"The reason Father later agreed to your marriage to the Prince of Jin..."
"No, Dad, when did you agree to this?" Tang Zhuyun almost choked on her own saliva, her big eyes wide open. "I didn't agree to this!"
Didn't he previously agree to go to the Emperor to annul the engagement?
"A-Yun," Tang Mingfan said with a bitter smile, "I want to support you for the rest of your life, but I can't."
"And there's my older brother, and Linlin, and I can earn money, I don't need anyone to support me."
Tang Zhuyun humbly: Please don't be kicked out of the house.
"A-Yun, let your father finish," Tang Mingfan said. "I've inquired about the girl from the Duke Meng's Residence... We wanted to arrange a marriage for your brother, but after he heard about it, he, like you, said that Qi was too big for him, so the matter was put on hold. But that girl is really wonderful."
Tang Zhuyun then realized that Meng Yulan and her elder brother had almost crossed paths.
"She won't make things difficult for you as your principal wife," Tang Mingfan said. "Prince of Jin is the Emperor's biological son. As long as he doesn't participate in the struggle for the throne, unless there's a change of dynasty, he can always live a wealthy and leisurely life as a prince."
Moreover, since Prince of Jin was able to accept Tang Zhuyun's past, he was also good to Linlin.
"Father, how do you know he won't participate?"
Tang Zhuyun felt that Prince of Jin was no pushover, and it was hard to guarantee that he wouldn't get involved.
"Because the Emperor gave him the Golden Scale Guard. Those aren't exactly clean organizations; the Emperor wouldn't allow a true crown prince to be involved with such things."
"Wasn't that for the Emperor's use? How is it unclean?"
"Just like those eunuchs, weren't they also employed by the emperor? But nobody respected them," Tang Mingfan patiently explained.
Tang Zhuyun immediately understood. The emperor was being unfair—using people while simultaneously complaining about them.
In other words, the emperor assigned the dirty and tiring work to Prince of Jin, saying to him, "Come, son, go and clean the toilets."
Thinking of this, Tang Zhuyun couldn't help but smile.
"His Majesty's intention is to extricate Prince of Jin from this predicament," Tang Mingfan said with deep emotion. "His Majesty's plan is truly commendable."
"No, isn't the Golden Scale Guard a secret? How could others know about it?"
"I can't say whether others know, but the princes certainly do," Tang Mingfan said.
Tang Zhuyun said that she really doesn't have enough brain cells.
"The same applies to betrothing you to the prince," Tang Mingfan continued, "Because everyone in the court knows I am a loyal subject who will not submit to anyone other than the emperor."
"Oh." So the reason the Prince of Jin couldn't become emperor wasn't her fault, but rather his own father's.
"This is also the Emperor's way of showing me affection," Tang Mingfan said with deep emotion.
Tang Zhuyun: Your intentions are good, but doesn't this matter depend on what the Prince of Jin thinks?
He's had enough of life, insisting on stirring up trouble and getting himself into a mess; he'll end up suffering the consequences.
No, that won't do.
The best course of action is to stay away from danger; we should try to cancel this marriage.
"Father," she remembered something else and asked curiously, "Who is the Prince of Jin's birth mother? How did he end up living among the common people? He doesn't seem like someone who was ever in dire straits."
The Prince of Jin is neither simple nor down-to-earth, humph!
Tang Mingfan said, "A-Yun, this is the Emperor's private matter. I only know that the Emperor is a good Emperor. As for matters of the harem and his children, they do not affect the fact that he is a good Emperor."
Tang Zhuyun translated: The Prince of Jin's origins are not honorable; presumably, his mother's status is very low.
Tang Mingfan then inquired about the Emperor's health. Tang Zhuyun knew he was genuinely concerned and replied, "Don't worry, I'm here for you. How are you feeling lately?"
"Me? I'm perfectly healthy!"
"So you have to believe me, I haven't given you any medicine, just dietary supplements, isn't that much better?" Tang Zhuyun said with a smile.
People who suffer from chronic malnutrition certainly need to supplement their diet with high-protein foods. With fish and meat at every meal, how could their bodies not thrive?
"I never imagined you would have such good fortune; it must be your mother watching over you from the afterlife!"
One, two, three... Tang Zhuyun silently counted to three, and then Tang Mingfan's eyes indeed reddened.
"Father," Tang Zhuyun said with a smile, "We visited Mother today, she must be very happy, maybe she'll even come back with us. If you cry, Mother will feel sorry for you."
Tang Mingfan: "Don't cry, don't cry, I'll go inside and rest."
Go inside and cry secretly...
Tang Zhuyun then told Tang Baixin about Jiang Beihan's situation and couldn't help but curse, "He's got no conscience! If he had made things clear back then, and hadn't wanted to drag Sister Meng down, and it had all been Sister Meng's unrequited love, I wouldn't have said anything to him!"
But after accepting the money and agreeing to wait for each other, what happened in the end?
No, Tang Zhuyun can't think about it anymore; just thinking about it will give her a heart attack.
These kinds of scumbags deserve to be sacrificed; it would be an absolute injustice.
Tang Baixin remained silent.
"Sigh, why didn't you agree when your father wanted to ask you to marry Sister Meng?"
Tang Baixin, "Am I supposed to force her to her death like the prince did?"
Tang Zhuyun: "... Actually, you can't say it like that. The prince is also somewhat wronged in this matter."
She's a reasonable and good child.
"Go tell her," Tang Baixin to himself, "That she should plan for her own future and live a good life with the Prince. If the two of you get along well, I'll feel at ease."
Tang Zhuyun found this statement odd no matter how she listened to it. Trust whom? Her? Or Meng Yulan?
"If only it weren't for the prince's engagement, I could give up on this one and encourage my father to ask a matchmaker to propose marriage for my elder brother," she said tentatively.
Tang Baixin flushed red, and a flash of anger crossed her eyes. "A-Yun, you can't say things like that! If you ruin someone's reputation, how can you ever make amends?"
Oh, she understands!
But when did this reserved older brother start liking Meng Yulan?
Was it just because of that fleeting glimpse he caught of Meng Yulan when she came to find him? Or was it because Meng Yulan came out to stop him from going crazy, and he slapped her, and he couldn't forget her ever since?
In short, she was certain that Tang Baixin had fallen for Meng Yulan.
Unfortunately, Meng Yulan was destined to marry the Prince of Jin of Jin.
Tang Zhuyun couldn't even get rid of her own marriage, let alone dream of helping Meng Yulan break off her engagement.
She felt regret, yet she consoled herself, thinking that marrying the Prince of Jin was probably a good thing.
She always infuriated the Prince of Jin, but Prince of Jin only made a lot of noise and did little, just threatening her a few words.
Thinking about the Prince of Jin's patience with the children, Tang Zhuyun suddenly realized that the Prince of Jin was a good person.
Fine, Meng Yulan marrying him will do, it's just a pity for her silly older brother, who's only ever having a one-sided crush.
Now that she had figured out Tang Baixin's feelings and knew that the matter was impossible, she would definitely avoid mentioning Meng Yulan in the future, and at the same time urge Tang Mingfan to find Tang Baixin a gentle, beautiful, and understanding wife.
Tang Zhuyun naively thought that Meng Yulan's matter was over, little did she know that this was just the beginning.