"Xiu'er, I'm going to sleep for a while. Call me when the Prince returns." Tang Zhuyun climbed into bed after washing up.
Xiu'er couldn't hide her worry. "Your Highness, I know you're very tired; but could you please hang in there a little longer and go to sleep later?"
Tang Zhuyun was amused by her unusually serious expression. "If I'm not sleeping, what should we do now?"
Xiu'er sighed, "Aren't you worried at all?"
To the prince, Nanny Rong was clearly different.
"Let alone those trusted servants of the late old lady, even the last remaining members of the Xiao Family would be treated differently by the Prince," Xiu'er said. "You know, now that things have come to this..."
"Was it my fault?" Tang Zhuyun unfolded the thin blanket, her expression calm.
"It's not you, but you're trying to pin it on me; that's even more infuriating."
"You said it yourself, you're a liar, so what am I afraid of?"
"I'm afraid the Prince won't believe you," Xiu'er said softly, twisting her handkerchief into a pretzel.
Xiu'er was not afraid of Nanny Rong's framing and slander.
What she feared was the Prince of Jin of Jin's indiscriminate favoritism.
She knew that her master had no chance of escaping unscathed from this relationship.
"I do believe him," Tang Zhuyun smiled. "He should know my character. How about we make a bet?"
Xiu'er asked in a muffled voice, "What are we betting on?"
"You, the gambling king, don't believe me, but I, the gambling king, do."
Xiu'er didn't ask what the stakes were, and said directly, "Forget it, I'm not betting. I don't even want to win myself, so what's the point of betting? Besides, if you lose, wouldn't that just make things worse?"
"Not really. If I had lost, would I care about this?" Tang Zhuyun said. "Alright, don't overthink it. I'm actually quite optimistic now. At least I saved Nanny Rong, so there's still room for maneuver."
She needs to get a good night's sleep now to recharge and wait for the Prince of Jin to return so they can find the culprit together.
As for the Prince of Jin not believing her, she had never considered that possibility.
--He doesn't even know who I am, yet he marries me and treats me with such devotion. Isn't that the mark of a fool?
Tang Zhuyun slept for more than an hour, and then went to check on Nanny Rong's condition.
When she returned, Yanran was waiting for her in the courtyard.
"What's wrong?" She smiled and took Yanran's hand, leading her inside. "It's still too sunny. Let's go inside and talk."
After entering the room, Yanran moved a small stool over herself, sat down next to Tang Zhuyun, and looked up at her.
"Mother, I've thought about it carefully. The place where Cui Xiaoqiu and I found the Ganoderma lucidum yesterday is one I've been to before, and we didn't find it there..."
The little girl clutched her skirt tightly with both hands, her eyes brimming with guilt, tears welling up in her eyes, yet she stubbornly refused to cry.
Tang Zhuyun gently patted her back. "Mother knows that someone is trying to frame me by using you."
Yanran could no longer hold back and burst into tears.
"How could I be so stupid? If it weren't for me, Mother wouldn't have been pestered by the old nanny..."
Meng Yulan had already explained the whole story to her in detail. Although she was still a little confused, she at least understood one thing—she had become a knife in someone else's hands to hurt her mother.
But if she had a choice, she would rather point the knife at herself than at her mother.
Tang Zhuyun gently wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, her expression remaining calm.
"Yanran, if you insist on saying it this way, then it's your mother who dragged you into this. If they hadn't wanted to harm your mother, how could they have involved you?"
Yanran cried for a while; her eyes and the tip of her nose turned red.
She sniffed, her gaze resolute. "Mother, I will explain to Father on your behalf. If Father doesn't forgive you, I will... I will go back to the Tang Family with you!"
She wouldn't stay in that prince's mansion anymore.
Wherever her mother was, that was her home.
Tang Zhuyun was both amused and exasperated. "Who said I was going back to the Tang Family?"
"You've been wronged, do you still want your father?"
Tang Zhuyun: "... But I haven't been wronged, have I?"
"But Father... Father respects Nanny Rong very much."
In the past Nanny Rong didn't really manage things in her courtyard, and the King didn't force her to, still respecting Nanny Rong.
"He respects Nanny Rong because Nanny Rong is an elder in the household," Tang Zhuyun said. "And Mother is someone Father doesn't want to wrong."
She would always remember what the Prince of Jin told her: she did not marry him to suffer.
"Your father hasn't returned yet, so let's not speak ill of him behind his back," Tang Zhuyun said with a smile. "He commands the Golden Scale Guard, and he's incredibly powerful. Let's give him a chance to show off his skills and get to the bottom of this, shall we?"
Yanran was charmed by her lighthearted tone and burst into laughter through her tears.
"Give Father a chance?"
"Yes, let him not be ungrateful," Tang Zhuyun said with a smile.
Some things shouldn't cast a shadow over a child's childhood.
After Yanran smiled, she didn't say anything more, but stayed by her side the whole time, refusing to leave her side for even a moment.
"Your Highness, the Prince has returned," Nanxing whispered from under the eaves.
Tang Zhuyun stood up. "Okay, let's go."
She had already told Xiu'er to wait at the second gate and to tell Prince of Jin that she was in Nanny Rong's room.
When the Prince of Jin saw Xiu'er, it seemed as if she had been waiting for him, which he found rather strange.
But when he heard Song Jingyang chuckle, he immediately realized that Xiu'er was waiting for Song Jingyang.
Prince of Jin strode towards Nanny Rong's courtyard, followed by Song Jingyang Xiu'er Xiu'er, who made conversation by whispering to each other.
"I should have come back earlier, but the Prince watched over the crab-catching." Song Jingyang held up the bamboo basket in his hand to show her, "Look how lively they are, the Prince has personally inspected them all."
In this household, the person who loves crabs the most is Tang Zhuyun.
"This basket contains fresh, green-skinned walnuts. Nanny Rong loves them. Xiu'er, have you tried any? I'll crack a few open for you to try later."
Xiu'er felt agitated when he mentioned Nanny Rong, and couldn't help but say, "Shut up!"
My mind is in complete turmoil, all I can think about is eating.
Song Jingyang looked aggrieved.
Prince of Jin suddenly turned around. "Has something happened in the manor?"
Xiu'er's condition was off. Along the way, she hadn't seen many servants, and some of them were acting suspiciously, which made her feel very uncomfortable.
"You'll see when you go and see for yourself." Xiu'er lowered her head.
Song Jingyang: "Xiu'er, are you alright?"
Even though he was a bit slow, he sensed something was wrong.
"I'm standing here perfectly fine, aren't I?" Xiu'er said irritably. "It's none of your business, just shut up."
Song Jingyang immediately shut up.
Prince of Jin felt even worse and hurried towards Nanny Rong's courtyard.
Nanxing stood under the eaves. When she saw him, she silently lowered her head and lifted the curtain.
(It's a bit late today, but I'll still be updating three times. I'll try to update more on Mid-Autumn Festival, mwah!)