At the entrance of Huikeju, the place was bustling with noise and every seat was taken. The innkeeper, beaming with pride, greeted the coming and going guests. A girl with dark skin and dressed in blue squeezed to the front desk, ran up to the innkeeper, and said, "Innkeeper, hello. My daughter asked me to come here to find a young master surnamed Wei and to pass on a message to him."

The shopkeeper was taken aback and glanced at the girl. His master had given him instructions a few days ago: if anyone inquired about one of the three of them, he should be informed immediately.

No one had come these past few days, except for this young lady. She paused slightly before confirming, "May I ask your daughter's status?"

The young girl whispered in the shopkeeper's ear, "Nan Yi."

The shopkeeper's expression hardened. "Wait here for a moment, I'll go and inform the master right away."

The young girl waved her hand, "No need, my lady said she will come in three days, meet at the usual place. If you tell your master this, they will understand immediately. Farewell." After saying that, she turned and left.

Just then, someone came to the counter to pay, and the shopkeeper glanced at him, only to find the girl had vanished. The shopkeeper then gave the waiter a few instructions and went to deliver the message himself.

In the garden of the Ninth Prince's residence, the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Princes were drinking in the pavilion, their faces showing worry.

The Ninth Prince gulped down several mouthfuls, cursing angrily, "You brat, it's been days and you still haven't shown up. You're deliberately making people worry."

"Crack!" He slammed the cup down on the stone table, and it shattered with a thud.

The Eighth Prince breathed a sigh of relief. They were all worried, and it was understandable that she couldn't go out. So he comforted her, "She's a young lady confined to her quarters. Perhaps it's inconvenient for her, or maybe something is holding her back and she can't leave."

“That’s right, he’s not a grown man, he might get news right away,” the Tenth Prince interjected.

The three men sighed deeply, just as they were feeling troubled, when the eunuch Xiao Jinzi brought someone in at a brisk pace.

"Hey, Ninth Brother, Little Jinzi brought someone with him," the Tenth Prince exclaimed loudly.

The Ninth Prince was very annoyed and quite impatient. "What's so strange about bringing someone along?" He glanced at the person casually, then immediately got up and ran over.

The Eighth Prince looked at his younger brother with a puzzled expression, while the Tenth Prince shrugged, indicating that he didn't know.

The Ninth Prince looked at the newcomer and asked urgently, "Is there any news?" The shopkeeper was about to bow when the Ninth Prince stopped him, saying, "Forget the formalities, just tell me if there's any news?"

The shopkeeper cupped his hands and said, "A young lady delivered a message saying that we should meet at the usual place in three days."

Upon hearing this, the Ninth Prince exclaimed with delight, "Are there any others?" "That's great, this girl didn't make him worry for nothing," the shopkeeper shook his head.

He then asked, "And what about the person who delivered the message?"

The shopkeeper said, "I'm leaving."

The Ninth Prince's expression changed instantly, and he scolded, "Didn't I tell you to find a way to keep people here when they arrive...? You can't even keep an eye on people."

Hearing his master's anger, the shopkeeper stammered softly, "...He just glanced at them and they were gone."

The Ninth Prince waved his sleeve and said, "Alright, step back." The shopkeeper, realizing he hadn't done his job well, wiped away his cold sweat and quickly left.

We wouldn't be able to meet for three days, but at least we got some news, which put my mind at ease. I returned to the pavilion and explained the situation to my eighth brother and tenth brother, who were also relieved.

The Tenth Prince propped his head up and said to his brothers, "Send the little girl to report back... Why don't we go find that little girl? Maybe we can find out which family Nan Yi belongs to."

He was determined to find out Nan Yi's background, so he always met her secretly. Wouldn't it be better to find out her background and visit her at her residence openly and legitimately?

Ba and Jiu exchanged a glance, but they spoke later. If the shopkeeper were still alive, he might have heard the messenger's voice and made a sound.

The Ninth Prince smiled wistfully and said, "I'll see him in three days, no rush." ​​Though he said that, how could he not be in a rush? It had only been a few days since they parted, but it felt like they hadn't seen each other for years.

He stretched and said to his brother, "We finally have some free time, let's not waste this nice day and go to Huikeju for a drink."

She had stayed there before and always had fond memories of it. The three of them rode to Huikeju and saw several carriages blocking the entrance. The carriages looked very familiar.

Upon approaching, they realized it was a member of their own family. Mingzhu, the personal maid of the Ninth Consort, went to the carriage to report to her master.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and Baozhu helped Xiao Guoshi down from the carriage. Xiao Guoshi blushed and stepped forward to greet him. Today was the first time she had been away from home with her husband, and she felt a little happy.

To everyone's surprise, the Ninth Prince's handsome face darkened when he saw her. "Why aren't you staying in the manor? What are you doing here?"

Ms. Guo froze instantly, her face pale, unable to utter a word.

"You little rascal, bullying your little sister-in-law again!" A slightly shrill voice rang out. Then, the carriage curtain was lifted, and a woman dressed in a bright red palace dress stepped out. She had a very beautiful face, a tall figure, and her phoenix eyes glared angrily at the Ninth Prince.

Just as Lady Guo was at a loss for what to do, the Eighth Prince's wife came to her rescue and rushed in front of the Ninth Prince, squinting her eyes and sneering, "What, did I say something wrong?"

When the Ninth Prince saw that it was his Eighth Sister-in-law, knowing her unforgiving nature, he smiled apologetically and said, "Not at all, not at all. It's just that Wanqing's health isn't very good, so it's better for her to rest at home."

He glanced sideways at his eighth brother, signaling him to hurry up and put out the fire. The eighth prince walked over with a smile, took his wife's hand, and asked gently, "What brings you out today?"

The Eighth Prince's wife said coquettishly, "What? You're not allowed to? You men are allowed to have fun outside, but we're not allowed to come out and relax." She then reminded her Tenth Brother, who was hiding to the side, "Tenth Brother, don't hide. Zhenzhen came along too."

The Tenth Prince looked up and, sure enough, a gentle woman in a light purple dress was walking towards him—none other than his concubine.

The Eighth Prince's wife gently took the Eighth Prince's hand and said with a light laugh, "My Ninth Brother's wife, Tenth Brother's wife, and I had originally planned to go out for a stroll today. We happened to pass by the Ninth Brother's restaurant and wanted to rest for a while, but we just happened to run into you brothers."

The Eighth Prince thought to himself, "What a coincidence!" He said casually, "Since we're here, let's go together. Everyone, don't block the doorway." He led his wife through the door first.

The Eighth Princess held his hand tightly, her mouth tasting of honey, the sweetness flowing from the tip of her tongue to her heart. He cared about her. In the years since their marriage, he had never mentioned taking a concubine. She had been unable to conceive for a long time, and he comforted her. So far, apart from her, there was no other woman in the mansion who would bother her. Thinking of this, she felt even happier.

The Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince also entered the restaurant. The Eighth Prince paused as he stepped in, glancing around. "What's wrong?"

The Eighth Prince's wife noticed this and glanced around with him, but found nothing unusual.

The Eighth Prince ignored the strange feeling in his heart and shook his head, "It's nothing." ~ Strange, he had just noticed someone was watching, but upon closer inspection there was nothing there. Maybe he was just overthinking it.

At this moment, ten meters to the right of Huikeju, there was a rouge stall. A girl in green stood in front of the stall, holding a candied hawthorn. She pretended to look at the rouge, picking and choosing, but her eyes were fixed on the entrance of the restaurant. Upon closer inspection, it was the person who had delivered the message to Huikeju that morning. This person was Nan Yi, who had slipped out of the villa.

She peeked cautiously, thinking that the women nestled beside the three men must be their wives. They were all married, and judging from their expressions, they seemed very happy. She felt a pang of jealousy, thinking how pitiful she was all alone.