Tang Zhuyun hesitated for a moment.
Because the adult world is not black and white.
Then she heard Yanran say, "He's a bad person, isn't he?"
Why do you say that?
"Because didn't you say that he's been hiding something from me?"
Tang Zhuyun said, "It's not quite like that. In fact, even now, your father and I still have many unresolved questions about him..."
For example, who was it that secretly switched the beams and pillars to rescue Xiao Pang back then?
For example, who administered the medicine to Xiao Pang? And what was their purpose?
Why did Xiao Pang reappear?
Many questions were not left unasked by the Prince of Jin, but rather avoided by Xiao Pang.
Yanran asked, "Has he... mentioned me?"
Tang Zhuyun pondered for a moment, then shook her head. "No. But perhaps not mentioning you is also to protect you."
Such an innocent and Little Lovely shouldn't doubt that she's unworthy of being loved.
Yanran asked, "Did he want to see me that time?"
"Um."
"Then... why won't Mother let me ask him? If I asked, perhaps he could tell me!"
Tang Zhuyun smiled but offered no explanation.
Yanran had already realized what was happening. "Mother is afraid I'll be sad, isn't she?"
"Father and Mother, you can't gamble with Xiao Pang's feelings for you," Tang Zhuyun said truthfully. "Adult matters are for adults to handle. You children should be happy and healthy."
Adulthood brings its own myriad of troubles; why prematurely end a child's childhood?
Yanran said, "I won't be sad. I'm not familiar with him, and I don't need a father. Please let me go, I'll ask him!"
Tang Zhuyun simply smiled and refused, straightening her collar and kissing her cheek. "If you want to see him, I'll find an opportunity to introduce you. We'll take him with us when we leave this time, so there's plenty of time. You can think it over carefully; there's no rush."
But I won't help.
One is the biological father, the other is the adoptive father; whoever you help will leave you with inner turmoil and unease in the future.
Tang Zhuyun couldn't bear to see Yanran face such a situation in the future.
Nothing is more important than children.
As they were talking, Linlin returned, and Yanran indeed went to tell him about it.
However, when she says it now, it's more with a "you know what I mean" tone.
Linlin nodded to indicate that she understood.
Yanran blinked, then suddenly realized something. "Brother, does this mean we're not biological siblings anymore!"
Linlin: "Mm."
"So, should I avoid you?"
After all, she keeps running into Linlin's room to share a bed with him, which isn't right. She's almost seven years old, it just doesn't make sense.
Linlin: "No need. Aren't we already avoiding suspicion?"
Yanran was stunned for a moment, then burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Indeed, she still has a lot to learn from her brother!
"Come on, come with me, stop bothering Mother." Linlin took her hand.
"Okay." Yanran happily said goodbye to Tang Zhuyun and followed Linlin out.
Linlin gave Tang Zhuyun a reassuring look without saying a word, then left with the carefree little rascal.
Xiu'er sighed deeply, "It takes a hundred years to cultivate a Yanran, and a thousand years to cultivate a Linlin!"
Tang Zhuyun burst out laughing at her, "What did you fix?"
"Lackey."
This is a powerful family gene; if it's not obsequious, it must have been switched with another person.
Tang Zhuyun couldn't stop laughing, "Has Song Jingyang written to us recently?"
"The letters have never stopped; we receive them almost every day. But it snows a lot in Eastern Lu, so sometimes we don't receive any on certain days, and then we receive several a few days later," Xiu'er muttered to herself.
So much snow, it's a snowdrift!
"No," Tang Zhuyun teased her, resting her chin on her hand, "What do you write all day long? Doesn't Song Jingyang's salary all go to the messengers?"
"If you just want to, there's so much to write about. What you ate, what you saw, what you said, what you thought..."
If you just write whatever you want, you won't have enough time to do anything else but write letters every day.
Tang Zhuyun was fed another dose of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection).
As expected, when it comes to being a husband, Song Jingyang is second to Dugu Qiubai.
Cui Xiaoqiu's men acted early and successfully tracked down the peddler's trail. Then, Prince of Jin followed the clues and dragged out the person behind the scenes.
As expected, they are Xiao Wu's people.
Even if Xiao Wu dies, she will never lack men who are devoted to her.
Tang Zhuyun was truly convinced of her charm that attracted men.
"Look on the bright side, we'd have to tell Yanran sooner or later anyway," she advised Prince of Jin, "And this has at least solved the problem for us."
Since his return, the Prince of Jin has had a strange expression on his face.
Hearing Tang Zhuyun's words, he stroked the back of her hand and said, "A-Yun, I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I always feel that Xiao Wu has someone else behind her."
Tang Zhuyun: "Hmm?"
"These past few days I've been trying to dig out more information," said the Prince of Jin, "But all leads have been considered to have gone cold."
Xiao Wu is good at controlling men, but what can those men accomplish?
The Prince of Jin believed that someone else had gradually pushed her back to a high position in the harem.
"There are no further clues; perhaps I'm just overthinking things."
"Go to the Northwest and investigate further," was the only advice Tang Zhuyun could offer him.
Prince of Jin nodded. "Hmm. Everything's almost packed, right? We'll need to prepare more things for the journey..."
The two discussed it for a while before going to sleep.
The next day, Tang Zhuyun took Xiu'er Nanxing to the Prince of Min's Residence.
Return the tiger tally.
"Brother-in-law, you don't need it?" Ren Yingying asked, taking the tiger tally.
Qu Nian watched from the side, her eyes reddening.
That's the tiger tally! That's the lifeblood of the Prince of Min's Residence!
This wicked woman, she so casually touched the tiger tally with her hands covered in crumbs of pastry.
Tang Zhuyun said irritably, "It's completely useless. I was afraid you wouldn't feel at ease if I didn't accept it, so now I'm giving it back to you. Your brother-in-law told me to tell you—"
"What?"
"When Qu Nian comes back, I'll chop off your claws sooner or later! Just so you'll behave!"
"Huh? He can come back?"
Ren Yingying had long suspected that "Qu Nian is dead, so there's no need to burn paper money for him."
Tang Zhuyun: "Even if you don't come back, you can't touch someone's manhood!"
"Okay," Ren Yingying said lazily. "You're not an outsider, I just wanted to help you, didn't I? See, your brother-in-law knows what he's doing, right?"
She didn't trust the wrong person again.
"Think about whether there's anything else you need my help with," Tang Zhuyun said. "I don't have many people I can rely on. If Nanxing stays, you can go and find her."
However, it seems unlikely that Nanxing will stay.
Just thinking about it gives me a headache.
"That's all. Let me tell you, those four concubines were quite a lot of fun..."
Qu Nian wanted to bite Ren Yingying to death for the 10086th time, hoping to die together with her.
This wicked woman is now busy courting her concubines for pleasure, completely forgetting that they have a dying husband and that they came here to bring him good fortune, not to kill him.
Tang Zhuyun: Whatever makes you happy.