Tang Zhuojun: “Huh? Does the Emperor… does he know about what happened at the flower-viewing banquet?”
What kind of nonsense arrangement was that? Damn emperor! If this were the former her, wouldn’t she be camping outside the Court of Judicial Review every day making a fool of herself?
Tang Mingfan grew even more embarrassed and looked to his son for help.
Tang Boxin said, “Someone impeached Father today, saying he didn’t discipline you strictly enough— referring to what happened that day.”
Tang Zhuyun: “…”
Which big-mouthed busybody was so annoying?
“But the Emperor was wise. He didn’t blame Father. Instead, he praised him and said it would be good to let the Prince of Jin follow Father to gain some experience.”
Damn it— that man had arrived!
He clearly wanted to entangle himself with her, yet he lay there pretending to be innocent, waiting for her to go sleep with him. Bah!
“Um, about my earlier guess— did you tell Father?” Tang Zhuojun asked.
“Father already knows,” Tang Boxin said. “You and the Prince of Jin won’t have many chances to meet in the future, so there’s no need to be nervous.”
“I’m not nervous. I just dislike him,” Tang Zhuojun muttered. “Forget it, forget it— let’s not mention annoying people while eating. If I run into him in the future, I’ll just avoid him.”
Seeing that she only showed disdain, with no trace of infatuation, the father and son both let out a sigh of relief.
Tang Mingfan even laughed and said, “The dish from yesterday was good too. Ah-Jun, make it again in the future.”
“It’s too spicy— you can’t eat it all the time, it’ll cause internal heat. Father, big brother, do you think these cold dishes are good? I think this recipe of mine could even be sold for money!”
“Delicious, delicious!” Tang Mingfan said enthusiastically. He glanced at his son again and saw that he was actually smiling, which made him extremely happy.
His son and daughter were finally getting along, the whole family sitting together lively and warm for dinner— he couldn’t be more satisfied.
Linlin was usually quiet, so no one noticed anything unusual.
“Linlin, help me clear the dishes!” Tang Zhuojun called after the meal.
In the evening they still had to heat water for bathing, and there were clothes for three men to wash and press for the next day, so Granny He and Xiu’er were both very busy.
Once in the kitchen, Tang Zhuojun pinched Linlin’s nose. “Hey there— are you mad?”
Linlin turned his head away proudly. “You went back on your word. I hate you!”
“Silly boy. If I said you were sick right now, wouldn’t your father rush out to find a doctor? That would give it away. We’ll wait until tomorrow— when you’re just about to leave, then you’ll get sick. Your father will be in a hurry to go out and will leave you behind.”
Only then did Linlin’s expression soften a little. He lowered his head and said, “I’ve thought it through. I’ll still have to go in the future, otherwise Grandfather and Father will worry. But tomorrow I don’t want to go— just tomorrow.”
Seeing how he clearly didn’t want to go yet still forced himself, Tang Zhuojun felt his maturity was heart-aching.
“Alright. We’ll see later. Tomorrow I’ll take you out to have some fun.”
In fact, Tang Zhuojun felt that both the father and elder brother were good people, but their way of educating might not necessarily be good. For example, after choosing another family’s school for Linlin, they probably focused more on his studies and paid less attention to everything else.
This wasn’t really their fault. Two grown men, both very busy— being able to care for a child to this extent was already rare.
The one who truly deserved criticism was the former her.
She had come to repay the debt, and she would make sure Linlin grew up happy and healthy.