He can only have her in his heart. She doesn't care how many wives and concubines he has, but his heart must belong to her.

Yinzhen glanced at Nan Yi, walked up to Nian Feixu, and said softly, "Xu'er, is something the matter?"

Feixu was the concubine he was preparing to bring into the manor. He had already promised to spend the Lantern Festival with her today, so after finishing his business at the manor, he came to find her, but unexpectedly...

Nian Feixu pursed her lips, hesitant to speak, her eyes dimming, and said softly, "It's nothing. I thought Master was going to abandon Xu'er."

“No, that’s not true,” Yinzhen said, pulling her into his arms. “You go back first today; I have some things to take care of.”

Nian Feixu protested coquettishly, "I want Master to take me back to the manor." She thought to herself that no matter what kind of relationship he had with her, she could not back down. If she retreated one step, she would retreat every step of the way.

Upon seeing the two of them being intimate, and the girl casually calling his name, Nan abandoned himself and rushed to her, fearing that the woman might be wronged. The scene before him was too glaring, making her feel nauseous and churning inside.

He then said, "Sir, please escort this young lady back to her residence."

She didn't want to stay there and watch them put on their act of deep affection, but she told herself, "Nan Yi, don't be angry, don't be sad, and don't take it seriously. If you take it seriously, you'll lose." Then she turned and left.

"Where are you going?" Yinzhen scolded her as she was about to leave.

"Let's go back to the manor. Otherwise, you can stay here and watch your master tell me that homegrown flowers are always more fragrant than wild ones," Nan Yi said disdainfully, glancing at the woman in his arms.

"How dare you!" Yinzhen released Nian Feixu. Who gave her permission to talk about Xu'er like that?

Yinzhen walked up to her with a stern face, grabbed her chin, and gritted his teeth, saying, "It seems that I have really spoiled you, allowing you to be so unrestrained and outspoken. After returning to the manor, you will stay in the Lan Courtyard. If I find you leaving the manor without permission again, all the servants in the Lan Courtyard will be beaten to death." He had spoiled her too much, even allowing her to leave the manor without permission. Who knows what might happen next time.

He said he doted on her. Yes, indeed. Nan Yi smiled brightly, still fearlessly laughing bitterly, "Master is angry and embarrassed. Hehe, no matter how much Master dotes on me, it's probably not as good as the girl in front of me. Don't worry, from now on, no matter if she's thirteen or fourteen, I won't entertain her. She can die in Lan Courtyard, and Master won't have to worry about her."

Yinzhen recalled how she had locked the courtyard and refused to let him in. He was so angry that he pushed Nan Yi away. Well, it seems she doesn't care at all. She doesn't care about him or his favor. He was just being delusional.

Yinzhen said indifferently, "Xiao Shunzi, escort your master back to the manor. If anything goes wrong again, you know the consequences." After saying that, he took Nian Feixu and walked into the night.

After watching the whole play, Thirteen rushed forward and said anxiously, "Fourth Brother, Sister-in-law Tong didn't mean it, please don't take it to heart."

Yinzhen snorted coldly, "She didn't do it on purpose, she did it on purpose," and continued walking forward.

His straight, taut body betrayed his hidden displeasure. She could be even more beautiful, breathtakingly beautiful. He couldn't describe the feeling at that moment; it was a mixture of joy and annoyance. In the manor, she always dressed so casually, her hair often disheveled, and her clothes were always whatever was most comfortable.

But instead of showing her most beautiful side to him, she paraded around outside the mansion, showing her face in public. He really wanted to strangle her.

“You can’t just leave her on the street, it’s so late now,” Thirteen said, looking at the woman standing there gazing at them, so aloof and lonely. He felt a pang of sadness for no reason.

“If you’re worried, send her back to the manor,” Yinzhen said. Thirteen hesitated slightly, then mumbled, “Then I’ll send her. Fourth Brother will feel more at ease.”

A faint "hmm" came from the wind, leaving no trace.

"…Sister-in-law Tong, Fourth Brother is just extremely angry. Don't take it to heart. He'll be fine in a while," Thirteen awkwardly advised. It was the first time he had ever tried to persuade a woman, and it was truly difficult for this grown man.

Nan Yi lowered her eyes and said with a low, sarcastic laugh, "I don't care." She couldn't care, and dared not care. She wanted to forget, to forget the things that made her sad.

Nan Yi pressed her chest, which was throbbing with pain, and frowned slightly. For some reason, the pain in her chest was still unbearable. As if she could no longer hold back, tears welled up in her eyes and condensed into mist.

Not wanting Thirteen to see her disheveled state, she said she didn't care. She turned her head away, took a few deep breaths, and suppressed her bitter tears.

Thirteen saw everything and felt helpless. He was young and unmarried, and he was unsure how to comfort the heartbroken woman, who was also his sister-in-law.

When she came to her senses, she saw that Thirteen was uneasy and felt guilty. She said, "I can always forget sad things and let go of sad people quickly."

Thirteen Yi was a little sad. The carriage became heavy. She said that letting go of the sad person meant letting go of Fourth Brother and not caring about Fourth Brother.

The light and indifferent tone made him inexplicably sad. His mother had said the same thing before she died, shouting that she wanted to let go, let go of her father, let go of her and her siblings, and vowed never to enter the palace again in her next life.

He felt a slight pang of regret, unsure whether it was for his fourth brother or for himself who hadn't received such genuine affection.

The following day, Su Peisheng, acting on his master's orders, said that the maids of Lanyuan had neglected their duties. He did not mention Nan Yi's unauthorized departure from the manor, but only said that the maids had not served diligently. Qingyun, Qingfeng, and their lovers Yiren and Xiaoshunzi were each given thirty strokes of the cane.

She sat in the hall listening to the sound of wooden planks hitting people outside, and she let out soft, low groans.

Nan Yi tightly covered her eyes, repeatedly telling herself not to cry, that crying was a sign of weakness, but the tears wouldn't obey her, streaming down her cheeks and onto her clothes.

Nan tried to wipe away her tears, muttering curses under her breath at the girls. They were clearly in a lot of pain, but they stubbornly refused to make a sound, hoping to gain her sympathy and get a reward.

After a long while, the beating was finished, and Su Peisheng came in to take his leave. "Concubine, the master said that you should reflect on your actions. He will send someone else to serve you," Su the eunuch said in a low voice.

"Thank you, Eunuch Su. Please tell the master that there is no need to send anyone else. I don't like strangers."

Seeing her choked voice, her lowered eyes glistening, and the obvious wet patch on her lapel, Su Peisheng understood and sighed inwardly before turning to take his leave.

She had the seriously injured maids carried to the servants' quarters. Seeing Xiao Shunzi groaning in pain, she said to Aunt Qiu, "Aunt Qiu, Xiao Shunzi can stay in your side room to recover. Moving him around is too much trouble."

Aunt Qiu nodded, "This servant knows." But how to carry him back? The courtyard was full of old women and maids. Little Shunzi, however, was thick-skinned. He stood up shakily, grinned at Nanyi, and said with a simple and honest look, "This servant can still move."

Nan Yi looked at his silly appearance, turned her head away to wipe her tears. Thirty strokes of the cane, just thinking about it hurt. This silly eunuch made her heartbroken and wanted to cry even more.

When Nan Yi arrived at the maids' quarters, she heard a chorus of hissing and groans of pain. Granny Zhao gently comforted her, and the maids joked among themselves. Despite their injuries, they could still find joy in their suffering; they were truly her good maids.

She didn't go in, but summoned Huan'er to the bedroom, handed her a few silver notes, and said, "Huan'er, here is some silver. Give it to the ones who were beaten. Give two hundred taels to your mother. You and your mother can share it with Aunt Qiu. Come back later. I have something to tell you. Go now."