"If you don't believe me, I won't come looking for you." Zhou Yanhui's face revealed a noble and proud expression.
Tang Zhuyun thought to herself, "This is the demeanor a crown prince should have."
Even though she is a small country, she represents the hope and future of that country.
Tang Zhuyun felt a little better; her rival in love wasn't completely hopeless.
"I'm curious, how did you manage to find Noble Consort Jia's sore spot?" Tang Zhuyun picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and asked.
Zhou Yanhui was a "man," so what kind of relationship could he possibly have with Noble Consort Jia?
"Zong Heng said that Noble Consort Jia would like me. She's addicted to men!"
Holy crap!
Tang Zhuyun and Xiu'er looked at each other in bewilderment.
Tang Zhuyun was deeply shocked.
Unexpectedly, I didn't encounter any stamp-collecting women in modern times, but I was amazed to see them in ancient times.
Zhou Yanhui self-deprecatingly, "Especially since I'm different from you guys. It's just a pity I'm not a man, so I can't satisfy her."
"You're a real man, aren't you? Are you going to go and keep that old woman company?" Tang Zhuyun retorted.
Somehow, these words brought Zhou Yanhui and her closer together.
Zhou Yanhui, "I might go if needed."
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
Do you now remember that you were a prince who endured humiliation and hardship?
Zhou Yanhui looked at her again and said, "Actually, you don't need to be so wary; even if the prince wants me to stay, I will hesitate and struggle... and in the end, I may still return to my country."
Tang Zhuyun took another sip of tea. "It's not so much about being on guard, it's just that out of sight, out of mind."
Are you annoyed with me?
"Then do you think I should like you?" Tang Zhuyun asked back.
Zhou Yanhui smiled, her blue eyes like rippling lake water, clear and deep.
No wonder he likes you. You're very different from those virtuous and gentle women.
Tang Zhuyun felt she had been scolded.
She's not virtuous or kind!
Zhou Yanhui, "Are you really pregnant?"
"Is it necessary for you to fabricate evidence?"
Wasn't the Prince of Jin's favoritism enough to crush him?
Zhou Yanhui nodded. "Then congratulations to you."
"Thank you," Tang Zhuyun said calmly. "Actually, if it's something important, you can go directly to the Prince. He wouldn't avoid seeing you."
Ultimately, Zhou Yanhui was not sincerely seeking an audience, nor did he claim it was for any serious business.
She probably just wanted an excuse to meet me, to assert her presence in front of her love rival.
Zhou Yanhui nodded. "You're right."
Tang Zhuyun spoke her mind, words she herself was unwilling to admit.
But that's the truth.
She was unconvinced and wanted to see what was so special about Tang Zhuyun that made the Prince of Jin treat her so coldly.
"But now I know," Zhou Yanhui, "You might be a good match for him."
"You can remove 'maybe,' it's not shameful," Tang Zhuyun said.
Zhou Yanhui.
She felt relaxed whenever she was with Tang Zhuyun, let alone the Prince of Jin?
In a sense, she and the Prince of Jin were the same kind of people.
They carried too much on their shoulders; fate was such a heavy burden for them.
Tang Zhuyun was different back then; even when they argued, she was so relaxed and couldn't get serious.
She is the life they yearn for but cannot have, the life they strive to get closer to.
"I appreciate your concern for the Prince and your special inquiry," Tang Zhuyun continued. "So, in return, I'll offer you a few words of advice."
"You say--"
"I want to say, wake up! You are the Crown Prince! Really, the Prince of Jin is not your everything."
"In a hopeless relationship, no matter how much you invest, there will be no result."
"There's no need to sacrifice yourself for him. Because after he's moved, he'll still want to live with me."
"Of course, if you insist on making sacrifices, I don't mind; I won't be the one who suffers."
She kindly advised Zhou Yanhui care of herself.
"You have so much confidence in the Prince?"
"No, you're wrong. I have confidence in myself," Tang Zhuyun said. "I believe I am irreplaceable to the Prince."
Just kidding. If the Prince of Jin wanted women, he could have them all. If he could just settle for someone else, why would he bother to go through all this trouble and cling to me?
"When it comes to becoming a crown prince, or even an emperor, hard work might be somewhat helpful; but when it comes to matters of the heart, don't deceive yourself."
"You knew the prince first, and what happened?"
Zhou Yanhui bit her lip and said, "At first, the Prince didn't like you either."
"Hearsay is unreliable," Tang Zhuyun said. "As someone directly involved, I can tell you that I have always been the only one the Prince loves."
"What you do for him may earn you feelings of being touched and indebted, but it won't earn you love."
"I don't think you like the prince because he's utterly wicked; on the contrary, I think you have excellent taste."
"But there's something you forgot: the prince is already married. Is this the respectable thing you want from him, clinging on and on?"
"And what about your Xia Kingdom? All the humiliation and hardship you've endured over the past twenty years, are you just going to abandon it all to chase after a man who doesn't even love you?"
"Zhou Yanhui, wake up. You could have lived a life that everyone, including the Prince and me, admired."
"You may not care about my appreciation, but I feel regretful."
"As a rival in love, let alone just one, even if there were a hundred more like you, do you think I wouldn't even lift an eyelid?"
"Zhou Yanhui, you like the Prince so much, don't you know what kind of person he is? Do you really think you have even the slightest chance?"
"But if you were to become the Empress of the Xia Kingdom, countless people would look up to you."
Don't tell me how lonely that path is; it's your choice, your fate!
There's no such thing as having it all in this world; you're being greedy.
Clearly, Zhou Yanhui could neither abandon the Xia Kingdom nor the Prince of Jin.
"I've told you so much today to thank you for liking the Prince without resorting to underhanded means. I mind your open and honest love, but I also admire it."
"But this is a one-time opportunity, so please be careful."
"The prince's affection for you is out of gratitude; I think you understand this better than I do, and you know better how to cherish this affection, rather than letting it fade away because of personal feelings."
Zhou Yanhui looked at her hands resting on the small table and remained silent for a long time.
The couple said exactly the same thing.
If the Prince of Jin had told Tang Zhuyun, then the couple had reached such a level of intimacy, sharing everything and every detail, that Zhou Yanhui felt utterly hopeless.
If Prince of Jin hadn't told Tang Zhuyun, then the fact that the couple shared such a deep understanding, with remarkably similar values and approaches to life, was utterly disheartening.
This despair, however, is deeply buried in the heart and difficult to express.
After a long pause, she looked up at Tang Zhuyun and said, "I think we can be friends."
"No," Tang Zhuyun said bluntly, "Women who like the same man can never be friends."
She's petty and unable to be completely unconcerned about a woman who likes her man.
"Watch out!" Nanxing shouted, quickly standing in front of Tang Zhuyun, ready for battle.