Tang Zhuyun was awakened in the middle of the night by the mournful cries of stray cats outside.
She yawned and said, "Your Highness, have someone chase the stray cat away!"
No one answered.
Previously, even if she turned over, the Prince of Jin would notice.
Oh, I forgot, we didn't sleep together tonight.
"Your Highness?" she called out, raising her voice as she lifted the curtain.
The oil lamp in the corner emitted a dim yellow light, which, though dim, was enough for her to see clearly that there was no one on the bed.
Did you go to relieve yourself?
No, if the Prince of Jin were nearby, he would definitely have heard his own voice.
Where did he sneak off to in the dead of night?
They went to a brothel!
Tang Zhuyun yawned, lowered the bed curtains, and lay back down in her warm bed to continue her rendezvous with Duke of Zhou.
The next day, she was awakened by the Prince of Jin.
"Have you rested enough?" Prince of Jin sat on the footstool, one leg bent, looking quite relaxed. "It's time to get up. We need to go to the Great Xiangguo Temple to pay respects to my mother and mother-in-law. I already arranged it with my father-in-law and brother-in-law yesterday."
Tang Zhuyun then realized that it was the Ghost Festival.
It turns out he wasn't being persistent last night; he was just keeping this matter in mind.
"Aren't you sleepy?" Tang Zhuyun asked.
The Prince of Jin was slightly taken aback, then said, "You discovered I wasn't here last night? You weren't scared, were you?"
Tang Zhuyun: "I can't sleep at night, I'm worried about the Prince."
The Prince of Jin flicked her smooth forehead with his finger. "And then you slept like a pig?"
Tang Zhuyun, unfazed by being exposed, said, "Stop changing the subject. Where did you go? You couldn't have gone to be all lovey-dovey with Wei Xuan, could you?"
The Prince of Jin laughed and scolded, "You dare to gossip about your husband?"
"Bring me my clothes," Tang Zhuyun instructed him without any hesitation.
The Prince of Jin handed her the neatly folded clothes that were placed to the side, and said, "I did go to see Wei Xuan last night."
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
Revenge, it must be revenge.
Wei Xuan is now trying to steal her man in revenge for her disgusting behavior.
Has Wei Xuan gotten married?
"No."
"So, does he like men?"
Prince of Jin: "... What's going on in your head?!"
"He's about my age, and my Zidu that big. What's wrong with him?"
Surely you wouldn't be disgusted by her and think she's a misogynist...
"He sought me out to act as matchmaker," said the Prince of Jin.
Tang Zhuyun:???
Is Wei Xuan blind?
Could the Prince of Jin act as a matchmaker?
A perfectly good wedding can be ruined by a stupid, clueless man.
"This is a long story, I'll tell you about it later," said the Prince of Jin. "Now, we need to get up and meet up with my father-in-law and brother-in-law as soon as possible."
"No," Tang Zhuyun said while putting on her clothes, "Who has he taken a fancy to?"
Nothing's important, nothing's more important than watching the drama unfold.
"Sure enough, she's the daughter of one of my uncles, but not my biological uncle. He'll be coming to the capital in a few days, and you'll be able to meet him." Prince of Jin's expression was somewhat solemn.
If Wei Xuan hadn't mentioned it yesterday, he wouldn't have known that his uncle was going to the capital.
Why has the Emperor summoned my uncle to the capital?
After meeting with Wei Xuan last night, he summoned his confidants to discuss the matter, but they couldn't reach a conclusion. They could only wait for his uncle to arrive in the capital.
Tang Zhuyun thought to herself, "Is this uncle someone who slipped through the net?"
She didn't believe that the Prince of Jin went out late at night simply to arrange a marriage for Wei Xuan.
There must be other important things going on.
However, given the tragic past involving the Prince of Jin's maternal family, she didn't ask further. Instead, she changed the subject, saying, "I need to check if the incense, candles, and paper money are prepared. By the way, aren't you going to the palace today to kowtow and burn paper money for your ancestors?"
The Prince of Jin said calmly, "I'm not needed. I don't go every year."
He will go to the Great Xiangguo Temple to visit his mother.
After they finished their meal, the two of them took a carriage to the Great Xiangguo Temple.
There were many people, but they were taken care of by designated staff.
The two first kowtowed to Xiao Wu, the birth mother of the Prince of Jin.
Nanny Rong came over last night and has already prepared everything needed for the sacrificial ceremony.
With tears in her eyes, she handed a stick of incense to Tang Zhuyun, saying, "Miss, Her Highness the Princess has come to see you!"
After offering incense, Tang Zhuyun silently said in her heart, "Rest in peace. I will take good care of each other with the Prince."
She glanced at the Prince of Jin and saw that Prince of Jin was looking at his birth mother's memorial tablet, his gaze filled with an indescribable depth and sorrow.
The two walked out hand in hand.
Nanny Rong saw them out and asked Prince of Jin, "Your Highness, are you going to see Master Hong'en later?"
The Prince of Jin nodded.
"Then," said Nanny Rong, "Could you perhaps mention to Master Hong'en that you ask him to put more care into looking after the monks here?"
Tang Zhuyun was slightly surprised.
However, since her deceased mother-in-law was involved, she couldn't say much and could only look at Prince of Jin.
The Prince of Jin clearly didn't understand either, and asked, "What's wrong? Have they been negligent?"
Nanny Rong's face darkened. "When I came yesterday, I noticed several scratches on the back of the memorial tablet while cleaning it."
Tang Zhuyun thought to herself, "This really isn't a big deal..."
But she also understood that, whether alive or dead, to Nanny Rong, that was her master, her faith.
The Prince of Jin agreed, saying, "I will say something."
However, after leaving, he said to Tang Zhuyun, "There's no need to mention this to the master. The old woman's feelings for my mother are too deep..."
Tang Zhuyun thought that Prince of Jin probably shared the same thoughts as her.
It's already an honor to have the memorial tablet kept here, thanks to the kindness of Master Hong'en. To be picky about it further would be going too far.
The two then went to meet up with Tang Mingfan and the Xue Family family.
Surprisingly, the Prince of Jin also kowtowed to Tang Zhuyun's birth mother.
This action made both the Tang Family and Xue Family families very satisfied with him.
When Prince of Jin took Tang Zhuyun to see Master Hong'en, they were told that the master was in seclusion and had not seen anyone for the past few days.
Prince of Jin didn't press the matter, turning his head to ask Tang Zhuyun, "Would you like to go see Linlin, or go straight back to the manor?"
Tang Zhuyun said, "Let's not disturb him. There are too many people at the temple today. Let's go back to the manor."
"Good."
After returning home, Prince of Jin and Tang Zhuyun closed the doors and windows and explained what had happened the previous night.
"My maternal uncle's surname is Qiao, and his given name is Geng. He was originally a fierce general under my maternal grandfather."
Tang Zhuyun thought to herself, it was truly fortunate that such a person was not ultimately harmed by the downfall of the Xiao Family.
"He is actually my mother's fiancé."
ah?
This is a shocking revelation, I can hardly believe it!
The Prince of Jin smiled bitterly, "So when my mother and father got together, it was actually a betrayal of my maternal uncle."
Tang Zhuyun: Oh dear, what's all this about?
Turns out, my mother-in-law is also love-struck.
But this is really unethical!
"After my mother met the Emperor, she insisted on breaking off the engagement, causing a huge scene at home," said Prince of Jin. "Everyone was against it. No one expected that in the end, it would be my uncle who was the first to compromise and back down."
Tang Zhuyun sighed, thinking to herself, "They don't like him anymore, what should I do if I don't back out?"
If it were her, she wouldn't be able to bear such a humiliation either!