Nan Yi's trip to the palace didn't materialize; the master of the Forbidden City fell ill, postponing the audience. After recovering from his injuries and enjoying two months of leisure, Nan Yi was once again packed up and brought back to the mansion by Yinzhen.

After a few months of peace, the backyard became much quieter.

In the blink of an eye, it was May of the forty-fourth year. Emperor Kangxi announced a southern tour, and Yinzhen was on the list. She insisted on going with him, but when she learned that Consort De was also in the entourage, she gave up the idea.

Yinzhen also took this into consideration and did not agree. He took Gengshi and Niohurushi with him. The two women had been behaving themselves in the backyard. Perhaps because of this, Yinzhen specially chose them.

"Gege Geng and Princess Niu Gulu are so lucky. They are both gentle and kind. Good people are rewarded, and their luck has finally turned around," Qingyun exclaimed.

“Good people, only you think they are good people.” Yi Ren pouted and blurted out a big secret, “A few days ago, Master went to visit Consort Wen and encountered Consort Niu Gulu who twisted her ankle on the way. That day, Master stayed at Songcui Pavilion and went to Master Geng’s place the next day.”

She snorted lightly, her expression disdainful, "They've been waiting for a chance to impress the master. They've clearly succeeded, squeezing out Consort Li Nian and the others, and smoothly following the master on his southern tour."

Qingyun and Qingfeng listened in a daze. She then boasted, "If they were more ambitious and tried harder, they could conceive a princess or a prince. That would be the icing on the cake."

"A barking dog doesn't bite," Qingfeng muttered to himself.

Nan Yi was extremely frustrated that she couldn't go on the southern tour; Consort De was practically her nemesis.

She hadn't expected that the Gengs would be accompanying her.

The two entered the manor together with Lady Nian, and usually acted like invisible people, one following Lady Nian and the other following Lady Li.

At the crucial moment, the two joined forces, ousting their master whom they had been fawning over every day, and latched onto Yinzhen, shocking everyone in the backyard.

The Nian and Li families must be furious with each other now. The Geng and Niu Gulu families are of low rank, and the opportunity to tour the south is rare. After returning, they will inevitably have to humble themselves and act subserviently.

It's unknown when the two will give birth to a son. If their wombs are lucky enough to produce a son, it will be like having a protective charm, and neither Nian nor Li will be able to touch them.

Alas, one only realizes how little one knows when one needs it most; she truly had no idea when the next emperor would be born.

Lady Nian's belly grew bigger, and after enduring it for a few months, Yinzhen would occasionally visit the backyard, but not as frequently as before.

In the Nian family's courtyard, he would sit for a while every other day. She was almost seven months pregnant, and her belly was unusually large, but she had become very thin. Yinzhen was very worried.

At dinner, the maids prepared some refreshing dishes, and Nan Yi sat in the courtyard, eating and chatting with the maids.

"Greetings, Master." A greeting came from the courtyard gate.

Nan glanced over, and when the person walked over, asked in a cool tone, "Why don't you spend more time with Sister Nian?"

Qingyun brought over a chair, and Yinzhen sat down. Ignoring Nan Yi's sarcastic tone, he said gently, "I'm about to leave. You stay here obediently. Next time, I will definitely ask for permission to take you out."

Nan Yi nodded indifferently, "Okay." At the same time, she was thinking, "Do I need you to take me out? I can go out whenever I want."

Despite the casual tone, Yinzhen's face hardened. "I'm serious with you. If you dare to disobey me, I'll have plenty of ways to deal with you when I get back."

"Hmm, you're really trembling now that you know." Nan Yi chuckled inwardly, thinking that he needed to catch her first.

The southern tour will last for several months, and it's absolutely impossible for her to stay at home and grow wild. She needs to think about where to go for fun.

Yinzhen Dadi also knew that it would be difficult to trap her, so he could only reason with her again and again. Only after Nan Yi made repeated promises and swore an oath in Tong Yilan's name did Yinzhen finally send her the message.

He thought Nan Yi would at least keep her word, and believed her halfway. As he was about to leave, he was exceptionally gentle with Nan Yi in his words and actions.

When it was time to go to bed, Nan Yi got upset and told him to leave, "Why aren't you leaving yet? It's so hot, I don't want to lie next to a stove. Go do whatever you need to do."

Yinzhen changed into his nightgown, went straight to bed, patted the spot next to him, and said softly, "Come here quickly, I have to get up early tomorrow."

Nan crossed her arms and said, "No, you can sleep by yourself. I'll go to the couch outside."

Seeing that she was really about to leave, Yinzhen got out of bed and grabbed her, his eyes dark and filled with an unknown light. "Yi'er, it's been half a year."

Nan Yi pretended to be stupid, "What do you mean half a year? Don't you want to get up early? You can have the bed."

Yinzhen grabbed her slender waist and held her tightly. He brought his lips close to her ear and whispered, "Four months ago, you said you wanted to rest for a while longer because your body couldn't take any more stress. Three months ago, you complained that I had gone to Nian Shi's courtyard and refused to talk to me. Two months ago, you refused again because of your period. A month ago, what did you say?"

What did I say?

"You said we'd talk about it in a month." He had endured it for a whole month, but today he had to take her.

He hadn't seen her for months, and he was determined to get back everything he owed her. He dragged her toward the bed, eager to get it over with.

"Hey, wait, what are you doing? Don't pull my clothes!" Nan Yi clutched her collar, her face flushed. "I don't want it. Go find someone else."

"I don't want to find anyone else, I'll find you today." Yinzhen's eyes were filled with intense desire as he grabbed her thin nightgown and tried to tear it off.

Seeing that she couldn't stop it, she made up a reason, "No, this is a dress I like. If you ruin it, I'll be furious with you."

"What exactly do you want?" Yinzhen had figured it out; she was simply refusing to share a room with him.

The man's face was as black as the bottom of a pot; he was about to explode. She had only enjoyed a few days of comfort, and Nan Yi didn't want to provoke him. The Fourth Master was quite easy to talk to when he wasn't angry, and she was happy to be carrying the silver.

"I, I, I, no, it's you. You went to the Qi family yesterday, the Wen family the day before yesterday, and the An family the day before that."

Thinking about this, Nan Yi suddenly changed her previous guilty conscience and said confidently, "I told you, you are not allowed to touch those two. Are you deliberately trying to make me unhappy? I hate them, I hate them to death. What do you want to do? Elevate their status and slap me in the face? Humph."

Anlan and Qingyin, who were bestowed upon him by Consort De, had been relegated to the sidelines since entering the palace. A few days ago, Lady Nara suddenly officially recognized them, and the two officially became members of Yinzhen's harem.

"Jealous woman." Yinzhen uttered the two words in a deep voice, picked her up and threw her onto the bed, pressing his body against hers, his hot, moist breath spraying onto Nan Yi's neck.

Just as Nan Yi was about to subdue the Fourth Master with both hands and feet, he whispered something in her ear. Nan Yi paused, then asked again, half-believing, "Really?"

"When have I ever lied to you?"

"Ugh~" Nan tilted her head a few times to catch her breath, "You cheated~ Ugh... you bastard."

After Nan Yi was injured, she avoided Yinzhen. Whenever they met or even shared a bed, she would use methods to avoid having sex.