"Is anyone in the manor bullying you?" Yinzhen asked with some concern. He knew those servants best; they were adept at changing their tune with the wind and stepping on the weak when they were in power. Unfortunately, he couldn't reach into his fourth brother's manor.
Nan Yi patted her chest and said arrogantly, "Who am I? Who can bully me? Don't worry about these things. The servants in the courtyard are all doing well. Besides," she whispered to Yin Tang, "those silver notes you gave me have been very useful. Whoever does well gets a reward. Do you think they would turn down money?"
Yinzhen raised an eyebrow and praised, "Smart, but we can't just reward them. We must never tolerate servants who make mistakes. Only then will they be wary."
The Ninth Prince said something and reached out to touch the silver, but found nothing. His hand froze, and he scratched his head. "I left in a hurry today and didn't bring any silver. I'll make it up to you next time."
"What are you saying? I'm always asking you for money. What do you think I am?"
Nan Yi gave him a push. "I recently made a windfall, and Qing..." She almost let slip, but bit her tongue and quickly corrected herself, "My head maid Qingyun and Yiren manage my money. Together they have tens of thousands of taels. I have no worries about food and clothing in the mansion, and it's enough for my expenses for a lifetime."
"You can spend it as you like, I'll earn more in the future." Yin Tang casually accepted the offer, then paused, and hurriedly went to look at Nan Yi.
Nan Yi was completely oblivious, as if it were a matter of course, and was beaming with joy. Money delivered to her doorstep was money better spent than not. "Great, sister, I can rely on you from now on. Make lots of money!"
When Yinzhen heard this, he felt a secret joy for some reason.
After chatting for a while, Nan Yi had already lingered outside for quite some time. Fearing that the maids in Jingren Palace might be looking for her, she said goodbye, "You should go back now. I've made an appointment with Wanqing. When I have time, I'll send her an invitation to visit. See you next time."
"Hmm, you're fine. If you want to get out sooner, why don't you..." Yinzhen originally wanted her to coax the fourth brother and try to gain her freedom as soon as possible, but as soon as the thought arose, his heart ached as if it were being pricked by needles. He couldn't bring himself to let the woman he loved please another man, even if they were legally married.
He took a deep breath, then suddenly changed his mind, his eyes fixed on Nan Yi's face. After a closer look, he suddenly realized something was wrong, and his expression changed drastically. "Nan Yi, you, you're sick again."
"No, no." Nan Yi was a little guilty and stammered, "I, I didn't. I just suffer from summer heat. When it gets hot, I don't have a good appetite and my complexion is bad."
She patted her face, trying to cover it up, "Alright, why are you being so long-winded? Hurry up and go back, I'm leaving, bye."
"But......"
"No buts." Nan Yi strode into Jingren Palace. After walking a few meters, she suddenly turned back, made a face at Yin Tang, smiled, and walked away without looking back.
Yinzhen, who was standing still, forced a smile and replied to her. When he turned around, his face suddenly darkened. He wasn't blind; he could tell the difference between summer heat and illness.
She's lost weight again, her face is tiny, her eyes are big and dark with deep-set sockets, her lips are pale, and there's no color in her face. Especially her clothes, which hang loosely on her body.
It seems her situation is not as nonchalant as she claims.
With the concubine's rank stripped, how could the women in the Fourth Prince's household not take the opportunity to kick her while she was down?
However, aside from watching her suffer, he was powerless to help.
Yinzhen returned to Yikun Palace looking dejected and lost, which made Consort Yi feel sorry for him for a long time.
At Jingren Palace, Lijuan discovered that Nan Yi was not in the palace and was about to go out to look for her when a maid came to report that she had returned.
Nan Yi stood at the doorway, annoyed. She rubbed her forehead, so focused on avoiding the man's interrogation that she forgot to congratulate him on his upcoming marriage to his primary wife.
"Good mistress, you're finally back." Lijuan stepped forward quickly. "If you had been any later, I would have gone out to look for you."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Lijuan, I just wanted to ask you something. Have you heard about Yin... uh, the Ninth Prince marrying his primary wife?"
"I heard that His Majesty just bestowed this marriage not long ago, just two months ago, and the wedding will take place at the end of the year. I also heard that the future Ninth Prince's wife is quite a beauty."
Nan Yi listened with great interest, "Really? He's really getting off easy. The Ninth Consort, Lady Guo, is already very beautiful, and the First Consort can be even more beautiful."
"I don't know about that. I've only heard about it, but it might not be entirely true." Lijuan smiled. "If you ask me, the concubine is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Even the ninth concubine can't compare to you."
This flattery pleased Nan Yitong greatly, and he felt very pleased with himself, but on the surface he feigned modesty and said, "You flatter me. I'm just so-so. I heard from the palace maids that Consort Liang is an absolutely stunning beauty."
Lijuan thought for a moment and compared them in her mind before saying, "They each have their own merits. The good master is gentle and calm, while the master is like a little sun, making people happy from the bottom of their hearts just by looking at him."
The concubine lived in Jingren Palace, and the Empress became much more lively, with a smile on her face every day. In the ten years of serving the Empress, I had never seen her smile so happily. When the Emperor came, she was happy, but when he left, she was left with more sorrow.
She feared that the maids, lacking the abilities of Consort Tong, were hoping that their mistress would visit Jingren Palace more often. If the Empress was pleased, the maids would be happy too.
Kangxi had already sent people to handle the account books brought back from the south. After a while, he remembered that the great contributor was still being held in Jingren Palace.
Just then, the Minister of Rites came to discuss the matter of the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet. The old fellow lingered in the Imperial Study for a long time and refused to leave. After asking him for a while, it was finally discovered that he had come to ask for money.
With a stroke of his pen, Emperor Kangxi approved the silver, dismissed the Minister of Rites, and in a good mood, restored Nan Yi to her position as the First Consort. He then ordered the chief eunuch to secretly escort Nan Yi back to her residence.
When Nan Yi returned, Yinzhen was still discussing matters in the palace.
The imperial edict was received by the primary consort, Lady Nara, and Lady Li and Lady Nian together. When the women in the courtyard heard that Lady Tong had been restored to the position of secondary consort, they were filled with hatred and jealousy, but they still had to kneel on the ground and smile as they thanked the emperor.
Lady Nara gritted her teeth and returned to her bedroom, complaining of a headache. Granny Liu secretly summoned the family physician, who shook his head and left without a word, without even prescribing a prescription.
His primary wife's illness was a mental one, which he could not cure.
Granny Liu had a general idea of what was going on, so she had the kitchen prepare a calming and soothing soup and helped Lady Nara to bed.
She sat alone on the side of the bed, sighing silently.
She knew her master's temperament better than anyone else, since he was the primary consort. She had to be generous and virtuous, and could not complain or be jealous. Before, when there was a concubine named Tong, things were fine, but ever since the concubine Nian came to the mansion, she had not had a good night's sleep.
Seeing how much the Prince doted on Lady Nian, she felt sorry for the Fujin (the wife of the Prince).
All the wives and concubines in the main household were sidelined. Consort Nian had only been in the household for a short time when she became pregnant. The master doted on her to the extreme, wishing he could pluck the stars from the sky for her.
Consort Nian was never content; she was always sick or had aches and pains. The prince doted on her, allowing her to rest for twenty days out of the month. The remaining ten days were for Consort Li, who had a son, so she could take a few days off. The prince was busy with official duties, so he would rest in his study for a few days, and that would be the end of the month.
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