The three of them played for more than an hour when there was a knock on the door of the private room. Yiren opened the door and the Tenth Prince strode in. He walked up to Nan Yi and kept grinning foolishly. Seeing that she was unharmed and full of energy, he was delighted.
Zhenzhen and Xiao Xi stepped forward to greet him, but he waved his hand. Zhenzhen laughed and scolded, "Look at this silly face. Never mind them, let's sit down."
Xiao Xi knew that Tenth Master and Nan were of the same temperament, so he smiled and sat down with Zhenzhen.
"Nan Yi, it's so good that you're alright. That Forbidden Garden is a hellish place, no human being can stay there. With your delicate skin, it's good that you didn't suffer."
The Tenth Prince sat down next to her, picked up his teacup to moisten his throat, and continued to ramble, "The Ninth Prince and I once wanted to go in and take a look, but my goodness, it was guarded even more tightly than the Forbidden City. Even a mosquito might not be able to fly in."
Nan Yi deliberately laughed and retorted, "No way, there are so many mosquitoes inside. The first year I went in, I was bitten all over by mosquitoes every day, and they almost ate me alive."
The Tenth Prince grinned, a hint of pity flashing in his eyes. He pushed the fruit plate on the table in front of her and comforted her with a smile, "Nan Yi, it's all over now. After all the suffering, things will get better. Just avoid causing trouble in the future and be good. Your Fourth Brother will protect you."
Nan Yi shrugged. "Maybe."
"I heard that Lady Nian is the most favored in your household. Fourth Brother, have you been neglecting her?" the Tenth Prince asked worriedly.
Nan Yi had been gone for ten years, and he was afraid that his fourth brother had forgotten her. With a stunning beauty like Lady Nian accompanying him in the mansion, if Nan Yi were to be treated coldly or bullied in the mansion, it would be truly terrible.
"What's there to worry about? It's her business if she's favored. It's not like I'll lack food or drink." Nan Yi said nonchalantly.
"But?"
Nan interrupted her, laughing, "Don't worry, he hasn't neglected me. Besides, your fourth brother wouldn't want to leave such a beauty like me behind."
Tenth Master glanced at her beautiful face, raised his eyebrows and smiled, "That's true." To be honest, compared to Nan Yi, Nian Shi was slightly inferior.
As they were chatting, the shopkeeper asked if they wanted a meal served.
Seeing that Nan Yi Xiao Xi and his concubine had been eating non-stop, with a table full of various pastries and snacks, the Tenth Prince said, "Wait a little longer, the Ninth Prince should be here soon."
"You weren't together?" Nan asked.
The Tenth Prince took out the teapot, poured tea for everyone, and then said, "Ninth Brother said you like crab meat buns, so he went to buy some on his way, and that's why I came first."
"Oh, please have a seat, I'll go change." Nan Yi put down his teacup and left the private room with Yi Ren.
Fang Bu was walking down the stairs when the Ninth Prince and Xiao Jinzi came in.
"Nan Yi?"
"Yin... um~" She called out halfway before Yiren covered her mouth. Yiren looked around and saw that the innkeeper and waiters in the building were all there. She whispered a reminder, "Master, you must not call Ninth Master by his name."
"Mmm~" Nan Yi nodded repeatedly, she forgot about it when she was happy.
Once Yiren released her hand, she stepped forward and bowed respectfully, her face beaming with a smile, "Greetings, Ninth Master."
"Rise." Yinzhen gazed greedily at Nan Yi, his eyes burning with longing, year after year, a longing that gnawed at his very bones, yet could never be seen again, separated by the many palace walls.
In a flash, she was still standing in front of her, just as she had when they first met.
"Nan Yi~" the Ninth Prince called out again, his voice low and lingering, with a deep sense of tenderness hidden within.
"What's wrong? Are you stunned? And why are your eyes red?" Nan Yi handed him a handkerchief, her tone both disdainful and affectionate. "Man, don't be so sensitive. I'm fine. Come on, let's go inside and talk."
"Yes, let's go inside and talk." The Ninth Prince was deeply moved. He took a deep breath to suppress his turbulent emotions. As he passed by Yiren, the Ninth Prince stopped and asked Nan Yi, "She's been with you the whole time, hasn't she? The girl is very loyal and deserves a reward."
He took a gold ingot out of his sleeve and handed it to Yiren.
Yiren accepted the gold ingot with both hands, curtsied and thanked him, "Ninth Master is too modest. Taking care of my master is my duty. Thank you for the reward, Ninth Master."
The Ninth Prince smiled, praised the girl, and continued walking with Nan Yi towards the private room, forgetting even about changing clothes.
She walked to the private room and asked Yiren to stop her and remind her.
Nan Yi slapped her forehead, exclaiming about her terrible memory.
When she returned, the table was already set, and the five of them were toasting each other. Zhenzhen and Xiaoxi were quite good at drinking, but Nanyi drank tea instead.
As if remembering something, she smiled and teased Yinzhen, "I heard that in recent years, Ninth Prince has been making money, taking concubines, and having children, but he hasn't stopped."
"Ahem~" Ninth Prince was caught off guard by her sudden mention of this, and his face immediately turned red to the roots of his ears, feeling extremely embarrassed.
Seeing his embarrassing state, the Tenth Prince Xiao Xizhen couldn't help but laugh. The Tenth Prince slapped the table and laughed loudly, "Ninth Brother, you've finally met your match. You deserve it."
The Ninth Prince looked embarrassed and shifted his body uneasily. He carefully watched Nan Yi's expression, fearing that she might feel disgusted by it.
Needless to say, taking concubines and having children was inevitable for him; his fourth, eighth, tenth, thirteenth, and fourteenth brothers were all subject to it.
He glared at his talkative tenth brother, then gave a meaningful smile, deliberately reminding him, "Aren't you the same? You dare to laugh at others. I heard that Liu Jia, who entered the manor last year, is quite to your liking."
"Uh~" The tenth brother's smile vanished instantly. He glanced cautiously at Zhenzhen beside him and saw that her expression had turned cold. He quickly winked at the ninth brother, "Ninth brother, please forgive me this time. I will never dare to do it again."
The Ninth Prince raised an eyebrow with schadenfreude.
"What Liu Jia Shi? Tenth Master, you've changed your mind too." Upon hearing this, Nan Yi immediately became displeased, his eyes filled with condemnation and his face bearing the expression of "You damned heartless man."
Xiao Xi didn't mind the chaos, his gaze indifferent and disdainful, "Men, it's their nature to be fickle and easily bored."
She saw through it all, which is why she never considered marriage again.
The tenth brother was so shocked that he dropped his chopsticks. He hurriedly denied it, "No, no, absolutely not. It'll only be for a while, sir. I'll put my hands down."
Nan Yi refused to believe him. If it were true, why was Zhen Zhen so unhappy? She propped her chin up with her chopsticks and stared straight at him, finding him increasingly displeasing.
"Zhenzhen, do you need me to help you get a beating from him and help you vent your anger?"
Zhenzhen shook her head. "It's not worth the effort. Let him be. If Liu Jiashi is gone, there's Li Jiashi and Zhou Jiashi. You can't possibly beat them all up."
Just as the master said, he has already let go of Liu Jiashi, but recently, the master has become infatuated with another one.
She really doesn't care; she can't stand being angry.
Fortunately, she was able to give birth to two princes and was a secondary consort, so her position was secure and the primary consort couldn't do anything to her.
Oh, what an indifferent tone! He's been hurt by the Tenth Prince and doesn't care anymore. Judging from how the Tenth Prince is coaxing Zhenzhen, he probably doesn't even realize how precious something he's lost.
Nan Yi sighed inwardly, glancing at the Ninth Prince, who was so guilty that he didn't dare to look anyone in the eye.
"You scumbags, may you stay single forever in your next life."
Yinzhen lowered his head and twitched slightly, his expression becoming even more resentful. He still wanted to continue his good relationship with her in the next life, but she cursed him.
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