"Hmm," said the Prince of Jin.
Tang Zhuyun: You should say more!
For example, what the lady looked like, what her temperament was like, and so on.
But the Prince of Jin clearly lacked this awareness; he was still thinking about the dog.
When the Shar-Peis saw him, he grabbed his trouser leg and wouldn't let go.
But since it didn't bite him, it clearly didn't intend to attack.
What does it want to do?
Seeing that the Prince of Jin did not react, Tang Zhuyun asked, "How is the Crown Prince's wife?"
What she does is none of my business.
How could the Prince of Jin possibly criticize other men's wives?
Tang Zhuyun: Sigh, we can't even share the same food anymore, where's your gossip spirit?
The one who understands her best is Xiu'er.
Xiu'er said, "I've heard that the young master's wife has a red birthmark on half of her face. Although she's not ugly, the birthmark makes her look terrible?"
Tang Zhuyun: "Ah! Is that so?"
The Prince of Jin said, "Yes."
He didn't understand why that ugly woman would flaunt herself in public like that.
Shouldn't she wear a veil?
No, she shouldn't have been in a place like a restaurant at all.
Qu Nian is thousands of miles away, her fate unknown. This woman should stay in the Prince's mansion.
Tang Zhuyun: "That's actually quite pitiful."
Xiu'er muttered, "Actually, I suspect the Ren family switched the beams and pillars."
"What do you mean? The Crown Prince's wife's surname is Ren?"
This surname evoked long-forgotten memories for Tang Zhuyun.
Ren Yingying...
"My name is Ren Yingying, but my father is not Ren Woxing..." A crisp female voice came from beside me.
The two "leftover women" are: she calls herself the "Greatest Leftover Woman in the World," Ren Yingying calls herself the "Leftover Warrior."
Leftover warrior, I, the ultimate leftover, am finished. You truly are a leftover warrior.
Tang Zhuyun was momentarily stunned.
"That's right! The Crown Prince's wife is the legitimate daughter of the Ren family, and it's said that she was raised in the countryside because of her destiny. But I heard that she is a concubine's daughter, and because she has a birthmark on her face, she was also raised in the countryside."
After the Emperor arranged the marriage, the Ren family switched the crown prince with a concubine's daughter from the countryside, replacing her with the legitimate daughter of the Ren family.
"Isn't this deceiving the emperor?"
Xiu'er said dismissively, "They've already gone this far with this 'marrying for good luck' arrangement, which means they're out of options and the person is unlikely to be saved. Who can worry about such things? The Ren family is a respectable family; having a daughter is enough. Besides, the imperial decree specifically states that she's the Ren family's legitimate daughter. If they recognize their illegitimate daughter as their legitimate daughter, it can't be considered disobeying the imperial decree..."
Tang Zhuyun: The Emperor is so unreliable!
This attempt to bring good luck was indeed very perfunctory.
The fortune teller wanted a woman with a purely yin destiny; perhaps he could deceive her and kill her, causing the Min Family line to end, which would further please the emperor.
Matters of the imperial court are indeed best left unthought of.
But how does Xiu'er know everything!
I felt like she was always by my side, but it turned out she knew everything.
Xiu'er said smugly, "There's no one a servant can't speak up for! Isn't the young master's wife eating there too? Her servants are on the same floor as ours!"
Tang Zhuyun: "Oh, I'm late."
Unfortunately, I didn't get to hear the latest gossip.
Xiu'er said, "After thinking about it, I think this marriage to ward off bad luck might not be a bad thing for the young master's wife."
After all, she grew up in the countryside and has that birthmark, so it's hard for anyone who marries her not to mind.
It's better this way: having status and position but no man, even if servants fawn over you and belittle you, life won't be any worse than in the countryside.
Tang Zhuyun thought to herself, "Money, leisure, but no man—isn't this my ideal life?"
That's no longer possible; she's fallen from grace.
She began to crave sexual intercourse with men and women.
The Prince of Jin still allowed her to have no complaints.
(Prince of Jin: I am a little duck, quacking and babbling.)
Then look at Prince of Jin, who is staring intently at Tang Zhuyun.
Clearly, he was also thinking about the past.
Tang Zhuyun immediately raised her hands in surrender. "That's pretty tragic. I'm happier than her."
The Prince of Jin's expression softened somewhat, and he said, "After all, she's Qu Nian's woman. If we encounter her in the future, even if she's a bit outrageous, we should still take care of her and not let Qu Nian..."
Died with eyes wide open in disgrace?
Pshaw, he's not dead yet! He'll be alright.
"Don't embarrass Qu Nian. For him, face is more important than anything."
Tang Zhuyun: This kind of person needs a woman to teach him a lesson and bring his pride down to earth.
The Prince of Jin then brought up the Shar-Peis again, but his tone was somewhat uncertain. "It seems to want to follow me..."
Xiu'er: "That's impossible! How could it not be afraid of the prince?"
Prince of Jin: "..."
Although he thought the same thing, he didn't want to hear it from others.
Tang Zhuyun asked, "Did it meet the Prince before, following Qu Nian?"
Oh, that's very possible!
It was because it was so loyal to Qu Nian that it couldn't bear to see anyone—no, any chicken—replace Qu Nian, so it bit Qu Nian to death.
Now, seeing Qu Nian's old friend—a relationship that could be described as love-hate—and then following along?
The Prince of Jin said, "I have never seen it before."
"But perhaps it has seen you before?" Tang Zhuyun asked.
Xiu'er: "Wait, I'll go find out how old that dog is!"
Xiu'er took action and quickly returned with the answer.
"That dog is only two years old; it couldn't possibly have seen the prince before."
The Prince of Jin couldn't help but feel a pang of pity when he recalled the dog's pleading eyes.
He didn't know where this inexplicable emotion came from.
But that dog now belongs to the Crown Prince's wife; he can't very well ask a woman for a dog and risk getting into trouble over it.
Xiu'er said, "Your Highness, could it be that you have some kind of dried meat or something in your purse?"
There really was some dried meat that Tang Zhuyun had put in Prince of Jin's purse.
Thus, the Prince of Jin temporarily found the "answer".
--That Shar-Peis must be starving.
Therefore, he had even less affection for Qu Nian's wife.
Prince Jin said to Xiu'er, "Since you can speak with the servants of Prince Min's residence, secretly give them some money and have them take good care of that dog."
Xiu'er agreed.
After Prince of Jin left, she couldn't help but complain, "Your Highness, why is the Prince so concerned about that dog? He wasn't even this worried when you were assassinated!"
Are humans even worse than dogs?
Why didn't that prince go with the dog? Humph! I'm angry!
Tang Zhuyun: "Because the assassination attempt has already been discussed."
Prince of Jin wanted to eliminate Zong Heng outright, but Tang Zhuyun knew that wasn't an option now.
We'll have to hope that Zong Heng and Noble Consort Jia fight like dogs!
What can you do? Just save it up.
"Do you think today's events were orchestrated by Zhou Yanhui and Zong Heng to make you lower your guard?" Xiu'er asked.
Tang Zhuyun: "That possibility can't be ruled out. Let's wait and see."
As I've grown older, I've matured and become more composed.
Time will tell, and we'll have to wait and see what kind of person Zhou Yanhui really is.
"Please don't let the Prince go to her," Xiu'er said. "Once is never enough, but this constant coming and going is unsettling. If something comes up, don't be afraid of the trouble; it's better to go through you first."
"Yes, that's what I think too."
Just then, Yanran entered with Jiaojiao, her eyes looking somewhat unfocused.
Tang Zhuyun could tell at a glance that this little thing had definitely gotten into trouble again.
"Mother, you went out today?" Yanran asked with a grin, coming over to hug her arm.