"Thump...thump thump..."
Yinzhen's words were interrupted by a knock on the door. He glared at her and then said, "Come in."
With the sound of soft footsteps, the curtain was lifted, and Yinzhen stared intently—it was her head maid, her lover.
"Greetings, Master."
"What is it?"
The lover craned his neck to peek at his master in the bed, but only caught a glimpse of his clothes. He replied regretfully, "The concubine has come to visit and says she wants to see the master."
Upon hearing that it was her, Nan felt a surge of anger rising within her. She felt as if she had forgotten something important, something related to the Nian family, but she couldn't recall it. So, her anger flared up, "What do you want to see? Do you want to see if I'm dead or not? Tell her to get lost."
These words were rather harsh, and Yinzhen's expression changed abruptly, his eyes turning sinister and cold.
Nan was not afraid at all. He steeled his heart and said, panting heavily, "Did I say something wrong? You can't bear to part with her, so you can come with me. I find it disgusting."
Having died twice, neither of them accepted her, which gave her inexplicable courage: at worst, she could just take another day trip to the underworld.
Nan Yi patted her chest. If there was one person she disliked after coming to the Qing Dynasty, it was Nian Shi. She had repeatedly clashed with her. If she knew the reason, it would be fine, but it was really hard to figure out.
Her secluded life was disrupted by Yinzhen, and trouble followed. First, her identity was exposed, and now she almost lost her life. She had never seen family, never heard of love, and her friendship had vanished. What did she have left?
My mind was filled with sadness and despair, and breathing became increasingly difficult, with a feeling of suffocation. But I ignored it all and kept thinking, "Living is hard enough, but people won't accept me if I want to die. What should I do?"
Seeing that her expression was not right, Yinzhen was afraid that something was wrong. He was so flustered that he broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly stepped forward to support her, patted her chest to help her catch her breath, and loosened the clothes around her neck. He murmured, "Alright, I know. Get out of here. Don't be angry. Relax."
He then yelled at his lover, "What are you standing there for? Open the window!"
The lover stumbled and fell to the window frame, opened it completely, and lifted the curtains to let the air circulate in the room.
Those outside heard their master's roar and, not knowing what had happened, dared not enter rashly. Nian Shi stepped forward curiously, but was stopped by Qiu Ma, who said, "Please forgive me, Master Nian. The master has not summoned you. Please wait patiently." She then instructed Qingyun to go in and investigate.
Ms. Nian's pretty face darkened, and she stared at Qiu's mother for a long time. Qiu's mother didn't budge, so Ms. Nian had no choice but to stop and return to her original spot.
Yinzhen anxiously tried to calm Nan Yi down, saying repeatedly, "Yi'er, I told her to leave. Relax, and just don't let her come to Wanyue Pavilion again."
Some of the words seemed to have a slight effect, and Nan Yi calmed down, caught her breath, and leaned weakly against Yinzhen's chest. After a long while, until Yinzhen's tense body ached, Nan Yi finally moved slightly and lowered her hand from his chest.
She opened her eyes and looked at him without saying a word. Yinzhen said softly, "You should rest well first. I'll stay with you." Nan Yi lowered her head and remained silent.
The lover couldn't understand why the two, who had just been arguing fiercely, had suddenly made up as if nothing had happened. Even though the master was so fierce, the master wasn't angry. Thinking of the mistress outside, he whispered a reminder, "Um... Master, Consort Nian is still waiting outside."
She was somewhat afraid of her master at this moment, fearing that his unvented anger would be directed at her.
The two men then noticed someone in the room and looked at their lover. The lover was so frightened that she stumbled back a few steps and said tremblingly, "This servant will go out first. Master and mistress can discuss this slowly."
She ran out quickly. Nan Yi withdrew her gaze, buried herself in the blanket, and realized she was exhausted after arguing with him for half a day. She fell asleep almost immediately, letting out soft, snoring sounds.
Yinzhen gazed at her intently for a long while, then tucked the thin blanket around her before getting up and walking to the outer room.
Outside the door, a group of servants from Wanyue Pavilion stood guard by the door, all watching Nian Shi warily. Nian Shi, accompanied by two maids, stood at the bottom of the steps waiting.
Yinzhen thought that after this incident, they were somewhat paranoid, even showing slight hostility towards Lady Nian. Although he understood, he did not approve of such hostility. Lady Nian was her mistress, his legitimate concubine whom he had married, and he would not tolerate any disrespect from the servants.
Yinzhen's eyes and brows were filled with anger, and he was about to reprimand them when everyone, at Qiu Ma's prompting, automatically bowed and knelt to pay their respects, leaving only Qingyun to guard him. Yinzhen's reprimand was stuck in his throat. Qingyun also wisely shrank back into the corner of the room, not wanting to provoke his master.
Nan Yi was fast asleep in the room. Not wanting to disturb her rest, he told Nian Shi to go back first, ignoring her resentful look. He said he would go see her when he had time. At this moment, he couldn't care less about Nian Shi. Yi'er was still in danger, and he couldn't put his mind at ease.
An accidental ingestion occurred in the Fourth Prince's residence, but only Emperor Kangxi and the Thirteenth Prince knew about it. The Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Princes were completely unaware.
Five days later, Consort Zhenzhen, the tenth concubine, came to visit the mansion. Zhenzhen noticed that she looked very unwell, with a pale and translucent face, and the fine red veins under her skin were clearly visible. She spoke weakly and was very frail. She was lying in bed when talking to her.
Zhenzhen noticed something was wrong and pressed for an explanation. Nan only said that he was sick and was recuperating.
Zhenzhen thought to herself that her friend was clearly not telling the truth. The only illnesses that could keep a woman in bed were miscarriage and postpartum care.
Zhenzhen imagined that Sister Tong was afraid of being harmed and miscarrying, so she was bedridden. At the same time, she felt sad. She was also a concubine, and the primary wife could not stand her being favored, so she made things difficult for her at every turn. Her situation was not much better.
The tenth concubine returned to the manor with a heavy heart. The eight, nine, and tenth brothers had just finished playing with the buk. The tenth prince casually asked about Nan Yi. Zhen Zhen's face was unusually pale and she vaguely indicated that Nan Yi was ill. The three brothers were very worried. When the tenth prince asked her more questions, she quietly wept and remained silent, heartbroken.
Just then, the primary wife happened to pass by. Disliking Zhenzhen, she stepped forward and made a few sarcastic remarks. Zhenzhen was already heartbroken, and a sense of injustice suddenly arose in her heart. She retorted and argued back. The primary wife was annoyed and pushed her. Zhenzhen was caught off guard and was pushed to the ground. She couldn't get up for a long time. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the three brothers were stunned by this scene.
When the Tenth Prince helped her up, a large pool of scarlet blood was spilled on the ground, and it continued to flow from Zhenzhen's lower body. Zhenzhen cried out in pain, and the primary wife was so frightened that she was at a loss. Now, without asking, everyone knew that she had miscarried.
The Eighth and Ninth Princes stepped aside, as it was a family matter of their Tenth Brother and they could not get involved. At the same time, they were surprised by how fierce their Tenth Brother's wife was, resorting to violence at the slightest disagreement, and they feared that their Tenth Brother would cause trouble again.
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