The Emperor asked Tang Zhuyun to rise, but she stammered, "Your Majesty, there is something else I wish to tell you..."
"Speak."
"Your Majesty, I fear I will need to frequently visit the palace to help you maintain your health; however, Your Majesty surely does not wish for others to know of your condition..."
Otherwise, they wouldn't have kept it a secret for so long.
"What do you want to say?" The Emperor narrowed his eyes.
Tang Zhuyun then realized that when the Prince of Jin squinted, his expression was very similar to that of the Emperor.
"Your Majesty," Tang Zhuyun swallowed hard, "Wouldn't it be inappropriate for me to become a concubine of the Prince of Jin?"
The Emperor certainly didn't want his princes to know about his health condition.
"What, you don't want to follow Prince of Jin?"
"Your Majesty, Qi Da is not a suitable match for me, and I was too foolish and reckless in my youth. I am utterly unworthy of Your Highness."
"Was it because Prince of Jin was so fierce to you that you were frightened?" The Emperor's voice carried a hint of amusement. "Don't be afraid, Tang girl, I'll back you up. If he bullies you, come and tell me, and I'll have him punished."
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
Your Majesty, I've made myself perfectly clear. Are you truly repaying kindness with enmity with the one who saved your life?
Seeing her utterly dejected expression, the Emperor suddenly burst into laughter and said to Tang Mingfan, "Minister Tang, this little girl looks down on my son! Someone, let Prince of Jin in."
The Prince of Jin quickly entered, bowed, and greeted the Emperor.
The emperor pretended to put on a stern face and said, "Kneel down!"
Prince of Jin lifted his robe and knelt down beside Tang Zhuyun, feeling somewhat uneasy, wondering why the Emperor had suddenly made trouble, but his expression remained completely unchanged.
The Emperor said coldly, "Is it an injustice that I bestowed Tang Zhuyun upon you as a concubine?"
The Prince of Jin replied in a steady voice, "Your subject dares not."
"That girl Tang, how did she tell me you bullied her?"
Tang Zhuyun: No, I didn't, don't talk nonsense!
She's clearly being very modest; why is she listing so many of her own shortcomings?
The Emperor is blatantly lying; isn't this just adding fuel to the fire, making Prince of Jin, who already dislikes her, hate her even more?
Prince of Jin: "Your subject knows his mistake and begs for punishment from Your Majesty."
"I doubt Tang girl will be willing to punish you. I'll let you off this time, but if there's a next time, I won't be so lenient."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I have learned your lesson."
Tang Zhuyun wanted to cry but had no tears.
Your Highness, please let me explain. That's not how it happened. Your father is just making things up.
It's true what they say, you can't be a good person; good people don't get good rewards.
And father, what are you doing, grinning like that? Aren't you stupid? Don't you know the Emperor is digging a hole to bury me?
She timidly avoided looking at the Prince of Jin.
The boast of announcing the annulment of the engagement had already been made, and now it's turned into a complaint. Does the Prince of Jin want to chop her up or blow her up?
The Emperor is truly adept at mediating disputes!
"Alright, now follow Tang girl to offer incense to Madam Tang."
Tang Zhuyun: Alone with Prince of Jin? The Emperor wants to kill me!
"Yes."
Tang Zhuyun took Prince of Jin with her to offer incense to her adoptive mother. Watching him bow so formally, she silently thought, "Mother, I'm sorry, but this is an imperial edict. If you're unhappy with this deadpan face, go find the Emperor to settle the score."
When they went out, Prince of Jin went first, and Tang Zhuyun followed behind like a young wife.
Suddenly, Prince of Jin stopped in his tracks, and Tang Zhuyun nearly crashed into him, instinctively asking, "What are you doing?"
The Prince of Jin sneered, "Tell me, how have I bullied you?"
From the moment they met, it was clearly this woman who schemed against him, yet in the end, she turned the tables and accused him.
Tang Zhuyun: "I can explain this. We've grown to loathe each other, so I want to ask the Emperor to annul the engagement..."
"So you're putting all the blame on me? Why don't you say you've been fickle?"
Tang Zhuyun: "I've thought about it, but I can't drag others into this."
The Prince of Jin's face was ashen, his fists clenched tightly beside him.
She even felt wronged! She actually dared to think that way.
He sneered, "What I want to know now is, who do you truly love? Is it Qingfeng, Jiang Beihan, or Linlin's biological father?"
He... he found out!
Tang Zhuyun stared wide-eyed in surprise.
How did you know?
"Everyone in the capital knows you fall in love with every woman you meet!"
Tang Zhuyun thought to herself, Linlin's biological father seemed to be both rich and noble, and perhaps even the Prince of Jin knew him... The circle of powerful and influential people in the capital was too small.
Thinking that she might have to ask Prince of Jin for help to snatch the child, Tang Zhuyun decided to ease the tension.
"Your Highness says I fall in love with every woman I see, but that's not true. I have no improper thoughts about Your Highness, really, absolutely none."
She genuinely wanted to sever ties with him, but the Emperor intervened arbitrarily.
The Prince of Jin's face was as cold as frost, and his voice was as sharp as ice. "Are you reminding me that I am inferior to everyone?"
Tang Zhuyun: "Your Highness, when did you become so insecure? Really, I wanted to ask the Emperor to annul the engagement, I really didn't mean to complain. Sigh. Never mind, you probably wouldn't believe me even if I explained, but don't worry, I will still try my best in this matter."
The Prince of Jin's expression did not soften at all.
Tang Zhuyun: "I'll help you raise your daughter, but I absolutely won't let you raise my son. Believe it or not, I really don't want to marry you and be disliked by you."
Why did Meng Yulan hang herself?
What? Tang Zhuyun was completely bewildered by his abrupt change of topic.
Did Jiang Beihan say something to him, or did the Golden Scale Guard discover something?
But hoping to get the information out of her when she's feeling guilty is wishful thinking.
Tang Zhuyun feigned ignorance. "Isn't it because I don't want to marry the prince? After all, not everyone can withstand setbacks like me."
"You mean, are you tough enough to take a beating?"
Tang Zhuyun: "Your Highness would be best off asking the Emperor's opinion."
She's got her own protection now, who's afraid of who?
Maybe if she cures the emperor's illness, she can eventually trick him into accepting her as a goddaughter, thus becoming a princess without having to marry this scoundrel.
As they had done countless times before, the two parted on bad terms.
After returning home, Tang Zhuyun asked Tang Mingfan, "Father, does the Emperor think I won't talk about his illness, or does he think it doesn't matter if the Prince of Jin knows?"
The emperor gave her no instructions before leaving, which puzzled her.
"Your Majesty is not on guard against Prince of Jin," Tang Mingfan said, stroking his beard.
Tang Zhuyun: "???"
Was Prince of Jin the one the Emperor truly favored? Then she's dead.
"The Prince of Jin cannot become emperor," Tang Mingfan said firmly.
Tang Zhuyun breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help asking, "Why?"
"Because the Emperor gave him the Golden Scale Guard, and also because the Emperor assigned you to him."
Tang Zhuyun was speechless. What? Was she simply immune to the throne? Marrying her would mean being barred from the Prince of Prince of Jin's claim to the throne?