Festival."
Tang Zhuyun rolled her eyes. "Why are you rushing to celebrate Qixi Festival?"
"I wanted to see you praying for a child during the Qixi Festival, but I didn't see it."
"No need to regret it, I didn't do anything that boring."
Tang Zhuyun was in the kitchen, handing him a cucumber. "Eat this cucumber to tide you over. There's still some rice left, I'll make you some ham fried rice."
The Prince of Jin took the cucumber, sat on a small stool to tend the fire, and looked up at her from time to time.
As for the cucumber, it was more like a prop in his hand; he didn't eat it.
Tang Zhuyun felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, tugged at her jacket, and said fiercely, "Eat your cucumber! Where are you looking!"
The Prince of Jin took a bite and whispered, "I didn't look there..."
Although he could indeed vaguely see her undergarments and see her curves more clearly, honestly, what he had been staring at were her wrists.
As he spoke, he said mysteriously, "A-Yun, close your eyes, I have a gift for you."
Tang Zhuyun didn't believe her. "You're not allowed to steal a kiss from me."
She brandished a large shovel, shouting, "Or I'll shovel you!"
After saying that, she busied herself stirring the fried rice, saying, "Don't let the heat go too high, or the rice will burn."
The Prince of Jin took her other hand and said, "Close your eyes."
"Hurry up." Tang Zhuyun closed her eyes.
Giving gifts is fine, but there's so much fuss involved.
But what will he give as a gift?
Then she suddenly felt a chill on her wrist, as if a bracelet had been put on her wrist?
"Open your eyes and look." Prince of Jin's voice held an expectation he himself was unaware of as he looked up at her, like a dirty child waiting for praise.
The sight of these refugees made Tang Zhuyun unable to suppress a smile.
Tang Zhuyun looked down at the cool-to-the-touch bracelet on her wrist, her eyes widening instantly.
this--
Seeing her reaction, the Prince of Jin knew he had chosen the right gift.