In the study, Yinzhen sat silently behind his desk, pondering the information gathered by the guards. Over the past six months, he had become increasingly unable to understand Tong Shi's actions, and a sense of unease arose in his heart for no apparent reason.
The dowry and private property were given to the nieces, and a considerable amount was added for the elder sisters in the bride's family. Even the maids, eunuchs and nannies who served her received money, land and shops to support themselves and live out their old age.
What is she trying to do by arranging backup plans for everyone?
Thinking of this, he could no longer sit still. He put away the papers on his desk and instructed Su Peisheng, "Go to Lan Courtyard and set out dinner there."
Nan Yi's actions did not escape the watchful eyes of the Fourth Master. She was having a private conversation with Yiren and Xiaoshunzi. Yiren and Xiaoshunzi looked rather helpless. In the past six months, their master had become strange, acting as if he was making arrangements for his funeral.
Yiren leaned closer to her master and whispered, "Master, do you want to go out and play? This time, you must take me with you. You promised back then, and you can't break your word."
"What nonsense are you talking about? There's nothing to it." Nan Yi pushed her away, "flipping through the house information that Xiao Shunzi had recorded in his hand."
After comparing them several times, Nan Yi pulled out two sheets of paper and pointed to them with his finger. "Let's go with these two. They're about the same size and close to each other. You two can each have one, and you can take care of each other in the future."
Yiren didn't even glance at it and said bluntly, "No need. I've served you, my master, my whole life. Wherever you are, I'll be there. There's no need to buy a house. You can keep it for yourself."
Nan Yi ignored her and handed the information about the house to Xiao Shunzi. "Go and get it done quickly, and then put it under your names. Have two servants look after it, so that when you get old, you won't have to worry about not being able to find a place to live."
Xiao Shunzi glanced at Yiren, who winked at him forcefully, signaling him not to accept the gift. The two had already received their master's generous gift; how could they accept it again?
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, thought for a moment, then reached out to take it and quickly stuffed it into his sleeve pocket.
"Xiao Shunzi, you?" Yiren couldn't stand it anymore and was furious. In the past six months, he had been spending money extravagantly, and his master's purse was more than half empty. He had received so many things and was still not satisfied.
Xiao Shunzi had his own ideas: "If Master wants to buy it, then we'll buy it. It doesn't matter if it's registered in our name, since it belongs to Master anyway. We'll just keep it safe for Master. To be honest, a house is much more practical than banknotes. Master isn't short of money. Later, I'll renovate the house to make it nicer so Master can stay there for a couple of days when he's free. It'll be like going outside the mansion to relax. Master will have another place to go, won't he?"
“Yes, that makes sense, let’s do it that way.” Nan made the decision.
Yiren smiled and said, "It's good that you have such a clever mind. Then let's buy it."
When Yinzhen arrived, the three of them, master and servant, had already finished their discussion. A greeting came from outside the door, and Yiren said in a low voice, "This servant will call the kitchen to prepare dinner."
"This servant takes his leave." Xiao Shunzi Yiren greeted Yinzhen and then withdrew.
Yinzhen strode over and sat down next to Nan Yi. He glanced at her complexion and said with a smile, "You must have something happy to do today. Look how cheerful you are."
"What's the big deal? I'm happy every day. It's not like you just found out today." She picked up her teacup, about to drink, when Yinzhen pressed her hand down. Only then did Nan Yi realize that the cup was empty.
Yinzhen wanted to add more tea for her, but when he touched the copper kettle, the tea seemed to be cold. He beckoned to Lanzhi, who was standing nearby, to fetch some hot water.
Two cups of hot tea, the two sat quietly, Yinzhen's gaze deep and lingering, Nan Yi calm and composed.
Yi Ren was well aware of Nan Yi's habits; wherever she sat, she could easily grab pastries and snacks.
The Fourth Uncle stared at her intently, his expression serious; rather than looking, he was observing and scrutinizing her.
Nan Yi chuckled inwardly. It must be her recent actions that made Fourth Master suspicious. Let him guess, no matter how hard he tries. But in reality, she doesn't do anything, not even how to run away.
Two quarters of an hour had passed, and the Fourth Master hadn't said a word. Nan Yi was really afraid he would suffocate. He pretended to be deep, reserved, and cunning in front of her. This trick worked on outsiders, and it could completely fool people.
She's not an outsider, so she's not afraid of him at all.
Seeing that she was acting like a rogue again—or rather, what the Fourth Master thought of as a rogue—he glared at her with annoyance.
Nan Yi blinked innocently, took a piece of pastry and stuffed it into Fourth Master's mouth, then showed off her new pastry, "Granny Zhao's new pastry, with some red beans added, soft and delicious, not greasy at all, so tasty."
As she spoke, she ate two pieces herself. When she took the third piece, Yinzhen moved the plate beside him aside and said, "It's time for dinner. You shouldn't eat too many pastries."
Nan Yi made an OK sign with her fingers, which were covered in oil. She was about to get up to wash her hands when Yinzhen made the next move, which made Nan Yi's heart skip a beat.
She curled her fingers, her eyes glancing over his lips, and stammered, "It's not dirty."
Yinzhen smiled faintly and gave her a meaningful look. Nan Yi's heart skipped a beat; she was all too familiar with that look.
She ate her dinner in a sullen mood, and afterwards, she looked at the Fourth Master, who was leisurely reading a book, and her thoughts were in turmoil.
My child, the anger in her heart had not completely dissipated. She hated herself and was annoyed by Fourth Uncle, who always seemed to be pricking her heart from time to time.
"I want to go for a walk to digest my food, will you come with me?" Nan said as she stood up.
Yinzhen nodded, took the cloak from the maid, tied it around Nan Yi's neck, and led her outside.
Stepping outside, Nan Yi shivered from the biting cold. Seeing how cold she was, Yinzhen said, "Why don't we stay inside? It's really cold outside, and you can't stand it."
Nan hesitated for a moment, then sighed softly, "I think I'll stay inside; it's too cold today."
Yinzhen smiled, turned around, and stepped into the house.
A series of hurried footsteps rushed in, panting. Nan Yi and Yinzhen turned their heads to look.
Quanfu ran over and knelt down. “Your Highness, something terrible has happened! The young prince has suddenly developed a high fever and is not taking any medicine or breast milk. The imperial physicians are helpless. Please, Your Highness, come to Weifang Courtyard.”
Yinzhen's expression darkened slightly, and he immediately said to Nan Yi, "Yi'er, you rest for now, I'll go and take a look."
Nan Yi couldn't wait, "Go quickly, I'm fine."
Yinzhen left in a hurry. Nan Yi watched his retreating figure and sighed inwardly before re-entering the inner room with Yiren.
She dismissed Yiren, climbed into bed, lowered the bed curtains, and quietly lay down in bed alone.
The Prince Yong's residence will be quiet for a while again.
In a way, the Nian family, like the Li family, was highly productive. Unfortunately, being highly productive was both a blessing and a curse; although they had many children, none of them lived to adulthood.
This is her misfortune.
Nan Yi knew that Lady Nian was highly prolific, but she did not expect that Lady Nian would give birth so frequently, from the 59th year of her reign to the first year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, giving birth one child every year. However, only the Eighth Prince survived.
At that time, Lady Nian was already the head of the four consorts, and the Fourth Prince conferred upon her the title of Noble Consort. As for Nan Yi, the Fourth Prince bestowed upon her the title of Zhen, making her Consort Zhen.
On the day of the investiture ceremony, upon hearing her title, Nan Yi, for some reason, thought of the tragically fated Consort Zhen from later generations, and in a daze, she slowly smiled.
Consort Zhen, how similar they are!
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