"Ninth Brother, what are you doing?" The Eighth Prince grabbed the Ninth Brother, who was walking behind the Fourth and Thirteenth Princes.
The Ninth Prince snapped out of his daze and hurriedly wiped his face. "It's nothing." He clasped his hands in a fist salute to his Eighth and Tenth Brothers. "Eighth Brother, Tenth Brother, there are still matters to attend to at the manor. I'll take my leave now."
The Eighth Prince nodded, watching his brisk pace and uneasy expression, and a suspicion arose in his heart.
"Eighth Brother, what's wrong with Ninth Brother? He seemed distracted throughout the court assembly and didn't even hear Father Emperor calling him. Could it be that Ninth Sister-in-law in the mansion is quarreling with him?" Ninth Prince said.
“Ninth Brother’s wife is a gentle woman. If there’s any trouble, it should be between him and Ninth Brother’s wife. Instead of guessing here, why don’t we go to his residence and see for ourselves?” the Eighth Prince suggested.
The Ninth Prince nodded, "Alright, let's go together and see what kind of trouble he's up to."
At the palace gate, Xiao Jinzi saw his master come out and hurriedly went to greet him. "Master, I have already sent people to keep an eye on things. Judging from the direction, Fourth Prince and Thirteenth Prince are heading towards the city gate."
"Yes, have someone keep an eye on things. You and I will return to the manor." The Ninth Prince rode in a sedan chair and hurried back to the manor.
He didn't even return to the main courtyard; he went straight to the study. Xiao Jinzi went to the back courtyard to inform the princess that the master had important matters to attend to and that no one in the back courtyard should disturb him in the study.
Nan Yi rarely sleeps in. With Granny Qiu in charge of her schedule, her daily routine is strictly controlled. On days when she doesn't leave the mansion, or when the Fourth Master doesn't come, she usually gets up and goes to bed on time.
Therefore, when the Ninth Prince returned, she was still sleeping soundly with her blanket in her arms, drooling.
"Nan Yi?" The Ninth Prince pushed open the door and called to her, but heard no response. He lifted the curtain of the back room of the study and saw a blanket wrapped up in a ball on the bed.
Nanzi was completely buried in the quilt, with only a few strands of her hair hanging outside.
He twirled a strand of hair between his fingers, a slight smile playing on his lips, a dreamy look on his face.
A struggle flickered in his eyes, his mind went blank, a jumble of thoughts he couldn't quite grasp. After a long while, the Ninth Prince came to his senses, glanced at the sky, and ordered someone to bring hot water and place it on the shelf.
He went back behind the curtain, pulled back the covers, and touched Nan Yi's pink cheek with his cool hand. "Nan Yi, wake up, it's time to get up."
"Hiss~" The coolness on his face was really refreshing. Nan Yi shuddered, shrank his neck, and woke up.
She slowly opened her eyes, turned over, and faced the Ninth Prince, who was still in his court robes. "The court session is over so soon. I feel like I haven't slept for long."
The Ninth Prince smiled slightly, "It hasn't been long, only two hours. Get up quickly. You didn't have breakfast, did you? Are you hungry?"
Nan Yi tightened the blanket around her. "I don't want to get up. I can't go out anyway. There's nothing to do. This awful season is freezing cold. It's so comfortable in bed. You can do whatever you want. Don't worry about me."
She waved her hand at Yinzhen with a look of disdain.
"No, as a prince's wife, you can't behave like this." The Ninth Prince pulled away the quilt she was clutching tightly. "Get up. I've prepared hot water. Wash up and get ready for breakfast."
"That won't be the case for long. What kind of stupid rules are these? Before, nothing happened. I could sleep all day and nobody would care."
Modern life is so great! We have snacks and mobile phones, and we can stay home for a month without leaving the house. At home, we can sleep however we want.
“It’s not a big deal if it’s quick, you still need to eat.” The Ninth Prince lifted the blanket off her and dragged her off the bed.
"It's nothing, okay, have breakfast and go back to sleep." Nan Yi shook her head, unable to dissuade Yin Tang, and slipped on her shoes and got out of bed.
The Ninth Prince took the cloak and draped it over her shoulders, then followed behind her.
After sleeping all night, her hair looked like a bird's nest. The water for washing her face and the salt for rinsing her mouth were left aside, and she quickly washed herself.
"Is there no underfloor heating in the study? It's so cold." Nan Yi washed her face, hugged her arms and shivered as she walked to the desk, where breakfast was laid out: a small bowl of congee, a few steamed buns, and several side dishes.
"You eat first, I'll have someone put out a few more braziers later," he said, and walked outside. Nan Yi's robes weren't warm enough, so he went to get her a few thicker robes.
"What did you say? The master had two sets of clothes taken from the sewing room. Have you found out who they are meant to be given to?"
Ninth Prince's wife frowned. It was unusual that the Prince personally fetched her clothes, and they were even women's clothing. Who in the backyard had won the Prince's favor this time?
She had only been married into the family for a short time, and the master had more than a dozen women in his harem. However, only a few of them were truly favored, and the master seemed to treat everyone indifferently.
He didn't seem particularly warm towards her, his primary wife. She was very confident in her looks, and the master didn't show her much affection.
"I haven't heard anything about giving it to anyone. The master has been sleeping alone these past few days and hasn't summoned any of the mistresses in the inner quarters to attend to him at night," the personal maid reported.
The Ninth Princess Consort pondered for a moment, then said, "Go and find out exactly who the clothes are for, so that I, the Princess Consort, will know the truth."
"Yes, ma'am."
She felt that this was not enough, so she got up and said, "Come with me to the study and see what Master is busy with."
Qiu Tong advised, "Madam, the master said that he has important matters to attend to today and that no one is allowed to disturb him in the study."
The Ninth Princess smiled confidently, "It's alright, I'm sure I'm not the only one who's curious. Let's go."
Qiu Tong hesitated, but the Fujin had already reached the door, and she followed her helplessly.
As if by prior arrangement, those who shared the same thoughts as Ninth Prince's Consort included Lady Zhangjia, Lady Liujia, and Lady Wanyan.
The three met Ninth Princess at the door of the study. After exchanging greetings, they chatted idly at the door, and none of them took the initiative to push open the study door to go inside and take a look.
They were just exchanging veiled insults while waiting for the Ninth Prince to appear.
Hearing the chatter outside, Nan Yi was afraid someone would barge in, so she grabbed two steamed buns and hid in the small room behind the study.
It seems like nowhere is peaceful, only the object of my affection has changed.
Why isn't she dressed as a man? Surrounded by women, stealing kisses and illicit affairs, with a virtuous wife at home and a confidante outside—this must be the most carefree thing in life.
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