The air froze, and the hall was deathly silent. Cold sweat soaked her sleeping clothes. Nan Yi swallowed hard. Her lips twitched as she saw the Fourth Master's eyes, which looked like he was about to devour her, and his hawk-like eyes were filled with icy coldness.
She offended him, in a very serious way.
She wanted to get up and say a few kind words, but found her body was extremely stiff. With a slight movement of her hands and feet, she carefully stood up, supporting herself on the edge of the bed, and took two steps forward.
The fourth uncle was extremely disappointed and took two steps back, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.
Upon seeing this, Nan Yi suddenly stopped what he was doing, organized his thoughts, and stammered, "I didn't mean to slander you. I just don't know how to speak properly. I was just thinking that you are brothers, from the same root, so can't you be magnanimous and not stoop to their level?"
*Smack!*
The teacup on the table shattered, and Yinzhen's gaze turned indifferent, tinged with a hint of mockery.
Nan Yi glanced at the broken porcelain shards on the ground, wanting to say that it was her favorite teacup, but when she looked up and met the Fourth Master's gaze, she shrank back slightly and said dryly, "Never mind what I said."
"It's too late."
"Bang!"
The fourth uncle slammed the door and left, leaving the room empty and silent.
Nan Yi lowered her hand from her eyes, slumped her shoulders, and sat down at the table. She had crossed the line with the Fourth Master.
"Pah, why is your mouth so foul?" Nan Yi slapped her mouth. "Look at the nonsense she's spouting. No wonder Fourth Master is angry."
When Yiren entered the house, she saw her master sitting alone, lost in thought, looking completely dejected.
"Your Majesty, the talks with the Emperor have broken down," Yiren asked quietly.
Nan Yi sighed softly, "Well, I've angered them and they've left. I'm afraid the restrictions on Chengqian Palace won't be lifted anytime soon. Tell the people below that I'm about to fall out of favor."
Yiren chuckled inwardly. What was there to say? There were 365 days in a year, and for 300 of them, even when the master and the emperor were at odds, the master hadn't lost favor.
In a couple of days, she can use her master's name to send some soup to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and the Emperor will surely come to her door on his own.
Who told the Emperor to care about his master?
Yiren wasn't worried at all, but this time she miscalculated.
Not only were the soups and dishes secretly sent to the Emperor turned away, but on the fifteenth day, Nan Yi was unwell and sent someone to Yongshou Palace (where Empress Nara resided) to ask for leave, without going to pay his respects.
The next day, the chief eunuch of Yongshou Palace brought the Empress's edict, saying that she had disregarded the rules of the inner palace, disrespected the Empress, and acted arrogantly because of the Empress's favor. However, considering that this was her first offense, she was to be lenient for her serious crime and was ordered to kneel for two hours as punishment.
Two old nannies also came to Yongshou Palace, keeping a close watch on her and not allowing her to slack off.
For two hours, she was not allowed to drink water, eat, or relieve herself; she was not even allowed to bend her back.
Nan Yi knelt in the main hall and asked Yi Ren, who was kneeling beside him, "You didn't ask for leave yesterday, did you forget?"
Yiren shook her head. "I did complain, but for some reason, Yongshou Palace won't acknowledge it?"
The two spoke in hushed tones, when the old woman sternly reprimanded them, "Silence! Behave yourselves! Don't speak!"
Nan looked up and glared fiercely at the mean-looking old nanny. "Are you sure? Believe me or not, I'll make sure you leave Chengqian Palace lying on your side right now."
The old woman still wanted to show off, but Liu Yuan, the chief eunuch appointed by Empress Xuan, immediately pulled her back and muttered, "You ignorant fool, you can't tell right from wrong. If you want to die, I won't stop you."
The old woman hurriedly apologized, but Liu Yuan waved his hand dismissively at the two of them, saying, "Stand back a bit."
The two old women were puzzled. Seeing that Liu Yuan, the chief eunuch of the Empress's palace, was very polite to Consort Zhen, they felt a chill in their hearts and quickly took a few steps back, shrinking to wait in front of the palace gate.
Liu Yuan then smiled apologetically at Nan Yi, "Your Majesty, please don't be angry with me for being such a blind servant. I was just following orders. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Liu Yuan was an old man from the Yong Prince's mansion. He had little contact with Consort Zhen, but Consort Zhen had experienced many ups and downs, yet she always received the Emperor's favor, which shows her position in the Emperor's heart.
Liu Yuan thought to himself, "Consort Zhen is someone we absolutely must not offend."
Although the Empress's punishment of Consort Zhen was at the behest of that person, if it caused that person to feel sorry for her afterward, it wouldn't be the Empress who would suffer the consequences, but rather the people below her who would take the fall.
If you can curry favor with Consort Zhen, a single word from her might come in handy at a crucial moment.
He wasn't one of those fools who, relying on their master's power, forgot who their servant was.
The head eunuch of Yongshou Palace had a shrewd plan, and Nan Yi did indeed accept the favor he had done for her. She nodded slightly to Yiren.
Yiren got up to pour tea for Liu Yuan, and took out a silver note from her sleeve, placed it under the teacup, and presented it to Liu Yuan.
Liu Yuan noticed their little actions and was secretly delighted. He accepted the offer with a smile.
After kneeling for two hours, Nan Yi was so dizzy that he couldn't get up. Lan Zhi and Lan Ye carried Nan Yi to bed and then hurriedly ran to fetch the imperial physician.
There wasn't a single imperial physician in the Imperial Hospital. Lan Zhi returned looking dejected. Nan Yi wasn't too disappointed when she didn't see any imperial physicians. Instead, she had the two maids boil hot water to apply to her and Yi Ren's legs.
In the afternoon, not long after Nan Yi fell into a deep sleep, he suddenly fell into a dream, and the scene in the dream was quite strange.
The scene was a battlefield filled with smoke and deafening shouts of battle. Drums blared, warhorses neighed and galloped, and countless crazed soldiers, their eyes bloodshot, stained the ground with blood. People kept falling, and corpses littered the ground.
She ran through the crowd, chasing after a red-clad woman who was surrounded by enemies.
The woman in red wielded a spear that pierced the moon like a rainbow, each move carrying immense force, preventing her enemies from ever getting close.
A gust of wind came from behind her ear, and Nan Yi sensed something was wrong behind her. She turned her head, and a long arrow pierced through the air, flew past her nose, and shot straight at the back of the woman in red.
They were completely unaware of the woman in red among the enemy.
Nan Yi was terrified and screamed at the top of her lungs, "Watch out!"
The woman in red seemed to sense something and suddenly turned around, but it was too late. The sneak arrow pierced through her chest as she turned to the side.
As the woman in red fell off her horse, she looked in her direction and silently uttered two words: Nan Yi.
That face… “XiXi, no~”
Nan Yi was startled awake from her dream. "Huff...huff...Xi Xi," she gasped, still shaken. She wiped the sweat from her face and gasped for breath.
Why would I have such an ominous dream? It felt so real. Has something happened to Xiao Xi? No, that shouldn't be the case. Xiao Xi is brave and skilled in battle. She said she would come back safely.
The agreed-upon two-year period has long passed. With the Fourth Prince ascending the throne, it is time for her, as a trusted confidante, to return to the capital to report on her duties.
Nan Yi thought for a moment and decided to go see the Fourth Master tomorrow and mention Xiao Xi's matter to him, hoping that she could return to the capital as soon as possible.
With a dry throat, Nan thought of getting up to pour herself a glass of water, but the pain in her knees reminded her that she was now partially disabled and unable to get out of bed.
At times like these, the importance of a capable personal maid becomes particularly apparent. Lanzhi and Lanye were the Fourth Master's women, so she dared not order them around if she wanted to do something personal.
Yiren, like her, is recovering from her injuries. With Xiaoshunzi gone, only Granny Zhao from the kitchen is available.
It was the middle of the night, and Granny Zhao had long since gone to sleep. The servants' quarters were at the back of the palace, so she couldn't call out to her even if she wanted to.
There used to be a Huan'er, but she was sent to the estate. The palace is not like a mansion; it's easy to get in but hard to get out.
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