A princess went to the manor, so Nan Yi stayed quietly in his own courtyard, not wanting to cause himself any trouble.
After being quiet for about a month, her family came and said that her cousin was getting married and asked if she could attend.
Nan Yi didn't go; he hadn't even met his own brother, so what was his cousin compared to him? But he did prepare a gift, which was personally delivered by Xiao Shunzi.
When this guy came back, he told Nan Yi something very strange.
"Are you sure you didn't see wrong? How could my brother associate with the Nian family?" Nan Yi couldn't understand. Her mother knew that she and the Nian family were not on good terms. Even if her father and brother were confused, her mother was very shrewd and would not have failed to keep them informed.
Xiao Shunzi scratched the back of his head. "This servant doesn't understand either, but this servant is sure I didn't see wrong. That person was indeed a stranger. But this servant has a good memory. The first time Lord Nian met you, he was mixed in with Lord Nian's servants. Because he had a mole between his eyebrows, this servant remembers him."
What is the Nian family up to, or rather, what tricks is the Nian family playing? Nian Gengyao is close to the Fourth Master, and Nian Gengyao does things for the Fourth Master, which makes the Nian family very influential in front of the Fourth Master.
"Don't say a word about this yet. Go and find out the details from my third brother's servant. If necessary, tell my third brother that he must not associate with his family."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I'll go right away." Xiao Shunzi rushed out the door.
Nan Yi had a bad feeling and was inexplicably irritable. She couldn't sit still, so she called over Granny Qiu and Yiren to discuss it together.
The three of them couldn't come to any conclusion.
No one knew what the Nian family was planning.
Unlike Nian Shi, who had a capable older brother, she had no family to rely on except for Xiao Shunzi, who helped her with errands.
Father was suspended from his post, and her three older brothers held low-ranking official positions, so as long as they didn't cause her any trouble, that would be fine. Mother was shrewd but was just a woman confined to the inner quarters.
After Aunt Qiu left, Yiren quietly suggested that they borrow someone from Master Ba Jiu.
Nan Yi thought for a moment and then disagreed, "Let's wait and see, maybe Xiao Shunzi has made some progress."
She didn't want to involve the Eighth and Ninth Princes in the affairs of the Fourth Prince's residence. She had a good personal relationship with them, but given their status, it wasn't appropriate for them to get involved.
The three of them are destined to be irreconcilable enemies, and she doesn't want to add fuel to the fire of their already strained relationship.
Xiao Shunzi returned late at night, his two light eyebrows furrowed, his expression very strange. "Master, that servant doesn't even admit to knowing anyone from the Nian family. I clearly saw him and your third brother enter an alley with that person, chatting and laughing. The third young master even gave him some silver."
He hesitated for a moment, then muttered to himself, "Could it be that I misjudged him?"
Nan Yi also found it strange, thinking that perhaps Xiao Shunzi had really misread it.
"Never mind, you may leave now. I will send someone to invite Mother to the manor tomorrow and we will find out."
Shunzi bowed and withdrew. After thinking about it, he still felt something was wrong. Instead of returning to his room, he went to the study to find his master.
Quanfu stayed in the study and said that the master had gone to Weifang Courtyard to see him.
Xiao Shunzi thought that since this matter wasn't urgent, he might as well report it to his master tomorrow. With that thought, he turned around and went back to his room to rest.
The next day at noon, Lady Yi reported that Lady Nian had gone into labor and was about to give birth, and that the master and his wife had gone to Weifang Courtyard to keep watch.
Nan Yi was troubled by her mother's family affairs, so she sent Qingyun to the Tong family early in the morning to invite her mother to come to the mansion for a chat. At this time, the Tong family was not far away, and she should have returned in half an hour, but Qingyun was still nowhere to be seen.
I have a feeling that something bad has happened.
She paced anxiously in the house; who had time to care whether or not Nian Shi was giving birth?
Anxious and impatient, Nan called out, "Shunzi, Shunzi, little Shunzi."
Huan'er came in and curtsied. "Reporting to Master, Eunuch Shun was summoned away by the Master early this morning to run errands."
Nan forced a smile at Huan'er. Under Granny Qiu's tutelage, the little girl was becoming more and more capable. Apart from the senior maids, Huan'er was the most useful little maid in Wanyue Pavilion.
"Call Granny Qiu here, I need to speak with her."
Huan'er curtsied and withdrew.
As soon as the nanny entered the room, Nan stood up abruptly and said urgently, "Nanny, Qingyun hasn't come back yet. I'm worried something might have happened to her. The Tong family might also be in trouble. I originally wanted to go there myself, but Nian is giving birth at this critical moment, so I can't go. Could you go in my place?"
"Please don't worry, my lady, I'll go right away." Granny Qiu had been with the Tong family for ten years and was familiar with them, so she wouldn't delay.
Nan Yi instructed, "Let Yiren accompany you; that girl is clever."
"Don't worry, Your Highness, I understand." Granny Qiu went out to prepare.
With Xiao Shunzi, Yiren, Qingyun, and Granny Qiu dispatched, the only maids she could rely on were Qingfeng and Huan'er.
Yinzhen sent someone to summon Nan Yi to Weifang Courtyard, but Nan Yi refused outright, saying, "It's so annoying, who wants to watch people have children?"
She refused to go, which annoyed Yinzhen. He ordered Su Peisheng not to see anyone from Wanyue Pavilion for a month. He allowed her to be capricious, but forbade him from getting angry.
Su Peisheng was used to his two masters throwing tantrums and calmly responded. Every time he showed hatred towards Master Tong, he always ended up getting the short end of the stick.
He said it would take a month, but in two or three days, I'll definitely slap myself in the face.
He was just waiting to see his master beg for mercy from Master Tong.
The cold and aloof prince in the eyes of outsiders melts into tenderness in front of Master Tong.
Just as Nan Yi was about to rush out of the mansion, Granny Qiu and Yiren brought Qingyun back to the mansion in a disheveled state. Qingyun knelt down in front of Nan Yi with a "plop" and said, "Master, something bad has happened. Something has happened to the Tong family. Your father and three brothers have been arrested by the government. The Tong mansion is surrounded by soldiers. I almost couldn't get out. It was Granny Qiu who used your name to protect me and allowed me to leave the Tong mansion."
Nan Yi felt a sudden, sharp pain in her head, like a string snapping. She grabbed Qingyun and said, "Stop talking nonsense. What happened? Why are the authorities arresting them?"
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