Xiu'er chuckled and said, "I'll come back and tell you in a little while."
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
Zidu, she was still so cheerful while eating watermelon!
Just then, Linlin walked in.
"Mother, the Old Madam is much better after learning that Aunt Zhou Xu was rescued."
Didn't she say anything else?
Linlin looked at Tang Zhuyun's knowing gaze and said, "Mother Consort has also guessed. She has indeed changed her mind and doesn't want Father to know."
Tang Zhuyun sighed softly.
She knew that if it weren't for her eagerness to save her daughter, Concubine Yu would never have admitted to being the Prince of Jin's biological mother.
Concubine Yu's inferiority complex was ingrained in her very being.
She was aware of her own inferiority complex and didn't want to be a burden to her children.
But just because you don't want it to become a burden doesn't mean it won't.
The Prince of Jin was truly unfortunate; he had no one who could help him, only people who held him back.
"Mother, what do you want to do?"
"I plan to tell your father tonight," Tang Zhuyun said.
She may be mindful of her methods, but the core principle remains unchanged—that is, the couple should not keep important matters from each other.
She didn't hide anything from Linlin, including the solution.
"Linlin, look, is there anything I haven't thought of?"
Without me even realizing it, my son has grown into a capable advisor with whom I can have meaningful discussions.
He said Linlin, "Wu Zhenhai."
"Um?"
"Be wary of Wu Zhenhai," Linlin explained. "He knows Aunt Zhou Xu too well; we don't want to give ourselves away to him."
As for the others, they wouldn't care whether the mother and daughter lived or died; the plan shouldn't be difficult to implement.
"Hmm," Tang Zhuyun said.
Although she didn't believe that the Old Cabbage Stalk could have any true feelings, he was still madly infatuated with Zhou Xu.
Men can become ruthless and insane when driven by desire.
Linlin's reminder was very insightful.
"Mother, if there's nothing else, I'll go back to my studies now."
"Go on, but don't write anything, be careful not to reopen the wound on the back of your hand." Tang Zhuyun stood up to see him off, but suddenly cried out "Ouch!" and clutched her stomach.
Linlin tensed instantly, rushed over and hugged her, her voice filled with worry, "Mother."
Tang Zhuyun laughed and said, "It's nothing, it just kicked me. Do you want to touch it?"
"Can I?" Linlin asked cautiously, "Will it scare him?"
"No, you're brothers and sisters."
From now on, I'll be your little toy and your little shadow, silly child!
After warming her hands by rubbing them, Linlin pressed them against Tang Zhuyun's stomach through her clothes.
The little one inside me was very cooperative and moved a few more times.
Linlin's eyes instantly filled with disbelief and surprise.
This is the innocence that should be present in someone his age.
Tang Zhuyun was amused and took the opportunity to ask, "Linlin, do you feel wronged?"
"Wronged?"
"I haven't let you acknowledge your ancestry yet. If I were to give birth to a younger brother this time, people would probably say that he is your father's eldest son."
Linlin smiled and shook her head, "I don't care about those things. Mother, you should think of it this way: isn't this also a form of protection for me?"
Tang Zhuyun was taken aback, then deeply moved.
Did she save the entire universe in her past life? How could she possibly have a child like that?
"Don't overthink it. If I feel wronged, I'll tell you; I won't hide it from you."
Tang Zhuyun patted his head, silently telling herself—he's still a child, just a child!
No matter how mature, steady, and sensible he may appear, he is still a child.
She will always care for him and love him, no matter how many more children she has.
Linlin is unique.
He will always need his mother's care.
"When your father's day comes," Tang Zhuyun's eyes welled up with tears, "The first thing he will do is restore your status as the eldest son of the legitimate wife."
Linlin smiled and nodded, "Alright. Mother, I'll go find Father. Father set up a trap for Zhang Qian, I'll go ask him how it's going."
A single hair can affect the whole situation.
The Prince of Jin, wanting to undermine the Zhou Family, has already started with Zhang Qian.
The method is probably similar to Zhuge Liang's seven captures and Meng Huo—I have a lot of evidence against you, Zhang Qian, but I will let you go one by one.
If you have any sense, you should quickly abandon the darkness and embrace the light.
Wu Zhenhai, that Old Cabbage Stalk, originally wanted to use someone else to do his dirty work, but he didn't expect that the Prince of Jin would act unpredictably.
Linlin had been aware of how things were progressing, but now he felt that Wu Zhenhai and Zhou Xu's special relationship might be able to influence things.
Tang Zhuyun saw Linlin out.
Linlin walked to the front door, turned back, and smiled and waved to her in the corridor.
Mother, there's a secret I've never told you.
--I can never be my father's eldest son.
Children born out of wedlock cannot be entitled to the title of legitimate heir.
Even if his mother were to become the official wife later, his status was already predetermined at birth.
But that's not a big deal.
Life is a long journey. The mark of birth is indelible, but it's not a big deal.
He didn't want his mother to be bothered by such a trivial matter.
He only hoped that his family could be happy forever.
"Your Majesty." Xiu'er returned from outside, smiling broadly.
"You found a gold ingot? Are you that happy?" Tang Zhuyun teased her.
"I'm happier than if I found a gold ingot!" Xiu'er said. "I just went out to ask the guards what happened. And guess what I heard?"
"What?"
"They're talking about Wu Zhenhai's butt; it's quite white, I didn't realize!"
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
Is that how the Old Cabbage Stalk came about?
Do we have to carry the whole city and run away overnight?
Massive social death scene...
Although there were only a few people present at the time, could the guards really keep quiet about it in private?
Xiu'er said, "I tried to scare them so they wouldn't tell anyone. But Your Majesty, it's really funny, hahaha..."
Tang Zhuyun: She wanted to laugh too.
But thinking of Zhou Xu, she felt an indescribable sadness in her heart.
"I wonder how Zhou Xu is doing," Tang Zhuyun said with concern.
Xiu'er waved her hand, "Your Majesty, you don't need to worry about her."
"Um?"
"Although we feel sorry for her now, to put it bluntly, by the time we start feeling sorry for her, the grass on her grave will be a foot tall."
Tang Zhuyun nodded with a wry smile, having to admit that Xiu'er was right.
Zhou Xu has the ability to protect herself.
Even though she struggled and was abandoned by the world, this girl still managed to survive, struggling through the mud with her frail mother.
She didn't manage to turn the tide or stage a comeback, but she did survive.
She got her chance to turn things around.
Or rather, earlier and easier than she imagined.
Heaven probably felt she was suffering too much, so it gave her an older brother.
Tang Zhuyun knew that Prince of Jin would be a good older brother.
Even if it takes him a while to adjust, he will ultimately be a good older brother.
Because of Zhou Xu, she will also be a kind and pitiful younger sister.
Ultimately, any relationship boils down to one sentence: how you treat me is how I will treat you.
"Xiu'er," Tang Zhuyun suddenly spoke up.
"Um?"
"Get ready, we're going to the Zhou Residence tomorrow."