Zhou Yunshen was incredulous when he heard what Yun Jinnian said.
He didn’t know if Yun Jinnian truly didn’t understand his feelings or was just pretending not to know. Either way, it made him feel sad.
Now that he had a relationship with Dou Jingjing, even if he didn’t marry her as his principal wife, he had to take her as his concubine.
But if his mother intervened, she would surely want Dou Jingjing as the principal wife and Yun Jinnian as the concubine...
"Jinnian, are you joking?"
"Joking? Why would I joke?" Yun Jinnian asked.
He had a relationship with Dou Jingjing. What did that have to do with her?
She wasn’t very familiar with either him or Dou Jingjing and didn’t want to meddle.
"You..." Zhou Yunshen was immediately enraged.
He didn’t know how to respond.
After taking a deep breath, he said, "What about Jingjing then..."
"I can hardly see Princess Jingjing. I’m afraid I can’t help you, Brother Zhou!"
They had only met once and had no particular friendship. Dou Jingjing was wary of her, and she didn’t like Dou Jingjing.
Zhou Yunshen immediately understood that Yun Jinnian truly didn’t know his feelings and didn’t want to help him.
"Then so be it. I’ll handle it myself!"
Yun Jinnian smiled faintly.
She lightly sipped her tea but saw Xu Xinmo approaching with Yun Musi and Yun Mulan.
The three of them blushed as soon as they saw Zhou Yunshen.
"Cousin (Fourth Sister)!"
All three of them spoke delicately, which made people shiver.
Zhou Yunshen stood up first, cupped his hands, and gave a gentle smile, "Greeting three young ladies!"
Yun Jinnian stood up, "Brother Zhou, these are my cousin and my two younger cousins!"
She then addressed Xu Xinmo and the others, "This is His Highness, the Crown Prince of the Great Zhou Kingdom!"
The three were extremely excited and blushed even more, "Greetings, Your Highness!"
"No need to be so formal!"
After exchanging pleasantries, they all sat down to talk.
Xu Xinmo kept looking for opportunities to speak with Zhou Yunshen, while Yun Musi and Yun Mulan continuously chimed in.
No matter how gentle Zhou Yunshen’s temperament was, seeing Yun Jinnian smile without speaking from beginning to end slightly displeased him. He stood up, "Jinnian, it’s getting late. I will take my leave now!"
Xu Xinmo and the others wanted to persuade him to stay, but Yun Jinnian’s expression kept them silent.
"Very well, I’ll see you out, Brother Zhou!"
Yun Jinnian escorted Zhou Yunshen out of the Princess Residence. Only after watching him get on the carriage and leave did she turn back to the hall.
Xu Xinmo and the other two were chattering away, praising Zhou Yunshen.
Yun Jinnian stood to one side, "Are you done talking?"
"Cousin..." Xu Xinmo ran quickly to Yun Jinnian’s side, "Cousin, is His Highness the Crown Prince married?"
"It doesn’t matter if he’s married or not. Don’t have any wild thoughts unless you want to marry far away, encounter problems, and have no one to help you, calling to the heavens and getting no answer, calling to the earth and getting no response. If you don’t want that, don’t cause trouble with him!"
Hearing this, Xu Xinmo thought for a moment and immediately understood.
"Thank you for the reminder, Cousin!"
Yun Musi and Yun Mulan were not children; they understood some things and quickly thanked Yun Jinnian.
Earlier, they had indeed only thought about Zhou Yunshen being the Crown Prince and hadn’t considered anything else.
Indeed, if they married far away, they wouldn’t even know how they might die.
"Alright, let’s go find Zimo and the others. While we’re at it, let’s check out the garden and also taste the skills of the cooks here at the Princess Residence!"
Zhou Yunshen sat upright and closed his eyes.
"Your Highness?" Teng Fei called softly.
Zhou Yunshen opened his eyes and looked at Teng Fei, "No matter what it takes, make sure Yun Jinnian comes back to the Great Zhou Kingdom with me!"