Yinzhen, accompanied by Lady Nara, Lady Nian, and Lady Tong, passed through the Imperial Garden and encountered the Eighth Prince, Ninth Prince, and Tenth Prince, each accompanied by their wives, entering the palace to pay their respects to Consorts Liangyi and Liangyi.

The Eighth Prince, Ninth Prince, and Tenth Prince, along with their respective wives, bowed to Yinzhen, saying, "Greetings, Fourth Brother and Fourth Sister-in-law."

"Yes, you've come to the palace to pay your respects to the imperial concubines," Yinzhen said calmly.

The Eighth Prince said with a gentle smile, "I suppose the Fourth Brother is as well, why don't we join him?"

Yinzhen nodded and took the lead.

The incident of deposing the crown prince in September affected many people, with the thirteenth prince bearing the brunt, and the fourth and eighth princes having their relationship completely severed.

Nan Yi followed behind them, watching the four brothers' backs. They were all putting on a show of harmony, and she felt embarrassed for them.

Nara exchanged pleasantries with the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Prince's wives. As the wives of the princes, each had their own stance, and their expressions were not as harmonious as before.

"Nan Yi,"

"Zhenzhen."

Zhenzhen took Nanyi's hand, and the two of them fell behind and whispered to each other, "We haven't seen each other for so long, how have you been lately?" Nanyi asked happily.

Zhenzhen laughed and said, "Not bad. What about you? I heard you've been living in the village for the past two years. What happened that made you need to hide there?"

“I love the manor. It’s so free and unrestrained. All the speculations people have have are untrue. You don’t know how wonderful the manor is. If it weren’t for the Emperor’s decree, I would never have come back,” Nan Yi complained.

Ah Tang meddles in other people's business and leads Emperor Kangxi to his estate in Tongzhou. The old master Kangxi personally gives her an order, so she has no choice but to return.

He returned, but upon his return, he was tricked, leaving Nan Yi truly frustrated.

Zhenzhen chuckled, "You're quite good at letting go. If it were me..." She glanced at the back of the figure in front of her, shook her head, and continued, "I couldn't do it."

Just then, the Tenth Prince turned around and smiled at Zhenzhen. Zhenzhen returned the smile. Nan Yi saw this and couldn't help but laugh. The two were truly in sync.

The Tenth Prince walked over and laughed loudly, "What are you two secretly chatting about? You seem so happy. Nan Yi, after living in the manor for so long, you've finally decided to come back."

“You can’t live in the village forever, so naturally you have to come back,” Nan Yi replied with a smile.

The three stood together reminiscing. Yinzhen and the others turned around, and the Eighth Prince's wife, watching the three chatting warmly, said in an ambiguous tone, "It's unexpected that the Tenth Brother and his wife are so close to the Fourth Sister-in-law."

“Yes, the tenth brother calls his fourth sister-in-law Nan Yi. The fourth sister-in-law actually has another maiden name.” Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Madam Dong E deliberately emphasized the words “maiden name”.

These words elicited various reactions from those present.

There are no stupid people among the brothers and sisters-in-law.

Seeing his fourth brother's face darken, the Eighth Prince smiled gently and said, "Ninth sister-in-law, have you forgotten? Fourth sister-in-law is a heroine among women. She saved both my and Ninth Brother's lives. Nan Yi is her alias."

He deliberately mentioned the life-saving grace, partly to remind his fourth brother and ninth sister-in-law that he remembered the kindness of his fourth sister-in-law, and partly to inform everyone that it was just an alias, which made him seem more approachable.

Ninth Prince chimed in, "That's right. Nan Yi and Wan Qing are also on good terms. Eighth Brother, Tenth Brother, and I respect Fourth Sister-in-law, so we call her Nan Yi because it feels more intimate. Fourth Brother, please don't take offense."

His frank explanation eased Yinzhen's expression, and for a moment, he even felt that calling Nan Yi sounded better than calling her Xiao Si Sao.

The two brothers spoke up for Nan Yi at the same time. The Eighth and Ninth Princesses exchanged a glance. They were being nosy. Tong Xiao Sao had done a great favor for both households. They shouldn't be so petty.

Thinking this through, the Eighth Prince's wife smiled, no longer showing her previous indifference. She walked up to Nan Yi and said, "Jinzhi has not yet thanked Fourth Sister-in-law in person for saving your life. It is truly impolite. Another day, Jinzhi will host a banquet to invite Fourth Sister-in-law. I hope Fourth Sister-in-law will do me the honor of joining us."

Nan Yi had a good impression of the Eighth Prince's wife, and she readily agreed, "Of course, it is Nan Yi's honor to be invited by the Prince's wife."

The Eighth Prince's wife was taken aback by the bright look on her face; this Tong Xiaosao was completely different from what she had imagined.

She had long heard of her fourth brother's concubine, Consort Tong, being beautiful, but her personality was also surprisingly likable.

I can't feel any ill will towards her at all.

"Let's go, it's getting late, Mother is waiting," Nara reminded them.

To outsiders, the scene in the Imperial Garden appeared to be a rather pleasant conversation, but the various palaces had their own thoughts.

When the news reached Consort De, she was extremely displeased.

Thirteen was imprisoned, Fourth Prince was reprimanded by the Emperor, Eighth Prince, Ninth Prince and others stole the limelight, Consort Liang remained low-key as always, while Consort Yi was even more pleased with herself.

Nowadays, many people are saying that the Eighth Prince will become the Crown Prince. If the Eighth Prince becomes the Crown Prince, what will happen to her two sons?

Consort De was unwilling to accept this, but the Fourteenth Prince and the Eighth Prince were getting close. No matter how much she said, the Fourteenth Prince wouldn't listen and even got angry with her, so he didn't come to Yonghe Palace to pay his respects for several days.

That silly son.

Fourteenth Prince was not to be spoken of; she was a concubine who was close to the Eighth and Ninth Princes, and she was not to be spoken of.

In Yonghe Palace, Nan Yi, sitting at the lower end, noticed that Consort De seemed to dislike her particularly today. Consort De disliked her, and she also disliked Lady Nian.

However, when Consort De spoke with Lady Nara today, she did not neglect Lady Nian, and the three of them got along well.

Lady Nian seemed to understand Consort De's thoughts, and she became even more attentive to fulfilling Consort De's wishes.

"Ms. Tong," Consort De suddenly called out to her.

Nan stood up and said, "Your Majesty."

Consort De glanced at her indifferently, her gaze slightly sharp. "I heard that you are on good terms with the concubines of the Ninth and Tenth Princes."

Nan Yi was puzzled, wondering why Consort De would suddenly ask about this, but she still answered honestly, "Your Majesty, Yilan and Zhenzhen are close friends from childhood and often visit each other."

“Oh,” Consort De put down her teacup, dabbed her lips with the handkerchief in her hand, and narrowed her phoenix eyes slightly. “Friend? Now that you are the Fourth Prince’s concubine, you should act according to the Fourth Prince’s wishes. What do you say, Lady Tong?”

The Fourth Prince's thoughts, Consort De's intentions... Nan Yi pursed her lips and remained silent. Could it be that she would abandon even her friends for the sake of the Fourth Prince?

That doesn't make sense.

Seeing that she remained silent and showed no remorse, Consort De was immediately enraged. What a Tong Shi! She was trying to defy her.

"What, am I wrong?" Consort De's face turned slightly cold, her gaze sharp. As one of the four consorts, she was always favored and had given birth to two sons for Emperor Kangxi. Both of her sons were capable and were favored by the emperor.

For over a decade, no one has dared to openly defy her.

As a daughter-in-law, Nan Yi was disobedient, and as the mother-in-law, Consort De could easily displease her with just a word.

Seeing that Consort De was annoyed, Lady Nara quickly winked at Nan, signaling that they had come to pay their respects, not to cause trouble for the Empress.

Nan Yi paused for a moment, then knelt down to beg for forgiveness, "Yilan dares not."

Consort De snorted coldly, not telling her to get up, and continued chatting with Lady Nara.

Seeing her punished, Nara and Nian felt quite pleased. Since their mother was punishing Tong, the prince had nothing to say. Moreover, there was still half an hour before the end of court. According to Consort De's temperament, she wouldn't be easily woken up until she had been punished enough and her anger had subsided.