"Are you sleepy?" Yinzhen suddenly turned to ask Yin Qingyi.
"It's alright, you go to sleep. I'll fall asleep when I'm tired." Yin Qingyi was a little confused as to why Yinzhen was asking this.
"Then go play with the children. Come back after I've gone to sleep." Yinzhen felt that he couldn't sleep at all with this little woman beside him. It was fine normally, but now that he had been drinking, he couldn't control himself.
"???" Yin Qingyi looked at Yinzhen, her gaze shifting from his face to his earlobe. Hmm, she understood.
Yin Qingyi silently got up and left the inner room. Qiu Kui, who was guarding the door, looked at Yin Qingyi with the same puzzled expression.
"I'm not sleepy yet. Staying inside would disturb your rest, so I came out to read. I'll go back in when I'm sleepy." Seeing the question in Qiu Ju's eyes, Yin Qingyi knew she couldn't reveal Yinzhen's identity, so she could only pin the blame on herself.
Qiuju nodded, then turned on the light in the outer room.
Yin Qingyi didn't go to the west room to see the children because they were probably being put to sleep. If she went over, the three little ones would probably lose their sleepiness, so it was better not to add to their workload.
Picking up a new play script that Yinzhen had found for her yesterday, Yin Qingyi read it with great interest. Time flew by while she was reading, and by the time she started to yawn from sleepiness, an hour had already passed.
Yin Qingyi put down her script, got up and went into the inner room. She quietly climbed onto the inside of the bed and lay down, falling asleep in no time.
The next day, when Yinzhen woke up, he immediately realized that his hangover was not present. Looking at Yin Qingyi lying next to him, Yinzhen's eyes showed an unreadable expression.
“My lord, it’s time to go to the palace,” Su Peisheng’s voice rang out.
"Hmm." Yinzhen got up, and the servants at the door filed in. It didn't take long for Yinzhen to wash up and get dressed.
Before leaving, Yinzhen turned back to look at the sleeping Yin Qingyi, his eyes flashing with a light that others could not understand.
Su Peisheng wasn't stupid; he managed to defeat a group of eunuchs and become the chief steward by Yinzhen's side. If he wasn't aware of his master's behavior these past few days, he understood a bit more when his master refused to drink the soup again. However, since he wasn't directly involved, he didn't understand the intricacies of the situation. He only felt that this concubine was resourceful and wondered what she had given his master that prevented him from experiencing any discomfort after getting drunk.
When Yinzhen arrived at the front courtyard, he saw his wife, Lady Li, Lady Song, and two concubines waiting there. Of course, Lady Li and Lady Li were there to see Yinzhen off, not to go with him. This time, there was hardly anyone left in Yinzhen's back courtyard. The only person who suited his taste was Consort Yin, but unfortunately, Consort Yin was still in her second month of confinement. Lady Li was also reluctant to leave her young son, who was not yet two years old, so as the mistress of the house, Lady Li naturally had to stay in the house to oversee things. As for Lady Geng, there was no need to mention her; Yinzhen didn't even remember her. So, after all the calculations, only Lady Song and two concubines remained.
"Why aren't Consort Yin and Consort Furen here? Don't they even come to see me off as I leave?" Li Shi asked, looking at Yinzhen walking alone. She wondered if Consort Yin was so ignorant of etiquette. She asked in a high-pitched voice, but paused noticeably when she said the words "Consort Furen".
"Doesn't Sister Li know? Sister Yin is still in her second month of confinement. The master is considerate and will naturally not let Sister Yin come out to see her off." The Fujin looked at Li with sarcasm. This Li still didn't realize that she was a disfavored princess. She even wanted to put a bad word on Sister Yin. She didn't even know where the master came from.
"Fujin, while I'm away, you must manage the affairs of the manor well and prevent any more sordid incidents. Also, you don't need to worry about Luoxuexuan anymore; you only need to take care of the other courtyards. Li Shi, take good care of the Third Prince and don't do anything underhanded." Yinzhen had witnessed the methods of these two women firsthand, and he was truly worried about leaving them at home with that little woman. Therefore, he didn't mind saying these words to them before leaving.
"Yes." The princess's face was not good, but she had no choice but to nod in agreement since Yinzhen had spoken. As for whether she would be so obedient after Yinzhen left, that was unknown.
"This concubine did nothing... This concubine understands, Your Highness, please rest assured." Li Shi wanted to act coquettishly after hearing this, but she immediately became obedient after meeting Yinzhen's cold gaze.
Satisfied, Yinzhen turned and left, mounted his horse at the gate of the mansion, and Song Shi and two concubines followed behind him into the carriage.
After Yinzhen had walked away, his wife and Lady Li turned around and walked back.
"What a magnanimous wife! How does it feel to personally promote a concubine?" Li Shi said sarcastically, looking at the wife's unpleasant expression. If the wife hadn't pulled Yin Shi up to compete for the emperor's favor, the position of concubine would be hers now!
"Granny Li, how should we punish this lady for speaking disrespectfully to the Fujin?" The Fujin ignored Li Shi and instead asked Granny Li, who was supporting her, in a casual manner.
"Reporting to the Lady, those who speak disrespectfully to their master will be punished with twenty strokes of the cane." Granny Li immediately understood the Lady's meaning.
"Twenty strokes of the cane? Forget it, she's still half a mistress after all. Let her slap ten times and kneel here for two hours." As soon as the Fujin finished speaking, someone stepped forward and held Li Shi down.
"How dare you! Ulanara, the Emperor has only just left you. Aren't you afraid that if he finds out, he will despise you?" Li said to the Fujin in a flustered but inwardly fierce manner.
“Li Shi, haven’t you figured out the current situation yet? You are no longer the Li Gege whom the master favored.” The Fujin approached Li Shi and whispered in her ear.
"Let's begin." The Fujin stepped back a few paces, looking at Li Shi with a leisurely air.
"How dare you!" A 'slap' followed immediately by Li's voice, and Li Mama took action herself.
"Ah." Madam Li was surprised that the Fujin would actually dare to hit her, and stared at the Fujin with disbelief in her eyes.
"Slap! Slap! Slap!..." The sound of slaps rang out one after another. Granny Li's hands were quick and ruthless. After ten slaps, Li's beautiful face was instantly red and swollen. The fact that ten slaps could make Li like this shows how much force Granny Li used.
"Tsk tsk tsk, look at this face, how can you still recognize the beautiful Sister Li? Sigh~ Granny Li, you don't know your own strength. What if you ruined Sister Li's delicate face?" The Fujin's eyes were overflowing with malice, but she was still saying words of regret.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com