After finishing his shift, Xiao Xi planned to go to Liu'er Lane. His sister-in-law had been suffering from severe morning sickness lately, vomiting everything she ate. She heard from her subordinates that there was a dried fruit shop there that made sour plums that were perfect for pregnant women, so she wanted to buy some for her sister-in-law.
As soon as she stepped out of the Shuntian Prefecture government office, she felt a sharp pain in her back. Xiao Xi turned to the side but found nothing.
Perhaps it was just some mischievous child; she chuckled and didn't take it to heart.
"Bang"
The second time it became obvious, Xiao Xi turned around again, his eyes catching a glimpse of a corner of clothing flashing by in the alley ahead. A thought struck him, and he turned around and walked over.
Just as they entered the alley, a voice that was all too familiar rang out, "Come with me." Without a second thought, Xiao Xi followed her.
It was Nan Yi who secretly stopped Xiao Xi. The Eighth Prince advised her to return to the manor, and she comforted the Ninth Prince. On the surface, she obediently left, but when she left the Ninth Prince's manor, she turned around and came to find Xiao Xi.
The two hid behind a less crowded local temple. Nan Yi pulled Xiao Xi to squat behind a tree and asked urgently, "Enough nonsense, Xi Xi, is there any way to help me leave the capital?"
Xiao Xi was startled by her. "Nan Yi, what happened?"
"It can't be explained in a few words. In short, I've had enough of this place and I don't want to put up with his humiliation anymore. I want to leave here and go far away. Whoever wants to be the prince's wife can be. I want freedom, I want to fly far away and live the life I want."
Xiao Xi had no idea what had happened to her. Nan Yi was so angry that she even had the thought of leaving. It must be that the man had hurt her again.
“Nan Yi, don’t be impulsive. There are ways to leave, but have you thought about it? Your identity is different from ordinary people. It is very likely that you will implicate your family. Have you considered them? Running away without permission is a serious crime.”
"No, Xixi, I know he cares about me and won't involve my family."
"Since you know this, why did you still...?" If a prince cares about her, why did she still run away?
Nan Yi waved his hand, his smile bitter and helpless. "Xi Xi, I don't like living that kind of life. I often think, why am I not you, not your lover, not any ordinary person? Why should I, Nan Yi, compete with a bunch of women for a man, a man who can't belong to me alone? I've tried to accept it, but it hurts me. If he's destined not to belong to me alone, then I'll let go. There are thousands of men, why be so fixated on just one? So I'm leaving."
"This—" Xiao Xi was speechless and stood there stunned for a moment. Nan Yi's words were simply outrageous. Fourth Prince was a prince, how could he belong to Nan Yi alone?
Besides, she's already married to the Fourth Master, how could she possibly go looking for another man? Wouldn't that be...?
"Do you think I'm not a virtuous woman?"
Xiao Xi nodded honestly. Since ancient times, men have had three wives and four concubines. Emperors had six palaces with three thousand concubines. It was normal for Fourth Master to have more than a dozen wives and concubines in his harem.
Nan's face darkened, and she said dejectedly, "I thought you were my confidant, but who knew you were so old-fashioned and utterly hopeless."
Xiao Xi panicked upon hearing this, fearing that Nan Yi might misunderstand her. She grabbed Nan Yi's hand and said, "No, no, no, although it doesn't conform to the current virtues of women, it makes a lot of sense. I hate men having multiple wives and concubines the most. My mother was angered to death by the concubine my father brought back. After my father died, my brother drove that concubine away in a fit of rage. Nan Yi, you are really brave. You don't even want to be a prince's concubine."
The secondary consort is not an ordinary concubine, but a secondary consort listed in the imperial register. If that person inherits the throne in the future, Nan Yi will be able to become a Noble Consort.
Nan Yi discarded it like a worn-out shoe; she admired his courage.
She had thought about what kind of husband she would marry in the future, but she never dared to dream of having her husband all to herself after marriage and being the only one for life.
"Will you help me or not?" Nan Yi asked, seizing the opportunity.
Having nowhere else to go after leaving the Ninth Prince's residence, she had no choice but to seek help from Xiao Xi.
Xiao Xi patted his chest with a heroic air, "Help? I'd do anything for a friend." As for what might happen after helping, like losing his head, sorry, I haven't thought about that. I'll deal with whatever comes my way.
"You're a good friend." Nan Yi hugged her gratefully.
Xiao Xi was a constable in Shuntian Prefecture. He was a familiar face to people in the capital, and the lowly soldiers at the city gates gave him some respect.
They helped escort Nan Yi to the outskirts of the city. The two stood by the roadside saying goodbye. Nan Yi held Xiao Xi's hand and said, "Xi Xi, if those gentlemen ask, just tell them the truth. They won't make things difficult for you."
"Are you sure you won't get dragged off to have your head chopped off by Fourth Master?" Having already done all that, Xiao Xi was still a little scared. After all, she herself was fine, but she still had her older brother, sister-in-law, younger sister, and unborn nephew at home.
Nan Yi glanced at her sideways, "It's too late to be scared now."
Seeing Xiao Xi's face turn pale, Nan Yi decided not to scare her anymore. "Xi Xi, don't worry. He feels guilty towards me. This time, I made up my mind to leave because he forced me to. Who told him to hit me in public? I lost all face. How could I stay in the manor? He will never touch you. You are my only friend."
She spoke half-truthfully, but Xiao Xi, upon hearing this, immediately felt indignant on behalf of her friend, her anger rising to her head. "What? Fourth Master hit you? For a grown man like him to lay a hand on a weak woman like you is far too ungentlemanly."
"Ahem," Nan Yi blushed a little at her words, feeling that the term "weak woman" didn't quite apply to her.
"Sigh, let's not talk about it. You should go back quickly. Who knows, he might have already realized something was wrong and is looking for you all over the city."
Nan Yi earnestly instructed Xiao Xi, "There's no need to hide anything for me. Just answer whatever he asks. Xi Xi, take care."
This parting will be forever.
Xiao Xi was also reluctant to see Nan Yi leave, but, how should I put it, she didn't feel much sorrow at parting. She pursed her lips, intending to say something like "take care," but in a moment of impulse, she blurted out her true feelings, "Nan Yi, I have a feeling that we'll meet again soon."
"......Pah, you jinx, stop cursing me."
Xiao Xi touched his nose sheepishly and chuckled as he explained, "It's just a gut feeling, don't take it too seriously."
What? Don't you know that a woman's intuition is the most accurate, comparable to a dog's nose? What does Xiao Xi do? She's the only female constable in Shuntian Prefecture, even more sensitive than a dog's nose—no, more accurate.
Nanse's expression changed drastically. She was initially a little sad, but then she said, "Hmph, I'm not going to argue with you anymore. Goodbye, ptooey, never to be seen again, goodbye forever, I'm leaving."
She waved to Xiao Xi, flagged down a passing oxcart, chatted with the driver for a while, got on the oxcart, and gradually disappeared at the end of the road.
By the time she returned to the city, it was already dark, and the small shop selling pickled plums had closed. She headed back home, but in front of her own courtyard gate, she was stopped by two men in black. They said they were guards from the Fourth Prince's mansion, and Xiao Xi obediently followed them. She was then taken directly to the Fourth Prince's study.
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