Seeing the patched official robe on Tang Mingfan and the sweat on his forehead reflecting the sunlight, Tang Zhuojun felt deeply moved, and at the same time despised her former self a thousand, no—ten thousand times over.
The three men in her family had protected her so well, yet she herself had been utterly useless.
“Lord Tang,” Ruan Anruo said anxiously, “she brought something dangerous in here— what is she planning to do?”
Tang Zhuojun stepped forward, bowed to Tang Mingfan, then held his arm and said, “Father, let me handle this matter myself.”
Tang Mingfan was panting heavily; it was obvious that he had heard something serious had happened and rushed over directly from the neighboring government office.
He was momentarily stunned— today, his daughter seemed… different somehow.
Tilting her head, Tang Zhuojun looked at Ruan Anruo. “Go on, tell me— what dangerous thing did I bring in?”
Ruan Anruo said, “ an aphrodisiac drug! It is in your pouch! You said you wanted to scheme against the Prince. You even said that the Prince isn’t someone you can’t aspire to— doesn’t he have a daughter too? It’s not even his first marriage…”
That really was what Tang Zhuojun’s former self had thought.
Even though she had an illegitimate child, wasn’t it unknown who had given birth to the Prince of Jin’s daughter? Weren’t the two of them equally improper— perfectly matched in that sense?
The Prince of Jin’s face darkened, like a gigantic air conditioner blasting out waves of cold air.
If looks could kill, Tang Zhuojun would probably have been torn to pieces by now.
Tang Zhuojun put on a look of astonishment. “Have you been reading too many plays, or are you having some kind of delusion? With my family’s circumstances, would I dare scheme against the Prince of Jin? The Tang household only keeps one maid and one old woman to guard the gate, while the Prince of Jin has dozens of attendants around him. What right do I have to scheme against him?”
“You’ve done things like this before.”
“And you used to wet the bed!” Tang Zhuojun sneered.
Being confronted with such crude words in public, Ruan Anruo flushed red with anger. “You’re just feeling guilty.”
“I’m feeling guilty?” Tang Zhuojun said. “I’m sparing you from being unable to save face.” She took the pouch from her waist, reached inside and pinched out a bit of fine powder, then, before everyone’s eyes, put it to her mouth and tasted it. “Sugar powder. Want to try some?”
“Impossible!”
“That’s enough!” the Eldest Princess shouted angrily. “A dignified official’s daughter, making such a scene— have you no sense of propriety left? Guards, drive the two of them out! From now on, they are not allowed to enter the Princess’s residence again!”
“Your Highness, please listen to my explanation…” Ruan Anruo panicked. She still wanted to cling to the Eldest Princess’s golden thigh— this was the Emperor’s most respected elder sister!
Tang Zhuojun, on the other hand, couldn’t wait to leave immediately. She called to the three men in her family, “Father, Brother, Linlin, let’s go home.”
Tang Boxin shot her a glare— the Princess and the Prince of Jin hadn’t even left yet, so where did she think they were going?
Tang Zhuojun, however, felt inexplicably confused. Thinking that Tang Boxin was still angry with her, she didn’t dare say another word.
The Prince of Jin took a long, deep look at Tang Zhuojun, then left together with the Eldest Princess.
Tang Mingfan spoke up, “Let’s go home first. We’ll talk about everything once we’re back.”
With her head lowered like an eggplant struck by frost, Tang Zhuojun followed the three men home.
The Tang residence was a dilapidated two-courtyard compound, extremely simple. Tang Mingfan lived in the main house; Tang Zhuojun stayed in the side annex; Tang Boxin lived in the east wing with Linlin; and the gatekeeper, Old Madam He, lived in the west wing with her daughter, Xiu’er.
Old Madam He and her daughter were destitute and had no one to rely on. After a lawsuit some time ago, they had been left homeless and were taken in by Tang Mingfan.
Though not very knowledgeable, the mother and daughter were diligent and loyal, keeping the household very clean.
In this family, aside from Tang Zhuojun, everyone from top to bottom was reliable— the only problem was that the house was utterly bare.
When Tang Mingfan returned home, he seemed to have aged more than ten years. His back was no longer straight, and he slumped into a chair, gasping for breath.
Tang Zhuojun vaguely sensed that her father’s heart and lungs were not in very good shape.
Tang Boxin said, “Hand over that filthy drug!”