"You said I lied to save you, but actually you wanted to go have fun?" Yanran shook her head. "My mother knows who I am."
She's so playful, Cui Xiaoqiu is so obedient; this lie is too easy to expose.
"I'll tell Her Majesty."
"My mother isn't stupid; she won't fall for it."
"Let me try," Cui Xiaoqiu said calmly.
Yanran thought for a moment, struggled with the decision, and then shook her head. "Never mind."
You don't believe me?
Cui Xiaoqiu was actually confident.
He has a deep understanding of adults' psychology.
He has always been sensible, but even sensible children can rebel, and an occasional act of rebellion can break an adult's heart.
Yanran, always a righteous person, would take the blame for her own little rebellion in order to "protect" her, and Tang Zhuyun would believe her.
"No, I can't lie to my mother. She's been so good to me, I can't deceive her."
Cui Xiaoqiu looked at her.
"I really can't," Yanran said, resting her chin on her hand. "I can't do bad things; I'll lose my good fortune that way."
"Did your mother say that?"
"Yes," Yanran said. "My mother said that when people do bad things, they will feel guilty and think they deserve all the bad luck that comes their way, which makes them even more depressed."
If you don't do bad things, you can live with an open and honest heart, believe that good people will be rewarded, and eventually the sun will shine.
Cui Xiaoqiu has all thoughts.
"How about you help me when Mother punishes me by making me copy these?" Yanran asked with a grin.
Cui Xiaoqiu nodded.
"Good buddy!" Yanran patted him on the shoulder, then said disdainfully, "How come you're so weak? You can't ride a horse or shoot arrows, you can't box, you can't swim, you can't..."
"You're disgusted with me?"
Yanran: "... No."
She dared not say anything more; what if Cui Xiaoqiu cried?
Cui Xiaoqiu coughed a few times.
Yanran: "Are you alright?"
"He probably caught a chill from falling into the water; he'll be fine after a few days of rest," Cui Xiaoqiu said. "It has nothing to do with you; I've always been physically weak."
Yanran: Sigh, I told you he was sick.
"You don't want to play with me anymore?" Cui Xiaoqiu asked again. "I've been in poor health since I was little, and my mother is very protective of me, so everyone keeps their distance from me..."
"No, I won't." Yanran immediately changed her tune. "What you can't do, I can do! Aren't we good friends? Don't worry, I'm not that kind of person!"
Seeing that Cui Xiaoqiu hadn't spoken yet, Yanran became anxious. "If you don't believe me, I'll become sworn brothers with you!"
Cui Xiaoqiu: "No, I believe you. There's no need for us to become sworn siblings."
When Yanran thought about the idea of becoming sworn sisters, she suddenly felt a longing for it.
Becoming sworn brothers sounds so grand.
So she insisted on becoming sworn brothers.
Cui Xiaoqiu, however, insisted on refusing.
"You are the daughter of a prince, a person of noble destiny. I am in poor health, and if we become sworn siblings, I am afraid I will not be able to keep up with your fate," Cui Xiaoqiu said finally.
"Then I'll protect you!"
"I don't need to become sworn brothers; you can protect me anyway."
"That's true."
"I'm so lucky to have you, even with my physical condition," Cui Xiaoqiu said, "That you don't mind."
"Whoever looks down on you, I'll beat them up for you!"
"Thank you," Cui Xiaoqiu said. "If you move, I'll miss you a lot."
"Are you stupid?!" Yanran said. "Have you ever seen a royal palace move around so easily? Your family is much more likely to move!"
She thought to herself, "Make your grandfather proud, whatever you do, don't slip."
"You can't always live in the palace in the future."
Yanran was taken aback, then asked, "You mean I'm getting married?"
Cui Xiaoqiu nodded.
Yanran waved her hand. "That's hard to say, I might never get married!"
Cui Xiaoqiu: "... Coincidentally, I'm also physically weak, so no one wants to marry me."
"Then it's a deal, we'll play together forever," Yanran said carefree.
Cui Xiaoqiu: "Fine. If you won't marry me, I won't marry you either."
"You're making it sound like I'm determined to marry no one but you. Fine, I get what you mean." Yanran rolled her eyes. "Why don't you take a nap? I'll have my mother check on you."
"I'm not sick, I won't sleep."
"Okay, okay." Yanran surrendered.
Cui Xiaoqiu went home after her hair dried.
Yanran followed Tang Zhuyun back dejectedly and was punished by being forced to recite the Tangtou Ge (a traditional Chinese medicine formula).
"Mulberry and chrysanthemum drink with tangerine, apricot and forsythia, reed root, licorice and mint..." Yanran recited it with a swaying head, finding it extremely difficult.
Linlin was writing large characters under the lamp, her expression calm.
Tang Zhuyun lifted the lid of the bubbling pot on the small stove and tasted the saltiness of the wild duck and winter melon soup.
Xiu'er sat on a small stool, making new shoes and socks for Song Jingyang.
The candlelight shone on the group, creating a warm atmosphere.
However, the weather outside had changed without anyone noticing. Suddenly, a strong wind picked up, followed by large raindrops pattering against the window paper.
"Why did it suddenly start raining so hard?" Xiu'er got up to close the window. "I wonder if the Prince has returned to the manor yet."
Tang Zhuyun thought to herself, "We'll find out soon enough."
But for some reason, the Prince of Jin did not come tonight, even after waiting and waiting until late at night.
Tang Zhuyun sent them all away, then rolled around on the huge new bed, thinking to herself, "The bed collapsed, is Prince of Jin too embarrassed to come?"
But he's not the kind of person who cares about saving face!
If he doesn't come, shouldn't he have someone give her a heads-up?
Just then, Xiu'er approached in her wooden clogs, knocked on the door, and said from outside, "Your Highness, Song Jingyang just came back and said that the Prince has something to do tonight and won't be coming. He wants you to go to bed early."
Tang Zhuyun finally felt relieved.
She didn't really care whether the Prince of Jin came or not; she was just worried that something might happen to him. As long as he was alright, that was fine.
I can finally get a good night's sleep tonight.
But perhaps because of the change of bed, she tossed and turned, and didn't know when she finally managed to fall asleep.
The Prince of Jin, who supposedly had "something to do," was now in Linlin room.
He wasn't in good shape. He had drunk a lot of alcohol, reeked of it, his hair was a mess, he was soaking wet, and his robe was covered in mud. It was a disheveled state that Linlin had never seen before.
Linlin didn't ask anything, poured him a cup of tea, and said, "Father, you can sleep in bed tonight, I'll just stay on the couch."
Given the Prince of Jin's situation, it's clear he can no longer go to Tang Zhuyun's house.
As he spoke, he took a dry towel and went behind the Prince of Jin to dry his hair.
The Prince of Jin grasped his hand, took the towel himself, and said, "Linlin, sit with your father for a while."
Linlin sat down next to him and said, "Father, please take off your wet clothes first, so you don't get sick. I've sent Song Jingyang back to get you some clothes; he'll be back soon."
Prince of Jin leaned back in his chair, looking exhausted. "He'll bring the change later. Linlin, if Father decides to leave the capital, do you agree?"
Linlin's expression remained unchanged as she Linlin replied, "Wherever Father and Mother go, I will go."
Why don't you ask your father where he wants to go?
"Anywhere is fine, as long as the four of us are together, anywhere is home."
After a pause, Linlin continued, "These are the words my mother said."
(Get the updates coming soon! I won't be adding any extra chapters during the one-day holiday, but I'll add more during the National Day holiday~)