The Gentle Couple

Secrets expose

Taehyung read a letter from Elder Ma in the calligraphy room.

Elder Ma's messenger also sent Taehyung dried fishes. In the letter Elder Ma wrote the dried fishs were raised by Taehyung in Southern Jiang and they tasted delicious.

Taehyung hid the letter. He knew it was Elder Ma's code that Elder Ma received his letter about what happened in the palace.

Taehyung thought whether it was a blessing or a curse to born into an imperial family where the father was suspicious of sons and the sons fought each other. Was he supposed to be defensive and protect his own family or did he need to take revenge to survive?

Later that morning Taehyung and Yn visited the palace for a family gathering.

Yn's body wasn't as sore as last night and she wore a light dress and it helped her walk easier.

Consort Mu was taking care of the injured seventh prince. So apart from Taehyung and Yn, only the emperor, the empress, the crown prince, Consort La and kim rayan were at the family gathering.

Rayan  wanted to run to Taehyung but he was scared the emperor would scold him and stood next to Consort La.

'If you want to go there then go,' the emperor said to rayan. 'You don't need to stand there and wrinkle a small face.'

Kim rayan didn't understand what the emperor meant until Consort La explained to him then he ran to kim Taehyung.

The empress watched Taehyung carry kim rayan in his arms and she smiled politely. 'Indeed ninth prince and thirteenth prince are loving brothers.'

'Are they not allowed to be?' the emperor asked.

The empress closed her mouth and didn't dare to criticise kim  Taehyung and kim rayan anymore.

Consort La saw the tension between the emperor and empress and she wanted to ease their tension.

'Yesterday I received the crown prince and Yoo mi's wedding invitation,' Consort La said. 'It'll be a happy occasion.'

Woo seok's heart sank. He stared longingly at Yn but she was focused on playing with kim rayan.

Taehyung noticed the way the crown prince was staring at Yn and it confirmed his suspicions about the crown prince's feelings toward Yn.

'Consort La is right,' Taehyung said. 'It'll be a happy occasion. Congratulations tenth brother.'

Woo seok knew the warning look in Taehyung's eyes didn't match Taehyung's happy tone. He nodded his head and politely thanked Taehyung.

The empress only regretted the crown prince didn't marry Yoo mi earlier. After seventh prince saved the emperor, some of the crown prince's supporters became restless. The sooner the crown prince married Prime Minister Yang's youngest daughter the sooner she would be at ease that the emperor wouldn't give the crown prince's position to seventh prince.

The emperor drank tea slowly. In the past he didn't care the empress wanted the crown prince to marry Prime Minister Yang's youngest daughter who had a status that matched the crown prince. But after the assassination attempt, he didn't approve of Yoo mi marrying the crown prince. That day Yoo mi's first reaction was to hide behind the crown prince then Yoo mi pulled her older sister in front of her to save herself. A woman who was scared of death wasn't suited to be the crown prince's wife.

The tension between the emperor and empress increased and it made everyone else around them uneasy too.

Taehyung and Yn exchanged a look, understood what each other's thoughts and they continued to play with rayan.