When Yinzhen arrived, he was terrified. The Tong family and the Nian family were in even worse condition than the other. The Tong family and Li Yi were surrounded by a pack of wolves, in a very dangerous situation, while the Nian family had her leg torn apart by a gray wolf, and she was screaming in pain.
"Make your move." Yinzhen ordered the guards to quickly drive away the wolves.
The wolf that had bitten Nian was cut in two by a guard. Li Er arrived with his archer battalion and, seeing the situation of Master Tong, leaped into the wolf pack to save her.
With the help of guards, Nan Yi was rescued. She was covered in blood and looked disheveled, but there was little fear in her eyes.
Yinzhen rushed forward and hugged Tong Shi, "Yi'er, how are you? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Nan Yi threw away the short blade in his hand and just kept laughing foolishly. It felt so good to see Nian Shi bitten like that.
"Ah, I'm asking you a question. Where are you hurt?" Yinzhen asked anxiously, his eyes searching her all over.
“It’s all wolf blood, I’m not hurt,” Nan Yi said softly. She grabbed Yinzhen’s hand, stood on tiptoe, and whispered in his ear, “I’m sorry to have worried you. I did it on purpose. I just wanted to teach Nian Shi a lesson. Please don’t be angry with me, okay?”
Nan Yi was simply settling a personal score; she never intended to hide it from Fourth Master, and even if she wanted to, she couldn't.
Upon suddenly learning the truth, Yinzhen was both angry and annoyed. He wanted to scold her, but the words of reprimand were on the tip of his tongue, and he swallowed them back.
My heart is breaking; I'm so worried about her.
She's perfectly fine. Fine, whatever. What the Nian family owes her, let it be... let it be repayment.
"You shouldn't be so reckless. Don't you care about your own safety?" Yinzhen scolded, both amused and exasperated. Tong Shi's actions were always unpredictable, and he had learned a profound lesson from her.
"Don't do that again. I don't want anything to happen to you."
He didn't scold her. For the first time, Nan found the Fourth Uncle pleasing to the eye. She smiled faintly and said, "Okay, I understand."
"Go back quickly. Don't leave the tent for the next few days," Yinzhen whispered, then pushed her to Su Peisheng. "Send Consort Tong back and order Physician Liu to treat her."
Nan Yi left, still being supported by Su Peisheng. That was enough; she had gotten such a great deal, that was enough. Even though she encountered a pack of wolves, with Li Yi protecting her, she wasn't frightened at all.
Unlike Nian, who was bitten on the thigh by a wolf and suffered a great shock, he will be bedridden for several months.
Yinzhen turned to look at Lady Nian. Lady Nian had been rescued from the wolf's jaws by the guards. She was so frightened that she was stunned for a long time. She was trembling and shouting incoherently, so she did not see Yinzhen rush to Nan Yi's side immediately.
"Xu'er, it's alright, don't be afraid, the wolves have been driven away." Yinzhen soothed her gently. When Nianshi heard Yinzhen's voice, her unfocused pupils regained their light.
"My lord, is that you? My lord, I'm so scared, there are so many wolves!" Lady Nian threw herself into Yinzhen's arms and burst into tears.
Yinzhen embraced her and gently coaxed her, "It's alright, the wolves are gone, they've all been driven away, don't be afraid."
Lady Nian sobbed, "My lord, you must do justice for me. It was my sister. She did it on purpose. She deliberately led me into a pack of wolves. She hates me and blames me for the downfall of the Tong family, saying I should pay with my life. My lord, you must do justice for me."
Yinzhen's expression changed slightly, his eyes turned cold, and he said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Tong Shi is not that kind of person. I know her. Come on, I'll take you back to camp."
"My lord, I'm not lying. You must believe me." Madam Nian persisted, convinced that today's ordeal was orchestrated by Madam Tong, and she would not let Madam Tong off the hook.
"I think you've lost your mind and are spouting nonsense," Yinzhen said coldly in a low voice.
Startled by the coldness in the master's eyes, Lady Nian shrank back, as if she understood something, yet also as if she didn't.
She dared not speak further.
The bite wound on her leg didn't give her time to think about it deeply.
Unbeknownst to her, Yinzhen was aware of her secret dealings with Lady Tong. Although he did not punish her, it was impossible for him not to have any thoughts about it.
When he first met Ms. Nian, he liked her. But now, with the changes in people and things, and the addition of other factors, he can no longer say whether he likes her or not.
Back at the camp, Yiren and Xiaoshunzi surrounded their master, both terrified just listening to what the guards had to say.
"Master, I shouldn't have left you. Please don't act alone in the future. If something happens to you, I won't be able to survive either." Yiren patted her chest in fear.
Xiao Shunzi also exclaimed, "Yes, Master, you scared us to death! How did Li Yi and Li Er protect you? They let you be attacked by wolves. They're practically useless bodyguards!"
Nan Yi waved his hand, "Alright, Li Yi and Li Er have helped me a lot. They are not useless. As for you, it's a good thing you didn't come along. Otherwise, I would have had to take care of you. The grassland wolves are fierce and should not be underestimated. It's better not to go out with them in the future."
"Is Master blaming me for being useless?" Yiren said dejectedly.
“You all have your good points, and I remember them all. Master told me to stay in the room quietly for a while. Doctor Liu will be here soon to help me take a bath. My clothes are filthy and smell of blood.”
"This servant is preparing."
"This servant will go too."
Xiao Shunzi and Yiren, please step down.
That evening, after calming Lady Nian down, Yinzhen returned to his tent and summoned Li Yi and Li Er, asking, "Tell me in detail what those two talked about in the woods?"
Li Yi and Li Er exchanged a glance, looking troubled. If they told the master, would he blame Master Tong?
There were wolves in the forest, and they could sense it. Master Tong must have known this too. Instead of avoiding them, he went straight towards the wolf pack. After some thought, I vaguely understood that Master Tong was probably doing this on purpose.
Having been with Master Tong for so long, she never made things difficult for the two of them, and often secretly gave them rewards. Although Master Tong loves to joke around, she has her own bottom line in doing things.
Master Tong repeatedly sneaked away, and they failed to supervise him properly. The master originally intended to punish them, but Master Tong pleaded for leniency. In the end, the master raised his hand high but brought it down lightly, and the matter was settled by confiscating their silver.
The small amount of silver that could be fined was a drop in the ocean compared to Master Tong's reward.
Master Tong treated them well.
Human hearts are made of flesh, and human hearts are also prone to bias.
The two men knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "We are guilty, please punish us, Your Highness."
Seeing their expressions, Yinzhen was both angry and amused. They had been bewitched by Lady Tong and even knew how to favor her.
On the other hand, he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. Protecting the Tong family was exactly what he wanted to see. With the two of them protecting him wholeheartedly, Nan Yi's safety would be greatly enhanced.
He had witnessed her ability to cause trouble and was deeply worried about it.
"Just tell me what you have to say. I know what I'm doing. Both Lady Tong and Lady Nian have their own versions of events. I want to hear the details," Yinzhen commanded in a deep voice.
"This..." Li Yi looked troubled. If the master said so, it seemed that he couldn't hide it even if he wanted to. The master didn't care about the conversation between Master Tong and Master Nian. As long as the master didn't pursue the matter of Master Tong deliberately breaking into the wolf pack, he was already fortunate.
Li Yi and Li Er recounted the conversation between Master Tong and Master Nian in detail. After they withdrew, Yinzhen fell into a long silence.
She only asks for a devoted partner, someone to stay with until old age. That's what she seeks.
Yinzhen picked up his brush, spread out the Xuan paper, and wrote down this sentence. He stared blankly at the paper and ink, realizing that he could never be a devoted person in this lifetime.
After a long while, he folded the paper and tucked it into his sleeve. Su Peisheng came to report that his father had summoned him.
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