Ren Yingying listened with Jinjin, only regretting that she couldn't recreate the scene.
Nanxing had been silent, suddenly asked, "What about the Cui Family's collection of books?"
Xiu'er: "The Cui Family? I don't know them, who cares about them!"
Nanxing remained silent.
She felt sorry for those books.
Nanxing is an extremely avid book lover.
She has a deep and heartfelt respect for books.
Perhaps it was because of this that I fell in love with the scholar in the bamboo grove, a man of integrity and upright character.
However, it turned out she was blind.
That man, where is the integrity and uprightness? He's clearly a scoundrel.
Tang Zhuyun asked, "Is Cui Xiaoqiu alright?"
"It's nothing," Xiu'er said. "You know, he really does seem like the part. I think he's a bit like our Linlin."
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
Is that a compliment?
Xiu'er said that she was just an ordinary person, not even a fraction as good as Linlin!
Nanxing said, "What a pity."
Tang Zhuyun said somewhat guiltily, "If we're going to calculate it, hasn't the Cui Family suffered an undeserved disaster?"
Xiu'er: "It's alright, maybe they'll get a wife in the future, they'll hit the jackpot."
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
So they just sold Yanran off like that?
She refused.
Xiu'er: "It's not about selling, it's about getting scammed sooner or later, unless you go far away."
Ren Yingying said, "It's alright, maybe Cui Xiaoqiu will grow up crooked and Yanran won't like her!"
Xiu'er: "What if it doesn't crack crooked?"
"Then we won't lose money investing!" Ren Yingying said. "Would you rather open your eyes in the morning and see an ugly man or a handsome man?"
Tang Zhuyun: "Be realistic, all you can see when you open your eyes right now is your dog. Handsome men and ugly men have nothing to do with you!"
She has a certain awareness of being a widow.
She was worried that Ren Yingying's mouth would cause trouble sooner or later.
Qu Nian took two steps back in disgust, and couldn't help wagging its tail.
--It certainly didn't want to see that Poisonous Woman Ren with messy hair and drooling!
Ren Yingying: "Hehe, Dog Meat is different, that's my son."
Qu Nian:...
"My own kids, they're all ugly, not ugly at all. Dog Meat, come here and let me pet you."
Qu Nian clamped his legs together and backed away.
Xiu'er laughed heartily, "This dog is so clever, it's afraid you'll take advantage of it!"
Ren Yingying: "... Absolutely not, I never took advantage of that."
Chatting and laughing, none of them felt sleepy.
I haven't slept at all today because we're staying up to welcome the New Year.
Xiu'er had a table of dishes delivered, and they all ate some.
Just after finishing their meal, the maidservant reported that Pei Shen had come to pick up Nanxing.
Nanxing: "I'm not leaving. I'll wait for the prince to return before I go."
Xiu'er: "Tsk tsk, you mustn't say that to Pei, the jealous man, or he'll suspect you have ulterior motives towards the prince."
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
Ren Yingying: "Right, right? Tell me about them later."
Tang Zhuyun: "Stop making a fuss, you should go back now. Nanxing, since Pei Shen has come to pick you up, go back with him first. There's nothing else to do at the Prince's Mansion."
Xiu'er: "No rush, Your Highness. Let's call Pei Shen in first and ask him about the situation in the palace. He's shrewd; he must know a lot since he just got back."
"Once the Prince returns, he'll know everything," Tang Zhuyun said. "Let Nanxing go back quickly."
Even if Pei Shen were to ask, he might not answer, leaving Nanxing in an awkward position later.
Despite her social prowess, Xiu'er insisted on sending Nanxing away, managing to extract a few words from Pei Shen.
"They say the Emperor spoke with the Master for a long time first, and then called the Prince in, and they're still talking!"
Tang Zhuyun: "What about the Huai Huaishang?"
Xiu'er was taken aback. "Huaishang? What does Huaishang have to do with this!"
Tang Zhuyun: That's true. Who would notice Huaishang when he's been beaten down?
"Your Highness, most importantly, guess who helped the Prince!" Xiu'er's eyes Jingjing with gossip.
Tang Zhuyun: "Zong Xueci?"
"No, Zong Heng!" Xiu'er said.
Tang Zhuyun thought she had misheard.
Aren't Zong Heng and the Prince of Jin irreconcilable enemies?
Why did he suddenly surrender?
Tang Zhuyun even sensed a conspiracy.
Could this be a ploy to cause someone's suffering?
But then I thought, what's the point of this self-inflicted injury ruse? The Zong Family has already been wiped out...
Even if Zong Heng were to miraculously survive, with his legs crippled, could he possibly rise again and revive the Zong Family?
Then his most important task will be to continue the family line and have dozens of sons...
I just want to ask, how is Zong Heng's last leg?
Xiu'er said excitedly, "You didn't expect this, did you? Nobody expected that Zong Heng would be the one to deliver the fatal blow to the Crown Prince and the Zong Family. Zong Xueci was just a side item in the purchase."
In short, after Zong Heng became completely crippled, he witnessed the harsh realities of life in a short period of time, and he became a monster.
Zong Xueci, on the other hand, became cynical and resentful because of her loss of favor—since she couldn't win the Crown Prince's affections, she would make sure he couldn't become the Crown Prince.
Under these circumstances, the brother and sister hit it off immediately and together sought refuge with the Prince of Jin.
Tang Zhuyun: Let me think, my brain capacity is a bit small, I can't process it.
Ren Yingying, who refused to leave, said, "This plot twist is quite interesting. Let me think about it."
"Thinking about those things is useless; you won't need them," Tang Zhuyun said. "I've heard that Princess Consort Min is a very cheerful woman. As your mother-in-law, she probably won't make things difficult for you because you're a widow. Just focus on getting along well with your mother-in-law and sister-in-law; don't worry about anything else."
Ren Yingying retorted, "I have aspirations too, okay?"
What are your aspirations?
"She's having an affair!"
Qu Nian was almost driven mad with anger.
"Be careful you don't freeze to death while perched on the wall," Tang Zhuyun said sarcastically. "When I'm not in the capital, really, please, my dear, tone it down! Sometimes, even if I wanted to save you, I'm afraid I was too far away to help."
Please take me with you, I beg you.
"Too fat to carry."
"Tangbao! Where am I fat? I'll lose weight, okay? Please, I don't want to stay in Beijing by myself."
"The Heir to the Prince of Min hasn't returned yet, what are you afraid of? I'm barely able to protect myself right now, and I don't know what I'll face once I get out," Tang Zhuyun said. "His Highness will arrange for people to take care of you, so don't worry."
Ren Yingying faked crying, while Tang Zhuyun said that she was as hard as iron.
Ren Yingying: "Fine, let's cut ties completely! I'm going to live a carefree life with my four beautiful concubines."
Qu Nian: Mine! Mine!
After Tang Zhuyun "chased" Ren Yingying away, she finally felt a little tired.
Xiu'er made up the bedding for her and said, "Your Highness, please get some rest. There's nothing serious happening in the palace."
However, no sooner had he finished speaking than someone outside reported that the Emperor had summoned Tang Zhuyun to the palace.
Xiu'er was extremely nervous and insisted on going to the palace with Tang Zhuyun this time.
"Linlin, you're going too."
Linlin shook her head. "I can't go. If I go, my grandfather will misunderstand, and my mother will only get angrier if she tries to use me to plead for her."
The emperor is the kind of person who responds better to gentleness than force, and better to honesty than cunning.
Perhaps the only mishap will be with Xiao Wu.