The Prince of Jin smiled, gently patting her back to help her catch her breath, and said calmly, "It was something I wanted in the first place; it has nothing to do with whether others give it to me or not."
Tang Zhuyun pressed her face against his chest and said in a muffled voice, "I want to help you."
The Prince of Jin pinched her small earlobe and teased her with a smile, "You can't refuse to help."
After returning home and having a meal, they took Yanran to the Great Xiangguo Temple.
Yanran was still struggling with why she couldn't bring Jiaojiao.
Tang Zhuyun patiently explained, "Because Jiaojiao might frighten unfamiliar people and animals. If she startles the horse, wouldn't that be our fault?"
That means their horses are useless.
"Yanran, you can't be unreasonable." Tang Zhuyun pretended to put on a stern face.
Yanran immediately compromised. "Alright, I won't bring him then. Mother, while you and Father are busy, I'll go find my brother, okay? Let's go back to the manor together today?"
Tang Zhuyun agreed.
The Prince of Jin was riding outside when Yanran lifted the curtain and looked at the scenery outside for a while, regretting that she hadn't ridden her own little pony.
Suddenly, her eyes caught sight of a carriage ahead, and she immediately became excited.
"Mother, there's a magnificent jeweled carriage ahead! It's so beautiful!"
Upon hearing this, Tang Zhuyun secretly lifted the curtain on her side, only to find her eyes meeting those of Prince of Jin, who was riding a horse outside the carriage.
The Prince of Jin laughed and said, "It is my maternal uncle."
Tang Zhuyun asked in surprise, "We met here?"
She suddenly felt the nervousness of an ugly daughter-in-law meeting her in-laws.
Sigh, she hasn't prepared properly yet.
The Prince of Jin noticed her nervousness and smiled, "My uncle is an easygoing man. He's probably taking my two younger sisters to pay respects to my mother. Don't panic, and don't get out of the carriage. I'll go and greet him first, and we'll talk more when we get to the temple."
Tang Zhuyun nodded.
Xiu'er whispered, "Your Majesty, please be more careful."
Tang Zhuyun was baffled.
Xiu'er was too embarrassed to say it directly in front of Yanran, but after a while, when Yanran was looking out the window, she secretly whispered to Tang Zhuyun.
"Aren't two more female cousins here? You can only know a person's face, not their heart."
Tang Zhuyun: "That can't be."
The main problem is Wei Xuan; didn't he also take a liking to one of his cousins?
"And what if we ask the Prince to look after us because of our old friendship?" Xiu'er muttered. "You're too naive. It's better to be cautious first and think things through later."
Tang Zhuyun chuckled to herself.
After getting married, do you have to guard against fire, theft, and rivals?
"The prince may not be interested, but someone else is," Xiu'er said. "This is nothing."
Tang Zhuyun was amused by her. "Judging from your appearance, you seem like a seasoned veteran, but you're all just armchair strategists."
"Your Highness, don't be silly," Xiu'er said. "The title 'Prince' is like a golden signboard, a walking piece of fat meat; wherever he goes, someone wants a bite. You should watch your own bowl."
Tang Zhuyun laughed loudly.
Yanran turned around blankly. "Mother, what are you laughing at?"
"I'm happy for your father that you'll be meeting your great-uncle soon."
She told Yanran how to address people.
"Understood, Grandfather, and my two cousins," Yanran said confidently. "You must greet people politely and thank them when you receive gifts; you can't say anything carelessly, and you should smile often."
Tang Zhuyun: "... Where did all those words come from?"
"My own summary."
Tang Zhuyun couldn't help but laugh.
"Mother," Yanran asked softly when she saw her smile, "Does your maternal grandfather like you?"
Tang Zhuyun raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you like me?"
"I was just asking casually, but I feel like a lot of people have inexplicably come to dislike you."
Tang Zhuyun said, "Maybe I'm just prone to attracting negativity. Otherwise, why can't I be portrayed as a wicked woman?"
Speaking of this, Yanran got angry, put her hands on her hips and said, "Cui Xiaoqiu's sister dared to talk about this in front of me, and I beat her up."
Tang Zhuyun laughed loudly.
Child, this won't do! You haven't even entered the house yet, and you've already hit your sister-in-law?
It seems this pairing is doomed.
That's a really dark history.
They soon arrived at the Great Xiangguo Temple. Tang Zhuyun Yanran off the carriage and saw a tall and strong man in his forties or fifties, with graying temples, wearing a dark blue robe, talking to the Prince of Jin.
His face was thin, but his eyes were stern and resolute, making it difficult for people to look him in the eye.
This must be Qiao Geng.
Behind him stood two women who looked almost identical, around seventeen or eighteen years old, with oval faces, bright and charming eyes, and radiant smiles.
Upon closer inspection, however, there are differences.
The woman on the left is more aloof and reserved, while the woman on the right is more lively and has a bright and expressive look in her eyes.
When the Prince of Jin saw Tang Zhuyun get out of the carriage, he beckoned her over.
Tang Zhuyun and Yanran to Qiao Geng, who nodded and said, "I didn't know we would meet you. I'll make up for the gifts later."
His attitude wasn't particularly warm.
This is understandable, given that Tang Zhuyun's reputation is truly "thunderous".
He has two daughters; the more aloof one is the older sister, Qiao Jiao, and the more lively one is the younger sister, Qiao Qiao.
Tang Zhuyun wasn't used to wearing a lot of jewelry, especially since she was at a temple, so she smiled and said, "I'll make up for the gifts later."
The two quickly declined.
Tang Zhuyun wondered to herself, "Does Wei Xuan have his eye on Qiao Jiao or Qiao Qiao? He can't possibly be thinking of marrying both sisters."
Also, these two are considered "leftover women" of a certain age, and I don't know why they haven't gotten married yet.
The group went inside and offered incense to Xiao Wu's memorial tablet.
When Nanny Rong saw Qiao Geng, she was so excited that she couldn't speak at all and could only keep wiping away her tears.
Tang Zhuyun handed her her handkerchief to wipe away her tears.
Nanny Rong quickly took it, saying, "This old servant has lost her composure, Your Highness, please forgive me."
Tang Zhuyun waved her hand and said, "Granny, after all these years, if my mother-in-law knew in the afterlife, she wouldn't want you to be so heartbroken."
Qiao Geng looked at the memorial tablet, his eyes deep and sorrowful, but he didn't utter a word.
After an unknown amount of time, Qiao Jiao stepped forward and softly called out "Father." Qiao Geng then snapped out of his daze and said, "You two, kowtow to... Auntie again."
Tang Zhuyun felt something was strange, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
The two of them had just kowtowed.
The twin sisters had nothing to say and immediately kowtowed to the memorial tablet in unison.
Nanny Rong went to help the two up, and in her hand she was still holding Tang Zhuyun's handkerchief.
As she wiped away her tears, she said, "Master will surely be pleased to know that the two young ladies have come."
A moment later, Yanran tugged at Tang Zhuyun's sleeve and whispered, "Mother, can we go find my brother now?"
Before Tang Zhuyun could speak, Qiao Qiao asked, "Brother? Yanran, who is your brother?"
Yanran remained silent, her expression showing a hint of coldness and resistance.
Tang Zhuyun was a little embarrassed and said, "Yanran is a bit shy... The brother she mentioned is my nephew, who has been living in our house."
She didn't know if the Prince of Jin had confided in Qiao Geng and his daughter, but she spoke very cautiously.
"Oh," Qiao Qiao said, seemingly losing interest immediately.