The death of Lady Nian caused an uproar in the harem. Nan Yi summoned Yi Ren and Xiao Shunzi and ordered them to leave the palace to do things for her. She did not have a pass to leave the palace, but she asked Li Yi to find a way to get one for her.

Xiao Shunzi and Yiren were full of doubts, but they thought that their mistress's family affairs in Tongzhou were very important, so they dared not be negligent and left the palace after packing up a little.

As soon as the two left, Li Yi, disguised as a palace attendant, followed closely behind out of the palace.

Meanwhile, a storm is brewing in Chengqian Palace.

Everyone knew that Consort Nian had seen Consort Tong during the day, but that night, Consort Nian suddenly fell ill. No one believed that Consort Tong had said or done anything.

Rumors spread throughout the palace, with many secretly accusing Consort Zhen of murdering Imperial Noble Consort Nian. Even Emperor Yinzhen couldn't help but suspect it, leading to the following scene.

Lan Zhi and Lan Ye helped their master to his feet, and the three of them slowly knelt down. Nan Yi knelt down without saying a word, without offering any greetings, and didn't even move his gaze, staring blankly at the floor.

Yinzhen was furious at her wooden-like appearance. Her anger burned even more. She cared so much about the Ninth Prince that she treated him with indifference.

"Get out, everyone."

Lan Zhi and Lan Ye glanced at their master with some concern, while Nan Yi's lips twitched silently, signaling the two to leave.

Seeing the two girls dawdling, Su Peisheng waved his hand at them and shouted, "His Majesty has ordered you to leave now."

Lan Zhi and Lan Ye dared not linger any longer and led the palace maids out of the hall. Su Peisheng was the last to leave. He closed the hall door, leaving only Yinzhen and Nan Yi inside, one kneeling and the other sitting.

If Yinzhen didn't speak, Nan Yi wouldn't speak either. She had racked her brains trying to say and beg, but she couldn't get a shred of pity from him. So why bother?

I have nothing to say.

She was thinking that Li Yi should have left the city with Yiren and Xiaoshunzi by now. In a few more hours, the three of them would be out of the capital and heading south. In a few days, the three of them would be free.

We need to hold out a little longer, give them enough time until they arrive safely.

Those eyes were fixed on her head, making her feel like her head was on fire, but Nan Yi remained unmoved.

The man on the seat suppressed his anger, his violent emotions surging through his mind, but when he looked at the slightly swaying body of Madam Tong below him, he couldn't help but feel pity for her.

The death of Lady Nian involves the entire court and the harem. He must get to the bottom of this. If it has nothing to do with Lady Tong, that's fine. But if Lady Tong was behind it, he must give a reasonable explanation to everyone inside and outside the palace.

Time slipped away quietly as they faced off.

Nan Yi couldn't hold back; his legs went numb and he felt terrible. The Fourth Master's face was frosty, and his gaze was deep; he was going to keep going until he was done with it.

It didn't matter. At this point, she didn't want to suffer any more, so she simply gave up kneeling and sat on the ground with her body tilted to one side.

When Yinzhen saw her movements, his eyes twitched. For twenty years, Tong Shi had been shameless as always. As a palace lady, she had no manners or etiquette whatsoever.

It seemed that the woman who loved to act unreasonably and bully others had returned, and Fourth Uncle breathed a sigh of relief.

The stalemate continued, which frustrated him and left him at a loss.

The Fourth Master sighed softly, twirling the ring on his thumb. After a moment's thought, he finally broke the silence, asking, "What did you and Madam Nian talk about the other day?"

"Nothing?" What could she possibly say? She used to hate someone so much, but now I realize she's just a pitiful woman.

After scheming for half her life, what did she gain besides the title of Imperial Noble Consort? No matter how much the Fourth Prince doted on her, the Nian family still declined after her death.

The Fourth Prince was clearly dissatisfied with her answer, and his tone was inevitably impatient, "If it's nothing, then what is it? Tell me the truth!"

"What do you mean? It's just some private talk between girls. Don't I even have that freedom? Putting me in solitary confinement is one thing, but do you want me to be mute?"

Nan Yi looked impatient, her brows furrowed, and her gaze extremely unfriendly. "Is this ever going to end?" she said, raising her head with a murderous look in her eyes. She gritted her teeth and accused again, "If you didn't trust me, why did you issue an order for me to see her? She couldn't hold back and suddenly ran to Chengqian Palace. Is that my fault?"

Yinzhen's brow twitched. Confined in Chengqian Palace, Lady Tong was completely unaware of the rumors and gossip outside. Lanzhi and Lanye were his people, and he didn't want her to know. Therefore, Lady Tong wouldn't receive any news unless it came from Yiren and Xiaoshunzi.

Thinking of the two capable people around Madam Tong, his gaze sharpened. Strangely, the personal maid who was always by his side was nowhere to be found.

He figured she was busy with other things, so he didn't think much of it and continued to press Tong Shi, "I only want to know what you and Nian Shi talked about that day. As for the rest, I'll tell you later."

What does it matter? The Nian family is dead, what does it have to do with her?

Nan hardened her resolve and said directly, "I forgot. Ask someone else."

He was so angry that he almost fell over. He just couldn't understand why it was so difficult to talk to this woman. She was being difficult again, and she didn't even know when to stop.

He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Tong Shi, don't test my patience. I just want to ask you to tell me clearly what you said when you met Nian Shi, without any concealment."

Nan Yi was unaware of the seriousness of the situation. The more Yinzhen acted this way, the more she argued with him. She turned her head away and said, "I forgot just like that. Ask me a hundred times and it will be the same. I just forgot."

Yinzhen glared at him, his eyes filled with malice. "You scoundrel! What time is it? You're still throwing a tantrum at me. Do you know what's going on outside? The Nian family is gone. Do you think you can get away with it?"

Nan Yi was a little confused. "What do you mean? How come I can't get rid of it cleanly? I didn't kill Nian Shi, so why are you questioning me... Wait, what's that rumor going around? Could it be..."

"What do you think? She saw you the day before yesterday." Yinzhen said irritably. Lady Nian had passed away suddenly. After all, she was a concubine who had been with him for many years. Her heart was entirely devoted to him. She was gentle, docile, and knew how to behave properly. When he was a prince, Lady Nian was the one he liked the most among all his wives and concubines.

He cared about Madam Tong, but he didn't want her to be so ruthless as to kill Madam Nian; otherwise, he would have misjudged her.

Nan Yi's expression darkened slightly. She never expected that after Nian Feixu's death, Yinzhen would suspect her.

This realization filled her with helplessness and sorrow. This was the harem; even the smallest thing could be linked to conspiracy.

Harming Nian Shi—no, she suddenly remembered something she had done before. At the time, Yiren had confidently told her to give Nian Shi a harsh lesson; it wouldn't be effective at first, but the results would be visible over time.

So, could it be that the young Nian died because of that incident, or that her poor health and difficulty conceiving over the years were also caused by that incident?

Although it is unknown what methods Yiren used, it is highly likely that Nian's death was indeed related to her.

So much time had passed that she almost forgot she had also resorted to such methods.

Seeing her remain silent, Yinzhen's heart sank further. His gaze was as cold as a knife, and his slightly narrowed eagle eyes stared intently at her. "You really did it?"

"Maybe." Nan Yi said. Whether she admitted it or not, it was no longer meaningful to investigate. What had happened had already occurred. She couldn't understand whether Nian's death was directly related to her, but she knew her own hands weren't clean either.