"Ah Tang, Ah Tang," Nan rushed into the cell. In the dimly lit corner, she saw a handsome face, though his clothes were dirty, he still looked relaxed and handsome. It was a tragedy that a man could be so good-looking. She had been jealous of him many times. What a noble man he was in the past, but he had fallen to this state.
He was sitting with his legs bent against the wall, a blade of grass in his mouth, his gaze seemingly fixed on nowhere.
As Yinzhen was deep in thought, that unique title suddenly rang out; in this world, only one person called him that.
Was it a hallucination? He heard that sweet, innocent voice that only appeared in his dreams. He had thought that just hearing her call his name would make happiness overflow. He turned his head and saw Nan Yi's figure in his eyes, confirming that it really was her.
"Why are you here? This isn't a place for you."
"So, where should I go, hmm?" Nan Yi jokingly asked casually, slapping the wooden fence and stepping inside.
Yinzhen chuckled and shook his head. He stood up and walked to her. Her face was still beautiful, without any makeup, but she looked much more haggard. Her bright eyes and pointed chin were even more noticeable. They must have worried her. He sighed softly, his mind in turmoil.
"Are you adjusting well in the palace? Has he bullied you?"
He tugged at her sleeve; the woman, her face showing a hint of sorrow, had tears welling in her eyes, her shoulders trembling slightly, and her head resting against his chest.
Even at this point, he was still worried about whether she had been bullied. Nan Yi felt a pang of grief and nodded with suppressed emotion.
“Go and beg the Emperor to let you go. Give him all the money and save your life. I don’t want to lose you all.”
She finally sobbed. Ever since they entered the prison, she had been on tenterhooks, never having a moment of peace. Now that she saw him, she couldn't hold back anymore.
Tears soaked his shirt, seeped into his skin, and burned his heart.
Yinzhen murmured, his heart clenching, "I've been bullied."
But he could no longer stand up for her; what was the future of a woman like her in the palace?
In the past, when her fourth brother's woman bullied her, the brothers could still offer some comfort and forgiveness. But now even they...
"Nan Yi, you need to take good care of yourself from now on. Fourth Brother cares about you so much, just go along with him a little."
“It’s no use, Consort Nian is his true love,” Nan Yi pouted.
Yinzhen laughed and said, "Fool, that's what the court needs. In the past, Fourth Brother had to rely on the Nian family. Once he's firmly on the throne, hmph..."
Hearing him say that, Nan Yi didn't take it to heart. She knew that the Fourth Prince cared about Consort Nian, but she didn't care about his concern, and she didn't care about anyone else.
Yinzhen helped Nan Yi to her right-hand position, took the handkerchief hanging on her lapel, and wiped away her tears.
Have you gone to see the myna birds?
"Not yet," Nan Yi said, her head bowed. She dared not go, unsure how to face the Eighth Prince.
Yinzhen seemed to know her little thoughts, feeling indebted because she had failed to save them.
"Go see the myna bird and tell him for me that I want to be its brother again in my next life."
"Ah Tang, is there really no other way?"
Looking at the woman before him, her eyes brimming with tears once again, he couldn't help but pull her into his arms. One last time, he selfishly embraced her, his warm, fragrant body close to hers, his head resting on her delicate neck.
After a long silence, he said, “Nan Yi, as a prince, if you covet that position, you must be prepared to lose your life. Look at all those who have failed in their struggle for power throughout history, none of them have had a good ending.”
"You want that position too? Is power really that tempting?" Nan Yi asked in a low voice.
Yin Tang remained silent. She had been too well protected by them, and she had been completely unaware of the turbulent events that had unfolded over the years.
"No, I'm not cut out for that. I only love making money, you know that."
"Then why..."
“I want myna to do it,” he winked at her.
Nan Yi grabbed Yin Tang's collar, "I begged him, but he refused and told me to get out. A-Tang, aren't you brothers?"
He gently wiped away the seemingly free moisture from her face with his thumb. There are no fathers and sons in the imperial family, let alone brothers, but he couldn't say this to her; she didn't harbor such sordid thoughts.
"Stop crying. Do you want the prison to be flooded?"
Nan Yi playfully punched him, still in the mood for jokes.
Yinzhen led Nan Yi to a slightly cleaner pile of straw, and the two sat down side by side. "Nan Yi, I forgot to ask, how did you get in? This is the Imperial Clan Court. Without the Emperor's decree, you can't get in."
He guessed that his fourth brother wouldn't let her be so kind as to come and see him.
Nan Yi raised his head and snorted, "If they won't let me in, I'll die in front of them." Then he came in.
"You," Yinzhen gently touched her forehead, smiling indulgently and helplessly. He felt a lingering fear mixed with sweetness as he recalled how she had threatened to kill herself to force the guards to see him.
Although this woman never belonged to him for a single moment, she had always been sincere to him since they met. Even if he were to die now, he would have no fear. He had loved her for so many years, and although there were regrets, he would wait for her on the road to the underworld or by the Bridge of Helplessness. He could not accept her in this life, but he hoped for the next.
Nan Yi knelt behind Yin Tang, took out a comb from her purse, loosened his messy hair, carefully combed it, braided it, and tied it with the white jade-inlaid ribbon she had specially brought with her today. The two of them remained silent.
"What a deep affection! I thought it was some illicit lovers having an affair here, but it turns out to be my dear brother and Consort Zhen."
When Yinzhen suddenly appeared in the prison cell and saw the intimate actions of the two and the entanglement in their eyes, he was almost terrified and his blood ran cold. So this was how she was in front of other men, so docile and obedient.
Yinzhen admitted that he was jealous; she only ever acted coquettishly and domineeringly in front of him.
He cherished her dearly, never wanting her to suffer even the slightest grievance, but what did he gain in return?
After the court assembly today, thinking about the injuries she had sustained a few days ago, I couldn't help but want to go see her. As soon as I entered her palace, Lanzhi stammered for a long time and couldn't say where she had gone. Only after pressing her did I learn that she had left the palace without permission.
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