Inside the Wanyue Pavilion, Nan Yi is undergoing a joint trial by three judges.
Of all those who had the most mixed feelings upon Nan Yi's return, none were the servants of Wanyue Pavilion. The concubine had run away from home, yet returned in such a grand manner without any punishment.
Their hearts were soaring, sometimes to the ground, sometimes to the heavens, they were all speechless with excitement.
Nan Yi sat on the couch, with several maids and Qiu Ma standing in a row, while Xiao Shunzi and Huan'er peeked in from the doorway.
Five pairs of eyes stared intently at her, making Nan Yi feel guilty. She touched her nose and sighed, "Say what you want to say, I'm listening."
She immediately waved her hand and quickly declared, "Don't ask me why I'm leaving the manor. I told you, I just miss your master, that's all."
She would never admit to being prepared to run away, nor would she tell anyone. It wasn't that she didn't trust the maids; mainly, she felt that telling them would only harm them.
Her explanation left Qiu Ma half-believing, half-doubting, but the four maids didn't believe her at all. The mistress rolled her eyes and said, "Master, keep making things up. These ears and eyes of mine are just for show, only there to listen to your nonsense."
Qingyun pinched her handkerchief, looked at her mistress for a long time, her eyes full of heartache, "When have we ever stopped you from going out of the manor to relax? We let you have your way. Take this time, for example. If you want to go out of the manor, you should tell us privately, or bring someone with you to serve you, so that we don't have to worry about you day and night in the manor. Look how thin you are, you must be suffering outside."
Nan Yi nodded quickly. Qingyun was the most thoughtful and knew how to care for her the most. "That's right. She almost couldn't come back. It's tough out there. For more than ten days, she didn't even have a bite of meat to eat."
She feigned a pitiful appearance, which made the maids shake their heads. Yiren knew that her mistress carried tens of thousands of taels of silver and couldn't possibly go without meat.
"Master, could you tell me where you went? Was it fun?" Yiren asked abruptly.
"It's fun, especially the grass... uh..." She suddenly stopped talking, staring at Yiren with a dark expression, the little fox, almost giving herself away. "You naughty girl, trying to trick me, trying to get information out of me, no way."
Yiren chuckled, completely unconcerned.
She had predicted that her master would return, and she was right.
Since the concubine returned, Qiu Ma has remained silent. With her mistress safe and sound, she was finally able to get a good night's sleep.
Having spent more than a decade in the palace, weathering many storms, she is now rarely moved by anything.
As for her master, she had served her for over a year, during which time he caused countless troubles, but each time he escaped unscathed.
She is a blessed person.
“Alright, maids, our master must be tired. It’s getting late. Let’s save our conversation for tomorrow. Now, let’s help our master with his washing and dressing.” Aunt Qiu made the final decision.
“Aunt Qiu is right, let’s continue our conversation tomorrow.” Yi Ren came over and helped Nan Yi up, sighing bitterly, “Master doesn’t know, you’ve scared us so much since you left. We were afraid that if the Prince got angry, he would kill us all. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in the past two months, not to mention my lover and the others.”
Nan glanced at her and chuckled to himself. This girl's little schemes were written all over her face. Hmm, a money-grubber.
Upon hearing Yiren's words, Qingyun and Qingfeng, the lovers, were taken aback, then filled with anticipation, and both froze in place. Qiu's mother also stopped to look curiously.
"You little rascals, playing this trick again. When have I ever mistreated you?" Nan Yi laughed and scolded.
Yiren pouted, her face full of indignation. "Today, the Emperor has restored the master's rank and issued a decree, which is a joyous occasion. However, the Fujin (the wife of the master) did not say a word, did not mention any rewards, and did not even suggest setting up a celebratory table for the master. The masters in the other courtyards are also staying at home. I feel really bad. They are so cold-hearted, and they won't even let us have a good time."
Upon hearing this, Nan Yi felt nothing; on the contrary, she felt relieved and at ease, as she had never bothered to associate with them in the first place.
The maids were all thinking of her best interests, so she had to consider their feelings to some extent; she couldn't let the people around her feel disheartened.
The servants in Wanyue Pavilion all depended on her.
Nan Yi took out a stack of silver notes from his sleeve and gave them to Yi Ren. "Everyone in the courtyard will be rewarded. You can decide how much to give. Also, get some cloth from Qing Feng and distribute it as a reward. By the way, tell Xiao Shunzi to inform the kitchen to add some dishes for everyone tomorrow."
Yiren took the silver note, her eyes gleaming with excitement. Overjoyed, she thanked him profusely and then turned to wave to Qingyun and the others behind her.
The allure of silver is still quite strong.
The maids serving in the room were all smiles, crowding together to count the silver notes. Aunt Qiu shook her head helplessly and did not stop them.
She walked over to Nan Yi and said with a smile, "You'll spoil them."
Nan waved her hand, "I know what I'm doing. They're all good girls. I don't know how many years they'll stay by my side. After they leave the manor or get married, I won't be able to spoil them even if I want to."
Aunt Qiu nodded in agreement. She had to say that the master was kind-hearted, and the servants who served him also enjoyed good fortune.
She then brought up another matter, “Your Majesty, although the Fujin (consort) went a bit too far, you still have to go to the Plum Garden to pay your respects tomorrow, after all, she is the primary Fujin.”
Nan shook her head. She understood what Qiu Ma meant. She was worried that people would gossip behind her back, saying that she had just been restored to her original rank and didn't even respect the primary wife.
But she had her own ideas. "Aunt Qiu, please ask for leave from the Fujin tomorrow. I'm sick, and I don't want to suffer from her illness."
“This…” Qiu Ma hesitated. The Fujin was also ill. According to custom, the master should at least go and visit her and pay his respects.
If she doesn't go, outsiders will think that the concubine is being unreasonable.
Nan Yi sat back down in her chair. "Aunt Qiu, I'm really not feeling well. I'm not making excuses." Of course, she also used this reason to avoid the matter of paying her respects.
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