Even though the Ninth Prince had given instructions that no one from the household was allowed to approach Qingtian Courtyard, Lady Dong E did not want her husband to make a mistake, so she personally brought people to Qingtian Courtyard to see who this person was.

Xiao Yinzi personally guarded outside, preventing the Fujin from entering. However, through the half-closed courtyard gate, an exceptionally handsome profile flashed by. Dong Eshi's body trembled slightly, and the nail guards on her fingers dug into the flesh of her personal maid's arm. The maid broke out in a cold sweat from the pain but did not utter a sound.

No wonder he looks so otherworldly; no wonder the Daoist Master hid him in the Sunny Courtyard.

Moreover, everything supplied by Seiten-in is of the highest quality.

After the Ninth Prince finished court, for the first time he did not accompany the Eighth Prince, but instead chatted with the Fourth Prince. Knowing that Nan Yi was alright, Yinzhen was relieved and originally wanted to go see Nan Yi immediately, but based on the information provided by his Ninth Brother, he postponed this decision.

When the Ninth Prince returned to the mansion, he didn't go into the study but went straight to the Sunny Courtyard, which aroused even more suspicion among the people in the backyard.

Madam Dong gritted her teeth in hatred, and even more so for Xiao Xi, who had brought this man to the mansion. She ordered the nanny, "From now on, if Xiao Xi comes again, the mansion shall not receive him. In my opinion, the top constable in the capital is nothing but a sycophantic villain."

"This..." The old woman looked troubled. "Madam, Lord Xiao and Consort Guo are good friends. If we don't allow her to come, won't Consort Guo complain to the master?"

"Hmph, that softie of hers, the one who moved into Qingtian Courtyard, she has made quite a contribution. Granny, Madam Guo should give her a good talking-to. Look at the kind of people she's associated with, bringing bad luck to the manor."

"Master..."

Lady Dong'e looked disgusted and said nonchalantly, "He did such a disgraceful thing, how dare he talk to me? Just go ahead, and I'll take the blame if you want to scold me."

This is going to cause trouble for Consort Guo, but the old nanny doesn't take it seriously and just goes to deliver the message after receiving the order.

The princess consort managed the inner quarters, and because she was meticulous in everything she did, she quickly gained the trust of everyone, and even the master praised her highly.

Consort Guo was not a good friend. Xiao Xi sent her male concubines, and because of this, the nanny hated her to the core. Because she was out of favor, she brought dirty men from outside into the mansion to please the master, ruining his health. She deserved to be taught a good lesson.

Wanqing didn't know what she had done to offend the primary wife. She couldn't understand it, and she didn't dare to disobey the primary wife, so she had no choice but to obediently kneel in the main hall and copy the "Admonitions for Women".

Nan Yi was unaware that her arrival would cause a disturbance in the Ninth Prince's backyard.

The Ninth Prince spent some time with her before going off to attend to official business. Before leaving, fearing she might be bored, he had someone summon Wanqing to keep Nan Yi company.

When Consort Dong learned that Consort Guo had gone to Qingtian Courtyard, she was even more furious. She thought to herself, "She's even protecting the young man in Qingtian Courtyard. He just gained the master's favor and he's already openly going against her. He's a fool who doesn't know his own limits."

The various methods that Dong Eshi secretly employed need not be mentioned.

Meanwhile, Nan Yi stayed in the Ninth Prince's courtyard, rarely venturing out, but fortunately, Wan Qing would keep her company and talk to her from time to time.

Outside the capital, a group of men in black could not find Nan Yi. They deduced that Nan Yi could not enter the city and must be hiding somewhere.

But where is she hiding?

One of the shrewd, thin men in black said, "Didn't the young lady say that the other woman's family recently moved to Tongzhou? Is it possible that she's hiding there?"

“That’s right, how come I didn’t think of that? Let’s go take a look, maybe it really is there,” said Green Leopard.

Tongzhou.

After seeing off her son and daughter-in-law who had come to pay their respects, Madam Tong sat down with the old man and chatted. The old man (Tong Yilan's father) was lounging on the couch, putting tobacco into his pipe, taking a few puffs, and exhaling smoke rings.

The old man squinted his eyes, looking content, and then sighed, "My youngest son is so filial. That old man named Xiao Shunzi said that this is the finest tobacco, and even His Majesty smokes this kind of tobacco."

Madam Tong rolled her eyes at Master Tong, "Don't show off. If the things are good, just enjoy them quietly. Little Yao said we should keep a low profile to avoid attracting attention."

Master Tong hummed in agreement. “I understand. The reason we’ve ended up like this is because we’ve attracted attention. This is a lesson I’ll remember for the rest of my life. If it weren’t for my youngest son, I wouldn’t dare to face my son with my old face.”

"It's good that you know. Little Yao said that we should stay here peacefully. In a few years, when everyone has forgotten about this, we can ask Fourth Master for his favor, and maybe we can be reinstated." Madam Tong grumbled worriedly.

Master Tong tapped the ash in his pipe and said with a smug look, "It's not a matter of maybe, it's a certainty. With how favored Xiaoyao is, if Fourth Master is to succeed in the future, how bad will our family be? I'll just consider this an early retirement. Xiaoyao is filial, and she won't let her family down in the future."

After his youngest daughter recovered, the problems with his eldest and second daughters became a worry for Master Tong again. Thinking of this, even the delicious tobacco he was happily preparing lost its flavor.

He sat up abruptly from the couch, placed his opium pipe on the small table, and asked Madam Tong with a worried expression, "Mother of my child, how much money did my youngest son bring back?"

When asked about money, Madam Tong immediately became wary. "Why are you asking about this? Don't you want to enjoy your good life anymore? Are you trying to cause trouble again?"

Old Master Tong's face darkened. "What are you saying? With this happening in the family, I'm worried that my second and third children will be bullied by their in-laws. It's because of me, their father, that they're being dragged down. The adults are alright, but I'm afraid the children will suffer along with them. You know what kind of people those two in-laws are."

Mr. Tong may be unreliable, but he loves his children very much.

He treated all wives and concubines equally.

He misjudged people, resulting in his eldest and second daughters marrying the wrong people. When the old man had a job, his in-laws at least gave him some face. Now that his family has been demoted, who knows how his two daughters will be mistreated by their in-laws.

Madam Tong didn't take it to heart. It wasn't her daughter who was suffering, so she couldn't be bothered with such trivial matters. However, seeing her husband's worried expression, she didn't want to show it and squeezed out a couple of perfunctory words of comfort, "For the sake of the monk, for the sake of the Buddha, with our youngest son around, they wouldn't dare."

Master Tong remained silent, his brow furrowed with worry.

With the decline of the Tong family, they may not dare to do anything openly, but they will certainly not stop their underhanded schemes, employing many insidious methods in their backyard that leave people speechless and bitter.

He used to dote on his concubine, fearing that his principal wife would bully her. For more than ten years, he protected his concubine. Now, his successful children are all born to his principal wife, and he doesn't dare to give her a hard time, so he can only coax her.

Master Tong adopted a very humble attitude, speaking softly to Madam Tong to discuss ways to help his eldest and second daughters. Little did he know that the Tong family was about to face annihilation.

Nan Yi was asleep in the middle of the night when he suddenly fell into a nightmare. The flames soared into the sky, the screams were terrible, and the ground was covered in blood. People, whether old or three-year-old children, were scattered everywhere and their faces were indistinguishable. In the end, they could not escape the massacre.

Who are they? Who are they? Don't kill them, don't.

Nan Yi screamed and wept in his dream, but it was all in vain; the huge fire had burned everything away.

No!

She struggled to reach out and try to stop it, suddenly breaking free from the confines of the dream, panting heavily.