In front of Wanzhen Pavilion, Yinzhen, holding Nan Yi's hand, glanced at the plaque in front of the building and asked the person beside him, "Do you want to take a look? I heard that this jewelry is quite famous in Jiangnan and is most loved by women."
Nan Yi was still eating street food, carrying two large bags in his hands. Su Peisheng and Qingfeng behind him were also carrying small trinkets that Nan Yi had pulled out.
"Okay, let's go take a look." She handed the last dumpling to Yinzhen, as she really couldn't eat any more herself.
Yinzhen frowned as he looked at the dumplings. There was no other reason; Nan Yi had also stuffed his belly full of miscellaneous things, and he couldn't hold any more.
“I won’t eat it, or I’ll throw it away,” Nan Yi said.
"No need." Yinzhen bit off the roasted meatball from the bamboo skewer, took out a handkerchief to wipe a little oil from the corner of her mouth, swallowed the food in his mouth, wiped his mouth, and then led her into the jewelry store.
Nan turned around and told Su Peisheng and Qingfeng to wait outside, adding, "Eat everything while it's hot, it'll spoil if you take it back."
Qingfeng was overjoyed to hear his master's words. He pulled Su Peisheng aside, spread out the snacks his master had bought, and urged Su Peisheng, "Eunuch Su, eat up. My master bought these especially for you. Don't waste them."
Eunuch Su glanced at the food in his hand. "Specially? Are you sure it's not leftovers from your master?"
"No, that's not it. My master bought it by the head. There are three portions of each item. One portion for the master and the master, and one portion for each of us," Qingfeng said.
"Really?" He picked up a roasted duck leg and put it in his mouth. It tasted good and was very well roasted.
Qingfeng nodded as he ate, “Of course, my master is always like this. It’s always like this in the manor. If you don’t believe me, ask Xiaoshunzi.”
Su Peisheng believed it. Master Tong treated his servants well in the mansion. It was a fact that Xiao Shunzi had gained weight since he started following Master Tong.
Inside the jewelry store, the shopkeeper saw Yinzhen enter and personally greeted him, leading them upstairs to the second floor.
Yinzhen instructed, "Shopkeeper, bring some unique and novel hairpins and rings. Price is not important, but the style must be good."
The shopkeeper cupped his hands in greeting, "Please wait a moment, sir, I'll go get it right away."
Nan Yi grabbed Yinzhen's sleeve and said casually, "I wonder if there are any pearl jewelry here. Qingfeng made me a violet qipao, but there are no suitable jewelry to match it. Granny Qiu said that only pearls can match the color."
Yinzhen patted her hand, "Take a good look at it later."
"Okay, you can help me take a look too."
Yinzhen smiled and nodded.
Nan Yi smiled and waited for the shopkeeper to bring out the jewelry. Several elegantly dressed women came up from the second floor, followed by several young girls.
The woman, who was about forty years old, was overjoyed to see the two people on the second floor and immediately went forward to greet them.
"This humble woman greets Fourth Master." As soon as she greeted him, the people behind her vaguely understood who she was and all followed suit.
The Fourth Prince and the Thirteenth Prince came to Suzhou to investigate the case. Many officials had received inside information, and the woman in the lead had even seen the Fourth Prince in the capital.
Yinzhen did not move, and said calmly, "Madam, there is no need for such formalities. Please rise."
"Thank you, Fourth Master." The lady and the others stood up. When they saw the woman beside the Fourth Master, they didn't know her identity and were unsure whether they should greet her.
The Fourth Master didn't allow others to look at her too much, so he made her wear a veil.
Knowing that she had sneaked out and that her identity should not be revealed, Nan Yi winked at the embarrassed lady and gestured for her to enter.
The lady was quite clever; she understood her meaning, curtsied to her, and led her entourage away to the other side to pick out jewelry.
In just a few glances, the Fourth Master held the woman's hand the entire time, showing great respect. The woman was neither humble nor arrogant, but lively and playful. The lady thought to herself that she might be able to guess her identity.
Nan Yi pondered for a moment in Yinzhen's heart, her lively eyes brimming with laughter.
"Naughty," Yinzhen said with a smile.
Nan tilted his head and said, "Smart people speak so concisely. That lady is a wonderful person."
"Yes, she is the wife of the Salt Commissioner and the cousin of Prince Mindu of Doruo County."
"Oh, does she have a niece named Ziyi?"
"Your Highness is unaware that Prince Mindu has four sons and seven daughters. Apart from his legitimate son, Your Highness has no recollection of the others."
Nan Yi didn't ask any more questions, because the shopkeeper took two boxes of valuable jewelry back. She glanced at the boxes; the jewelry inside was very beautiful and quite luxurious.
She took a hairpin in her hand and said to Yinzhen, "It's too heavy. Wearing it on my head makes my head feel several pounds heavier."
"Nonsense, last time your maid added an extra sash to your head, and you complained it was too heavy." Yinzhen personally selected from the box, and even tried on several particularly beautiful ones by pinning them in her hair. He picked out six in a row, had the shopkeeper wrap them up, and then instructed the shopkeeper to bring out the best pearl hair ornaments in the shop to continue selecting.
The two's nonchalant behavior astonished Madam Sun and the other officials. A Madam Zhou glanced at them and whispered to Madam Sun, "Didn't you say that young master was that one? And who is the woman beside him?"
Madam Sun shook her head and whispered, "She's someone of status." After selecting her jewelry, not wanting to spoil her mistress's enjoyment, she said to the people around her, "They should all be chosen by now. We should head back."
She said she wanted to leave, and it wasn't appropriate for anyone else to stop her.
On the way back, Madam Sun's daughter was absent-minded. Madam Sun sighed softly, "Don't think about it. Your mother doesn't want you to go to the palace. If that man had feelings for you, he wouldn't have refused your father's suggestion last time."
Sun Xiuning frowned. She didn't want to give up easily and said coquettishly, "Mother, is there no other way? I heard that Fourth Master accepted a maid given by Lord Zhou. Am I not as good as a lowly servant?"
Madam Sun slapped her daughter, quite angry. "I raised you all these years so that you would despise yourself. If you are stubborn and do not understand, I will find a way to let you participate in the talent show. Whether you are good or bad in the future depends entirely on your luck. I am too lazy to care about you anymore."
Sun Xiuning immediately beamed with joy, snuggling into Madam Sun's arms and acting coquettishly, her eyes and mind filled with thoughts of that person from just moments ago.
Nan Yi did not find any jewelry that suited her taste.
Yinzhen selected more than ten items for her. When the two returned to their residence, Lüyun was waiting in front of the courtyard gate. When she saw them return, her eyes were full of affection, and her greetings were filled with joy.
Nan Yi immediately stopped smiling, pinched Yinzhen's waist hard with her fingers, shook off the people around her, and angrily kicked the door open and entered the room.
Green Cloud's smile froze on her face, and she shrank to one side while kneeling.
As Qingfeng passed by her, he snorted coldly and muttered, "Shameless thing, so unruly."
Yinzhen, rubbing his waist, intended to go inside to find Nan Yi, but Thirteen entered the courtyard, saying he had something to discuss with him. The two went into the study, where Su Peisheng, behind them, sighed deeply, looking at Lüyun as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
Let's get rid of her. The master hasn't given any orders yet. If we don't get rid of her, Master Tong clearly dislikes this girl. This eyesore is putting him in a difficult position.
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