"I've told you before, it's not feasible for now. By the end of the year, there will be many affairs in the court, and the various residences in the palace will be even busier. As a secondary consort, you will have to make an appearance. If you hide in another courtyard, it will attract the attention of your mother and father. How will you explain that then?"
"You're trying to scare me with the Empress and the Emperor again. I'm just a lowly concubine; they don't have time to bother with me."
Nan Yi stared intently at him, her tone extremely annoyed, "Can't I just want to live a peaceful life?"
“You should stay in your own courtyard. Who’s making it difficult for you to have peace and quiet?” Yinzhen advised earnestly. “You rarely interact with them. Is there any place in the mansion quieter than Wanyue Pavilion?”
He doted on her, which made his other wives and concubines resentful. He knew this, but with him protecting her, no one else could do anything to her.
They meet occasionally, exchange a few sarcastic remarks at most, but there's no real harm done, so he's at ease.
"Where did that peach tree that prevents childbirth come from? Is this the tranquility you spoke of?" Nan Yi asked angrily, his chest heaving violently with resentment, and his wound throbbing slightly.
She clutched her chest, her brows furrowed. Damn it, she had saved his life, and he wouldn't even grant her such a small request.
It was all for nothing.
If I had known, I should have stabbed him to death and made that ungrateful bastard suffer.
Nan Yi regretted it deeply.
Upon seeing this, Yinzhen's face changed. "Calm down, Yi'er. I promised you that at the beginning of the year, I would personally accompany you to stay for two months. But it is absolutely impossible now. If Father Emperor finds out that you have left the mansion, he may summon you to the palace."
"What? You've summoned me to the palace?" Nan Yi suddenly raised his voice, speaking with difficulty, "What do you want with me?"
That man was the emperor of the Qing Dynasty. Although she didn't want to admit it, she vaguely understood that he cared about her to some extent.
Kangxi... She had secretly run away from the mansion several times. Would he think she was unfaithful and ignorant of etiquette, and then...? Nan Yi couldn't help but touch her neck; it felt cold on the back, and she had a feeling that her head might hit the ground at any moment.
Even a severed head leaves only a small scar, but my adoptive father always said, "It's better to live a miserable life than to die a good death."
"You've learned to be afraid now," Yinzhen said with a slight smile. He sighed softly, pulled the person into his arms, patted him gently, and said with a laugh, "You've become incredibly audacious and reckless because I spoil you. I won't hold it against you. But Father Emperor is the supreme ruler, and you're officially registered with him. You were involved in the Shanxi and Shicheng incidents twice. If it's a coincidence, it's too much of a coincidence."
Nan Yi, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, sighed, "This has nothing to do with me. You don't suspect me of doing this on purpose, do you? It's a huge injustice. I handed over all 300,000 taels of silver without any selfish motives. I'm so loyal, why don't you see me doing anything good?"
Heaven have mercy, she thought she had done a great deed for the country, but now, Kangxi has become suspicious of her.
The Emperor's mind is unfathomable; it's terrifying.
After that, who would dare to meddle in other people's business? Compared to modern times when doing good deeds can lead to being scammed, the situation in ancient times was much more serious, and one could even lose their life.
And for someone like her, the extermination of her entire clan is also a possibility.
Nan Yi's face turned pale. What had she done?
"It's not that I doubt you. With your brain, you don't even use your brain when you throw a tantrum with your father. Father Emperor is wise and intelligent. He will probably ask the Imperial Observatory to re-examine your fate."
"Fate, destiny, damn, if it's bad, will they chop off my head?" Nan asked in surprise and uncertainty.
Yinzhen tapped her forehead and comforted her, saying, "Your destiny is very good. The Imperial Observatory calculated it long ago. You will bring good fortune to your husband and children. Otherwise, how could a concubine from a collateral branch of the Tong family become my secondary consort?"
I wasn't comforted.
Nan Yi felt even colder. Fate is a mysterious thing. She is Tong Yilan with a different soul. It's better to believe it than not. Who knows if her fate has changed now?
What a headache! Is Grandpa Kang just bored and having nothing better to do than speculate about her?
"Speaking of this, I also have something to ask you. According to the officials who were sent to investigate the case of Prefect Liu of Qizhou embezzling, Prefect Liu's wife and children confessed that Prefect Liu embezzled countless amounts of money, and the amount of silver in his home was far more than 300,000 taels."
The Zhou family, whose entire fortune was wiped out by him, ended up in the pocket of Prefect Liu. Yi'er, when you retrieved the account books and money, did you see any other valuables?
"Of course it's in my pocket," Nan Yixin said.
She pursed her lips. "I saw it. The small study was piled with gold and silver, and there was a room full of antiques and calligraphy and paintings. I couldn't carry them all, so I only chose the light and easy-to-carry silver notes."
"Hmm, it seems that it is true. So, where did that money go? The officials sent there are at a loss and have no clue whatsoever."
If that huge sum of money could be recovered, the Ministry of Revenue would be better off. Lately, the Ministry of War has been asking for money every day. The Emperor wants to expand the firearms battalion and needs money. The famine in Gansu is also urgent. Otherwise, the people will probably have to go hungry during the New Year.
"Who knows? Maybe after me, someone else broke in and quietly moved them away," Nan Yi casually made up an excuse.
She's now rolling in money and has no worries about cash. Even if Ah Tang gives her more silver notes, she can confidently say, "I'm a rich woman too, I don't need his help at all."
It's also acceptable for her to help others.
Mentioning money, Nan Yi started to gloat again. Even if it cost her her head, she would still secretly rejoice for a while. She had been jumping around for so long, and the period when she went out last time had yielded the greatest harvest.
"After you return to the manor, I will have Su Peisheng send you a few more capable nannies. There is a vacancy for your head maid, so I will assign you a new one. Do you need any more? I will arrange them for you as well."
Nan Yi immediately exploded upon hearing this, her face contorted with rage, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "Bastard, have you no conscience? I shed blood and sweat for you, and now that you don't need me anymore, you send people to spy on me?!—Ugh—"
Yinzhen covered her mouth with a dark face, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a mosquito. He angrily rebuked her, "How dare you! I really want to strangle you! You've taken my kindness for granted. I was wrong to think of you. You're so petty. If you dare to misinterpret my good intentions again, I'll have your mouth sewn shut, so you won't cause trouble and implicate me one day."
"Hmph, you know in your heart whether you're being petty or not. I won't take the person. Who knows what kind of monsters and demons will come in?"
She was used to the servants at Wanyue Pavilion, and they were loyal, so she didn't need his maids and nannies.
She was personally dispatched by the Fourth Master, so wouldn't her every move at Wanyue Pavilion be under his watchful eye from now on?
"You can use the people sent by the master with confidence, and you don't need to manage them. Leave them to Granny Qiu, and you can be your concubine."
"I don't have the money to support you. I can barely afford the 150 taels of silver a month for household expenses. You can keep it for yourself. The three maids in Wanyue Pavilion are enough for me to do as I please."
"......"
Yinzhen was in a real bind. This petty woman! The household officially provides 150 taels of silver to Wanyue Pavilion every month, but the amount he secretly gives her is still not enough. Not to mention that she extorted 9,000 taels of silver from him and his thirteenth brother half a month ago.
Among the wives and concubines in the household, if one had the most spare money, the Fujin (Prince Consort) would be number one, and Lady Tong would be number two.
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