Tang Zhuyun found Master Hong'en's residence on her own, but was stopped outside.
She smiled and said, "I am Tang Mingfan's daughter. May I ask if my father is inside?"
The guarding monk nodded. "Lord Tang, there are other distinguished guests inside."
Tang Zhuyun understood the situation and said, "Then I'll wait for my father here."
The monk didn't stop her; he even moved a chair to the shade of a tree for her to sit on and gave her a palm-leaf fan.
When the Prince of Jin came out of the house, he saw Tang Zhuyun sitting under a tree, fanning herself, her big eyes fixed on the door.
When she saw him come out, her eyes showed undisguised disappointment.
She's quite frank, haha.
The Prince of Jin walked over and looked down at her. "Who are you waiting for?"
Tang Zhuyun swayed back and forth, saying, "Don't block my way! Of course I'm waiting for my dad, do you think I'd wait for you?"
Self-awareness is a good thing, but unfortunately, the Prince of Jin lacked it.
"When did your father change? Tang Zhuyun, I'm warning you one last time. If you dare to do anything that disgraces me and the Prince's mansion, I'll skin you alive."
Tang Zhuyun looked completely bewildered. "If you're sick, go see a doctor right away, but don't beg me. I don't treat brain damage."
Stubborn to the end!
The Prince of Jin gritted his teeth and squeezed out each word, one by one. "Jiang! Bei! Han!"
"I won't treat the Jiang Beihan either."
All those scumbag men should die, she won't treat any of them!
"Don't play dumb with me. You fall in love with every man you see. If you dare stare at a man like that again, you can forget about having your eyes."
Tang Zhuyun then understood what he meant.
He actually thought he liked Jiang Beihan?
Do you like his fickle nature and scumbag vibe?
Tang Zhuyun stared intently at Prince of Jin, thinking, "Gouge out her eyes! He's not a man if he doesn't!"
After a long pause, seeing the Prince of Jin's ashen face, she suddenly smiled, "Your Highness, you don't need to keep glaring at me. Perhaps I can get the Emperor to annul our engagement today."
"That would be best!" said the Prince of Jin, then turned and left.
He strode inside, only remembering he had come out to relieve himself when he was almost inside. He was so angry with Tang Zhuyun that he went back to the outhouse.
Tang Zhuyun: Morality! She really thinks she's something special!
Dog Meat that's not fit for polite society! And that scoundrel of a man!
Sooner or later, we have to give up the idea of a marriage bestowed by the Emperor, so that this scoundrel won't have this "delusion of being loved" every day, thinking that he's so willing to marry her.
After a while, Jiang Beihan also came out, but Prince of Jin spoke a few words to him and then waited for him to go in together.
The way they put their arms around each other's shoulders made Tang Zhuyun even more annoyed.
Birds of a feather flock together; people of similar tastes group together; those with similar quirks are often alike.
Just as he was muttering to himself, Tang Mingfan finally came out.
"Father, Father!" Tang Zhuyun stood up and called out softly twice.
Tang Mingfan smiled broadly when he saw her; his daughter was so thoughtful, knowing to wait for him there.
Tang Zhuyun accompanied him outside, casually saying as they walked, "Father, why did you stay inside for so long! I saw the Emperor..."
"As he said, the Emperor just mentioned seeing you and praised you for raising Yanran so well." Tang Mingfan looked very proud.
"Father, is the Emperor good to you? To be honest, he doesn't talk about grand principles." Tang Zhuyun suddenly tilted her head and asked.
Tang Mingfan was clearly taken aback by her sudden question, but he still replied seriously, "Of course. His Majesty has always appreciated me since I was a prince. I have been able to get to where I am today because I have never formed cliques or bullied my superiors. It is all thanks to His Majesty's promotion."
"His Majesty is incredibly thoughtful. Knowing our family's difficult circumstances, he bestowed many extra gifts upon us. In fact, even this house we live in now was bought with His Majesty's own money."
Tang Zhuyun's first reaction was—then why not buy a bigger one?
Tang Mingfan looked at her and laughed heartily, "Is your father the kind of person who doesn't know when to advance or retreat? The Emperor originally wanted to bestow upon you a large mansion, but I couldn't afford to maintain it. Bestowing such a house would make the Emperor lose face, so in the end, the Emperor subsidized you with money and let you choose for yourself."
Tang Zhuyun understood: her father and the emperor were not only ruler and subject, but also friends.
The Emperor cherished and protected Tang Mingfan's talent to the extreme.
Tang Mingfan originally wanted to say that even if the emperor knew she had an illegitimate child, he was still willing to betroth her to Prince of Jin as a concubine, which was also the emperor's way of taking care of him.
However, considering that his daughter and the Prince of Jin didn't seem to get along very well, he swallowed his words.
--They're young, they need to spend more time together, and their relationship will naturally improve.
Tang Zhuyun's personality cannot be forced.
Tang Zhuyun: What good could it possibly be? An idiot like you could never hatch a chick in your entire life!
Her relationship with the Prince of Jin was so foolish; it didn't even have a budding romance, what kind of future could it possibly have?
"Father," she continued, getting down to business, "If there were something that would be good for the Emperor, but possibly bad for you, would you do it?"
She almost already knew the answer, but she still asked.
Tang Mingfan replied solemnly, "It is my duty to die for my sovereign. A-Yun, you must remember that we only have one master, and that is the Emperor. If Prince of Jin ever tries to deviate from the right path, you must promptly admonish him. However, Prince of Jin is currently in excellent condition."
She didn't care at all whether the Prince of Jin was a good person or not.
But she knew that the Emperor was not doing well.
"Father," Tang Zhuyun said, "I saw the Emperor today and dared to glance at him..."
Tang Mingfan laughed and said, "It's alright. The Emperor just thinks you're being naughty, he won't take it to heart. I still have some face in front of the Emperor, don't panic."
As he said this, his eyes were filled with kindness, yet also pride.
Over the years, what sustained him through his hardships, destitution, and miserable state was the Emperor's trust and care.
"No, Father," Tang Zhuyun said, "I suspect that the Emperor has a heart ailment, and that it is quite serious."
She glanced at the Emperor and immediately noticed that although he was smiling, his expression was somewhat stiff.
The fact that the Emperor didn't give her a forced smile suggests that he might be acting this way out of habit, or perhaps due to health reasons.
"Father, His Majesty's face is swollen, his lips are purple, his earlobes are wrinkled, and there are bulging veins between his head and neck. With these symptoms combined, I think His Majesty's heart disease is already very serious," Tang Zhuyun said solemnly.
Her father was a very loyal minister. If he knew that the emperor was in poor health, he would definitely lose his appetite and would not be as cheerful as he is now when the emperor is mentioned.
Therefore, Tang Zhuyun concluded that her father did not know.
The things that even her father didn't know, the Emperor either deliberately concealed, or he was deceived.
In either case, it's always better to avoid trouble.
However, considering Tang Mingfan's feelings, it was a different story, so after much hesitation, she finally told him everything.
She also had selfish considerations. The emperor appreciated her father so much; if he were to die, their Tang Family would no longer be so steadily powerful and arrogant.
"A-Yun, are you telling the truth?" Tang Mingfan's expression immediately changed.