"Come here, let Mommy hold you." Xiu'er felt sorry for Linlin and took Guagua from her.
Guagua looked very unwilling.
She prefers older brothers!
At this moment, Wuji urinated, soiling Linlin's clothes through her diaper.
Linlin smiled and went to change her clothes, which made Guagua a little happier.
--Luckily, the smelly pee didn't get on her; Mom smells nice.
While Linlin went back to change her clothes, Tang Zhuyun said, "Linlin is growing so fast! I think she'll be taller than me in another year or two."
"That's right, she'll be ten or eleven soon!" Xiu'er said. "If she were a girl, she'd already be starting to think about marriage."
Tang Zhuyun: "... Are you reminding me that I should start thinking about Yanran's marriage?"
"Your Highness, what are you thinking?" Xiu'er rolled her eyes. "Do you think there's any room for discussion regarding Yanran's marriage?"
Tang Zhuyun was unhappy.
What, are you saying Yanran will never get married?
Even if she chooses not to marry, her daughter will surely be sought after by countless families!
Xiu'er: "Even if ten thousand families beg, it won't stop Cui Xiaoqiu... What's that saying again? One man can hold the pass against ten thousand!"
Tang Zhuyun: "... That was just when we were kids playing together, don't take it seriously."
"Yes, we can't take childhood stories too seriously, but soon, Yanran be eleven and Cui Xiaoqiu will be thirteen!"
Your Majesty, please wake up!
This matter is almost certainly true.
Tang Zhuyun: I don't believe it.
It's not that Cui Xiaoqiu is bad, but they are still just kids.
What if I meet my true love in the future?
It's not necessarily true that Cui Xiaoqiu changed her mind; what if Yanran met someone more suitable?
Xiu'er hummed and said, "Then let's just live year by year, we've been together for several years now anyway."
Tang Zhuyun thought about it and realized that it was indeed true.
She thought about it seriously again, "No, Xiu'er, I still don't agree."
"Your Majesty, Cui Xiaoqiu will win your approval."
"No," Tang Zhuyun said, her resolve unwavering.
Cui Xiaoqiu is indeed an outstanding child, but her family is a hindrance.
The Cui Family, a distinguished family with a century-long history, had too many rules that were too restrictive.
Moreover, Madam Cui is really not a very sensible person.
Men are important, but mothers-in-law are even more important.
You have to check out the pigpen before you buy a pig!
The Cui Family won't do.
Tang Zhuyun felt that she should guide Yanran a little later, because it's not good to be near someone's home.
Falling in love can easily cloud judgment, but the long and tedious life after marriage is what truly sets it apart.
Putting everything else aside, how could a child raised in the Prince's mansion, so proud and free, be subjected to strict rules by the Cui Family family's mother-in-law, forced to serve others with bowls and chopsticks?
Tang Zhuyun felt like vomiting just thinking about it.
No, absolutely not.
Hearing her say this, Xiu'er said, "Your Highness, this matter depends on the Prince. Otherwise, why do you think Cui Xiaoqiu insisted on forcing the Cui Family to tie themselves to the Prince and help him?"
"Um?"
"The prince has taken that position," Xiu'er pointed to the sky, "What is Yanran's identity?"
A princess, and a one-of-a-kind princess at that.
Who would dare to have a princess serve them meals?
I've never heard of a family that dares to set rules for a princess.
Tang Zhuyun understood immediately.
How do these people's Zidu work? They're all so convoluted and twisty!
The key question is, how old is Cui Xiaoqiu?
Tang Zhuyun suddenly felt that she had been eating for nothing all these years, and was simply an idiot.
How has she managed to survive until now?
I guess it's just my luck.
Just then, Mingzhu entered.
She wore a simple, faded crimson jacket that was about 60-70% new, and her hair was adorned with only a silver hairpin and a wooden hairpin; she wore no makeup.
Even so, she outshone everyone else upon entering.
--Beautiful women have their own aura.
Xiu'er asked, "Where did you go?"
Mingzhu smiled and said, "I just took some people to tidy up Linlin's room. We just finished and she changed her clothes before coming over."
"You're dressed too casually," Tang Zhuyun said. "After becoming a housekeeper, you're reluctant to spend money on yourself?"
Mingzhu joked, "That way, no one will want me, and I can stay at home forever without having to go out."
Xiu'er pouted, "Even if you smear soot all over your face, there will still be people eyeing your heart and soul every day."
Mingzhu turned her head to tease Wuji, pretending not to hear.
A few days ago, she accidentally saw a maid from the Prince's Mansion delivering a purse to Wu Zhenhai.
That wasn't a big deal, but when Wu Zhenhai saw her, he hurriedly came over to explain.
Mingzhu: "..."
She thought that only if either she or Wu Zhenhai got married could this matter be truly resolved.
She didn't want to fall into a trap and hoped Wu Zhenhai would realize it quickly.
He's getting on in years; if he doesn't get married soon, how many more years can he drift along like this?
She subtly advised him, with good intentions, to cherish his time.
Wu Zhenhai, however, "misunderstood" her meaning and sneered, "In the end, you still think I'm too old."
Then he turned and left.
Mingzhu remained silent.
Isn't he already quite old?
He's old enough to be her father, doesn't he have any self-awareness?
She thought Wu Zhenhai had suffered a blow and wouldn't be able to come again, but to her surprise, he didn't even wait until the next day; he came again that afternoon and blocked her at the door.
"Yes, back then you were seventeen and I was thirty-four, twice your age, so the gap seemed huge. But now you're twenty and I'm still in my thirties; and when you're seventy and I'm in my eighties, aren't we both just old men and women?"
Mingzhu was speechless.
Then Wu Zhenhai left, left...
He won, then turned and left.
When Mingzhu first changed her identity, Wu Zhenhai felt so guilty that he wished he could worship her.
Now it seems that the two of them have both moved on from that unpleasant past, and can face each other calmly, and even banter with each other.
--It would be even better if he didn't want to marry me.
Linlin returned, and so did the Great Confucian Scholar Kong.
Linlin planned to go and see her senior brother Xiyou, but found him talking to a tall and handsome man.
"Linlin, you're back." Xiyou was delighted to see Linlin. "You've grown taller. Come, Ziyan, this is the eldest son of the Prince's Mansion. Linlin, this is Wen Heng."
Wen Heng greeted Linlin, and Linlin returned the greeting with a smile.
The group went inside to see the Great Confucian Scholar Kong. Xiyou smiled and said, "We were just saying that the Emperor might summon the Prince back to the capital. Linlin, what do you think?"
Linlin said, "Once the situation with the Northern Yi is reached, and the Crown Prince achieves two more great victories, it should be about time."
While it may not be a case of "the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked," the Zhou Family, this cancerous tumor, has been eradicated. If the Northern Yi become obedient again, the Emperor will have to consider regaining military power.
Linlin was not familiar with Wen Heng and did not investigate further, but silently observed him from his words and actions.
After observing him for a while, he felt that although Wen Heng came from a poor background, he was neither arrogant nor humble, and had his own profound thoughts.
Regarding the governance of the world, he did not resort to empty rhetoric but focused on the details, which is truly rare.
People who grow up with a silver spoon in their mouth, no matter how compassionate they are, cannot imagine the plight of the poor and needy at the bottom of society.
Only someone like Wen Heng could say that poverty is wealth.