Yanran leaned against the Prince of Jin, sobbing uncontrollably. "Father, didn't Mother say that women are inferior to men? Why can my brother go to the Xia Kingdom, but I can't!"
What a waste of her martial arts skills.
"Although I'm not as quick-witted as my brother, I can still fight!" Yanran, sounding increasingly aggrieved.
The more Qu Nian looked at her, the more Lovely Yanran seemed.
That's it, he's gotten old, he's reached the age where he likes children.
Prince of Jin wiped away Yanran's tears, gently patting Yanran back with his other hand, and said, "Don't cry. Your father has guests here. Aren't you ashamed?"
Yanran bowed to Qu Nian.
Qu Nian thought of taking a jade pendant from his waist to give to her, but then he remembered that he hadn't put it on when he changed his clothes—having been a dog for too long, he felt deeply burdened by these material possessions, and even finding it tiring to put on clothes.
But he won't admit it!
When Yanran saw that he had emptied his pockets, she chuckled and seemed less sad.
"Uncle Qu, you can make it up to me later," she said considerately.
Qu Nian: "..."
Thick-skinnedness is definitely hereditary, which is great.
Daughters shouldn't be too shy; they'll easily get taken advantage of. Raising them this way is the right approach.
Sending them to the battlefield, that is absolutely unacceptable.
I'm so reluctant to part with it!
The Prince of Jin thought the same thing, "Yanran, the battlefield is not fun; it's not what you imagine."
"I'm not going there for fun, I'm going to help! Why can't there be a female general?"
The Prince of Jin, moved by the thought of her birth mother, sighed and said, "Of course, there can be a female general, but you are still too young."
"Isn't my brother young too?"
The Prince of Jin was speechless.
Qu Nian chimed in, "This is his responsibility, regardless of age."
"That's my responsibility too!" Yanran retorted indignantly. "Am I not my father and mother's child?"
The Prince of Jin said, "Yes, but your father is reluctant to part with you. Your brother is mature enough to experience life. You..."
"I'm immature, which is why I need more experience!"
The Prince of Jin was stunned and couldn't help but look at Qu Nian.
Qu Nian: What can I do? I'm desperate too!
If I were good at dealing with women, would I be here drinking alone with you?
Okay, now he knows that he's not only bad at dealing with Ren Yingying, he can't even handle an eight or nine-year-old Zidu.
The Prince of Jin said dryly, "Don't cry, your mother won't agree to this either."
Linlin wanted to go, but Tang Zhuyun didn't want her to.
He's still just a child.
However, Linlin spoke to Tang Zhuyun herself, and Tang Zhujun eventually let go.
Thinking of this, the Prince of Jin said again, "If you don't believe me, go and ask your mother?"
Yanran cried very loudly.
Father is utterly useless!
If she wanted her mother to be useful, she wouldn't have made this trip at all.
Doesn't she know the rules of conduct in this household? If her mother agrees, her father will definitely agree; but the reverse is not true.
Yanran left, wiping away her tears.
The Prince of Jin sighed.
Qu Nian gloated. "He's not the only one; women have suffered for too long!"
The Prince of Jin looked at him, a forced smile on his face, and said, "The most unscrupulous person is one who kicks away the bridge after crossing it. The most foolish person is one who starts dismantling the bridge while still standing in the middle."
Qu Nian: "You really think I'm going to rely on you?"
"Otherwise?" the Prince of Jin retorted.
Doesn't this experienced man deserve to give some pointers to this Little Weak Dog?
"I've thought it all out," Qu Nian said. "I plan to proceed in three steps."
"I would like to hear the details." The Prince of Jin picked up his wine cup and then put it down again, his mind still Yanran the image of Yanran crying just now.
Did he make the child uncomfortable?
But the battlefield is too cruel, Linlin has to go because if he wants to sit in that position, he has to bear pressure that ordinary people cannot bear.
But Yanran didn't need to.
She should have grown up happily under the protection of her father and brothers.
Forget it, how about we find a few more guards to accompany her on a horseback riding and hunting trip tomorrow? She'll probably be happier that way.
Or should we try to contact Cui Ling?
In dealing with Yanran, Cui Xiaoqiu had experience that no one else had.
Okay, that's decided.
Qu Nian was still immersed in his perfect plan. "First, I'll make peace with Dog Meat."
To get close to Ren Yingying, you first need to win over her dog.
This experience applies only to Ren Yingying.
This was also the suggestion that the Prince of Jin had given him before.
The Prince of Jin said, "I understand. You want to bow down to a dog."
That's very promising.
Qu Nian: "... As expected, you can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth."
"You continue."
The second step is to start with the people around her.
"So, you might consider trying to please me," the Prince of Jin said seriously.
Qu Nian spat, "Over the years, your kung fu hasn't improved, but your skin has certainly gotten thicker."
"You flatter me," said the Prince of Jin. "It's true that my martial arts skills haven't improved much, but I've learned some new abilities."
"What?" Qu Nian, confused.
"Whispering sweet nothings in his pillow," the Prince of Jin said smugly.
Qu Nian: "... I was wrong. You're not just thick-skinned, you've completely lost all sense of shame."
Prince of Jin: "You flatter me."
Qu Nian: "Since you have this ability, don't just talk the talk, walk the walk. I'm waiting to see the effect of your pillow talk."
Directly winning over Ren Yingying was a bit difficult, so he decided to take a roundabout approach, starting with her dog and the people around her.
Just as the Prince of Jin said, water dripping wears away stone, and he simply couldn't believe that Ren Yingying was truly heartless.
Thinking of this, Qu Nian rubbed his hands together, eager to put it into practice immediately.
Late at night, Prince of Jin was still worried about Yanran, so after parting ways with Qu Nian, he went to Yanran's place first.
Unexpectedly, I ran into Cui Xiaoqiu, who had just come out, at the door.
Prince of Jin: "???"
His face darkened, his gaze turning cold and scrutinizing—"Do you think it's appropriate for you to come out of Yanran's room in the middle of the night?"
Cui Xiaoqiu is actually two or three years older than Yanran!
But for some reason, this child just isn't growing very tall; he's even shorter than Linlin when they stand together.
Xiu'er privately complained that they were all too cunning and wouldn't grow up quickly.
Cui Xiaoqiu bowed and said, "Your Highness, Yanran a little sad. I comforted her, and she just went to sleep."
"Have you comforted him?" the Prince of Jin asked.
Cui Xiaoqiu said, "This has temporarily comforted her. But I'm afraid she'll still feel bad when she thinks about it tomorrow; I was originally planning to go see the Prince to discuss this with you..."
"What do you want to discuss?" the Prince of Jin asked coldly.
Cui Xiaoqiu replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Your Highness, may I have a word with you in private? It may take about fifteen minutes."
The Prince of Jin took him back to his outer study.
"Speak."
Cui Xiaoqiu said, "Your Highness, Yanran has always been more responsive to gentle persuasion than force, and she is extremely protective of you and the Princess Consort. Therefore, I think someone needs to provoke her at this time..."
Who are you talking about? How exciting?
Cui Xiaoqiu calmly uttered a name, causing the Prince of Jin to change instantly.
He said, "Xiao Pang."
The Prince of Jin's voice carried a hint of anger. "Insolence! Cui Ling, don't try that 'say something outrageous' act. I hate it when people go to extremes just to grab attention."
Cui Xiaoqiu calmly replied, "Does Your Highness wish for Yanran to forever harbor resentment towards her biological father?"
The Prince of Jin remained silent for a moment.
"Your Highness, it's not a bad thing if one more person treats her well."