"Wei Jun," Yanran said with a sly smile, "Is afraid of his mother."
Lang Xuan asked earnestly, "But his mother isn't in Liaodong either, and what did he do?"
Does Yanran have some clues?
"His mother doesn't know, but I can tell her!" Yanran said. "He didn't do anything, but I can write something that makes people speculate. Cui Xiaoqiu is best at this!"
The interpretation of the Spring and Autumn Annals style is flawed and entirely my own fault.
Then Wei Jun will receive a warm greeting from his mother.
Lang Xuan: "..."
Isn't this just fabricating something out of nothing?
But then I thought, Wei Jun was never a good person to begin with, so... he deserved it!
Unfortunately, this was just Yanran's Yanran prank, and she didn't get a glimpse into Wei Jun's inner schemes.
Yanran then seemed to remember something. "Sister-in-law, do you still think Wei Jun is wrong?"
"Hmm," Lang Xuan said honestly, "I just felt he wasn't a good person."
"Haha, he wasn't a good person to begin with."
But as long as they are useful and loyal, that's enough.
Lang Xuan couldn't say whether Wei Jun's loyalty was feigned or that he was prone to fickleness.
Lang Xuan felt bitter inside, but she couldn't say it out loud, so she could only force a smile.
She knew she couldn't say anything more, otherwise she might alert the enemy and attract their attention.
"Princess--"
"Just call me Yanran."
"Then, Yanran," Lang Xuan blushed again and said softly, "What does the Prince like to eat? Can you tell me?"
Yuwen Duo only mentioned tastes and taboos, but he must have had more specific preferences in addition to that.
Yanran rolled her eyes and thought for a while, "My older brother likes to eat roasted meat, especially pork belly with the skin roasted until crispy; he prefers firm meat to soft meat, and doesn't like mushy food..."
Lang Xuan murmured, "No wonder he has a bad stomach; how can he keep eating hard foods?"
Yanran: "Hmm? My older brother has a sensitive stomach? Hahaha, who told you that!"
Isn't this blatant lying?
They were all carefully raised by the Empress Dowager; to say they had poor digestive systems would be an insult to her medical skills.
"The prince himself said so."
Yanran: "..."
That's fine then.
If my older brother is willing to say he's not very bright, that's fine too.
My brother has too many tricks up his sleeve; he's not sincere at all.
You can't live like that.
Look how good Cui Xiaoqiu is; she never plays these superficial games with me.
I suddenly feel a bit sorry for my sister-in-law. How can she possibly outsmart that old fox, my brother?
Meeting Lang Xuan's eager gaze, Yanran awkwardly replied, "That's it."
Lang Xuan: "Then shouldn't we eat something soft and mushy?"
"No, men are all stubborn."
"But what if my body can't take it in the long run?" Lang Xuan asked worriedly.
Yanran: Big brother, this is all I can do to help you.
You dug your own hole, buried yourself, and you probably accept it gladly.
"From now on, it'll be up to you, sister-in-law," Yanran said seriously, "To let my older brother live off her."
Congratulations, brother! You've got all sorts of watery soups and broths; you can keep the meat for yourself.
Lang Xuan: "... It's not like I'm living off a woman."
"It's alright, it's a family tradition; we all like to live off women."
They felt no shame, but rather pride, and wished they could proclaim it to the world.
Lang Xuan was speechless again.
Oh, she must be too stupid.
The two women, aunt and sister-in-law, were chatting casually when Yanran suddenly steered the conversation toward topics unsuitable for children.
"Sister-in-law, did you see Zhao Yingzhu here just now...?"
Yanran gestured in front of her chest, "Tsk tsk!"
Lang Xuan's face turned bluish-purple, and she stammered, "I didn't see anything."
She saw it, but she didn't want to say anything.
I wonder what Zhao Yingzhu ate to grow up like this.
Yanran immediately said, "That's a pity, they're so big and white!"
Lang Xuan: "Cough cough... my throat feels a little sore."
"Haha, my older brother must have stolen your blanket yesterday."
Lang Xuan almost coughed up her lungs.
Be careful when chatting with your sister-in-law; you might accidentally end up on a bad side of things.
"But to be fair, Zhao Yingzhu is beautiful and has a great figure, so her male lovers aren't at a loss," Yanran said, stroking her chin. "She's already had two children, hasn't she?"
Lang Xuan thought for a moment and, based on the timeline from her previous life, realized that Zhao Yingzhu should have recently given birth to her daughter.
"However, my brother made Wei Jun accompany her, so it wasn't a bad thing for her. After Goryeo, Goryeo is a tiny place, and Wei Jun's rank is high enough."
Hmph, she even dares to covet her older brother? She's dreaming!
After speaking for a while, Jiang'er came in and said, "Princess Consort, Princess, Zhao Yingzhu requests an audience."
Lang Xuan was surprised and embarrassed.
Zhao Yingzhu just got out of bed... and now she's here to see me?
She has no shame.
As expected, she's destined for failure because she lacks the thick skin to back it up.
Yanran then leaned close to Lang Xuan's ear and said excitedly, "Does this count as me finding another weakness in Wei Jun? Hahaha, it's too much of a weakness."
Lang Xuan:...
What are you saying?
I don't understand.
"Princess, shall we see her?" Jiang'er asked.
"This is my sister-in-law's territory. Whether or not I can see her, I'll have to ask her," Yanran said.
She felt that Zhao Yingzhu had just gained favor with the emperor and was trying to sow discord between her and her sister-in-law.
If that were the case, she would really like to see Zhao Yingzhu slapped in the face when she finds out the truth.
Lang Xuan was a little nervous, so she straightened her back and unconsciously clasped her hands together.
She and Yanran were sitting facing each other on the couch.
"Then let's meet," Lang Xuan said, and started to put on her embroidered shoes.
Sitting cross-legged opposite her, Yanran calmly said, "Sister-in-law, sit still. You are the principal wife."
Why give her the time of day when people come to protest and can't even get a number in line?
Lang Xuan thought for a moment, then put on her shoes and sat up straight.
She didn't understand what Zhao Yingzhu was there for, but the other party was a country, no less.
What if he later uses the excuse that he wasn't respected here to seek refuge with other forces? Wouldn't that just cause trouble for Yuwen Duo?
As long as Yuwen Duo wasn't slept with by Zhao Yingzhu, Lang Xuan felt that nothing else mattered.
Zhao Yingzhu entered with her maid and gracefully bowed to the two women.
She was already dressed, but the lingering pink blush on her face reminded everyone of the awkward scene that had just occurred.
--It was others who felt awkward; Zhao Yingzhu felt nothing at all.
Lang Xuan stood up to return the greeting.
After all, the other party was the Empress, while she was merely a princess consort; she couldn't act arrogantly.
Yanran lay lazily on the couch, not moving, squinting as she sized up Zhao Yingzhu.
Zhao Yingzhu let her scrutinize her, remaining calm and composed, even with a faint smile on her face.
Lang Xuan gestured for Zhao Yingzhu to sit down.
Zhao Yingzhu smiled and looked at Yanran: "Princess, are you looking at me like that because you have something to say to me? Please enlighten me."
You speak Mandarin quite well.
"I've studied this since elementary school, because I might also be sent to the Central Plains," Zhao Yingzhu said frankly.