Ch. 1411..1420
Chapter 1411: 1410 a foreigner
The queen consort said angrily, “You’re talking nonsense, that’s not what I meant at all!”
Tan Rou laughed, “Then why are you stopping me? You even said you’d throw me in jail. Could it be that Prince Busodi has given you the confidence to imprison the King’s and Princess’s guest?”
The guard next to them, seeing that Tan Rou and Princess Monica had started arguing, quickly said, “Miss Rou, you should apologize to Princess Monica. If Prince Busodi finds out about what happened today, you’ll definitely be punished.”
Tan Rou scoffed, “I am a guest invited by the King. You show disrespect to the King’s guest; could it be that you have a problem with His Majesty the King? Moreover, what wrong have I done? Did I insult this princess, or did I hit her?”
The princess’s maidservant said, “Didn’t you see that Princess Monica arrived? Everyone was paying their respects to her, why didn’t you, and why were you walking ahead of her?”
Tan Rou really wanted to laugh; she had just been thinking about why the princess was troubling her. Could it really be that the princess’s husband wanted to be King?
But now that she knew the real reason, Tan Rou could hardly hold back her smile. “Just because of that reason? Princess, I think your idea is wrong. Just look around, this is the only road here, and lots of people pass through here every day, making it dirty. How can you walk on such a dirty road?”
The princess actually took Tan Rou’s words seriously; she looked at the surrounding walls and road, then suddenly said, “She’s right, how could I possibly walk on such a road?”
Tan Rou continued, “Moreover, there is only one door here, through which all the guards and maidservants, gardeners, and drivers must pass. And now, honorable Princess, do you really want to use the same door as these people?”
The princess, looking disgusted, said, “No, I cannot use this door; I am the noble Princess Monica, how can I use the same door as others? No, you must build a new door for me now, and a new road; I want to walk through there.”
The guards looked at each other, unsure how to solve the problem raised by the princess.
Just then, a familiar voice rose behind Tan Rou, and she heard him say, “If Princess Monica doesn’t want to use this door, then she should go back. After all, today’s poetry gathering won’t miss one princess.”
The princess asked, “Laka, is that how you speak to your elders?”
Laka said sarcastically, “Princess, you’re even younger than I am. How can you presume to be my elder?”
At first, Tan Rou thought that the princess seemed young because she kept herself well, only to realize that she was indeed young. Laka was around twenty-two or twenty-three, and if the princess was younger than Laka, she would be around twenty. Hearing that Prince Busodi was nearly fifty, he could almost be the princess’s father.
The princess seemed very annoyed when others talked about the age difference between her and Prince Busodi. Upon hearing Laka’s mockery, she immediately retorted, “No matter what, I am your elder, and you should call me ‘aunt’.”
“Dream on; in my heart, you will always be an outsider, and I will never acknowledge your status!” Laka was very straightforward; he disliked the princess, so he always opposed her whenever they met.
“I am the prince’s wife, your ‘aunt,’ and disrespecting me is disrespecting Prince Busodi!” The princess said angrily.
“I… I haven’t disrespected Uncle…” Just as Laka was struggling, Lin Yu suddenly appeared.
He had just arrived from outside and had seen a crowd gathering, then heard the conversation between Laka and the princess.
“Noble Princess Monica, before you stands the most distinguished son of the King of Kingdom of Amorlande, the second most distinguished person in this country,” Lin Yu said with a laugh. “Even though Prince Busodi is Prince Laka’s uncle, his status hardly seems more distinguished than that of the prince, does it?”
“It’s you again!” Princess Monica said through clenched teeth. “No foreigners are allowed to speak here; shut your mouth!”
Lin Yu said, “I am Prince Laka’s exclusive translator, and I only take orders from him. If the prince tells me to shut up, then I’ll shut up.”
Chapter 1412: You’re done, 1411
Laka immediately said, “Lin represents me, and what he says is what I want to say.”
Lin Yu chuckled lightly, “Princess Monica, if you feel your status is higher than His Royal Highness the Prince, then please continue. However, I won’t listen since I follow the orders of His Majesty the King and the Prince, not the orders of a princess.”
Monica was furious to death, but since Busodi wasn’t there, and she couldn’t bother Busodi about them, she had to endure it.
“So, you all are bullying me, aren’t you?” Monica scanned the room and then said viciously, “I will go to His Majesty the King and tell him that you, a child, have no respect for me. You don’t only prevent me from entering the palace, but you also summon many foreigners to trouble me. Too many foreigners in this country will sooner or later seize our power.”
“Don’t include me,” Tan Rou said. “I was hired by your king to conduct research, and when my vacation is over, I will leave. As for the power you mentioned, I have no interest in it.”
It’s really a ridiculous statement. Is Princess Monica also a frog at the bottom of a well? Can she only see the sky above her well and the small piece of land at the bottom? Would someone who can conduct research in another country do poorly in their own country?
Tan Rou and Lin Yu both come from families with status back home, they hardly covet the slight power of J country. Moreover, everything here is inconvenient; they would be foolish to stay here all the time.
Lin Yu still had a smile on his face, “Princess, not everyone covets power, at least Miss Tan Rou and I do not. If we coveted His Majesty the King’s power, would His Majesty still keep us in the palace? On the other hand, it seems that Your Highness the Princess and His Royal Highness might have different intentions …”
He chuckled again, but didn’t finish his sentence.
Everyone around started guessing, considering how imperious Princess Monica was, always putting on a grander show than the princess and the prince, could it be that she wanted to be the queen? Her intentions must align with those of Prince Busodi, who apparently has long been eyeing the throne.
Monica was so angry that her face turned red, and she charged at Lin Yu intending to hit him, “You’re just a foreign servant employed by the king, what right do you have to speak here?”
Lin Yu didn’t plan to dodge; he stood there letting Monica hit him, because as soon as Monica hit him, he could fake an injury to extort money from her.
Just as Monica’s slap was about to hit Lin Yu’s face, Laka suddenly appeared. He slightly crouched and firmly received a slap from Monica.
Everyone was stunned, including Monica herself, who was so shocked she couldn’t utter a complete sentence, “I … I … It wasn’t on purpose …”
“Oh…” Tan Rou enjoyed the drama, “You are done for, just now you hit Prince Laka, looks like you are going to jail.” After saying that, she didn’t forget to ask Lin Yu, “Mr. Lin, if someone hits the Prince, should they be imprisoned?”
Lin Yu cleared his throat and answered, “According to the laws of J country, assaulting a royal family member should result in a sentence of no less than three years and no more than ten years.”
Tan Rou revealed a smile, “Your Highness the Princess, looks like you’re off to jail.”
Monica defended herself, “I didn’t hit him, he came closer on his own, and besides, I’m his aunt … we are family!”
“In our country, there is an old saying, ‘Even close brothers settle accounts,’ royal authority supersedes family ties, so since you hit the Prince, you are finished,” Tan Rou continued.
Monica quickly grabbed Laka’s arm and said, “Laka, I didn’t mean to hit you just now, you suddenly ran out, so I ended up hitting you.”
Laka said, “You hitting my friend is like hitting me. Lin is my good friend and also my mentor. By disrespecting him, you disrespect me. And also Miss Tan Rou, she is a guest invited by His Majesty the King, disrespecting her is disrespecting His Majesty. You can explain today’s events to His Majesty the King yourself.”
Princess Monica felt extremely unlucky; she had come just to attend a gathering, how could she have stirred up such a big trouble? And worst of all, Busodi wasn’t here, if he were, he would never let her be bullied.
Chapter 1413: Gossip of the Royal Family in 1412
A group of people stood at the entrance of the royal palace causing a commotion, which attracted many passersby to watch; they did not get too close, just watched from afar.
Tan Rou felt like a monkey on display in a zoo, so she took her sunglasses out of her bag and put them on, both to block the sun and to prevent others from remembering her face.
Just then, an elderly gentleman emerged from inside the royal palace. He looked at the crowd and then said, “His Majesty the King requests your presence; please, come with me.”
Tan Rou had never seen this gentleman before, but since he could relay messages from the King, his status must have been very high indeed.
Sure enough, Laka and Lindu showed him great respect; they nodded to him, then proceeded toward the royal palace.
The elderly man smiled at Tan Rou, “Miss Rou, the King and the princess have been waiting for you for a long time; please, come with me.”
Tan Rou glanced towards Princess Monica, and said, “If it weren’t for someone blocking me, I would have met with the King much earlier.”
The elderly man knew whom she was referring to and smiled, “Miss Rou, my apologies for today’s incident; we did not consider things thoroughly, which caused you distress. Rest assured, His Majesty the King will definitely provide you with an explanation.”
Tan Rou nodded slightly, “Yes, lead the way.”
The guard who was responsible for leading the way immediately came forward and said reverently to Tan Rou, “Miss Rou, after you!”
After everyone had left, only the scheming princess remained. The elderly gentleman approached Princess Monica and said with a half-smile, “Respected Princess Monica, His Majesty the King wishes to speak with you.”
Monica swallowed before asking, “The King… what does His Majesty want to speak to me about?”
The elderly man replied, “His Majesty said that Prince Busodi feels quite lonely surveying the mine area by himself; if the princess misses him, she might consider joining him there.”
Monica, unwilling to go to such a dirty and chaotic place, said, “I will wait for the prince in the royal city.”
The elderly man stepped aside, “Your Highness, please come with me; the King and the princess are waiting for you.”
“Fine, I’m coming.” Now Monica no longer minded that the road was dirty; she walked directly on the sandy ground, without even using an umbrella.
Meanwhile, Tan Rou followed the guard inside the royal palace, and when they reached a fork in the road, she saw a familiar face waiting for her there.
“Miss Rou, we meet again.” Lin Yu greeted her with a smile, though he did not use the language of Country J.
Hearing him speak his native tongue, Tan Rou was still a bit unaccustomed, “I think your Mandarin isn’t as good as your J language.”
“Hahaha,” Lin Yu laughed and said, “I need to spend more time back home; otherwise, I’ll forget how to speak my native language.”
Others were still following them, so Tan Rou did not speak loudly. She leaned closer to Lin Yu and asked, “Are you here to tell me something?”
Lin Yu made a gesture and said, “As expected of Miss Rou, so clever. I haven’t even said it, but you already knew.”
Tan Rou said, “Stop wasting words and just speak quickly.”
Lin Yu then spoke in J language to the guard, “His Majesty the King has sent me to escort Miss Rou; you can return to your duty.”
Lin Yu’s words were authoritative, and the guard did not doubt them, promptly leaving.
With him gone, Tan Rou and Lin Yu no longer needed to be cautious about their conversation; they could say whatever they wanted.
“I wanted to talk to you about Princess Monica and her husband’s situation,” Lin Yu initiated.
Tan Rou nodded slightly, “Does that princess have a high status in J country?”
Lin Yu pondered, “How should I put it? Her status is not the highest, but her husband’s status is quite high; ten years ago, the King had even considered making Prince Busodi the Crown Prince, that is, the next King.”
“What?” Tan Rou again experienced one of many surprises since she arrived in J country; it seemed like every moment there was a wild new revelation overturning her worldview, “Doesn’t the King have a son? Why then consider making a cousin the Crown Prince?”
Lin Yu answered, “Because the King has only one son, and this Prince is really not very clever; so, the King needs a smarter successor.”
Chapter 1414: 1413 the next King
“The King’s wife has already passed away, and logically, the King could remarry and take a new queen,” Tan Rou analyzed. “Moreover, the King is still young, so it’s not impossible for him to have another son. And if the King lives till eighty, over twenty years would be enough to raise a successor.”
“The King loved his wife very much, so after she died, he didn’t marry another woman. Instead, he devoted all his efforts to raising his and the Queen’s only child,” Lin Yu said with a hint of regret. “Laka is a kind person, but he isn’t smart enough, nor does he have the courage. No matter how the King trains him, he just can’t become a suitable Crown Prince.”
Tan Rou was surprised to learn the King was such a devoted lover; it was unexpected in today’s society where many people choose to remarry after the death of their partner. Yet, as the King, he had remained faithful to his love, which was truly rare.
“Ten years ago, the King had the idea of making his cousin the Crown Prince, but later he dismissed this thought.”
Lin Yu continued, “Perhaps before this idea came up, Prince Busodi had a very good relationship with the King. But he is also a royal and hopes to gain maximum power. Power was close within his reach, yet it was taken by someone else. If it were you, would you be content?”
Tan Rou would never let her belongings be taken away, otherwise she wouldn’t have gone through such trouble to find medicine for her grandfather.
“I definitely wouldn’t be content,” Tan Rou said, curious about the King’s change of heart. “But what I’m more interested in is why the King dismissed the idea.”
Lin Yu answered, “Because Princess Samiyi became pregnant.”
Tan Rou was startled, “You know about her having a child?”
“Eh?” Lin Yu replied in surprise. “How do you know about her having a child? That should be a secret, right? Even within the royal city, there are not many who know. You’ve just arrived in this country; how did you find out she had a child?”
Tan Rou hesitated. She wasn’t sure if Lin Yu could be trusted. If Lin Yu was someone close to the King, then revealing where Agira was could cause problems for Agira and Kas.
Tan Rou didn’t care about what happened to Kas, but she did like the child, Agira. He was smart and brave, and she didn’t want to see such a good child get hurt again.
“Are you aware of where Agira is?” Lin Yu asked. “Is he still within the royal city?”
“He isn’t,” Tan Rou immediately replied. “I encountered him at an international airport, he stole my things, and as it happened I could understand the language of this country. When I scolded him, he said he was the son of the princess of this country. I didn’t believe him, so I sent him to the police station.”
Lin Yu breathed a sigh of relief, “As long as he’s alive, that’s good. Give me the address later, and I’ll send people to pick him up.”
Tan Rou asked warily, “Whose side are you on?”
Lin Yu was taken aback, then responded with a smile, “I’ve said before, I stand with Laka. Agira is Laka’s most important younger brother, so I will definitely protect Agira. Once we find him, I’ll have my brother personally bring him back to the country. We can discuss the rest later.”
Tan Rou nodded, but she still didn’t reveal the truth to Lin Yu. She would wait and talk to the princess later—if Lin Yu aligned with the princess, the princess would surely tell Lin Yu.
“Where were we?” Lin Yu recollected, “Oh, we were talking about Princess Samiyi and little Prince Agira. Princess Samiyi gave birth to little Prince Agira, and the King was pleased, especially since Agira is a boy. If Agira turns out to be smart, then the King might even appoint him as the Crown Prince.”
“Prince Busodi didn’t say anything openly but has held a grudge against the two young princes from the start,” Lin Yu said. “Both Prince Laka and Princess Samiyi feel that His Majesty the King doesn’t like little Prince Agira. But in my opinion, His Majesty the King is actually very fond of Agira; it’s just that he can’t show his affection for Agira.”
Tan Rou could almost understand the King’s perspective, but there was a strange feeling about it—why would the King fear a prince?
“Is it because Prince Busodi has some kind of leverage over the King? Otherwise, why would the King tolerate him?” Tan Rou asked.
Lin Yu wasn’t sure either. He could only say, “We don’t know the King’s secrets, but I suspect that Prince Busodi knows them.”
Chapter 1415: 1414 curiosity attack
Tan Rou’s mind immediately conjured a grand drama. The King had done something he shouldn’t have, something he couldn’t let others discover. But the Prince found out about it and used the information to threaten the King. The King didn’t want to compromise, yet he couldn’t ignore the Prince either, which led to the current situation.
“You’ve almost told me everything about Prince Busodi and the King’s issue, now tell me about that young Queen’s story,” Tan Rou urged, “She mustn’t be the Prince’s first wife, right?”
Lin Yu was well-versed in the J Kingdom’s royal family’s internal stories, and he briefly introduced the story of Prince Busodi and the current Queen.
It turned out Prince Busodi had previously had three Queens; his first wife died shortly after their marriage due to illness, the second Queen died in childbirth, leaving behind a daughter, and the third Queen lived with the Prince for some years without having children and died mysteriously in the end.
It was said within the country that Prince Busodi was cursed with bad luck in wives, and no one wanted to marry him. It was not until a ball, that Prince Busodi met the young Monica, they fell in love at first sight and then got married.
A year later, Monica bore Prince Busodi a pair of twin sons and afterward, she became even more favored by the Prince. He was like a man under her spell, doing whatever she said.
To maintain the favor of this domineering and arrogant Queen, Prince Busodi often disagreed with the King, leading many to speculate that Prince Busodi planned to replace the King.
Although he hadn’t made a move yet, his indulgence of the Queen’s behavior showed little respect for the King.
“Everyone wants their own son to become the King. The current King thinks so, and Prince Busodi thinks so too,” Lin Yu said, “You’ll see, Prince Busodi will stage a coup sooner or later.”
Tan Rou’s curiosity was piqued by Lin Yu, “What secret does the King have that is held in Prince Busodi’s grip?”
“Who knows?” Lin Yu said, “If you’re interested, you could look into it.”
Tan Rou really wanted to investigate, but now wasn’t the right time. She would ask around after finishing her business.
There were many routes to the party venue, but the one Tan Rou and her company were on was the shortest, so it was the path most people took. Tan Rou had been leading the way, but as she slowed down to talk to Lin Yu, they were caught up by Queen Monica.
Queen Monica still had that angry expression, but this time she didn’t dare to trouble Tan Rou, instead, she quickened her pace to pass ahead of them.
Watching her back, Tan Rou asked with a laugh, “Hey, do you think she can write poetry?”
“Of course not!” Lin Yu gave her a definitive answer, “Everyone in J country knows that Queen Monica is illiterate, someone who can’t even distinguish A from B from C from D, so do you think she could write poetry?”
“Illiterate?” Tan Rou wondered aloud, “She doesn’t seem very bright, but she can’t be that incapable of distinguishing A, B, C, D, right?”
Lin Yu’s previous statement was an exaggeration, so he adjusted his wording, “It’s not that she can’t recognize A, B, C, D, but she never graduated high school, so the people of J country mock her privately as being illiterate.”
“How could Prince Busodi choose someone like her to be a Queen?” Tan Rou really couldn’t understand, “Just because she is pretty?”
“Let me tell you something interesting,” Lin Yu whispered, “Queen Monica comes from a very ordinary background, both her parents were factory workers at a yarn mill, and by all logic, she shouldn’t have been able to enter an exclusive ball. However, on that day, she met Prince Busodi at a noble ball.”
“Heh, this story gets even more interesting,” Tan Rou said, rubbing her chin, “Before I go back, I want to know more interesting things. If Mr. Lin has any news, remember to tell me. As for the reward…”
She smiled, “Isn’t Mr. Lin looking to collaborate? I can agree to do business with Prince Laka, provided that Prince Laka can become King. Then I can represent my company to sign a permanent contract. As long as TR exists, then TR will always do business with Prince Laka.”
Chapter 1416: Embarrassed in front of a crowd at 1415
“Miss Rou is indeed a strong-willed person; I was not wrong about you,” Lin Yu was very pleased. “As long as Miss Rou is willing to cooperate with Prince Laka, TR’s development in Country J will no longer face obstacles.”
Miss Rou smiled faintly, “Pleasure to cooperate.”
Actually, she wasn’t truly eager to know the stories of Country J’s royal family. No amount of curiosity could compel her to entangle TR in it; the reason she made such a request was that she relished a challenge.
If she could witness a major internal conflict within the royal family, then her trip here was worthwhile.
Having delayed some time, they both quickened their pace, and by the time they arrived, everyone else was already there.
The King sat in the high seat, Princess Samiyi on his left, Prince Laka to his right, and the haughty Queen Monica seated next to Princess Samiyi.
Once Miss Rou and the others were seated, the King began to speak, “I hear that in Country C, everyone is a poet, so today’s distinguished guests, please do not be modest and show off your talents to the fullest.”
Miss Rou had no idea where this rumor originated — something about everyone in Country C being martial arts masters, and that Country C was filled with gold… Who was spreading such rumors anyway?
“I am not very eloquent nor can I write poetry. Mr. Lin and I are from the same place; he is very articulate. Your Majesty, perhaps you should ask him,” Miss Rou modestly stated.
The King had not yet spoken when Queen Monica could not wait any longer; she started by contradicting Miss Rou right away, “His Majesty has invited you here to write poetry. If you can’t, then quickly vacate your seat and don’t just sit here.”
Miss Rou, not one to be outdone, replied, “Your Highness the Queen, are you skilled at poetry? Then let me ask you about a poem, and you can tell me whether it’s good or not. The title of the poem is ABCD…”
Before Miss Rou could finish the title, Queen Monica jumped up, “Dare you mock me?”
Miss Rou feigned innocence, “What are you talking about? When did I mock you?”
Queen Monica prepared to leave her seat to settle the score with Miss Rou, who also readied herself; if Queen Monica dared come over, she was ready to embarrass her in front of everyone.
But the King stopped them, angrily stating, “Have you forgotten where you are?”
Queen Monica instantly backed down, grinding her teeth in fury, “You just wait!”
“I am waiting,” Miss Rou provoked, “As long as the Queen dares to come over, I will be waiting.”
How could Queen Monica tolerate such provocation from Miss Rou? She suddenly lunged forward, “You dare laugh at me? I must teach you a lesson today!”
It had been a long while since anyone had dared to teach Miss Rou a lesson; those who had tried had all met with terrible outcomes, and Queen Monica was not going to be an exception.
The people around Queen Monica were too slow to stop her. The furious queen charged at the foreign woman and raised her hand to slap her.
The foreign woman did not dodge; she simply sat in her seat, slightly tilting her chin upward with a slight smile, then her hand moved swiftly.
No one knew what she had done, but by the time everyone realized, Queen Monica was already lying on the ground, rolling around and laughing as if she were mad.
Miss Rou, laughing, said, “Your Highness, what’s making you so happy? Could you share it with us?”
Queen Monica was too busy laughing to respond to Miss Rou.
Her maids rushed over to help her up, but Queen Monica was too erratic to be helped up.
Miss Rou also left her seat, saying warmly, “The ground is so dirty, and our noble Queen loves cleanliness. How can she roll on the ground like this?”
As Miss Rou went to assist Queen Monica, the queen did not get up, and her several maids also ended up lying on the ground, acting mad.
Miss Rou quickly stepped back, “Oh dear, could it be an illness? Is this epilepsy? Should we call a doctor?”
“Hahaha…” Queen Monica laughed wildly while scolding Miss Rou, “You little bitch, you dared to poison me, hahaha… I will kill you… hahaha…”
Miss Rou couldn’t help but laugh, “Your Highness, I didn’t prepare the food; how could I possibly poison you?”
Chapter 1417: You threaten me
From the time Tan Rou entered the venue to Monica losing her sanity, it had not been more than 15 minutes, and all the food on the table was from the palace. Tan Rou’s bag had been checked already, and apart from some sunscreen, there was nothing else in it.
Hence, she had no opportunity to poison Monica. Moreover, Monica hadn’t eaten anything given by Tan Rou, so how could Tan Rou have had the chance to poison Monica?
“You wicked foreigner,” Monica said, laughing, “you must have used the witchcraft of your country! Quickly release me from the magic, or I will never let you off!”
Tan Rou rolled her eyes and said, “I’m sorry, but people from our country do not practice magic, and I haven’t cast any on you. You might just be ill. If I were you, I’d hurry to the hospital right now, or call a doctor to treat me, instead of hurling accusations.”
Monica was left without the strength to speak; she kept laughing on the ground, with three maids joining her in her frenzy, looking to anyone unaware like they were performing some modern dance.
Everyone was stunned; they never expected Princess Monica to be lying on the ground, rolling around like a tantrum-throwing lunatic.
Tan Rou sneakily glanced at the King’s expression; it was very serious and his complexion looked unpleasant, as if he was enduring something.
Princess Samiyi, seeing such a scene, felt both happy and worried; she was pleased that Monica was suffering but also anxious about what Busodi would do when he returned.
“Miss Rou, what exactly happened here?” Princess Samiyi asked.
Tan Rou spread her hands innocently and said, “Your Highness, I really don’t know what happened. She came to hit me, but as soon as she got close, she suddenly fell ill. The same happened to these maids; they fell ill as soon as they approached Princess Monica. I can assure you, I haven’t poisoned them, you can run some tests if you don’t believe me.”
Lin Yu covered his mouth quietly, chuckled a few times to compose himself, and then said, “Your Majesty, there is definitely no such skill as magic in my country, so I can vouch for Miss Rou. She hasn’t used magic on Princess Monica, nor has she poisoned her.”
The King still had a stern face, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
Princess Samiyi felt that they couldn’t let Monica continue to act mad on the ground, so she commanded, “Go help the princess up.”
The maids called by name were a bit afraid because they had seen what had happened to the previous maids, so they also worried about getting infected.
Princess Samiyi frowned slightly and said very seriously, “Hurry and help Princess Monica up.”
The few maids had no choice but to bravely help Monica up, praying in their hearts that they wouldn’t catch anything, as they didn’t want to embarrass themselves in front of so many people.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Tan Rou also approached Monica and her group and gently released their acupoints.
By the time the maids helped them up, Monica and her group had already stopped laughing. However, Monica looked very disheveled by then; her exquisite makeup was messed up, her hair was in disarray, her fiery red dress was wrinkled, and it was covered in dust.
Monica, weak and breathless, said to Tan Rou, “You just wait, I will never let you go…”
Tan Rou said very innocently, “Your Highness, I really did not poison you, please do not falsely accuse me!”
Princess Monica, convinced that Tan Rou was behind the mischief, then said, “Your Majesty, you must stand up for me, this bad woman from abroad has poisoned me, or else I surely wouldn’t be lying on the ground.”
The King still maintained his silence, seemingly unwilling to engage with Monica.
Monica, extremely angry, said to the King, “Your Majesty, my husband works hard outside so that my children and I can have a better life. But now you’re letting this foreign woman harm me, and if my husband finds out, he will be very heartbroken,”
The King coldly looked at Monica and said, “Are you threatening me?”
Chapter 1418: 1417 left early
Tan Rou’s eyelid twitched, as she thought the princess was truly foolish. Being the King, he would definitely loathe someone threatening him with another person, especially when that person wielded significant power.
Prince Busodi’s power might not surpass the King’s, but according to Lin Yu’s analysis, the King definitely had some vulnerability that Prince Busodi was privy to. If Prince Busodi were to use that vulnerability to threaten the King, the King would likely become even more enraged.
Tan Rou was somewhat worried. She did not want to see internal strife within the royal family of J country just yet, as she and her team had just arrived there. She needed to stay for at least a month, and her teammates might need to stay for over a year. If a conflict erupted within J country, it would definitely affect them.
Seeing the King silent, Princess Monica became even angrier. She ignored the etiquette and rushed in front of the King, shouting, “Your Majesty the King, please give me justice and drive this foreign woman out. This is our country, how can we allow foreigners to roam freely? And this Lin Yu, he is no good either. Quickly send him away.”
The King hated being told what to do the most, and he would definitely not entertain Monica’s request.
Monica was dissatisfied with his reaction and once again made a threatening remark, “Your Majesty the King, if my husband were here, he certainly would not allow me to be bullied.”
The King glanced at her and said, “How has she bullied you? If you cannot produce any evidence, then stop causing a scene here.”
Tan Rou felt the King was too lenient towards Monica, for he hadn’t even uttered a harsh word. If she were the King, she certainly would not have let Monica off easily, at least scolding her to temper her temper.Update by n0vgo. co
Monica felt deeply humiliated and pointed directly at the King, saying, “If you don’t drive them out today, I am not leaving!”
Laka and Samiyi were furious to see Monica pointing at the King.
Laka abruptly stood up from his chair and challenged, “Monica, what madness is this now?”
Monica sneered, “I finally understand why you invited me here—it was to make a fool of me, right? You always mock me as an illiterate, yet you invited me to a poetry session, and now you have arranged for a foreign woman to bully me. Isn’t this mockery?”
Princess Samiyi patiently said, “Monica, we invited you here not to mock you. On the contrary, I respect you. Since I invited others, I could not exclude you. So even though you cannot write poetry, I still invited you.”
Monica would not listen to Samiyi’s so-called nonsense—her husband had long stated that the King’s family were all bad people, and their words should not be trusted.
“I don’t believe it, you invited me just to mock me,” Monica said. “You two vile foreigners, just wait, once my husband returns, I will make sure he teaches you a lesson.”
“Enough!” the King said very angrily. “Princess Monica is ill again. Take her away for treatment, and without my permission, she is not allowed to step half a foot into the palace.”
Monica glared at the King. “Your Majesty the King, what do you mean by this? Are you trying to drive me out? When my husband returns…”
The King did not let Monica finish, “Hurry up, if you delay Princess Monica’s treatment, Prince Busodi will not spare you.”
The maidservants were terrified and quickly carried Monica away, regardless of whether she wanted to leave or not.
After Monica left, the King’s expression became even more unpleasant. He clenched his fists and said, “Carry on without me.”
With that, the King stood up from his seat, swayed slightly, and then slowly left the venue.
After he left, a noble’s daughter said, “Monica really is not good for anything, ruining a perfectly good gathering just like that.”
Another noble’s daughter remarked, “Look how pale she made His Majesty the King.”
Tan Rou also noticed the King’s expression. He was indeed angry, but as a court physician, she also noticed a trace of frailty on his face. Could it be that the King was ill?
Chapter 1419: 1418 finally got a chance
With Monica being absent and causing no disruption, the poetry meeting went very smoothly, and Tan Rou also composed a poem. However, she did not write a traditional poem of her own country but instead crafted one according to the preferences of the people of J country.
Although her poem in J country’s style was not very well written, it was definitely much better than Monica’s.
Princess Samiyi greatly enjoyed the poem written by Tan Rou and said, “Miss Rou, your poem is written very well, I would very much like to learn from you, do you have the time?”
Tan Rou had something to say to Princess Samiyi, so she accepted the princess’s request.
It was at the end of the poetry gathering that Princess Samiyi finally said, “I would like to spend some time alone with Miss Rou to ask her some questions, please leave us alone.”
The maids following Samiyi immediately withdrew outside, but like before, they didn’t move far away, so Samiyi had to speak a bit quieter.
Lin Yu was also leaving. As he passed by Tan Rou, he muttered, “Tell Princess Samiyi about seeing Little Prince Agira. The princess has been very worried about Little Prince Agira’s safety, and she would surely be very happy to know he is safe.”
Tan Rou sincerely thought neither Agira’s mother nor father were competent, the princess seemed quite happy, her face showing no worry or anxiety for her son, as if she was enjoying her current life.
“Hmm, I understand,” Tan Rou replied softly.
After everyone had left, Princess Samiyi apologized, “Miss Rou, I am truly sorry. I did not expect Monica to suddenly lose her temper, and just when you were right by her side, she directed her ire towards you, which must have made you very angry. I apologize and assure I you this won’t happen again.”
Tan Rou smiled at her, then asked softly, “You don’t suspect at all that this incident could be related to me, do you?”
Samiyi laughed, “If this was not your doing, I owe you an apology. But if it was your doing, not only do I owe you an apology, I would also thank you.” After all, Samiyi did not like Monica either. If it weren’t for the crowd today, Samiyi would have liked to record Monica’s behavior to watch it over and over again each day to relax.
Tan Rou answered with a smile, “I really do not know why Princess Monica would act out. Perhaps it was just a trick of hers, as she doesn’t like foreigners staying on her land and wants to drive us away.”
Upon hearing Tan Rou’s words, Samiyi furrowed her brows and said very sternly, “That woman is too audacious. Sooner or later, she and her husband will pay the price for today’s audacity.”
Tan Rou raised an eyebrow and said, “I seem to have heard something significant.”
Princess Samiyi gave a slight smile and said, “But I trust that Miss Rou won’t speak of our discussion.”
After chatting casually for a moment, Tan Rou finally had the opportunity to discuss the important matter, “Your Highness, the last time you mentioned asking a favor of me, I thought about it, and if it isn’t too difficult, I think I could indeed help you.”
Samiyi took a deep breath and said gratefully, “Thank you, Miss Rou!”
Tan Rou said, “Actually, I didn’t want to get involved in any trouble, but since you have approached me several times, I feel your matter must be quite important, so I would like to hear what you need my help with.”
Samiyi looked around, then finally said, “I want you to help me find a child, and once you find him, I shall give you a generous sum of money.”
Tan Rou already knew Princess Samiyi sought her out for this reason, “Oh, how old is this child?”
Princess Samiyi immediately showed Tan Rou a photo, “You might be surprised to hear this, but his name is Agira, and he is my child.”
Tan Rou was not surprised at all; she took the photo from Princess Samiyi’s hand. The boy in the photo appeared to be about six or seven years old, quite cute, but you could definitely tell it was Agira.
“How old was Agira when this photo was taken?” Tan Rou held the photo in her hand, “He’s very cute, though not as handsome as he is now.”
“Yes, he has grown a little…” Princess Samiyi followed along with Tan Rou’s comment, but before she could finish, she realized something was off, “You… have you seen Agira? Where did you see him?”
Chapter 1420: 1419 took the money before giving it to someone
Tan Rou remained silent, and Princess Samiyi continued to ask, “Miss Tan Rou, have you seen Ajila? Is he inside the royal city? Is he doing well?”
In response to Samiyi’s inquiry, Tan Rou only wished to keep silent. Although today her purpose was to help Kas and Ajila exchange messages, deep down in her heart, she still felt both Kas and Samiyi were extremely incompetent.
Princess Samiyi was very anxious. She lowered her voice and kept saying, “Miss Tan Rou, please tell me where Ajila is. He has been missing for many days now, and I miss him terribly.”
Tan Rou sneered, “If you really missed him, why didn’t you go look for him? I guess you’re going to say you have your difficulties, but Ajila is your child, not even ten years old. Are you really at ease letting a child stay out there alone? Do you know where he ran off to? He ran to a foreign airport far from Country J, over six thousand kilometers from here. You’ve never been there, but he has.”
Princess Samiyi said with a face full of sorrow, “I thought that if he went out, he would definitely look for his father…”
The gardener who had been helping her exchange messages with Kas had not been in the palace lately, leaving Samiyi no one else to help her pass on messages. She didn’t dare to use a mobile phone to contact Kas, so all she could do was silently pray in her heart that Ajila had gone to find Kas.
When Tan Rou told her Ajila had run off to a foreign airport, Samiyi’s mind buzzed as if someone had struck her head hard with a stick.
“I’m sorry, Ajila…” Samiyi covered her face, “It’s Mommy’s fault, I failed to protect you properly, I’m sorry!”
“Don’t cry now, there are so many maids watching. If they think I bullied you and made you cry, then have me arrested, what would I do?” Tan Rou said, “Also, you wouldn’t want Ajila’s situation to be known by others, right?”
Samiyi rubbed her eyes and returned to her previous composure before asking, “Where is Ajila?”
“I brought him back,” said Tan Rou. “It was quite a coincidence, Ajila was running around in the airport when he bumped into our team. I talked to him more when I heard him speak the language of Country J. I didn’t expect that he had already spent many days at that airport, sleeping poorly and barely eating, like a little vagrant.”
Samiyi’s eyes brimmed with tears again, “I shouldn’t have lost him.”
Tan Rou continued to fabricate her story, “I felt such a young child couldn’t stay there, so I found the police, hoping they could help him find his family. Guess what the local police said? They said that without any identification and not being a national of their country, they were not going to get involved. Since the child liked wandering in the airport, they might as well just let him stay there.”
Very anxiously, Samiyi asked, “Then how did you bring him back?”
Tan Rou made a gesture representing money and said, “200,000 US dollars. They asked me for 200,000 US dollars, otherwise, they wouldn’t let me take the child. I felt so sorry for the child staying there that I spent 200,000 US dollars to bring him back.” She intended to ask for more money since she had gone to great lengths to bring Ajila back.
To Princess Samiyi, 100,000 US dollars wasn’t a lot, but she had a spending limit. Once it exceeded 5,000 US dollars, she would need the King’s approval.
“Can I pay in installments?” Samiyi suggested to give Tan Rou a lump sum, “I will pay you back 5,000 US dollars each month, is that okay?”
“And how long will that take?” Tan Rou was very dissatisfied with this proposal, “Your Highness, don’t you want to see your son? I don’t believe that you, as a princess, cannot afford 200,000 US dollars.”
Samiyi could come up with the money; it was just that she couldn’t let the King know about this expenditure, which is why she proposed installment payments.
“Let’s do this,” Tan Rou changed her approach, “Ajila is the child of you and Mr. Kas, so I can’t just ask you for money. Just give me 100,000 US dollars. I will ask Mr. Kas for the rest.”
Princess Samiyi still had some doubts, worried that Tan Rou might deceive her, but when Tan Rou mentioned Kas, she became thoroughly convinced that Tan Rou truly knew where Ajila was.