The two brothers were worried about Nan Yi, but could not visit him at home, so they could only worry anxiously. "Eighth Brother, is there any news about Nan Yi recently?"
The Eighth Prince shook his head and said slowly, "It seems the wire has been cut."
He had asked, but there was no news. The time when the line went down coincided with the days when his fifth brother got married, which made him feel inexplicably anxious.
The Ninth Prince was completely flustered and couldn't calm down for a moment. He hurriedly said, "Eighth Brother, do you remember that day? Fourth Brother rushed back to the manor, and I was uneasy. Well, he ended up getting sick. Tenth Brother, you jinx!"
Eighth Brother suppressed his emotions and patted Ninth Brother's shoulder. "Don't worry. If he's sick, the Imperial Hospital should have a record of it. We can ask them." If Fourth Brother is so worried, it can't be a minor illness. They will definitely call the Imperial Physician.
The Ninth Prince clapped his hands sharply and said happily, "How could Your Highness not have thought of that? Let's go to the palace and ask right now." The Eighth Prince nodded, and then the two left separately.
The Eighth Prince had just changed into his fresh clothes and was about to set out the meal when the Ninth Prince rushed into the mansion like a whirlwind. The Eighth Prince got up to greet him.
“Eighth Brother, something must have happened. Nan Yi’s illness is probably not as simple as it seems,” Ninth Prince said, plopping down on the kang (a heated brick bed), looking dejected and anxious.
Upon hearing this, the Eighth Prince's heart also tightened, and he frowned, saying, "Tell me in detail."
The Ninth Prince, supporting his throbbing forehead, slowly said, "I ran into the head steward of the Imperial Household Department when I entered the palace. We chatted casually for a bit, but he let slip that the Fourth Brother had recently replaced quite a few servants in his household without any reason."
Generally, a large-scale replacement of servants indicates a major incident that needs to be kept secret. Those replaced are either all executed or sent to hard labor, never to see the light of day again.
He took a breath and said, "I checked, and there are no records of the Imperial Medical Academy having any outpatient visits by the Fourth Brother's family, but the Fourth Brother's family did hire an imperial physician. Someone saw it with their own eyes. What exactly happened that they hired an imperial physician but didn't file a record? They are clearly trying to cover up the inside story."
He could only inquire about these things. The relationships within the palace were complex and sensitive, with informants everywhere. If he investigated too deeply, it would easily attract attention, and he couldn't explain it clearly.
The Ninth Prince was annoyed with himself. He clearly cared so much, yet he couldn't control his temper. He shouldn't have argued with Nan Yi at the Tenth Prince's residence. If he had just sat down calmly and had a proper talk, it would have been so much better.
It was better than trying to find her now and being completely clueless. The two sat quietly in the room, pondering to themselves that it would be best to see Nan Yi, then everything would become clear. Despite his worries, the Eighth Prince remained clear-headed. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he called out, "Xiao Xi."
"Xiao Xi," the Ninth Prince called out as well.
The two brothers, who understood each other perfectly, smiled at each other; they finally had a solution.
The Fourth Prince's Residence
"Master, go out and get some sun. It's so boring staying cooped up in the house all the time," Qingyun said, feeling sorry for her master who had finally regained her health and didn't want her to be cooped up in the house again.
Qingfeng, who rarely shows his face, nodded vigorously and interjected, "Sister Yun is right. It's perfect timing. Aunt Qiu and the others are supervising the construction outside. It's quite lively. Let's go take a look."
Nan shook his head. More than ten days had passed, and Yinzhen's promise was like throwing it into a pond. At first, it made a sound, but then there was no response. Although he came every day, he never mentioned the matter.
Nan Yi understood that he felt guilty and wanted to make it up to her by having Wan Yue Pavilion rebuild its small kitchen and build a wall around it, separating Wan Yue Pavilion from the main courtyard and making it an independent courtyard.
She accepted it all, but felt inexplicably disappointed and resentful. She also lost interest and had no energy to do anything. Her gloomy and irritable mood also affected the progress of her physical recovery.
The accidental ingestion occurred, but everyone else was unharmed. The Second Prince recovered in three days, but she was the only one who was injured. After the servants in the mansion were replaced, life went on as usual, and the mastermind continued to live a carefree life.
Aunt Qiu had told her that anyone who knew the inside story would either be replaced or kept silent, and she would have to suffer this loss for nothing. Nan Yi smiled bitterly. What he did was something no one else in the mansion had the ability to do. He was determined to protect them to the end, and she had no way to do anything about it.
Just as she was about to chase the nagging maid away, Huan'er rushed in, pulling a little girl along, her face beaming with joy.
"Sister Yu," a clear, childish voice rang out. It was Xiao Xi's younger sister, Xiao Qiao. Zhao Mama had mentioned that she often came, but was too timid to enter the courtyard, preferring to play with Huan'er in the kitchen. Now she was here...
Nan's face lit up with delight, and she teased, "Qiaoqiao, what a rare guest!"
Xiao Qiao blushed to the color of an apple, slightly shy and hesitant, but remained silent, looking excitedly at Nan Yi. Huan'er pushed her forward and said, "Master, Qiao-meimei and Miss Xiao came together. Miss Xiao is outside talking with Sister Yiren and will be here soon."
Nan nodded and stroked the back of Qiaoqiao's head, knowing that Qiaoqiao was somewhat fearful and confused in the unfamiliar environment, lacking her usual liveliness and agility.
She smiled gently at Qiaoqiao, instructed Qingyun to find some exquisite handicrafts for Qiaoqiao to admire and play with, and told Huan'er to take good care of her.
Xiao Xi entered, his expression changed, and he sat upright in front of the bed, examining her for a long time before asking gently, "How did this happen?"
Nan Yi gave a wry smile, "Just bad luck."
“To be more specific,” Xiao Xi frowned. As soon as he saw her in the room, he sensed something was wrong. Nan Yi had changed. She had lost weight, her face was pale with a bluish tinge, and her lips were dark, like a patient who had just recovered from a serious illness.
Her face was etched with obvious melancholy. Her usually clear and bright eyes were now like deep valleys and secluded pools, shrouded in mist. No matter how close one got, one could not see what was hidden beneath. She was stunningly beautiful, yet she felt inexplicably heartbroken for her friend. The royal harem was indeed a place of torment. No wonder people often said that entering the gates of a noble family was like entering a deep sea.
At the same time, she was also shocked. When she first met Nan Yi, she had the qualities of a chivalrous woman. She was a free-spirited and cheerful woman, lively and full of spirit. After a little over a year, she first fell ill and lost her memory before being admitted to the hospital. The maid said that she was still sick. She only believed half of it. A sick person would only have a bad complexion, not a gloomy aura. Xiao Xi was always perceptive and guessed half of it correctly.
Nan Yi's cold lips curled into a silent smile. His face hardened, and he glanced outside with a deep look before whispering, "Xi Xi, some things are hard to explain."
Xiao Xi's heart sank to the bottom. If something really had happened, then it was understandable that the two people had come looking for her.
Xiao Xi pulled her hand over, held it together, and casually slid it to her pulse, saying softly, "In that case, I won't ask. Just let me know if you need anything, and I'll be there for you anytime."
Like Xiao Xi, full of chivalry, his tone was light but his sincerity was evident. Nan Yi lowered his eyes, hiding the misty look in them. It's so good to have this friend.
Nan Yi nodded slowly. Yinzhen had sealed this matter off because he didn't want it to leak out of the mansion and damage his reputation. In that case, Xiao Xi shouldn't be dragged into it. She could handle her own affairs.
When Xiao Xi returned home, she had just pushed open the courtyard gate when she saw the three people in the yard. She knew what was going on. It wasn't that she wasn't curious about their relationship with Nan Yi, but knowing that it concerned someone's privacy, she gave up on the idea.
"I have met the Eighth Prince, the Ninth Prince, and the Tenth Prince."
No need for formalities.
"So, did you see Nan Yi?"
Jiu'a was getting anxious and went straight up to ask. Xiao Xi nodded. From the moment the two princes appeared and asked her to visit Nan Yi, their cautious attitude made her have a bad feeling. But things were still beyond her imagination. Although Nan Yi didn't say anything, she had already found out the truth.
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