Breakfast was bought from outside, and it was a plentiful variety. The three of them sat down to eat together. Just as Thirteen was about to reach for his food, Yinzhen picked up the scallion pancake that smelled the best in the middle and placed it in front of Nan Yi.
"Try it, it may not be as good as the ones in the capital." His voice was deep and gentle as he placed the tofu pudding in front of her. "Eat it with this."
Thirteen was stunned, his mouth slightly open, feeling very uncomfortable. Was this still his cold-faced fourth brother? Look at how gentle he was with Sister-in-law Tong.
No matter how much the fourth brother treated his fourth sister-in-law and his most favored concubine, he was never this attentive and considerate, and his eyes were always lingering on her.
Tong Xiaosao seemed used to this. She ate her scallion pancake, scooped up a spoonful of tofu pudding, and halfway through, she didn't want to eat the scallion pancake anymore, probably because it didn't taste good. She stuffed it into her fourth brother's hand and took a meat bun to eat.
Fourth Brother didn't mind and took the remaining half of the pancake and ate it.
Thirteen cursed inwardly, "I can't stand it!" His fourth brother was a prince, how could he eat other people's leftovers? He was a descendant of the imperial family, yet his fourth brother seemed to enjoy it.
He discovered an incredible secret.
The fourth brother sitting next to Tong Xiaosao was completely different from the cold and aloof fourth brother standing in the court. They really seemed like a couple... a couple... yes, an ordinary, unassuming couple.
"His eyeballs have popped out," Nan said, glancing at Thirteen.
Yinzhen's gaze swept over, and Thirteen hurriedly shifted his eyes, picking up a steamed bun to eat. He felt like crying inside; he was so gentle and kind to his wife, but to his younger brother... Oh well, without comparison, there's no hurt.
Nan Yi had almost finished eating and asked the two of them, "By the way, which side do you want to investigate? Shicheng is surrounded by mountains in the four directions of east, west, south, and north, with two big mountains and two small mountains. Which side should we go to first?"
“To the east, Mao’er Ridge,” Yinzhen said.
Thirteen frowned. "I suggest we go to the Shizi River area, to that small mountain. I've heard that it's barren, but the chances of it being a mineral deposit are higher."
Nan Yi had no objection to this at all. Despite being a modern person, she was actually a good-for-nothing with little knowledge. "Alright, let's go to Mao'er Ridge today and Shizihe Mountain tomorrow."
The three men, disguised as herb gatherers, each carrying a small basket on their backs and a hoe in their hands, headed towards Mao'er Ridge.
Maoerling is a small mountain to the east of Shicheng, surrounded by scattered villages. Now in winter, the fields are idle and most of the villagers are also staying at home.
Occasionally, you can see villagers going up the mountain to chop firewood or hunt.
Mao'erling is very small; you can circle the mountain in half a day. They found nothing. Seeing that it was still early, Thirteen said he wanted to explore Shizihe.
When Nan Yi saw Yinzhen, he agreed.
The three ate some dry rations and arrived at Shizihe. It was already dark. The mountain road was difficult to travel, and the snow on the ground had not melted. The faint light was just right for walking at night without disturbing anyone.
Yinzhen was worried that Nan Yi would be tired from the journey, so he suggested that they find a sheltered place to rest for a while. Dinner was still dry biscuits, which were very hard. Nan Yi took a few bites and put them away. They were too hard to swallow, so he simply gave up.
"Eat some more, you'll need energy for the climb later," Yinzhen coaxed from the side.
Nan frowned. "It's dry and hard, I can't chew it. You eat it yourself, I'm not hungry." If she had known, she would have brought a few bags of pastries with her.
She didn't want to force herself to eat cold food and drink cold water.
Thirteen is too hasty, running between two places in one day. She has martial arts skills, so she can manage to walk for a day, but the Fourth Master next to her might not be able to stand it.
Nan Yi reached out and placed her hand on Yinzhen's knee. The action seemed unintentional, but the other's trembling leg could not escape her grasp.
Yinzhen casually took her hand and naturally breathed on it to warm it.
"Thirteen, your fourth brother is tired. We'll set off again in half an hour," Nan Yi said. She wasn't worried about him, really not worried about him; she said it three times because it was important.
Yinzhen was taken aback for a moment, then a smile appeared on his lips.
"It was my oversight, Fourth Brother. Are you still holding on? Why don't we go back first and come back tomorrow?"
"No, we've come all this way, there's no reason to leave empty-handed. Let's continue in half an hour. I have a feeling something's not right here."
"Oh, is the compass responding?" Thirteen asked his fourth brother excitedly.
Yinzhen took out the compass, and Thirteen lit a tinderbox. The three heads huddled together, and the pointer on the compass kept spinning erratically, never finding a precise point.
"It really works!" Thirteen exclaimed, his eyes burning with excitement. "Fourth Sister-in-law, how did you know about this method? It's amazing!"
Yinzhen stared at her intently.
Nan Yi was unaccustomed to the reverent gazes of the two high-ranking princes. She coughed lightly and said, half-jokingly, "Do you believe me if I'm just kidding?"
To be honest, it was pure luck, pure chance.
Thirteen, of course, didn't believe it. Who would believe such a perfect guess? He and Fourth Brother were both very learned; how could they not know this method?
"Alright, Thirteen, your fourth sister-in-law is a young lady from a respectable family. She may have actually read about it in some idle book. Let's find the copper mine first."
Yinzhen knew Yi'er's personality; if she didn't want to talk about something, no one could get her to open her mouth, so there was no need to ask further.
"clear."
Thirteen responded and then whispered to Fourth Brother for a while. The three of them then took a secluded path up the mountain to search for the location of the copper mine.
Shihezi Mountain is twice the size of Mao'er Mountain. The entire mountain is bare, covered with rocks and weeds. Fortunately, it was nighttime. If there were no trees or other obstructions, it would be impossible to get close to the copper mine in broad daylight.
The mountain path was difficult to traverse, and given that Fourth Uncle and Thirteen's martial arts skills were inferior to hers, Nan Yi took the initiative to lead the way, with Thirteen bringing up the rear.
They had climbed less than a few dozen meters up the mountain when Nan Yi stopped and listened carefully. He could hear at least a dozen auras hidden in the three directions ahead.
We can't get any closer. Even if there's no copper mine in the Shihezi Mountains, there must be other secrets hidden there.
When the two men following behind saw her stop, Yinzhen asked, "Yi'er, have you discovered something?"
Nan nodded and whispered, "We'll talk about it when we get down the mountain."
Yinzhen and the thirteenth prince, realizing something was amiss, immediately turned back and descended the mountain.
The three of them huddled by a rocky pit at the foot of the mountain. Just as Nan Yi was about to sit down, Yinzhen pulled her back and gently reminded her, "The ground is cold, you can't sit here."
"You're such a troublemaker," Nan Yi complained to him.
Upon hearing this, Yinzhen's brow twitched. He pretended not to hear Thirteen's snickering and, slightly annoyed, pulled Nan Yi over. He took a cloth bag from the basket and placed it on the ground. "Sit here."
Thirteen rubbed his cheeks, which were sore from laughing. Oh dear, Fourth Brother has fallen for Sister-in-law Tong.
Nan Yi said "Oh," and sat down as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He then invited the two of them to sit down. "Let me tell you, there is indeed something unusual in the Shihezi Mountains."
She paused, pointed upwards, and continued, "I just sensed more than a dozen auras hidden in the shadows up there. They are all experts. We cannot get close; we would be easily discovered."
"So there really is copper ore inside?" Thirteen asked with a serious expression.
Nan shook his head. "Not necessarily, but there must be a secret."
"Too easy." Yinzhen murmured to himself. He felt that something was wrong. It shouldn't be that the copper mine was found so easily. Was it because the other party was careless, or was it a deliberate deception? "Let's go back and talk about it later."
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