When Nan Yi ate, Yinzhen sat beside him. The two of them did not engage in any talkative behavior at the dinner table.
Without mentioning the previous argument between the two, Nan told Yinzhen about what happened in the palace while eating, "When I left the palace, I ran into the Eighth Prince and the Ninth Prince. They also couldn't find any trace of the assassin. The Fourteenth Prince said that his master was very powerful and he wanted to help, so I agreed."
Yinzhen nodded, and asked thoughtfully, "Yi'er, you seem to trust Guard Zheng's abilities a lot?"
He had no doubt about the abilities of the secret agents around his father, the Emperor. Yi'er herself was very powerful; she was a top-notch martial artist. However, Yi'er seemed to have a great admiration for Guard Zheng and even asked the Emperor to lend him the man twice.
There's no doubt about Guard Zheng's martial arts skills. Yi'er said that in terms of skill, Guard Zheng is slightly better than her.
Besides this, does Zheng Yong have any other outstanding qualities? Otherwise, she always seemed particularly confident whenever she invited Guard Zheng.
"He's very capable, more capable than you imagine. That's all I can say."
Sensing the probing tone in Fourth Uncle's words, Nan bluntly told him that there was no way he could find out Zheng Yong's secrets.
Yinzhen raised an eyebrow but didn't ask any further questions. As for what he was thinking, Nan Yi didn't care.
After finishing his meal, Nan Yi put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, stood up, and said to Fourth Uncle, "Xu Huaiyu hasn't been caught yet, and nobody knows where he's hiding, ready to cause trouble. It's not safe for you to stay here. I can't look after you for the time being. I have to go with Brother Yong to do some work later, and it's not convenient for outsiders to follow. Before it gets dark, you should hurry back to your residence."
Upon hearing this, Yinzhen's face darkened. It seemed that he had become a burden, even an outsider. Dissatisfied, he questioned, "Is Your Highness an outsider?"
Nan Yi had been angry with Fourth Master because of his attitude earlier, but now that he was preoccupied with the Tong family's affairs, he said impatiently, "Brother Yong is on a case and it's inconvenient for others to follow him. If you stay here, I'll have to take care of you. It's not possible to take you with me. This trip is not safe. Go back to the manor and wait for news."
"I have guards, I don't need you to look after me," Yinzhen said coldly, his words tinged with resentment.
Nan Yi glanced at Fourth Master in surprise.
Yinzhen also felt that the previous remark was a bit sarcastic, so he turned his body slightly, coughed lightly, and explained as if to cover up his embarrassment, "I need to wait here for news from Gu Zhao."
It would be better not to explain, because once you do, it only makes things worse. If the Shuntian Prefecture finds any new clues, they can go to the prefecture to report them in person.
Fortunately, Nan Yi was a bit slow on the uptake. She only noticed that Fourth Master's words were out of character, never expecting that Fourth Master also had a childish side.
“Go back to the manor and wait. If you stay here, I’ll be distracted,” Nan Yi said earnestly, calling to Quan Fu, who was waiting outside the tent.
"Master, Your Excellency." Quanfu lifted the curtain and entered, standing respectfully with his head bowed.
"Quanfu, escort the master back to the manor safely, and while you're at it, go to the other courtyard and tell Xiaoshunzi to come to Tongzhou. I have something I need him to do."
Quanfu glanced at his master and was surprised to see a hint of unease on his face. His master seemed to be blushing. What had Master Tong done?
"Quanfu, you go out and wait here first," Yinzhen said.
"twitter."
Yi'er was preoccupied with his safety, and Yinzhen was at ease in every way. Even at this moment, his safety was still the most important thing to her.
Yi'er cares most about herself.
With this realization, the coldness in Yinzhen's eyes melted away instantly. He reached out and put his arm around her slender shoulder, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Don't worry. After the incident with the Tong family, the government has been very strict in controlling this area. The officials are also searching the vicinity. No one will cause trouble. You and Guard Zheng are busy. I will wait for news at the manor."
Why is he suddenly so agreeable? Nan Yi glanced at the man beside her, puzzled. "I understand."
"Yes, be careful in your actions," Yinzhen whispered.
"I know."
Nan Yi was quite unaccustomed to the Fourth Master's sudden gentleness. This man had said that morning that he would put her under house arrest if she misbehaved. Now, Nan Yi clicked her tongue. She would rather he were fierce and yell at her. She couldn't understand the gentle Fourth Master at all.
Nan Yi, who had walked outside the door, waved to Quan Fu, who was waiting outside.
"Consort An."
Nan waved her hand, looked into the tent, then at Quanfu, and asked softly, "What's wrong with your master? Has he changed his ways?" What she really wanted to say was, "Has your master taken the wrong medicine?"
Quanfu's lips twitched. He wanted to ask the concubine what she had said to coax the prince into changing his ways.
Seeing the concubine's clueless expression, Quanfu decisively shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either.
Quanfu didn't know. Nan Yi sighed and said, "If you don't understand, you don't understand."
Looking at the ruins of the manor before her, she took out a stack of silver notes from her sleeve and handed them to Quanfu. “This is 15,000 taels of silver. Go find some craftsmen, choose another site, and rebuild the courtyard exactly as it was. The funeral arrangements for my father, mother, brother, and sister-in-law need to be taken care of. I don’t know anything about this. If you have any questions, go and discuss them with your grandfather or Madam Li.”
"This..." Quanfu stared at the silver note, swallowed hard, and thought to himself, "Master Tong is indeed very generous."
However, “A concubine is too much. Ten thousand taels will be enough. The reconstruction of the courtyard will require about six thousand taels. I guarantee to find you the best materials and craftsmen. As for the funeral, four thousand taels will be sufficient.”
The Tong family is now of commoner status, so the ceremony cannot be too grand; otherwise, it would be considered overstepping the bounds of propriety.
"Oh, I see." Nan Yi thought for a moment, took back four thousand taels, and gave the other eleven thousand taels to Quanfu. "I don't know much about this. Just do your best. Don't skimp on the money. The extra thousand taels is for your extra budget. If it's not enough, go to Master for more."
"This servant understands."
After Nan Yi finished explaining things at the manor, he went to find Zheng Yong. Tong Tinglan led Yun'er out and said, "Little sister."
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