After more than ten days of recuperation, when Nan Yi could walk freely except for not being able to engage in strenuous exercise, an imperial decree came from the palace, inviting the princes' wives and concubines to a gathering in the palace, and Nan Yi was among them.
Yinzhen was accompanied by his primary consort, Lady Nara, his secondary consorts, Lady Li, Lady Tong (Nan Yi), Lady Nian, and his concubine, Lady Qi.
Compared to the large entourage of the Fourth Prince's residence, the Eighth Prince's residence across the street consisted only of the husband and wife. The bright and beautiful Eighth Prince's wife walked over in high spirits and exchanged pleasantries with Lady Nara. Afterwards, the two affectionately joined hands and stepped into the carriage.
After the Eighth Prince and the Fourth Prince exchanged greetings, the Eighth Prince's gaze seemed to casually sweep over Nan Yi. Although he already knew this, he still couldn't help but be slightly taken aback. Nan Yi pretended not to notice and got into the last carriage with Madam Qi.
The Eighth Prince mounted his horse with a dazed air, and his answers to the Fourth Prince's questions were ambiguous.
Seeing that he was absent-minded and seemed preoccupied, Yinzhen frowned and remained silent.
The Eighth Prince gripped the reins tightly, his face calm and gentle, but a strange sense of shock and pain welled up inside him. In just one month, he had become so thin, as if the wind could blow him away. His unadorned face was even more slender and pale as snow, and a chilling gloom enveloped his entire being.
A few meters apart feels like a thousand miles.
Since Emperor Kangxi decreed that it was a family banquet, the venue was set in the Imperial Garden, and there was plenty of time, the carriage entered the palace, and everyone got off and walked. Unlike the others who were full of enthusiasm, Nan Yi gradually fell behind. She was not in a hurry, and Yiren quietly led her to take a shortcut.
This girl originally came from the Imperial Household Department and is very familiar with the palace routes, so there's no need to worry about getting lost.
"My lord, why does Consort Nian always target us?"
Nan Yi thought about it carefully and said, "There is a reason for this. Let me ask you a question: who do you think is more beautiful, your master or Nian Feixu?"
After thinking about it seriously, Yiren said, "In terms of appearance alone, they are about the same."
"What about the others?"
“If we dress up, Master is even better,” Yiren replied honestly, though she didn’t know why her master had asked such a question.
"That's right."
"What?"
"Think about it carefully. If you can't figure it out, I'll deduct two months' salary from your pay."
"Ah—Master, this is too much! Even Zhou Bapi wasn't this ruthless." The two talked as they walked away, not paying attention to the commotion behind the artificial hill. Once they were out of sight, one of them said, "Li Dequan, why do you think that is?"
Li Dequan shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, this servant does not know."
Emperor Kangxi raised the corners of his mouth and said, "Think it over carefully. If you can't come up with anything, I'll deduct two months' salary from your pay."
"Your servant obeys the decree."
Who is Zhou Bapi?
Li Dequan said again, "This servant does not know."
"Get to the bottom of this, or I'll deduct two more months' pay."
"......twitter"
Nan Yi was unaware that her careless words had caused the head eunuch to fine her a month's wages. She slowly stopped at a fork in the road not far from the Imperial Garden. There's a saying, right? It's true, enemies are destined to meet. The handsome man surrounded by beauties to her side was none other than the one who had vowed to break off their friendship with her—the Ninth Prince.
She was unaware that this palace banquet was the result of the Ninth Prince's painstaking efforts to see her in person.
She noticed the Ninth Prince, and he naturally saw her too. When the two people were facing each other, Yiren secretly tugged at her master's sleeve.
Nan Yi's lips twitched. Damn it, she was actually forced to bow to him, feeling incredibly awkward. With so many people watching, and not wanting to lose face, she reluctantly managed a "Greetings."
The Ninth Prince remained expressionless, his thin lips pressed tightly together. If it weren't for the prominent veins on his large, white hand gripping the thumb ring, no one would know the extent of his restraint he was suppressing.
He had practically worn his lips out arguing with his mother and even tried to persuade his father to let her attend the palace banquet. He was truly unsure if this would work; if it didn't, he was really prepared to do something like climbing over his fourth brother's wall. Fortunately...
When they finally met, his heart ached terribly. His fourth brother had treated her badly, and that was the only thought in his mind: he hadn't treated her well at all.
He knew that she was originally healthy, based on her superb martial arts skills, which allowed her to move freely and nimbly in their mansions.
But what could she do? She was the fourth brother's concubine, bound by her status. He couldn't help her; he couldn't let go, he couldn't bear to part with her...
Since her husband was still lost in thought and the other person was squatting there so diligently, Madam Guo had no choice but to say, "No need for formalities."
Someone beside Ninth Consort informed Nan Yi of his identity. She stepped forward with exceptional politeness and said softly, "So you are Fourth Sister-in-law. Greetings. Why aren't you with Fourth Brother and Fourth Sister-in-law?"
Nan Yi chuckled self-deprecatingly. That man, he used to have a legitimate wife, and now he has Lady Nian. How could he care about her? She chuckled and said, "We were originally together. It's all my fault for being greedy for the beautiful scenery and falling behind."
The Ninth Consort was gentle and graceful, with an exceptionally beautiful appearance, comparable to that of Lady Nian. She was also gentle in nature and did not mind chatting with her softly on their first meeting.
"...I visited Fourth Brother's residence several times before, but I never saw Fourth Sister-in-law. Today, I have the chance to see her. I never imagined that Fourth Sister-in-law would be such a beauty, one in a million. No wonder Fourth Brother kept her hidden away so well."
Nan Yi chuckled to himself, feeling quite pleased with the compliment from the beauty, which instantly dispelled any slight discomfort he might have felt from his chance encounter with the Ninth Prince.
However, the man didn't care that she didn't go out and meet people. He lowered his eyes and smiled slightly, saying, "You're too modest. If we're talking about beauties, I'm afraid no one can compare to the concubine. I used to be quite proud of myself, but after seeing the concubine, I realized that there are always people better than you, and there are always mountains beyond mountains. The concubine is the real beauty."
Upon hearing this, the Ninth Consort's eyes narrowed shyly, her face flushing slightly. She stole a glance at the straight back in front of her, then her eyes darkened, the smile on her lips faded, and she muttered, "What's the use of beauty if your body is so weak..."
Suddenly realizing what she had said, she felt a little embarrassed and softly explained, "...Sister-in-law, I wasn't talking about you, I...I meant..."
“If you can’t speak, no one will think you’re mute,” the Ninth Prince turned around and angrily scolded Xiao Guo, his eyes filled with a sinister and fierce look.
It was as if he were scolding not his own wives and concubines, but an enemy. The Ninth Consort was stunned, her eyes instantly reddening, tears falling like pearls from a broken string. She hurriedly raised her handkerchief to wipe them away.
This action startled Nan Yi, and a look of fear appeared on her face. She never expected that the Ninth Prince would have such a bad temper, showing no mercy to his wives and concubines in public. She should be glad that God did not send her to be the Ninth Prince's concubine. The treatment was too different. Look at how the Fourth Prince treated his wives and concubines. He even took great care of his concubines.
Although she had two falling out with the Ninth Prince, both were based on their past friendship, and she wasn't particularly afraid of him. Now... it's hard to explain, but she feels a bit uneasy.
The Ninth Prince was annoyed that Lady Guo was not good at speaking. Everyone knew that the Fourth Prince's concubine, Consort Tong, had been in the mansion for almost two years without having a child. But she just kept bringing up the sore spot, always rubbing salt in the wound. She had married the Fourth Prince but had not been able to have a child. He didn't know whether he was happy or sad, but in the end, a woman who marries without children is always insecure.
The words were too harsh, and the eunuchs and maids who were always afraid of the Ninth Prince's fiery temper all stepped back to the side, lowered their heads, and dared not utter a sound.
After he finished yelling, his gaze cautiously swept over the south side, and he was suddenly startled. He stammered, "I wasn't... I wasn't talking about you," then bit his lip in annoyance and fell silent.
Nan Yi knew who he was talking about, but she couldn't stand his domineering and arrogant young master attitude. Looking at Xiao Guo Shi, she didn't even dare to cry loudly, and her tears fell silently.
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