Yi Ren's premonition was right. When Huan'er heard Eunuch Gao knocking on the door, she squinted and quietly opened the side door of Wan Yue Pavilion.
The side gate leads to the back garden, which is rarely visited. Nan Yi initially requested that a side gate be opened here, thinking that since Wanyue Pavilion is not as large as Lanyuan, it would be good to have a side gate so that people could occasionally take a stroll in the back garden.
Yinzhen, accompanied by the eunuch Gao Wuyong, bypassed the people in the mansion and entered Wanyue Pavilion from the back garden. Apart from Yiren, most people would not have guessed this.
Huan'er thought to herself, "Sister Yiren is just like a fortune teller on the street. She said the master would come, and he really did."
Yinzhen hadn't expected that the gatekeeper of Wanyue Pavilion would be replaced by this chubby girl. He coughed lightly and whispered a reminder, "Gao Wuyong."
Eunuch Gao quickly took out a small silver ingot from his sleeve, stuffed it into Huan'er's hand, and instructed, "Go back now, leave this to me. Remember, don't tell anyone about this."
Huan'er clutched the silver, nodded vigorously, and ran towards the servants' quarters. She was going to report to Sister Yiren that the master had really come.
Yinzhen had no idea that this chubby girl would take the reward money and then betray him.
Alone, he made his way to Madam Tong's bedroom in the dark. There was light in the room, and the door was ajar. He pushed it open gently.
Yinzhen frowned, slightly annoyed that the maids of Wanyue Pavilion were careless, not serving their master properly, and not even knowing to close the door properly.
Little did he know, the door had been left open specifically for him.
Yiren's good intentions backfired, leaving a bad impression on the servants in Wanyue Pavilion in Yinzhen's mind.
In the bedroom, Nan Yiyuan was fast asleep when she suddenly felt a prying gaze on her, and she immediately woke up with a start.
"Four... Ouch—be gentle, you touched the wound, it hurts." Nan Yi gasped and pushed away the tall body pressing down on her.
"You deserve to be in so much pain." Yinzhen cursed through gritted teeth, moved away, released his grip on her waist, and lifted her nightgown at the side.
A gruesome scar came into view, and Yinzhen's pupils constricted sharply. "How did you get hurt?"
Nan Yi brushed his hand away and moved her body to the inside of the bed. "He's a killer in blue. He wanted to steal my ledger."
Yinzhen was taken aback. "What ledger?"
Nan Yi casually said, "The Emperor didn't tell you? That's impossible. I obtained that list of bribe-takers in Shanxi by accident. On my way back, I was being chased by assassins, and it was the Emperor's men who saved me."
Yinzhen was even more shocked. He frowned. After all this time, the reason why his father suddenly questioned the governor of Shanxi and a group of local officials was here.
But now is not the time to pursue this issue. He frowned and glared at him angrily, "I'm asking you, how did you end up in Shanxi? I went to Rehe. Don't you even know which way is north, south, east, or west? Hmm? You'd better tell me the truth. Why did you leave the manor without permission? If you hadn't run into Father Emperor's men, would you still be alive?"
"I'm lost," Nan Yi said matter-of-factly, stating the reason she had prepared before leaving home.
She wrinkled her nose and looked aggrieved. "Once I left the capital, who knew where Rehe was? I asked for directions several times, but the more I asked, the more confused I became. Who knew I would end up in Shanxi? When I tried to turn back, I ran into that mess in Qi County."
I thought that the local Prefect Liu was truly hateful, and seeing injustice, I had to intervene. So, I broke into Prefect Liu's study that very night, stole the account books, and took them back to the capital to find my master. You know what happened next; I inexplicably became a wanted criminal.
Yinzhen rubbed his forehead, his face darkening. "I'm asking why you left the manor without permission. Mother ordered you to stay home and reflect on your actions. Why did you disobey and openly defy her orders? Do you think the punishment isn't enough?"
"I miss you. Besides, why should I reflect on myself? Shouldn't you be the one reflecting on yourself? It's all your fault." Nan Yi was even angrier than him when she thought about it.
Yinzhen was so angry that his forehead throbbed. "You still blame me? Who told you to speak so rudely? I didn't punish you for your disrespect, which is already lenient. And you turn around and blame me? Don't you know what's right or wrong?"
"It's all your fault. Two lives were waiting for you to save, and you, that pretentious woman deliberately tripped you up, but your eyes were as black as shit, you just couldn't see it."
"Watch your words," Yinzhen said angrily.
"If you can do it, don't be afraid of what people say," Nan Yi retorted.
She sat up angrily, the image of Xiao Xi covered in blood constantly flashing through her mind. She was terrified; the memory still haunted her.
Nan Yi, his eyes red and his hands trembling, angrily questioned, "If she hadn't been rescued in time, she would have died. Or was it you who stood by and watched her die? I'll talk to you again."
"You—" Yinzhen was furious and filled with hatred. Finally, he was out of breath and said, "Didn't Your Majesty send people behind you?"
"What's the use? You're going to lose your life. What good will it do if you go in person? You're a hypocrite."
Nan Yi glared at him fiercely, “Qiao’er was seriously injured in the accident caused by the Fujin’s carriage. The imperial physician I invited was stopped by that woman to take care of her pregnancy. In your eyes, other people’s lives are not lives, right? A bunch of selfish and indifferent people, without any humanity. Humph, I must have had the worst luck in eight lifetimes to come here.”
After she finished speaking, she lifted the blanket, lay down, and ignored Yinzhen.
"So, marrying me is a disservice to you." Yinzhen glared fiercely at her retreating figure.
Nan Yi said in a muffled voice, "You know in your heart whether it's true or not. I didn't say anything wrong. I am a prince, and Consort Nian is of even higher status. No wonder they treat human life like dirt."
Yinzhen was choked by her words, his expression shifting several times. He wanted to drag her out of bed and yell at her, but then he remembered that she was injured.
He felt incredibly frustrated, even if he didn't scold her and let it go. A nameless fire burned in his chest, impossible to suppress.
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