It was rare for him to explain, but he had to stay overnight at his wife's place on the first and fifteenth of each month, as was the rule passed down from their ancestors.
He was fine until he opened his mouth, then Nan Yi, with a burst of strength, pried his hand off and said casually, as if nothing had happened, "I know."
She knew that Fang felt a bit uncomfortable. The other woman was left alone in her room, while she was clinging to her husband. She felt a little contemptuous and disgusted with herself.
"Then what are you doing?" Yinzhen glanced at her delicate hand that was trying to pry his hand away.
Nan Yi paused for a moment, then said softly, "I don't know." She only knew that she felt a little sad and wanted to get away from him for the time being, as if only by getting away could she stop her chaotic and random thoughts and think properly about all the things that were bothering her.
Yinzhen's face was gloomy, his eyes frosty. Nan Yi shivered, immediately lowered his eyes, pulled the thin fur coat behind him to wrap himself up, and went straight to the wall to huddle together, lamenting his bad luck. Look, the Fourth Prince has changed his face again.
The chilling voice rang out again, tinged with mockery, as it exhaled warm breath that brushed against Nan's ear.
"I don't know, you really don't know. I do understand," he said. He doted on her, but he didn't want her to become a concubine who harbored delusions and became spoiled by his favor.
She shrank back and squeezed out a soft "hmm" from her throat.
"Do I need to remind you of her identity?" The two of them knew exactly who she was. Nan Yi choked up, pursed his dry lips, and said, "She is your primary wife, your wife." He spoke slowly, but what he didn't say was that she was his concubine.
Nan Yi felt that sand must have gotten into her eyes, which was stinging painfully. She had no choice but to squeeze her eyes shut. Fortunately, it was night, and the darkness concealed her vulnerability that she could not show to others. Her chest felt so suffocated, as if something was pressing down on it, making it hard for her to breathe. The instant feeling of suffocation made her dizzy.
When Yinzhen heard her say that she was his wife, he became inexplicably annoyed and angry, but he couldn't pinpoint the reason for his anger. He fell silent to the side, turned around, and closed his eyes without saying a word.
After a while, seeing that he stopped questioning her and no longer aggressively reminding her of her status, and remained silent, she wondered if he was angry with her for forgetting the rules and acting recklessly. If he refused to help her copy the book tomorrow, she would be in real trouble.
Nan Yi adopted a low-key approach for the time being, hoping to get through this crisis before making any further plans. She quietly got up and, using the dim light from behind the screen, groped her way to get dressed. Yinzhen heard the movement behind him and turned around again. Seeing her get up, he still spoke coldly, "What are you doing?"
Nan Yi continued dressing, lowering his eyes and whispering, "I want to go back to sleep. Staying here is against the rules." He repeatedly reminded her of her status and was angry that she broke the rules. Perhaps if she left, he could calm down and help her finish copying the book.
Upon hearing this, Yinzhen scolded, "Only now do you know to follow the rules? Why didn't you think it through before? Returning to your courtyard so late, do you want the whole mansion to know that I kept you in the study to serve me tonight?" She suddenly wanted to leave, which made him extremely angry. This woman didn't even consider the place and the time.
She shook her head, gave him a bright smile, and reassured him, "Don't worry, I'll sneak back, no one will see me."
With her skills, why would she let others see them? After all, she's a master. Don't underestimate her, the Southern Heroine, no, she's currently the Tong Heroine.
She could still laugh. This Tong Shi had repeatedly disobeyed him and never knew how to listen to him. He had indeed spoiled her too much, to the point that she neglected her other wives and concubines, which alarmed her mother and prompted her to intervene.
I'm afraid even Father Emperor has heard about this. Thinking of this, Yinzhen was shocked. If Father Emperor is also dissatisfied, I'm afraid she won't just be copying books. I can't tell if he's worried about her or about Father Emperor getting angry.
He suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. His father disliked having only one favorite, so he treated everyone equally. He had unintentionally learned that his father had someone he loved, yet his father still filled the palace with concubines. If he knew his son was like this, Tong's situation would be precarious.
He loved her, but compared to certain things, she was insignificant in his heart. The thought of having to let her go flashed through his mind, and suddenly felt as if needles were piercing his heart. Let her go, let her go, it's no big deal, just a woman, he comforted himself.
She was already dressed and about to put on her shoes when he frowned at her. His hands moved faster than his brain, and he grabbed her hand as she stood up.
Nan patted his hand, a sweet little gesture, and leaned close to his face, her nose almost touching his. Her light breath brushed against his face, making him feel ticklish. She said, "Don't worry, no one will find out. I'll climb the wall."
Yinzhen was speechless. His worries eased a little, and he slightly curled the corners of his mouth. Climbing walls? She actually knew how to climb walls. Thinking about how she climbed walls, he chuckled to himself.
He didn't ask her how she climbed the wall. Nan Yi had actually revealed too many abnormal behaviors that were inconsistent with her own personality, but Yinzhen ignored them all. The parties involved were confused. There was a kind of concern, and even if he didn't admit it, he still turned a blind eye, which led to her being heartbroken and wronged later.
Yinzhen pulled her onto the bed, pushed her to the side of the couch, suppressed his emotions, and said calmly, "Go to sleep, we'll talk about it tomorrow." Then he turned over and went to sleep.
Nan Yi couldn't understand him, but thinking that listening to him was always the right thing to do, she decided to go to sleep and lay down without even taking off her clothes.
This was the first time since their foot injury at the other courtyard that the two of them had slept together without waking up. Nan Yi felt slightly unwell, but the Duke of Zhou (a figure in Chinese mythology associated with sleep) called him quickly, and he was already fast asleep after half an incense stick's time.
Hearing her fast asleep, Yinzhen quietly turned around, lifted a strand of her hair that was spread on the pillow, and unconsciously kissed it. His mind was blank; he just stared at her.
By the time he realized what was happening, Nan Yi was already fast asleep in his arms. As if she had found a familiar source of warmth, she nestled against his neck and rubbed against him a few times, smacking her lips as she drifted off to sleep again.
Yinzhen couldn't understand his strange behavior; his body seemed to have developed its own consciousness, as if this was how it was supposed to be.
When Yinzhen woke up in the morning, he nudged Tong Shi awake. She squinted, rubbed her mouth, and yawned. "Hmm, what's wrong?"
"You should go back to the hospital," came the icy voice. Nan Yi shivered and opened her eyes abruptly. Her uncle stood straight by the bed, with an indifferent expression that kept people at arm's length. What had she done to offend him? Hadn't she calmed down last night?
He looked at her like a stranger. She paused for a moment, wondering if he was still angry from last night. Her mind raced, and she stood on the couch, leaned into his arms, wrapped her arms around his neck, and said softly, "You're still angry with me? Oh dear, I'll behave properly from now on, okay?"
It would be best to help her copy the book before getting angry, then see if she begs him for forgiveness. Humph.
When she lunged at him, Yinzhen instinctively reached out to embrace her, but stopped halfway and instead grabbed her tightly behind his back. He had been thinking about this all night but couldn't figure it out, and he didn't know how to treat her. He said indifferently, "Go back now, it's time for me to go too."
Nan Yi hates people who don't speak their minds and keep things bottled up inside, making you angry. She's always been direct; if she has something to say, she'll say it. Why does she have to keep it bottled up and make people guess?
She abruptly withdrew her hand, glared at him, and snapped, "If I'm doing something wrong, just tell me. Who are you trying to impress with this act? I can't understand it anyway. If you don't want to help me copy the book, just say so. I won't force you to write."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
