"What? Ah Tang went to Xining? Where is Eighth Prince?" Nan Yi stood up in shock and anger. "I thought he would let it go, but I didn't expect him to take advantage of my seclusion to attack them. That bastard."

"Pfft~" Zheng Yong was so shocked that he spat out a mouthful of wine. What a girl! In the entire Qing Dynasty, only she dared to scold the emperor.

No, the late emperor had been scolded by her. He admired her courage immensely, even though the price she paid was quite high.

"By the way, you still haven't told me what happened to Eighth Master?"

Zheng Yong took out a handkerchief to wipe the wine stains from his lips, pointed outside, and said, "They're kneeling in front of the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Go see for yourself."

"Kneel down! I'll get you! Fourth Master really hates me!" Nan Yi stomped his foot in anger and turned to leave.

"Wait a minute." Zheng Yong sighed softly, a strange light flashing in his eyes. After much hesitation, he told her the truth, but he was also worried. This girl was always reckless and considered the Eighth and Ninth Masters as friends. She would definitely not want them to suffer.

The Emperor despises the Eighth Prince's faction and will not tolerate them; sooner or later, he will retaliate.

"Pleading is useless. The grudges between them run too deep, and they have long been mortal enemies. Your first priority is to protect yourself. The Emperor has feelings for you, but if you don't know your limits, you may also be implicated."

Nan Yi rubbed her forehead. She knew all too well, but did she have a choice? If she carried this guilt, she feared she would find no peace even in hell.

Her friend.

The people in the Forbidden City, for the sake of imperial power, disregarded blood ties, family ties, parents, and brothers. Once they ascended to that position, they could crush them into dust and trample them underfoot.

How could they possibly stand it?

“I don’t care. I don’t want them to end up like that. Maybe there’s nothing I can do, but I want to do my part.”

Knowing this would be the outcome, Zheng Yong sighed inwardly, "I know I can't persuade you otherwise. I'm only doing my best to protect yourself as a friend. You care about them, and they care about you too. They also hope you're doing well. If something happens to you, wouldn't they worry?"

Nan Yi felt very touched when she heard this. She picked up two steamed buns from the table and said with a smile, "I know, I will be fine. Brother Yong, having a friend like you is the greatest blessing in my life."

Zheng Yong smiled and said, "Me too."

The two clasped their hands in farewell. Nan headed straight for the Imperial Ancestral Temple. It had rained the day before, and the ground was slippery. Even with her light-footed skills, she still fell several times and got covered in mud.

When they arrived at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, it was already late at night. In front of the temple, the figure was still kneeling upright. In the silent night, darkness enveloped him, and he was all alone, lonely and desolate.

With his noble status, he was always respected. The court and the harem honored him as the Eighth Prince. After failing to seize the throne, he suffered such humiliation. One can only imagine the humiliation he felt.

Even while kneeling, he never bent his back.

Nan Yi walked over gently, squatted down in front of him, and asked, "Eighth Master, are you alright?"

Eighth Master slowly raised his head, "Nan Yi?"

"Yes, it's me. You must be exhausted." She looked around and, seeing that no one was around, said, "There's no one here, you can rest for a while."

Eighth Master gently curled the corners of his lips into a faint smile. His knees were already stiff and numb, devoid of feeling. He hadn't eaten or drunk anything all day, and his throat was dry, hoarse, and sore. "I never expected you would come to see me."

I heard that she was confined to the palace by her fourth brother for a month to reflect on her actions, and no messages have been sent through her. When her ninth brother passed away, she was the one he was most worried about, but unfortunately, they were too busy taking care of themselves to do anything else.

He was relieved that his fourth brother had kept it from her, but his relief came too soon. "How did you know I was here?"

Nan grinned and handed the steamed bun that Zheng Yong had taken to Eighth Master, saying, "Here, you must be starving. Have something to eat first."

Eighth Master swallowed hard, took the steamed bun, took a bite, but swallowed too quickly and choked.

"Cough~ cough cough~"

"Oh, I almost forgot." Nan Yi patted his sleeve and took out a pot of water. "Sorry, have some water."

Eighth Master was really thirsty, so he quickly took the water and drank it down. After quenching his thirst, he ate the steamed bun in a few bites and stuffed the other steamed bun into his sleeve.

Nan asked curiously, "Why aren't you eating?" Then, remembering what she had done, she smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry, I came in a hurry and just grabbed two steamed buns. It's too late to complain now."

"How could I not want it? I want to save it for later."

With food filling his stomach, he suddenly felt strong again. Eighth Master said gently, "Nan Yi, you shouldn't have come."

She shouldn't have come; she came secretly. Yet, he was overjoyed. Her arrival melted the chill in his heart, like a beacon suddenly appearing ahead for a lone traveler in the dark.

Having failed to secure that position, and with his future uncertain, a hint of deep-seated fear surfaced. A trace of embarrassment and vulnerability betrayed Eighth Master's eyes. Despite the darkness, he wasn't worried about being seen by anyone.

"Whether I came or not, I'm here now. How long is he going to make you kneel?"

"You don't need to worry about this. It's late, go back and rest." Eighth Master clearly didn't want to talk about it anymore.

He understood that no matter how much Nan Yi knew, the outcome might not be better than it was now; in fact, pleading would only make Fourth Brother angrier.

Eighth Master secretly rubbed his knee and said in a low voice, "Go back. Don't get involved in our affairs. If you're well, Ninth Brother will be at ease."

"How can I feel at ease with you all like this?" Nan Yi said sadly. She sighed softly, and without caring that the ground was wet, she simply sat down next to Eighth Master and started chatting with him.

"Didn't you listen to my advice? He is already the emperor. For the sake of the future, you should lower your stance, go along with him, and save your lives."

Eighth Prince smiled bitterly. They were already at odds with the person on the throne. Lowering their stance would only make things worse for them.

For them, what is life compared to honor?

They were the most esteemed princes of the Qing Dynasty, and all they wanted now was to die with dignity. But given that person's nature, it was probably impossible.

"Nan Yi, why won't you stay in Fourth Brother's backyard? Why do you always want to leave, even going so far as to hide in another courtyard? Why?"

"Why are you suddenly asking about this?" Nan Yi chuckled, raising his head to look at the sky. It was so dark today, not a single star could be seen.

Heaven is really on her side; it's good that it's dark. On a dark and windy night, she can sit here openly and chat about life with the Eighth Master, who is being punished by kneeling.

When asked about the Eighth Master's question, she thought for a moment and smiled, "It's probably because they're too weak, and it's not good to argue with them. But facing them every day is also annoying. When I hate them, I really want to slap them to death. But reason tells me that I can't do that. So I think, if I can't afford to offend them, I'll avoid them. Out of sight, out of mind."

Eighth Master smiled upon hearing this, "It's your style of doing things that's so impressive. With your unparalleled martial arts skills, they are indeed too weak."

"Right, it's all Ah Tang's fault. He ruined everything. If he hadn't come back, none of this would have happened," Nan Yi sighed.