Prince of Jin rode into the palace on horseback, Tang Zhuyun took Yanran in the prince's carriage. Xiu'er Nanxing also followed.
Nanxing usually goes with Linlin, but when they go to a "dangerous den" like the palace, she has to go with her.
As soon as Tang Zhuyun stepped outside, she deeply felt the Prince of Jin's attempt to "maintain distance."
He didn't help her onto the horse; he mounted it without looking at her, even worse than before!
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
They're quite good at pretending.
Yanran complained that the Prince of Jin wouldn't let her bring Jiaojiao into the palace.
"Jiaojiao is very obedient! She bites whoever I tell her to bite."
Tang Zhuyun: "Ferocious beasts are not allowed in the palace."
"Okay," Yanran said softly, pouting slightly, looking a little unhappy.
But when her gaze fell on Tang Zhuyun's lower abdomen, she suddenly felt happy.
Last night, Nanny Rong, who was never close to her, came to see her and told her not to bother her father and mother recently, because she would soon have a little brother and sister.
Yanran has already started secretly preparing gifts for her younger siblings.
Before long, her mother's belly will grow big, and inside will be her beloved younger brother and sister...
How wonderful it would be to have Little Tangyuan sister as Lovely as a glutinous rice ball!
She would help her dress up, giving her beautiful jewelry and clothes...
If it's a younger brother, that's fine too. She can teach him kung fu and how to fight. Right now, Linlin brother Linlin is clearly on the path of fighting, so he's not very useful anymore.
After entering the palace, Tang Zhuyun held Yanran's hand and followed closely behind Prince of Jin.
It's been a long time since I've been here, and the palace is still as oppressive as ever.
When they arrived, the emperor had not yet dismissed the court, and the empress let them in.
Tang Zhuyun, along with the expressionless Prince of Jin, bowed to the Empress.
There were many people around the Empress, including the concubines from the palace and other princesses, all eyeing the beautiful couple with varying expressions.
Tang Zhuyun treated herself as a tool.
The Empress offered her a seat, which she accepted. Then, she listened intently to the Empress's subtly barbed words, pretending she was deaf.
The Empress said, "Among those brothers, apart from the Eighth Prince who is still young, only the Prince of Jin's Residence has few heirs."
Yes, I understand. We need to help the Prince of Jin take more concubines so that he can have more children.
But she didn't respond.
The Prince of Jin silently picked up his cup, took a sip of tea, put it down again, and looked towards the door, ignoring the Empress.
The Empress, as expected of a woman of great wisdom, remained unfazed and smiled, saying, "A-Yun, from now on, it will be up to you to ensure the continuation of the royal family's lineage."
Tang Zhuyun, whose name was called, feigned ignorance. "Fine, then I'll have a few more."
Everyone was stunned.
Who told you to have a child? It was clearly to get you to handle the matter of taking a concubine. Your ability to lie through your teeth is truly first-rate.
Prince of Jin said, "It's unimportant for someone like me to have many children. Let the Crown Princess take care of things for the Crown Prince; the Crown Prince is the rightful heir!"
Tang Zhuyun silently gave Prince of Jin a thumbs up.
The Empress said, "You can't say that. You brothers are all the same; you are all sons of the dragon and grandsons of the phoenix."
That's not right.
Alright, the Prince of Jin remained silent.
The Queen was embarrassed.
The most awkward thing was that none of the other concubines present offered to help her out, clearly not wanting to provoke the Prince of Jin.
Tang Zhuyun was proud; look how good it is to be a villain.
The Crown Princess suddenly said, "Mother, could you please have the windows opened wider? It's a bit stuffy."
The Empress said with a loving expression, "Why not? You're pregnant, you need to be more careful."
Tsk tsk, is she pregnant again?
"So what if you're pregnant? Why are you showing off to her? It's not like it's the Prince of Jin of Jin's child, "Tang Zhuyun thought, barely suppressing the urge to roll her eyes.
The Lady Zong were arguing so fiercely over a rotten cucumber that they were practically fighting to the death.
The Empress then said to Tang Zhuyun, "A-Yun, go and talk to the Crown Princess. Ask her to share some of her experience with you."
The Prince of Jin said, "Don't come back behaving like a gossipy woman."
The Empress's face darkened. "Prince of Jin, what do you mean by this?"
The Prince of Jin remained calm and composed. "To instruct my queen."
Tang Zhuyun was so angry she was about to burst out laughing.
Now we know why the Prince of Jin was so universally disliked; when his tongue got sharp, it could choke someone to death.
After a while, the emperor, who had just finished court, finally arrived late.
The Emperor cursed inwardly, thinking about all the trivial matters that had happened today. One person wrote a book, another wrote a book, it never stopped, and his back was aching from sitting so long.
However, the emperor was still pleased to see the Prince of Jin bring his new bride to pay his respects. After drinking the bride's tea and offering a few words of advice, he ordered that gifts be bestowed upon her.
The Empress Yingying and said, "Just now, I was saying that I should have A-Yun take good care of things and liven up the quiet and deserted Prince of Jin's Residence."
The Emperor said, "Never mind, Qi'er has never liked crowds; this child is withdrawn."
Tang Zhuyun: Hahaha, I want to laugh out loud.
Seeing the Empress's embarrassed expression was so satisfying.
It turns out that the Prince of Jin's arrogance is all because the Emperor spoiled him.
The Emperor then beckoned Yanran to him, asked her a few questions, and patted her head, saying, "You've grown taller again."
Yanran smiled and said, "I listened to my mother and drank milk and ate eggs every day, and I also practiced martial arts, so I grew taller."
The Empress smiled and said, "It seems your mother treats you well."
Yanran feigned surprise and said, "Of course, that's my mother. Why wouldn't she treat me well?"
The Crown Princess said, "After all, she's your stepmother. Grandmother is just worried about you..."
"Oh, I see. How could that be! You'll understand when you have a stepmother, too." Yanran said with a smile.
Everyone: "..."
The Prince of Jin said "Speak less" as a symbolic rebuke.
The Crown Princess was so embarrassed that her hands were trembling with anger.
Yanran feigned surprise. "Your Highness, what's wrong?"
Tang Zhuyun said, "Yanran, stop talking. I'll reason with you when your mother gets back. You can't say things like that."
"Oh, then I apologize to Your Highness the Crown Princess. I will never mention your stepmother again." Yanran said sincerely.
As she spoke, she pulled a soft whip from her sleeve and said in Ruanruan, coquettish voice, "You won't hold it against me, will you? How about I whip you for you?"
Tang Zhuyun: Ancestor, you actually brought the whip in!
If she hadn't stopped her, Yanran's whip would have definitely struck someone without thinking.
So Tang Zhuyun spoke up to stop her and pulled Yanran to her side.
The Emperor watched this farce without changing his expression, as if he hadn't heard a word of their back-and-forth.
After a long pause, he stood up and said, "Qi'er, take A-Yun and Yanran with me to the Purple Tenuity Palace. I suddenly remembered that I have something to give you."
The family of three left with the Emperor, leaving the Empress and the others behind, their expressions unknown.
Tang Zhuyun, holding Yanran's hand, looked at the father and son walking ahead and couldn't help but think that the Emperor's favoritism towards Prince of Jin was so extreme.
However, some of their behaviors are puzzling.
Is it true that a ruler's heart is unfathomable?
(An update is here despite the strong winds and heavy rain~ One more chapter to come~)