This Tang Zhuyun was getting harder and harder to control!
She used to be a fool who was easy to manipulate, but now she had turned into a slab of meat that no knife could cut.
For the moment, Madam Song could do nothing about Tang Zhuyun. Seeing that she had no intention of helping her up, she turned and scolded Song Cui'er, "You blind thing, hurry up and help me!"
Then she glared fiercely at Tang Zhuyun and went into the main room.
After they arrived, Tang Mingfan had no choice but to give them the main room and squeeze in with his son Tang Baixin.
It was so cramped that Linlin went to squeeze in with Tang Zhuyun instead.
That night, Tang Zhuyun went to bed with the two children and found that neither of them was asleep.
"What's wrong?"
"Auntie, I'm hungry."
"Big sister, I'm hungry too."
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
From the moment Madam Song entered the house, she had decided she would never take the initiative to cook and wait on the old hag.
So Old Madam He had cooked dinner that night, and it had returned to its former standard. Everyone in the family had eaten with a frown.
Even Madam Song had complained. "What kind of rubbish was that? It's worse than what we had in the countryside!"
Ever since she arrived, she had found fault with everything: the house was too small, the furnishings were shabby, and now there was no meat to eat.
Tang Zhuyun replied bluntly, "Everything in the capital is expensive. Grandmother, if you chipped in, we could have meat."
Madam Song began to curse Tang Mingfan for having no conscience, saying he wouldn't even give his own mother a scrap of meat...
Now she only dared curse Tang Mingfan, because Tang Zhuyun refused to indulge her bad habits.
Tang Mingfan said, "Mother, you came in such a hurry that we didn't have time to prepare. A-Yun, buy some meat tomorrow and cook it separately for Grandmother."
Tang Zhuyun held out her hand. "Silver. All the silver in the house went to the coachman, and it still wasn't enough, so I borrowed two taels from Xiu'er. Now there are only a few strings of coins left. It'll be hard enough to make radishes and greens last until your next payday."
Tang Mingfan said, "...I still have a few taels of loose silver here. I'll give them to you."
Tang Zhuyun had deliberately put that silver in his pouch, saying that an official of his rank might not have a servant, but he couldn't go around without a single coin on him.
Tang Zhuyun accepted it without hesitation.
Her father might have a soft heart when it came to Grandmother, but then he couldn't blame her for being hard-hearted. The most important thing was to drive the old hag away first.
Madam Song then began nagging Tang Baixin about marriage. He wasn't exactly mild-tempered either, and he threw down his chopsticks and walked out.
Tang Baixin still resented Madam Song for the harm she had done his younger sister back then. Not flipping the table was already the utmost restraint he could manage.
Excellent. She had an ally in the family.
But Tang Zhuyun had been so busy dealing with the old hag that she had forgotten the two children still needed to eat.
"Wait here. I'll go secretly boil a few eggs for you. Tomorrow I'll take you next door and cook for you there!"
No one was at the prince's residence next door during the day, so she would go use the place. She would be cooking for Yanran too, so she figured the Prince of Jin wouldn't mind.
The two little ones each ate two boiled eggs before falling asleep.
Early the next morning, Tang Zhuyun still made a meal for Tang Mingfan to take to the palace.
Tang Mingfan looked at the enormous lion's head meatball inside and sighed silently.
He knew his daughter was deliberately making things difficult for his mother, but from his daughter's point of view, nothing she did would be excessive.
He had wanted to say he would leave the meatball behind, but when he saw his daughter's clear, bright gaze, he found himself unable to say it. He picked up the food box and left.
Tang Zhuyun yawned and went back to her room to catch some more sleep.
There was only plain congee, side dishes, and steamed buns for breakfast. Madam Song was very unhappy with the meal and clattered things around, but Tang Zhuyun pretended not to see.
After breakfast, Madam Song asked Tang Zhuyun for the household money, saying she would manage the household from now on.
Fine, no problem!
Tang Zhuyun handed over the two hundred-odd copper coins and the few taels of loose silver Tang Mingfan had given her yesterday, then took the two children out to play.
If they couldn't eat well at home, they would eat out.
After breakfast, she took the two children shopping, then had lunch at a restaurant before returning to rest.
But what did she see when she got back!
The few decent pieces of furniture in her room had all been moved to the main room, and Madam Song had also pilfered the cloth the Prince of Jin had given her, which she hadn't finished using.
Fortunately, Tang Zhuyun had hidden her silver on a roof beam to guard against thieves, so it had escaped disaster.
Madam Song even spoke as though she were in the right. "This family had no proper rules before. Shouldn't everything good go to the elders first? You really do need someone in charge."
Song Cui'er stood beside her, pounding her back as respectfully as a little maid.
Tang Zhuyun's lungs were about to explode with anger!
No, she had to drive those two away as soon as possible!
Back in her room, Tang Zhuyun spent a good while thinking of a plan. After the two children woke up, she said, "Linlin, take Yanran to the yamen. Tell Grandfather we're having red-braised pork tonight, and ask the Prince of Jin to come eat too."
She had decided to borrow the tiger's might like a fox!
The Prince of Jin wasn't entirely useless. At the very least, he was more than enough to frighten a country woman like Madam Song.
Yanran was delighted. This was the first time Big Sister had taken the initiative to invite Father to dinner!
Linlin was happy too. Once the Prince of Jin came, he could take him riding again.
The two children went out happily, and Tang Zhuyun went to find Madam Song.
She held out her hand, asking for silver.
"What are you doing?" Madam Song's face was full of displeasure.
"Give me money for groceries. His Highness said he's coming to see me tonight, so naturally he'll stay for dinner."
"He's coming to see you at night? What kind of propriety is that?"
"What, Grandmother, do you want to lay down some rules for His Highness?" Tang Zhuyun said with a hint of a smile. "His Highness comes whenever he wants. If you don't want to give me silver for groceries, just say so. I can't be bothered to make the arrangements anyway! When His Highness takes offense later, whoever caused the trouble can bear the consequences."
Madam Song nearly fell over backward with anger, but in the end she gave her two strings of coins to buy groceries.
"She asked me to dinner?" When the Prince of Jin heard the news, his first reaction was disbelief.
The sun must have risen in the west for her to invite him to dinner. He would never believe she wasn't scheming something.
"Yes! Father, if you're free, come early. Big Sister will make red-braised pork for you!" Yanran was all childlike innocence.
The Prince of Jin hesitated for a moment, then agreed.
But as it turned out, his decision was very, very wrong, and he bitterly regretted it.