"Phew, they're finally gone."

The Ninth Prince pretended to wipe non-existent sweat from his forehead and added charcoal to the braziers. With five braziers, the room was warm and cozy, and even wearing only a light jacket, it wasn't cold.

As soon as Nan Yi came out, Ninth Prince laughed and said, "It's a good thing Eighth Brother didn't notice. He's just like Fourth Brother, with lots of rules. Sometimes I get annoyed by that about him."

Nan Yi agreed. The Eighth Prince was indeed very disciplined, but he might disappoint Ah Tang. It was also her fault for doing something unnecessary and letting the Eighth Prince see it.

Looking at her like she was a fool, Nan Yi hesitated, unsure whether to tell A Tang that the Eighth Prince had discovered her secret.

Unaware of what was happening, Yinzhen continued to comfort her, "Don't worry, just stay here and let Fourth Brother worry. He's the one who upset you."

After the morning assembly today, Fourth Brother and Thirteenth Brother were in a hurry, they must be looking for Nan Yi.

Fourth Brother has finally met his end.

He did not deny that he was jealous of his fourth brother marrying Nan Yi.

He married the woman he loved most, but he didn't treat her well, which made him even angrier. Fourth Brother didn't realize how lucky he was.

"I'm hungry," Nan Yi ultimately didn't say.

"Alright, I'll go order the meal." The Ninth Prince stood up. He had previously instructed Xiao Jinzi to prepare plenty of good food and deliver it to the study on time. It should be arriving soon.

Nan Yi waited for a while, then sat down at the table with Yin Tang. She glanced at the six dishes and one soup on the table and said, "Yin Tang, as expected of someone who runs a restaurant, your dishes are much better than those of the Fourth Master's."

"These are all the restaurant's signature dishes. I didn't know which ones you liked, so I just prepared a few at random." Though he said "at random," it wasn't hard to hear the smugness in his tone.

The Ninth Prince was already exceptionally handsome, with exquisite features. Even though his hairstyle was unattractive, his good looks still made up for it.

He's tall with long legs, eyelashes longer than a woman's, and great skin. So handsome, no wonder his wives are all so beautiful. Anyone who's a little ordinary would be ashamed to death standing next to him.

His smile is exceptionally dazzling; it's a shame, if he were released, he would surely charm countless girls.

Nan Yi pinched his cheek. "Don't laugh, or your teeth will fall out."

Honestly, what a grown man! He has no self-respect at all. Even the Fourth Master wouldn't laugh like that. If he did laugh, he would just grin, which would be very polite.

More often than not, he would have a stern face and say things like, "You're not following the rules," or "You're not following the rules." She, on the other hand, hated the word "rules" the most.

She was a modern person, and a completely wild one at that. Even girls who grew up in the bandit dens of the Qing Dynasty knew better than her.

Ugh, why did I think of him?

Nan Yi sluggishly shoveled rice into her mouth, while the Ninth Prince served her some food. "Why are you being so polite? This isn't like the Nan Yi I know."

The bowl was piled high with vegetables, and the Ninth Prince explained, "This is the freshest mutton sent from the estate. It's a bit spicy, but I made it especially for you."

"Mmm, it's delicious, you should eat too." Nan Yi picked up a piece of food for him with her chopsticks.

Yinzhen frowned, unwilling to disappoint the beauty's kindness, opened his mouth and ate, quickly chewed a few times, and swallowed it. After finishing, he hurriedly poured tea into his mouth, "Ouch, it's too spicy."

"Hehe, I just love spicy food," Nan said with a smile.

Yin Tang said, "Then eat more."

The two ate and chatted, laughing and talking.

The atmosphere outside was far from pleasant. Yinzhen stood with his hands behind his back by the window of his study, and none of the guards who returned to report brought back good news.

"Go find more for me. The city gates must be guarded closely. Don't let any suspicious people get away."

"twitter."

Yier, where are you hiding?

"It's been a day. How long do you plan to hide? Two days, three days, or...?" Yinzhen pinched the bridge of his nose, not wanting to think too deeply.

"Su Peisheng, go and ask Granny Qiu again if Master Tong has told them about the places she might go."

"This servant will go and ask right away."

After Tong Xiaosao left, Thirteen stayed behind to help and did not return to the palace. He looked at his elder brother with concern and said, "Fourth brother, you should at least rest. I'll keep an eye on things here for you. I'll let you know as soon as I hear any news about Tong Xiaosao, okay?"

Even an iron man couldn't withstand a day and a night without rest.

I have to attend court tomorrow.

Ninth Brother was distracted today and was singled out by Father Emperor. If Fourth Brother comes again tomorrow, he won't be able to handle the shock.

Yinzhen shook his head. How could he sleep? As soon as he closed his eyes, all he could think about was the scene of him slapping Yi'er that day.

The shock and disbelief in her eyes, the calm she showed as she nestled in the snow in her light-colored single-layered clothing.

Normally, if she had a disagreement with him, she would have rushed up and started arguing with him, but that day, she was very calm, so calm that it startled him.

Learning from her experience, he sent someone to Wanyue Pavilion to keep an eye on her that very night. This woman is clever!

"My lord, Consort Nian requests an audience," Quanfu reported as he entered.

Yinzhen's expression remained unchanged as he calmly said, "Let her go back. I'll visit her another day."

"twitter."

Next door, at the Eighth Prince's residence, the Eighth Prince saw off the Tenth Prince, then gave an order to his eunuch to bring a horse and head straight for the Ninth Prince's residence.

With a stern face, he barged into the Ninth Prince's study without informing anyone. At that time, the two in the study were chatting and eating peanuts, having a great time.

"Eighth, Eighth Brother, what's wrong?" Ninth Prince dropped the peanut shell in his hand, stood up with a slightly flustered expression, and intentionally or unintentionally covered Nan Yi.

Nan Yi was quick-witted and hid behind the Ninth Prince. She had already guessed that he would come, but she didn't expect it to be so soon.

"Don't you know why I'm here?" The Eighth Prince stepped in front of the two and said to the people behind the Ninth Prince, "Stop hiding, come out and tell me, what are you up to?"

The Ninth Prince looked sullen and said with a smile, "Eighth Brother, Nan Yi is just bored and came to the manor to play. She has nothing else to do. Don't get angry and scare her."

“Keep making things up. Fourth Brother looks anxious all day, and you seem distracted. Isn’t that because of Nan Yi?”

The Eighth Prince laughed in anger. He was still thinking about his Ninth Brother fooling around with the concubines in the mansion, but he never expected it to be Nan Yi.

Only she could make Fourth Brother and Ninth Brother lose their composure.

"Eighth Brother, I'm not lying to you. Nan Yi just came here to have fun. Why don't you believe me?" The Ninth Prince was still making a last-ditch effort.

The Eighth Prince's face showed a cold smile, his eyes fixed on the Ninth Prince, his meaning clear: "Everyone knows what's going on, I'm just not exposing you."

"Nan Yi, tell me, did you come to Ninth Brother's residence to play?" He turned his gaze to the person who dared not face him.

Nan Yi swallowed hard, slowly poking her head out from behind the Ninth Prince. She gave an awkward smile and waved her paw, "Hi, Eighth Prince."

The Eighth Prince gave a faint "hmm," and said, "I want to hear your explanation from your own mouth."

"Yes, I... I'm just here for fun. I'll be back at the manor soon." Nan Yi wasn't stupid, so she naturally went along with what the Ninth Prince said and absolutely couldn't tell the truth.

Even Ah Tang couldn't say anything. Let them think she was arguing with Fourth Uncle. She didn't want to cause any trouble or make them worry.

The Eighth Prince said, "Since you came here to have fun, you've been out for quite a while. Go back so your Fourth Brother won't worry."