"Give it back to me." Tang Zhuyun reached out her hand. "Pour me a glass of water."
It was quite a commotion last night; you need to take your medication.
Xiu'er, having been exposed, retorted confidently, "Your Majesty, the bed can't have collapsed for nothing. How could you possibly have the nerve to collapse the bed and end up with nothing?"
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
If a woman's bed collapses, does that mean she has to give birth? Does that mean if a woman's bed collapses, she'll have eight babies in one pregnancy?
"Besides, look at Yanran, she really wants a younger brother or sister! Just grant her that little wish."
"Putting everything else aside, the affection between you and the Prince, even if it's just from the time you were bedridden, is hard to change!"
Tang Zhuyun didn't want to talk.
Can you please stop stabbing her in the heart?
Can we let this incident of the bed collapsing be forgotten?
"Sure! Once you have a baby, who's going to take care of the bedside?"
Xiu'er's enthusiasm for having children is so strong, she could practically be the Director of the Population Division of the United Nations.
"Can we change the subject so early in the morning?"
"Wouldn't it be better if you had a child, so those slutty women outside would give up on you?" Xiu'er said. "Besides, it would also save the Prince some trouble!"
How have I ever caused him any trouble?
Tang Zhuyun expressed her dissatisfaction.
She's been worrying herself sick over Prince of Jin these past few days, imagining his entire story and relationships, from the Xiao Family to his arrival in the capital, from the past to the present—it's driving her crazy.
Who doesn't give whom a peace of mind?
If this man hadn't been so good-looking, kind to her, and a bed charmer, she wouldn't have gotten involved in all this trouble.
"You don't know, do you?" Xiu'er said mysteriously, "The Prince has investigated your past thoroughly, and he's keeping an eye on all the men you've pursued!"
Tang Zhuyun: "... Really?"
"Of course. Aren't you surprised that someone as cold-hearted as the Prince would act as a matchmaker?"
You mean Wei Xuan?
"That's right! With Wei Xuan getting married, the Prince will have one less thing to worry about," Xiu'er said. "If you have a child, the Prince won't have to think about these things anymore. I feel so tired for him."
Although Tang Zhuyun knew she was exaggerating, she still couldn't help but laugh.
"Your Highness," Xiu'er said, "You actually have no reason not to have a child now. You're not young anymore, and what I'm afraid of is that if you don't have a child in a year or two, someone will have a legitimate reason to put someone else by the Prince's side."
This is true, but the Prince of Jin will not accept it.
Tang Zhuyun still had that much confidence in him.
"Your Highness," Xiu'er said, "Even if I could trust the Prince, I wouldn't trust you. Sometimes, you're just too soft-hearted."
Tang Zhuyun was amused and leaned against the dressing table, her long black hair hanging down her back, shiny and smooth, like the finest silk.
Xiu'er picked up a comb and gently combed her hair.
I've heard that combing your hair a hundred times morning and night can make it better. As long as Prince of Jin doesn't bother you, Xiu'er can basically do it.
"Your Highness," Xiu'er said, "You know what the Prince intends to do, don't you?"
Tang Zhuyun was startled.
"You don't know? No wonder you're so forgetful!" Xiu'er looked at her with utter exasperation, pointing her index finger upwards. "Do you understand now?"
Tang Zhuyun remained silent.
"I'm not making this up, I can see it," Xiu'er said.
How did you figure that out?
"From the very first time, at the Grand Princess's residence, when you failed to get into bed with the Prince, and he was pretending to be awake even though he was already awake, I figured it out later."
"The prince's disguise might be meant to scare you, but Song Jingyang is clearly here too!" Xiu'er said. "They certainly didn't have time to discuss it, but the fact that Song Jingyang hasn't come out yet means he's happy to see it happen."
"With your reputation... why would he be willing? Enduring humiliation and biding his time, he was thinking of sending three thousand Yue soldiers to conquer Wu," Xiu'er said.
"Of course, I was panicked at the time and didn't think that much."
"The more I thought about it, the more something seemed off. Who has the Prince ever spared? He doesn't respect any of his brothers, including the Crown Prince. Why would he be afraid of you because you are the daughter of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review?"
"He clearly still wants to."
"Your Highness has not truly offended many important officials. Even those you have offended, it was only because of the Emperor's orders that they would not have surrendered."
"He was actually quite polite to Master Hong'en, the Great Confucian Scholar Kong, even rivals like Wei Xuan, and hotheads like Qin Li."
If Qin Li comes knocking on our door, and the Prince of Jin really doesn't care, will he let him off?
A beating would be far too lenient; it would be practically an attempt to win them over.
--Don't be ungrateful for the respect I've shown you.
Tang Zhuyun clapped her hands and praised, "Xiu'er, you should be a staff officer! It's such a waste of your talent."
"Sigh," Xiu'er rolled her eyes, "This servant isn't that clever. It's just that you and the Prince have been getting involved step by step, and I've watched you fall deeper and deeper into it, so I have to think about it more carefully."
All she cared about was Tang Zhuyun and her man.
"Besides, how could I know so much if I weren't with you?"
Because the Prince of Jin had already regarded her as Tang Zhuyun's loyal servant and Song Jingyang's woman, he did not avoid her in many matters.
She has always had self-awareness.
"That's getting off-topic," Xiu'er said. "Anyway, you need to know that the Prince has ambitions."
Tang Zhuyun: Oh, I see.
"You remember what the master always says, don't you?"
"One who is without desires is invincible?"
"Yes," Xiu'er said, "Then the next line should be, 'Where there is desire, there is weakness!' If the Emperor were to bestow a reward upon someone, do you think the Prince would accept it?"
"I won't accept it. I trust Your Highness."
"This servant also trusts Your Highness, but what if everything is ready except for the final push? Would you soften your heart and feel that Your Highness has endured so much humiliation for so many years, and it's not worth failing at the last hurdle, so you temporarily put up with it?"
Tang Zhuyun: "I can't!"
This is a matter of principle and bottom line.
"What if we don't get close to the prince, but just leave him in the prince's residence?"
Tang Zhuyun remained silent.
That way, she might actually soften her heart.
She could not ignore the efforts of the Prince of Jin over the years, and the efforts of countless others behind Prince of Jin.
"Actually, even if I did, I couldn't persuade you not to agree," Xiu'er said. "But once that door is opened, what about taking it further, and further still?"
"So," she concluded, "You have to have children, and you have to have a son. It might not be enough to completely block all the leaks, but you can block one as many as you can, right?"
If having a child can solve a problem, then it shouldn't be a problem.
At least Xiu'er believed that if others could give birth, then her mistress could too!
Her mistress, no matter what she does, always leaves everyone else far behind.
Tang Zhuyun blinked.
Xiu'er: "Your Majesty, have you thought it through?"
"I didn't expect this. I'm wondering how you managed to bring up childbirth, then the imperial court, and then back again?"
Xiu'er: "... Why don't you think about something more important!"
"Even without medication, I might not be able to conceive," Tang Zhuyun said.
Xiu'er's eyes widened. "Could it be that you ate something bad?"
"It's not broken, but it's not that effective either... It's all about fate."
"That's fine then. I think there's absolutely no problem. The bed shouldn't have been ruined for nothing."
Tang Zhuyun didn't want to say anything more.
But instead of being sound asleep, Eighth Master, still excited from being frightened by the bed collapsing last night, suddenly exclaimed, "The bed collapsed! The bed collapsed!"
Tang Zhuyun was so ashamed and indignant that she wanted to die.
She quickly changed the subject. "I'm not opposed to having children, especially Yanran and Linlin have both accepted it, we'll just wait a little longer."
She wants to investigate the matter thoroughly before making any decisions.
A fierce battle is likely ahead.
(One more chapter~)