"It's over." Yinzhen slowly approached.
Thirteen snapped out of his daze, jumped up from the ground, and a hint of unease flashed in his eyes. He seemed to have been lost in thought just now.
The fleeting, romantic thoughts in my mind vanished without a trace in an instant.
"The fight is over. My brother is completely in awe of Sister-in-law Tong and feels ashamed of himself." He laughed heartily, cupped his hands in greeting to the two of them, and his handsome smile was full of relief.
She's just a concubine's daughter, so let him marry her. If she wants to come into the manor, then she'd better behave herself. His manor won't miss a single meal for her.
Thirteen left, and Yinzhen walked over, stretching out his hand towards the south, "Still lying on the ground and refusing to get up."
Nan shook her head and glared at him. "I can't get up. I dragged it out for a hundred moves. My arms and legs are weak."
Yinzhen chuckled softly and said gently, "Thank you, Yi'er." He had relieved Thirteenth Prince of his discontent and resolved a troublesome matter for him.
He reached out and picked Nan Yi up in his arms.
Nan nestled against his chest and laughed, "Is this the end of it?"
"It's settled."
******
A few days later, Consort Yi suddenly announced that she would hold a banquet, unlike the previous horse race or bonfire party, but simply to invite all the women in the camp to gather together and have fun.
Nan Yi couldn't skip the gathering initiated by Consort Yi; otherwise, it would be disrespectful to Consort Yi, who was also A-Tang's mother.
She understands these basic rules and etiquette.
"Girl, keep your makeup light. Today's main character is Consort Yi." Nan Yi chose a plain jade bracelet and put it on her wrist.
Yiren smiled and said, "This servant knows, but it's not appropriate to be too casual. Consort Yi has been the head of a palace for many years and naturally possesses dignity. You are, after all, a secondary consort. Otherwise, it would be impolite of you, my lady."
“You know this direction better than I do, so I’ll leave it to you.” Nan Yi then let Yi Ren dress up.
The party was held in a secluded grove, with low tables set up on the grass, covered with white tablecloths, and accompanied by delicious food and wine.
The ladies and noblewomen either sat demurely or gathered together, chatting and laughing softly.
When Nan arrived, he still attracted subtle scrutiny from everyone.
She didn't sit with Lady Nian, but chose a seat on the very edge. But Consort Yi had sharp eyes and said, "Tong girl, you're late. Come here and sit next to me."
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty. Your Majesty has prepared a banquet, and Yilan got up early to prepare. She and her maid were trying to choose a suitable outfit, but we ended up being late." Nan Yi bowed and apologized.
Consort Yi chuckled, looking at her attire and nodding repeatedly. It wasn't particularly outstanding, but it didn't lack its own unique charm, making it unforgettable.
"I believe this is the truth. Your maid is clever and quick-witted, and the color of this cheongsam suits you perfectly."
"Your Majesty flatters me."
Consort Yi pointed to the seat on the lower right, and Nan Yi obediently sat down, a helpless smile creeping onto his face. Now, there was no escaping it.
Consort Yi had a good impression of Lady Tong in the Fourth Prince's residence. This girl was neither servile nor arrogant, and remained calm in the face of both favor and disgrace. His Majesty had praised her several times in private.
Among the wives and wives of the princes, she was the only one who received special favor from the Emperor, a rare honor indeed.
Consort Yi was grateful to Lady Tong for saving the Ninth Prince last time, and treated Lady Tong with even greater kindness.
On the right, a concubine of about thirty years old looked at Nan Yi with great curiosity and asked with a smile, "Your Majesty, we have rarely seen such a beauty since we came to the grasslands. May I ask which family she belongs to?"
Consort Yi smiled and introduced Nan Yi, "This is the primary consort of Prince Duoluo." She then turned to Lady Suochuoluo and said, "Yilan is the secondary consort of the Fourth Prince. She is quiet by nature and has never liked to go out. She rarely goes out for social occasions, so it is normal that you have never met her."
Nan Yi stood up and curtsied, "Yilan greets the Fujin, the Fujin is very polite." At the same time, she remembered something and asked, "I wonder if there is a princess named Ziyi in the Fujin's household?"
Sochoruo smiled and said, "You know Ziyi, but I've never heard her mention that she knows you."
"We met once. Ziyi is charming, straightforward, and adorable; she's very likable," Nan Yi praised generously.
She was merely speaking her mind, and others took it as flattery of the Princess Consort of Prince Duoluo. Lady Suochuoluo covered her mouth and smiled, amused by her words.
"Oh my, I never thought that shrew would be praised. It's rare."
Ziyi is the eldest daughter of the primary wife of Prince Duoluo. Three years ago, she was betrothed to the heir of Prince Cheng as his primary wife. She gave birth to a son and a daughter for Prince Cheng, and they lived happily together after their marriage.
However, her daughter was straightforward and had the final say in the prince's household. In the three years since the prince's marriage, she had dismissed all his concubines and maids. If she hadn't given the prince his legitimate children in those three years, the Prince Cheng's mansion would have already caused a scene at the Prince Duoluo's mansion.
In March of this year, Yi'er brought more good news. The Prince Cheng's mansion had few children, so no matter how dissatisfied they were with Yi'er, they had to put up with it, since their daughter was the one who could give birth.
The wife of the Prince of Cheng was notorious in the capital for her jealousy. She often mocked the Prince of Duoluo for his poor upbringing of his daughter. However, Lady Suochuoluo and the Prince did not care what others said; their daughter's well-being was the most important thing.
For the first time, hearing her daughter being praised, how could Suochuoluo not be happy? She also found Nan Yi extremely pleasing to the eye.
Consort Yi treated Lady Tong differently, and the primary wife of Prince Duoluo was also very affectionate towards her. Noble ladies and princesses flocked up to her, changing their attitude towards Nan Yi and showering her with compliments.
Nan's face was almost frozen with laughter. She was quite overwhelmed by such enthusiasm. In the past, this kind of treatment was something only the Nian family would receive.
Fortunately, Suochuoluo was there to help her; otherwise, she really wouldn't know how to deal with it. They kept asking her questions about headdresses, clothing fabrics, and makeup, chattering away until Suochuoluo's head was throbbing.
She had no idea about these things. She never prepared her own headdresses; most of them were gifts from the Fourth Prince, or bestowed by the palace, or secretly given to her by Ah Tang.
The fabric styles and patterns were crafted by Qingfeng, but she knew nothing about makeup. There was Yiren, after all. Thinking about it carefully, she had never worried about external things.
Once the banquet began and they dispersed, Nan Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief; if they hadn't left, she would have collapsed.
Little did she know that they were also interested in the nail polish patterns on her nails.
"You're not used to it yet. It's easy for people to add flowers to brocade, but difficult to offer charcoal in the snow. After experiencing it a few more times, you'll get used to it," said Suochuo Shi calmly.
"Madam, I don't want to get used to it," Nan said bluntly. She didn't like to go through the motions or force herself to do things she hated.
The world is the world, and she is herself.
“You are just like Yi’er. It’s a pity that you married no ordinary man.” Madam Suochuo felt pity for Madam Tong, who had the same temperament as her daughter. “Yilan, listen to me. In the future, keep your thoughts to yourself. The royal family cannot tolerate such an unyielding nature as yours.”
She patted Nan Yi's hand, "Ah, Yi'er is lucky to have met the heir of Prince Cheng. His tolerance towards Yi'er is rare in the world, but the rumors in the capital that she is jealous have never stopped."
“Ziyi is doing a great job. She’s living a comfortable life. She doesn’t care what others say. In any case, she’s the one who benefits. Those who talk behind her back don’t get anything themselves; they’re just jealous of Ziyi.”
"That makes sense. You're becoming more and more to my liking."
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