The Ninth Prince got up early and left the residence with his concubine Wanqing. When they passed the Fourth Prince's residence, the carriage slowly stopped. The Ninth Prince dismounted and greeted Yinzhen, "Good morning, Fourth Brother."
Yinzhen nodded, his expression displeased. "Where are you going?"
The Ninth Prince had long harbored resentment towards the Fourth Prince. Putting aside their political stances, he also had many opinions about the Fourth Prince's treatment of Nan Yi.
The Ninth Prince said with a forced smile, "I'm going to Tongzhou. Nan Yi sent a letter inviting Wanqing to visit Tongzhou. I was worried about Wanqing going alone, so I'm escorting her."
Yinzhen grunted and said, "Very well, there are also things in the manor to be sent to Tongzhou. I'll trouble Ninth Brother to take care of them on the way."
As if he hadn't noticed his ninth brother's unpleasant expression, he continued, "Ninth brother, go and come back as soon as possible. Tomorrow morning, Father Emperor will discuss the hunting expedition beyond the Great Wall at court. Ninth brother, you must not be late."
This is an implication that he shouldn't stay in Tongzhou any longer. Tch, so petty.
The Ninth Prince nodded indifferently. How long he stayed was none of the Fourth Prince's business once he went to Tongzhou.
Two carriages arrived from Fourth Brother's residence, and Ninth Prince bid farewell to his cold-faced elder brother.
When they arrived in Tongzhou, the sun was high in the sky. Nan Yi held Wan Qing and laughed heartily. There wasn't much else to do in Tongzhou. A Tang and the others would come to visit from time to time. Nan Yi was especially happy to see a few friends.
"Yiren, quickly tell Granny Zhao to prepare more food. The weather is nice today, so set it out in the courtyard," Nan Yichao's maidservant ordered loudly.
"This servant understands." The master was happy, and Yiren was also pleased. She curtsied to the masters and ran to the kitchen.
Xiao Shunzi, Xiao Jinzi, Quanfu, and the others carried the items from the carriage into the storeroom. The group already knew each other well and had a good relationship.
"Brothers, you've worked hard. I'll set up a table later to treat you all. This morning, I caught several fish from the pond. The master taught me a new way to cook them, and they're stewing in the kitchen right now."
Quanfu swallowed hard and laughed, "Don't say that, I think I smell something delicious, and my stomach is getting hungrier. You're quite the lucky guy, following Master Tong and enjoying yourself on the estate every day. I'm so envious."
His words came from the bottom of his heart, a sincere sigh. As fellow eunuchs, besides serving their masters, they all needed something to rely on in their lives.
So, some people sought wealth, some sought power, and Quanfu thought Xiaoshunzi had a good job, following a good master, he could stay on the estate every day, eat well, drink well, and have fun, with no one to supervise him. The master didn't care about the affairs of the estate, Xiaoshunzi handled everything, and was even more carefree than the steward of the manor.
"That's right, Shun'er, you must have been incredibly lucky in your past life. All you're missing now is a wife," Xiao Jinzi joked.
Xiao Shunzi scratched his head sheepishly when he heard this, then chuckled a little foolishly.
What's going on? Shunzi's expression is off.
Quanfu and Xiaojinzi exchanged a glance, then squeezed over together. The two looked at each other mysteriously, and Quanfu nudged him with his shoulder, "What do you mean? Are you really going to have a wife?"
"How could I? Who am I to mess with other girls?" Xiao Shunzi glared at him, then laughed. "My master told me before that when I get older, she will ask the master for a favor to let me leave the manor and find me a son to take care of in my old age. I will then manage the manor for my master and never return to the manor."
In this way, he was able to die a peaceful death.
Quanfu and Xiaojinzi were even more envious.
Master Tong has even made arrangements for Xiao Shunzi's future.
Little Jin wiped her face, her expression filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment, and said, "Why don't I have such good luck?"
"Shun'er, Master Tong treats you well, so you must not forget your roots and must serve her with all your heart." Despite his envy, Quanfu still had to give her a word of advice.
The main concern was with the master. He was worried that Xiao Shunzi had been running wild outside for too long and had forgotten his duty. Xiao Shunzi was in charge of everything at the Tongzhou estate, both inside and out. Master Tong was too lenient and acted like a hands-off manager.
"Do I look like that kind of person?" Xiao Shunzi rolled his eyes at him. "Alright, hurry up and move it, let's go have a couple of drinks, the three of us."
On Nan Yi's side, the dishes were placed on the table. He asked Yi Ren, "Have you sent any to my sister's side? Let them try some too."
Yiren said, "Granny Qiu just delivered them, saying that the two young ladies like them very much."
"Okay, you should go down and eat with Huan'er and the others. The food won't taste right if it gets cold," Nan Yi said.
She then called to Yinzhen and Wanqing, "Hurry up and start eating! I had Xiaoshunzi catch these early this morning. The fish from this pond are especially fresh and tender. Granny Zhao specially added pickled cabbage to stew them. I've eaten them twice, and they're not greasy at all."
She served each of them fish belly meat, then filled her own bowl with a large spoonful of pickled cabbage and soup. Without using chopsticks, she simply mixed the rice with a spoon and ate it.
"Watching you eat makes me really hungry," Wanqing said with a gentle smile. Here, there are no rules to follow; you can eat as much as you want and whatever you want. Even the usually well-behaved master eats heartily.
"Hehe, I dare not take credit, it's the food that's delicious." Nan Yi said with a smile, "Eat more. Although the food in your mansion is good, the chefs make the food too refined, so it naturally loses some of the original freshness of the ingredients."
“That makes sense. How is this dish made? I’d like to have the restaurant sell this dish as well.” The Ninth Prince asked without looking up, while eating.
Nan Yi said "Oh," and added, "Ask Granny Zhao later."
The Ninth Prince did not dare to stay in Tongzhou for long. Before leaving, he asked Nan Yi when he would return to the capital.
Nan smiled, her tone lingering, "If nothing unexpected happens, he probably won't come back."
The rift between her and Fourth Master was widening. Tearing away the facade of Fourth Master's desperate protection of certain people revealed his true colors. Her return would only make things awkward for both of them.
"Why? Do you intend to stay in Tongzhou for the rest of your life?" The Ninth Prince was incredulous and didn't understand what Nan Yi was insisting on.
He hurriedly advised, "Nanyi, don't be willful. What kind of image do you have if you, a woman, stay cooped up in the village all the time? Do you know what people are saying? Do you want that?"
“I’m willing, Ah Tang. There are some things you don’t know. I can’t go back. The manor is great. It’s free, the air is fresh, and it’s much better than the manor,” Nan Yi said firmly.
She sighed softly, as if thinking of something, and suddenly said, "Ah Tang, do you know that hundreds of years later, people there live completely differently from people here? It's an era of gender equality, freedom of marriage, and monogamy."
In that place, regardless of gender, everyone has equal opportunities to receive education and employment. A man can only marry one woman, and if the relationship is not good, they can file for divorce, then separate and find suitable partners. Of course, if they don't want to, they can choose not to marry.
“Impossible, my Great Qing will last forever.” The Ninth Prince interrupted her.
As long as the Qing Dynasty exists, the nonsense about gender equality that Nan Yi talks about will never come true. If a relationship is bad, you can get a divorce and each find a suitable partner. Wouldn't that just be putting a green hat on your own head?
Nan Yi glanced at Yin Tang speechlessly, thinking to himself, "The Qing Dynasty cannot last forever. In just three hundred years, it will leave behind an era of devastation and devastation."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
