Inside the Forbidden Garden, Zheng Yong would occasionally bring the three of them news from the outside world, the latest gossip from the capital, or anything that Nan Yi needed; he would find a way to smuggle it in for them.
Nan has always been an easygoing person; she can find enjoyment anywhere.
The three of them cleaned up the courtyard and set up three rooms for the three of them. She didn't mind that it was too crowded. Xiao Shunzi lived in the west wing, and she and Yiren shared the east wing.
Since there was no kitchen in the courtyard, Nan Yi asked Zheng Yong to find a ladder and bring some wood from the neighboring courtyard, and they finally managed to build a simple little kitchen.
That day, Xiao Shunzi and Nan Yi finished clearing the ditches and furrows in the yard. Yi Ren called them to eat. Nan Yi stood up, looked at the cleared land, and nodded with satisfaction. "It's almost done. Next year, we can grow our own vegetables and raise some chickens. Oh, and I also want to plant grapes."
Xiao Shunzi looked around the courtyard, thinking about his master's requirements, and planned in his mind how to please his master.
Yiren set the food on the table, fetched water for the two to wash their hands, handed them handkerchiefs, and poured the water carefully into the cleared space.
The three sat down at the dining table. Yiren served rice to her master and Xiaoshunzi, and asked, "Master, what are you planning to plant? There are so few kinds of winter vegetables, just the same few kinds over and over again. The weather is getting colder and colder, I don't know if they will even sprout."
Nan Yi ate a mouthful of rice, pushed a plate of ribs in front of Xiao Shunzi, and picked up some scrambled eggs to eat.
Xiao Shunzi glanced at the dish and quickly switched it with the other dishes. "Master, you are weak and need to eat more nourishing food. Don't worry about me."
Nan pressed her chopsticks down on the plate. "What do you mean, 'add more'? Don't you know me? I just love Yiren's scrambled eggs."
Xiao Shunzi assumed that his master was just being affectionate towards them as servants and said this on purpose. He didn't pretend and put a piece of rib into his bowl, saying, "One piece is enough for this servant."
Yiren's chopsticks flew as she picked up a few more pieces for him, and she said with a smile, "Your master is asking you to eat, so don't be shy. Eat with peace of mind. Although we are trapped in the Forbidden Garden, we will never lack food or drink."
"It's better to save some energy. It's not good to keep troubling Guard Zheng. It'll only get worse in the long run," Xiao Shunzi said.
Nan Yi shook her head and chuckled. She didn't know if Xiao Shunzi had noticed anything about Qinglian. They hadn't done anything special when they moved in. Half of the things they had were brought from the manor by Yiren, and the other half were brought in by Zheng Yong.
She smuggled out a lot of food from the kitchen, such as seasonings and meats.
“Anyway, you won’t go hungry,” Yiren said, getting up to serve soup to the two of them.
Nan Yi smiled and nodded, acknowledging Yi Ren's words, "Indeed, you should worry about being bored to death in the future."
She took a sip of soup and said, "I saw a vacant lot in the neighboring yard behind the wall. It's just sitting idle anyway, so why not clear it out and plant some crops next year?"
Yiren jokingly said, "Master, are you not planning to be a female knight-errant anymore, but instead become a peasant woman?"
“What’s wrong with being a farmer’s wife? There are no worries. We work from sunrise to sunset, just like in Tongzhou. It’s just that the land is a bit small and not enough for us to build.”
Nan Yi was only dissatisfied with this point: when Grandpa Kang imprisoned people, he didn't even provide her with a larger place. The place where the Thirteenth Prince was imprisoned was much larger than this place.
"Still not behaving yourself even in solitary confinement." A voice suddenly broke in. The three looked up and saw Zheng Yong walking in carrying a food box.
Yiren stood up and offered him a seat.
Nan raised his chin slightly and said, "Get Yong a stool." He put down the bowl in his hand and asked, "By the way, have you eaten? Would you like some more?"
Zheng Yong nodded without ceremony, took the stool from Yi Ren and sat down. He then opened the food box and placed the several plates of dishes that he had packed from the restaurant on the table.
“I just got back from an errand and ran into Fourth Master on the way. He asked me to deliver a message, and mentioned that you love roast duck, so he asked me to bring some with me.”
"Oh, I just received a letter a few days ago, and now there's another one. I think he's just bored." Nan Yi took the letter with a look of disgust and put it aside.
Zheng Yongyi and Xiao Shunzi listened to her complaints about the Fourth Master, but still couldn't get used to it. The fact that the Fourth Master wrote letters frequently meant that he cared about her.
Why are you complaining?
Have they forgotten their own predicament?
Seeing that Zheng Yong had sat down at the table, Yi Ren and Xiao Shunzi realized it was inappropriate to sit at the same table, so they made room for their master and Zheng the guard.
Nan Yi did not stop them. He put a roast duck and a plate of ribs into the food box and told Yi Xia and Xiao Shunzi to take them to the west wing to eat.
When only the two of them remained at the table, Nan asked Zheng Yong, "This is the Forbidden Garden. The Emperor has ordered that no outsiders are allowed to visit. Will the Emperor be angry with your frequent visits?"
"No," Zheng Yong said without hesitation.
"Why has he trapped me here?"
“Nan Yi, the Emperor is not a cold-hearted person. Over the years, he may not have been unmoved by your filial piety.” Zheng Yong interrupted her. “Whether you did it intentionally or unintentionally, you publicly insulted the emperor, which is a capital offense. You would have to lose several heads. The Emperor only imprisoned you, which is already an act of leniency.”
He sighed, seemingly lost in thought. “Speaking of which, you are extremely lucky and well-liked. I once overheard that even Eunuch Li spoke up for you, praising you in front of the Emperor. However, your ability to cause trouble is even more frustrating.”
"It wasn't me who caused the trouble; I was clearly framed," Nan Yi said indignantly. She had no idea that Consort Liang would use such a vicious method to harm her.
"So what? You were the one who insulted the Emperor. There are heavy guards outside the Forbidden Garden, yet I was able to get in. The Emperor may not be unaware of this, but he just turns a blind eye and doesn't intend to really make things difficult for you. On the other hand, Fourth Prince and Ninth Prince disobeyed the Emperor for your sake, and because of this, he cannot let you off easily."
“If you don’t cut off my head, imprison me, and prevent me from ever leaving, it seems to you that I’m getting a great deal.”
That would be worse than having your head chopped off.
Thinking about it this way, all these years of taking care of Grandpa Kang seem to have put him in a difficult position.
She was harmed by his concubine, then imprisoned by him, and she was the one who suffered all the pain. Yet, she had to be grateful to him for not killing her.
If I'm wronged, who can I turn to for justice?
Zheng Yong chuckled, "You really got a great deal. As long as you're safe, it's fine. Apart from freedom, there's not much difference between you staying here and staying anywhere else."
Nan Yi remained noncommittal. For her, what was most precious was freedom. However, it was too late to talk about it now. She had had so many opportunities before but had not gained freedom, and she would have even fewer opportunities in the future.
After finishing his meal, Zheng Yong rushed back to report, taking with him a reply to Prince Yong. Nan Yi picked up her pen, but she really didn't know what to write back to the Fourth Prince. This place was so small that even the ants around the house knew her. She only had a few things to do each day, so what was there to write?
After squeezing out a lot of words, I managed to fill more than half a page, from getting up to eating, to Zheng Yong's arrival, and then I added a sentence at the end of the letter: I've run out of ink and don't know what to write.
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