Tang Zhuyun followed the others home and only then did she realize that both little ones had swollen eyes from crying.
Upon seeing her return, the two rushed over, hugged her tightly, and wept bitterly, refusing to let go.
Tang Zhuyun felt a bittersweet sense of satisfaction. She hadn't shed a single tear when she was taken away, but now she felt an urge to burst into tears.
Meng Yulan was also wiping away tears with a handkerchief, but soon, hearing the commotion next door, she secretly went up and tugged at Tang Baixin's sleeve.
Tang Zhuyun happened to notice her subtle movements.
Sister Meng and Brother Meng, is it true that a day apart feels like three autumns?
Tang Baixin followed Meng Yulan to the corner of the wall, where the latter stood on tiptoe and whispered a few words in his ear with a serious expression.
Then Tang Zhuyun noticed that her older brother's expression had changed.
Tang Baixin not only changed his expression, but also invited Tang Mingfan into the house to talk. Then, no one knows what the father and son said, but they hurriedly left together.
Tang Zhuyun was completely bewildered.
What are they going to do?
She comforted the two younger ones. Yanran was alright, but she couldn't take it anymore and fell asleep quickly.
Despite being extremely tired, Linlin refused to sleep, clinging tightly to Tang Zhuyun's sleeve.
"Go to sleep, your aunt won't lose you again."
I'll just stop eating garlic from now on, the more I think about it, the angrier I get!
Linlin finally fell asleep.
Tang Zhuyun asked Xiu'er to help carry them to bed.
After finishing all that, Xiu'er muttered, "Finally, I can talk to you. Miss, how could you lose yourself while buying a head of garlic?"
Tang Zhuyun: "... Let's not talk about this!"
Why bring up something you shouldn't talk about? Isn't that annoying?
"Why did those bandits want to capture you?!" Xiu'er sniffled, her nose red from crying, clearly indignant. "There are plenty of people richer than you on the streets, why did they only target you?"
The implication is that the family is destitute, so even a kidnapping would only result in a small ransom, not a large one!
Tang Zhuyun retorted irritably, "Because I'm beautiful!"
She didn't know how the bandits would handle the situation, nor did she know if the matter would affect Prince of Jin if it escalated, so she deliberately evaded the question.
The scathing commentator remarked, "No matter how beautiful you are, you're still twenty years old. You can't compare to those thirteen or fourteen-year-old girls."
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
She doesn't want this maid anymore!
"Keep a close eye on the child!" Tang Zhuyun said irritably, getting up and pulling Meng Yulan's sleeve to walk out, whispering, "Sister-in-law, what did you and my brother talk about? Where did my father and my brother go?"
Meng Yulan lowered her eyes and whispered, "A-Yun, have you been bullied?"
Tang Zhuyun: "... No, I don't think so."
It seemed a bit like bullying; they mistook a spirited young woman for a man and even stared at her.
Oh dear, where is that person?
She must have been taken back by the Prince of Jin. Are the two of them now locked in a love-hate relationship?
If it's really the kind of relationship she's imagining, wouldn't something R-rated be happening next door right now?
I really want to go online and watch the drama unfold...
Meng Yulan, however, was on a different wavelength. "That's good, but such a high-profile rescue of you might damage your reputation..."
So that's what she was worried about.
Tang Zhuyun felt frustrated thinking about it, but did her predecessor even have a reputation?
Why not just give up and do whatever it takes? Otherwise, what else can I do but die?
"It's alright," she Meng Yulan. "Just say what you want to say. Anyway, I'm back safe and sound. It's just that it might implicate you guys, sigh..."
"A-Yun, what are you saying!" Meng Yulan said, "You yourself are the most important. Listen to me, what I'm most worried about right now is the Prince..."
The Prince of Jin? What are Prince of Jin worried about? He's found his long-lost woman, and she's doing just fine!
Seeing Tang Zhuyun's hopeless state, Meng Yulan became anxious. "A-Yun, your reputation is ruined, do you think the Prince will tolerate you?"
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
Does the dog-like prince really think he can just let her die?
To be fair, the Prince of Jin wasn't that kind of person; he didn't show any intention of wanting to die, otherwise why would he have bothered to save her?
"My father and my elder brother went to find the Prince?" Tang Zhuyun asked belatedly.
"Hmm." Meng Yulan nodded and said solemnly, "A-Yun, I know you've always been carefree and unruly, and you're used to being disrespectful to the Prince. But this matter has a really big impact. Now that Master and Master are going to beg the Prince, you also need to humble yourself and talk to the Prince properly. Even if it's the worst that can happen, you have to coax him into agreeing to let you go home, understand?"
Tang Zhuyun was a little confused.
"As long as Prince of Jin agrees, we can find another way with the Emperor. We can find an excuse later, saying that the Master is unwell and you need to come back to serve him. There are precedents for this, so we can save face for everyone and not tarnish the reputation of the Prince's Mansion."
Meng Yulan was very emotional.
Tang Zhuyun said "Oh," and then said, "Then I'll go take a look first."
The Prince of Jin might be looking forward to catching up with that woman right now; wouldn't he be very unhappy to be disturbed?
Oh dear, Sister Meng, please don't do something wrong with good intentions. Tang Zhuyun thought that Prince of Jin wasn't someone who cared about his reputation.
When it comes to reputation, they're absolutely the same, equally terrible, utterly low-class, and they don't care about it anymore.
Tang Zhuyun ran to the next room.
Song Jingyang was standing at the door. He seemed a little surprised to see her coming, and carefully asked, "Are you alright?"
"Do I look like something's wrong?" Tang Zhuyun asked. "My father and my eldest brother are here?"
"Talking to the prince in the study."
"Okay." Tang Zhuyun tiptoed forward, stood outside the window, and pressed her ear against the window to listen.
Song Jingyang: Miss Tang, do you think I'm dead?
But he didn't move.
Forget it, listen to him. This isn't someone he can beat.
"Your Highness," Tang Mingfan said earnestly, "I am old and need someone to take care of me, so I would like to beg you to release A-Yun."
Just as Sister Meng said...
Tang Baixin to himself, "If Your Highness doesn't want to see A-Yun again in the capital, we'll send A-Yun out of the capital."
The father and son both acted very humbly, which brought tears to Tang Zhuyun's eyes.
Her father and brothers were truly heartbroken over her.
"Come in," the Prince of Jin said coldly.
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
She walked to the door, pushed it open, and went inside.
"What do you intend to do?" the Prince of Jin asked bluntly.
Tang Zhuyun: "I'd like to pretend nothing happened. Does Your Highness think that's acceptable? I'm shameless enough; it's up to Your Highness..."
To be honest, she didn't want to leave Beijing and her family.
While it would be ideal to take this opportunity to get rid of the Prince of Jin, that is clearly unrealistic.
"Nothing ever happened in the first place," the Prince of Jin declared decisively.
Tang Zhuyun: "???"
She saw the same confusion on her father's and brother's faces.
"I went up the mountain to suppress bandits, accompanied only by my beloved concubine, that's all."
Prince of Jin, you are truly a talented individual!
I'm so impressed, I don't even need to lean on the wall.
She still has a lot to learn from the Prince of Jin about how to lie through her teeth.
"I'm hungry. Go and reheat all the dishes I didn't eat yesterday."