On the fourth day of the fifth lunar month, the weather was fine. After breakfast, Nan Yi had nothing to do, so she strolled around in the small garden. Today, the Fifth Prince was marrying a concubine. Yinzhen was attending the banquet with his primary wife, Lady Nara, and his concubine, Lady Nian. Originally, Lady Li and Nan Yi were also on the list, but Yinzhen said that Lady Li was pregnant and should not be overworked, so he asked her to stay at the mansion to rest.
Nan Yi didn't want to go out, and didn't want to see Nian Shi's subtle provocations. Her deep affection for Yinzhen was her business, but she always inexplicably flaunted it in front of Nan Yi, which made Nan Yi speechless.
After being confined to her quarters and moving to Wanyue Pavilion, the two had no further contact. Yinzhen never stayed overnight again, which made her happy. She couldn't find the feeling she had three months ago, and she ignored Yinzhen's attempts to be friendly.
It wasn't that she was being dramatic; ever since he hit her, she had felt uneasy and uncomfortable. Although it was her fault for being rude in the first place, she was currently quite happy with their relationship and didn't need to change the current situation.
Nan Yi raised her hand to shield her head from the sunlight, stood on tiptoe to look into the distance, and found the square patch of sky in front of her particularly irritating. Just as she was about to take advantage of the fact that no one was around to go to a secluded spot and jump onto the wall to see the scenery, she saw Li Shi, who was four months pregnant, walking over surrounded by a crowd of people, including her two little princes.
“Sister Li, you’re a rare guest,” Nan Yi said.
Madam Li smiled brightly and said, "With the master and the wife away, it's just us lowly soldiers and crab generals left. We're so bored, so we came to see Sister Tong and find someone to talk to."
She originally wanted to attend the banquet, but the young master kept her behind, taking Nala and the vixen Nian with him, which made her resentful. Thinking that Tong was also staying, she felt a little better and decided to talk to her, since they were in the same boat.
Nan Yi secretly curled her lip. Women are really strange creatures. When Yinzhen was around, they couldn't stand each other, but as soon as Yinzhen left, everything was fine.
Xu replied, "Perfect, let's go sit in the pavilion." He then instructed Qingyun, "Go and have the maid prepare some fruit and snacks."
Qingyun curtsied and said, "Master, I'll go myself. The others might not be able to leave." The master always indulged them and was very casual with them. Usually, only one head maid served them, saying that she didn't like having too many people, so they had to take turns serving.
Today, she brought Huan'er with her. The other three were bored today, and since it was almost their master's birthday, they got together to discuss preparing a gift for their master and giving him a surprise.
Nan Yi nodded and said, "Yes, and bring me a bowl of plum juice while you're at it. Oh, and have someone send one to them too." Qingyun said, "I know," and turned to go and prepare.
Madam Li couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Sister Tong is spoiling the maids too much. If this continues, the rules will be broken."
She often overheard the maids and servants around her gossiping about how well Consort Tong treated her servants, noting that not only were their monthly allowances and rewards generous, but their meals were also plentiful, and they were even allowed to frequently go home to visit their families. She strongly disagreed with this.
I saw it with my own eyes today, and it really happened. Madam Tong only had two maids, one older and one younger, by her side. The others actually abandoned their mistress to go play. It's amazing that she could tolerate it and even rewarded them with sweet soup.
Nan Yi smiled and said, "They are very sensible, they only do it occasionally." Li Shi knew that she had not listened, so she stopped trying to persuade her. The head maid Dongmei helped her sit down. At this moment, Huan'er came to report that Consort Qi and Princess Li Jia had come to visit.
Nan Yi was slightly taken aback. Wanyue Pavilion was quite lively today. Usually, no one was seen there, but now they all gathered together.
She thought this way, but she couldn't blame anyone else. Nan Yi usually kept to herself, kept people at arm's length, and disliked making friends. Who would come to her door to cause trouble? Those of equal rank to her wouldn't deign to visit, and those of lower rank wouldn't dare to. She kept her courtyard gates tightly shut all year round, so naturally, her place was deserted.
A moment later, two beautiful young women stood hand in hand at the foot of the pavilion steps, bowing to her and Madam Li.
Madam Li smiled gently, "Let's not stand on ceremony. We're all family, it's perfect for us to chat together, the more the merrier."
Nan Yi glanced at her with surprise, slightly astonished. Li Shi had changed her ways today, speaking well and behaving like a concubine, completely unlike her usual sharp and sarcastic self.
Qi and Li were also slightly taken aback, wondering what she was up to. The scene was quiet and tense for a moment. Nan Yi covered her mouth and chuckled, breaking the silence, and said, "Sister Li is right. Don't be so polite. Please come up and sit down."
She beckoned Huan'er and instructed her to have Qiu Ma bring the maids over to serve her, lest there be too many people and things get chaotic. After speaking, she returned to the table, and the four women sat around it. On the table were also placed special seasonal fruits and Qiu Ma's signature pastries, made by hand.
Nan Yi smiled and said, "What brings you sisters here today?"
Qi said, "We were just bored when Li Jia came looking for us. She said she was itching to play cards and wanted to get more people to join us. But the two of us weren't enough, so we decided to go find Sister Li. On the way, we heard from the maid that Sister Li was visiting Sister Tong, so we came to Wanyue Pavilion together. Now all four of us are here."
The group chuckled softly, creating a harmonious atmosphere. Madam Li chimed in, saying she hadn't played in a long time, which was exactly what she wanted. Nan Yi quickly ordered someone to prepare tables and chairs. Just as they got their hands on the cards, Huan'er came to report that Consort Song and Consort Wu had come to visit.
She frowned. Others were fine, but Song Wu and Song Yi, who had a long-standing feud with her, had also come. It has to be said that Nan Yi was feeling very aggrieved and awkward. She hadn't even had a chance to avenge her lover, yet they had the audacity to come to her door, wondering why she didn't dare to take revenge. She slightly raised her head and glanced at the sky, wondering if the sun would rise in the west today.
The sun was high in the sky, but fate didn't give her that chance.
Song and Wu were also awkward, but as the saying goes, there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. They were all under the same roof and would inevitably run into each other. Besides, now that Lady Nian was favored, they felt a sense of sympathy for Lady Tong and no longer harbored the same resentment towards her as before. Their resentment had finally dissipated by half.
The Li family and others who arrived first were clearly in the know. They looked at each other, slightly embarrassed, and the atmosphere in the pavilion froze.
This won't do. Qi broke the silence first, saying, "Sister Tong, as the saying goes, it's easy to make enemies but hard to resolve them. We're sisters, and it's fate that we live under the same roof. Please give your younger sister some face, even if you don't care about the monks. Since Sister Song and Sister Wu came here on their own initiative, they came with apologies. Sister Tong is very generous. How about putting aside your prejudices for now?"
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