After a hasty farewell to Yinzhen and the others, on the carriage back to the palace, Thirteen asked about something, and Nan Yi did not hide anything, telling the whole story in detail.
"You may not know, but that year, not long after you were imprisoned, the late emperor summoned me, saying that the Noble Consort (the late Consort Tong) missed me and wanted me to come to the palace to talk. Before the Noble Consort, I was inexplicably taken to Consort Liang's place. She said a few words to me and even gave me a cup of tea. After that, my mind became unclear. You have probably heard what happened after that. I angered the emperor, and in a fit of rage, the late emperor imprisoned me in the Forbidden Garden. For more than ten years, I hated Consort Liang. I still can't understand why she wanted to harm me."
Nan Yi was unclear, but Shisan vaguely understood. It was simply out of love for his son that he found it strange that his elder brother was so annoyed.
Thinking about it this way, it seems that Fourth Sister-in-law is ungrateful.
"Go back to the palace and comfort your brother. He's only thinking of you and is indignant on your behalf. Don't take it lightly," Thirteen advised.
"I know what's going on, but I'm afraid he won't give me a chance."
She still has something to ask of him, so if she argues at this time, she'll always be the one who suffers.
Back at Chengqian Palace, Nan Yi quickly freshened up, then asked Yiren and Xiaoshunzi to accompany him before rushing off to apologize to the Fourth Master.
Upon arriving at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the eunuch informed them that the Emperor had gone to the Yikun Palace and would be resting there that evening.
Nan Yi chuckled to himself. Here comes another trick. Does she think he'll be jealous because he specifically chose Consort Nian as a shield?
"Childish," Nan Yi thought dismissively, and leisurely returned to his palace. Yi Ren had witnessed the whole scene during the day and couldn't help but feel uneasy. She said worriedly, "Master, why aren't you worried? The Emperor is really angry this time."
"I know, what can I do if he won't see me? I can only let him be." Nan Yi remained unchanged, picked up a booklet, and read it while eating.
Yiren felt depressed and quite saddened by her mistress's indifferent attitude. Her mistress was no longer a prince's concubine, but an imperial consort. If she wasn't careful, she might be banished to the cold palace.
In her mind, the Cold Palace was a place even more terrifying than the Forbidden Garden; there would be no land there for her to cultivate.
"Can't you be a little more careful? The Emperor is the Son of Heaven of the Great Qing Dynasty. There's a saying that if the Emperor is angry, millions will die. Your little life can't withstand such a thing."
"Pfft~" Nan Yi laughed, pointing a trembling finger at Yi Ren, "That doesn't apply to me. Offending him would at most put me in solitary confinement. What are you thinking? Don't worry, I know the Emperor well. He wouldn't dare to do that."
Although she couldn't compare to the status of the Nian family in his heart, she still held some place, and she was confident of that.
After the incident of the Fourth Prince secretly meeting with the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Princes outside the palace, the Fourth Prince was still angry. He didn't retaliate against Nan Yi, but he avoided her for a month or so.
Nan Yi didn't take it to heart, always thinking that she would wait for the Fourth Master's anger to subside before she could speak kindly to him. She thought that as long as she coaxed him with gentle words, she could make up for his grievances.
However, the Fourth Master became ruthless.
Yiren has been preoccupied lately, her worries are growing, and she often stares blankly into space. Occasionally, she seems about to say something but then hesitates in front of her. When she asks her several times, the girl just says that nothing is wrong.
One day, she vaguely heard the maid mention Ah Tang and a place name, which made Nan Yi feel a little uneasy.
She pretended to have something to do and went to pay her respects to the Empress, but when she reached the palace gate, she was turned away.
Yiren stood behind her, head bowed, and mumbled, "The Emperor has decreed that Your Highness must remain inside the palace to reflect on your actions and is not to step out of the palace gates."
Nan Yi secretly observed Yi Ren and found that she was preoccupied with her own thoughts. She dared not look directly at her, her eyes were lowered, and she looked very uneasy.
"Yiren, has something happened?"
"No, no, why do you think that, Master?" A hint of nervousness flashed across Yi Ren's face as she took Nan Yi's arm. "Master, let's go inside. The sun is very strong."
Nan glanced at her, and with her help, went into the house. She sat upright in a chair and called to Yiren, who was about to leave, "Wait, come, sit down, I have something to ask you."
Yi Ren felt a slight tension in her heart, and hesitated for a moment. "Master, what do you want to ask? I haven't been out for a long time, so I may not know the answer."
Tch, little brat, she only asked one question, and this girl shut her up with several questions, looking all guilty.
Nan Yi raised an eyebrow and curled her lips into a smile. "I don't know. It's okay if you don't know. Go and call Xiao Shunzi. I'll ask him. He'll know the answer."
Yiren said, "Xiao Shunzi, Xiao Shunzi has been summoned by the Emperor and won't be back for a while."
Hmm, Xiao Shunzi isn't here, her personal maid won't say anything, and she's not allowed to leave Chengqian Palace, something big must have happened outside.
She thought that this would prevent her from going out; how ridiculous.
"Okay, I understand. You can go now." Nan Yi waved her hand. Unless the maids stayed up all night and kept watch over her, how could they possibly keep an eye on her? Even the guards outside were just for show.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong with you?" Yiren glanced at her master. Her master was so calm, but she felt something was off. "You're not thinking of sneaking out again, are you? You mustn't. His Majesty is already angry. If you make a scene, when will he ever forgive you?"
Nan smiled and squinted slightly. "I know. No need to go. Go prepare lunch. By the way, I want to eat sweet and sour fish."
Yiren remained skeptical and did not immediately believe her mistress's words. She was determined to keep a close eye on her mistress. "This servant will go and inform the kitchen."
When she left, she called Lanzhi and Lanye to guard the room and carefully instructed the two of them to keep a close eye on their master.
Nan Yi watched the three girls whispering to each other, shook his head and chuckled. They ate, took a nap, read, went for a walk, washed up and went to bed. Their behavior was very normal. However, Yi Ren did not dare to let her guard down at all.
Lying down on the bed, Yiren lowered the curtains and spread the bedding on the footstool. She would rest here tonight.
Nan Yi silently counted the time on the bed, waiting for Yiren to doze off. However, she was disappointed. Yiren was in high spirits and showed no signs of sleepiness, focusing on keeping her master from sneaking away.
Nan Yi waited for more than an hour, but Yi Ren on the foot couch was still awake, and she was very annoyed.
Having no other choice, and seeing that she hadn't fallen asleep for a while, Nan Yi simply turned to the side and lifted the curtain. Yi Ren looked up, "Master..."
Nan Yi moved with lightning speed, striking Yi Ren's pressure point to induce sleep. She got up, clapped her hands, and thought to herself, "I should have used this move earlier; I wasted so much time."
Lan Zhi was guarding outside the door. She quickly changed into a dark-colored outfit. There was nothing else in the inner hall, but there were two windows. If she wanted to go out, she didn't necessarily have to go through the door.
Chengqian Hall is one of the Six Eastern Palaces. Inside the palace, no one would tell her what was happening outside, and asking people rashly was also not an option. The only way was to find Zheng Yong.
Having evaded the numerous guards, Nan Yi darted through the palace and found Zheng Yong's residence. It seemed that he had expected her to come; the room was lit, the door was open, and Zheng Yong sat alone in the hall with wine on the table, drinking by himself.
"Since you're here, why aren't you coming in?" A low voice came from inside the house, and Zheng Yong raised the wine glass in his hand.
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