Nan Yi instructed the eunuch standing at the door with a worried look on his face, "Xiao Shunzi, go to my mother's house and tell her that I will find a way to save my father, and ask my mother not to worry too much."
She then summoned Yiren and said seriously, "With Father in trouble, Second Sister and Third Sister will definitely have an even harder time. Go to the storeroom and pick out some more gifts to send to my two sisters' homes. Tell them that if any of them bully them, they can come to me and I will stand up for them."
Even if the Fourth Uncle continued to hide, she wouldn't just sit and wait to die.
Nan Yi changed her clothes and ordered Qingyun to guard the house; she was going out.
"Master, the sooner you go and the sooner you return, the sooner the master might be able to come back to the manor early today," Qingyun advised softly.
"Hmph, I don't count on him." What kind of person is he? He only cares about saving face when his wife's family is in trouble. Doesn't he think about the shared fate of the family?
She had long since lost all affection for him, yet he continued to push the boundaries of her understanding of his profound ruthlessness.
Why was she still here? She had been eating and sleeping with him without any reservations, but now she felt disgusted with herself.
Forgetting principles and bottom lines, are you really afraid he'll catch you and you'll run away?
She dared not delve into the underlying reasons, fearing that if she revealed the truth, she would never be able to go back to the way things were before, never be the carefree Nan Yi she once was.
She took a deep breath, lifted the curtain and walked out. A tall, slender figure, caught in the swirling snow, entered the room. He took off his hat and threw it on the table.
Nan Yi was taken aback. Why wasn't Fourth Master hiding anymore?
Su Peisheng, who followed in, stepped forward to help him take off his snow-covered cloak. Qingyun came out from behind Nan Yi, smiled at his master when he saw the people in the hall, and quickly went to make tea.
Yinzhen warmed his hands over the brazier, intending to go into the inner room to find her, but as he turned to the side, he paused slightly, then frowned, "Are you leaving the manor?"
Nan stared at him expressionlessly. Since the old man refused to help, she naturally had to find a solution herself.
"I'm asking you a question. It's freezing outside. Where do you think you're going?" He stepped forward, his face slightly angry, and brushed aside the hairstyle that was styled like that of a Han Chinese woman.
Instead of answering, Nan Yi asked, "Why didn't you continue to hide? Was it because you couldn't hide any longer, or has the matter already been settled?"
Yinzhen was speechless. He knew this woman would cause trouble. Perfect, he had already taken care of things. He pulled her towards the inner room, saying, "Speak properly. Do I need to avoid you?"
"If you weren't avoiding me, would you have gone five days without a trace?" Nan Yi said indignantly, turning to the side and glaring at him angrily.
Yinzhen's eyes darted around for a moment. He had no choice but to avoid her. Lately, he had been spending a lot of time with Lady Tong and rarely going into the inner courtyard. His wife was starting to complain. If this continued, he would be showing exclusive favor to Lady Tong.
Five days ago, someone from the Tong family came, and he immediately wanted to come over. Thirteen laughed at his words that he was not afraid of his wife but was afraid of his concubine. These words seemed to wake him up from a dream.
After Thirteen left, he took the opportunity of the Tong family's affairs to take a stroll around the backyard. Once the Tong family's matters were settled, he came over.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Are you feeling guilty?" Nan Yi raised his voice and pressed on.
"Why are you feeling guilty, Your Majesty? Do you want to know about your father?" Yinzhen changed the subject, bringing up the matter she was concerned about.
"My father, how is he?"
"If you want to know, come in." After he finished speaking, he stepped into the inner room.
Nan jumped up and down, wondering what was wrong with him, not being decisive at all, but worried about his father, he hurriedly followed him inside.
The Fourth Master was lounging on the couch, looking quite content. When he saw her coming over, he twitched his fingers and said in a low voice, "Where's the hot tea?"
Qingyun came in carrying a tray, and Nanyi took it and handed it to him, saying, "Hurry up and tell me, you know I'm about to die of anxiety."
"Bring some pastries," Yinzhen said calmly.
Nan Yi gritted her teeth, her eyes glaring angrily.
"I went to beg the Crown Prince today for your father's sake, and I haven't eaten a single grain of rice all day. Is this how you treat me?" Yinzhen said quietly.
"...Qingyun, first fetch a plate of the red bean cakes that Granny Zhao just made, and tell the kitchen to prepare a light meal, and hurry up."
"yes."
After Nan Yi finished speaking, she sat down next to him and grabbed his arm, saying, "Now you can tell me, right?"
"Hmm." Yinzhen put down his teacup and reached out to hug her. "Dezhong accused your father, so I sent people to interrogate him. The boy's story was all over the place. After a beating, he couldn't take it and confessed everything. Your father is fine, but he lost his job."
Nan Yi was puzzled. "If he knows my father was wronged, how could he lose his job? Shouldn't he be reinstated?"
"Sigh, the implications of this are too complicated to explain to you. In short, your father may not be entirely innocent. Tell him to stay home and behave himself."
What Yinzhen didn't say was that he was shocked to find out what he found out when he investigated. Yi'er's father, who seemed like a kind and honest person, was actually as cunning as a fox.
Although they didn't find any evidence against him, many suspicious points indicated that he was not as innocent as he seemed. Out of respect for Yi'er, they didn't investigate further and simply relieved him of his duties.
Nan Yi fell into deep thought because of his words. The Fourth Uncle's words contained a lot of information; her father wasn't clean...
The image of her dowry money flashed through Nan Yi's mind, and she was speechless for a moment. A petty official with great greed. It was fortunate that the Fourth Master's men hadn't pursued the matter of her father embezzling money. It seemed that the Fourth Master had played a significant role in the matter.
What should I do if I misunderstand Uncle Si?
I thought he would just stand by and do nothing, like last time.
It's so frustrating. I originally planned to ask Ah Tang for help, but Fourth Uncle has already taken care of things without saying a word.
"Master, are you very hungry?" Nan Yi nestled in his arms, her eyes sparkling, pondering how to repay his kindness.
"Need I say more?" Yinzhen stroked her long hair behind her back and added, "Thirteenth Brother has also helped a lot. His wedding is next March. As his sister-in-law, you should do your part to show your appreciation."
"Okay, I'll see how it goes." She sat up halfway and continued, "Could we wait a little longer? We'll have mutton hot pot tonight."
"As you wish."
Yinzhen had done a great deal of work for his maternal family. When Tong's mother sent a letter, she expressed her deep gratitude to the Fourth Prince, without mentioning a word about losing her job.
Tong's mother was a smart woman. At the end of the letter, she instructed her daughter to take good care of her and earnestly hoped that Nan Yi would seize the opportunity to give birth to a son or daughter.
Nan chuckled; having a child isn't something she can just decide to do.
Yinzhen frequently came to pester her, and there was nothing she could do since she couldn't conceive.
Everyone at Wanyue Pavilion, including Tong's mother, was anxious about Nan Yi's belly. At the end of the year, good news came from Weifang Courtyard: Nian Shi was pregnant, one month along.
That evening, after dinner, the two huddled together chatting. Suddenly, the person next to them fell silent.
When Nan looked up, she saw that the Fourth Uncle was staring blankly at her stomach, lost in thought.
"Stop looking, I didn't."
"Yes, why can't she get pregnant?" Yinzhen muttered to himself. He spent most of his time staying at Yi'er's place, but there was still no news. The imperial physician said that Yi'er was in very good health, so what was the problem?
"Hey, I told you to stop looking. It won't just pop out of thin air."
"Hmm, let me try again."
"......"
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