"Xixi, don't die, don't die."
"Honey, she's not dead, she's fine."
"Hmm," the person who had received the assurance fell asleep again.
Two hours later, the figure on the bed opened her eyes. The curtains were dark blue, with delicate and elegant peonies embroidered on the top, and long palace ribbons hanging from each of the four corners. This was nothing like her bedroom in Wanyue Pavilion.
"You're awake. Come on, get up and eat something."
The voice sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. She glanced at it more closely.
"Yintang?"
"Um."
The unshaven man in front of her was him. She looked up and saw that the decorations in the room were also unfamiliar. She didn't care about why the maids weren't the ones she knew or why they hadn't returned to the manor. The only thing she remembered was this.
"Is Xiao Xi alive?" Her voice trembled slightly as she asked. In her dream, she vaguely heard someone say that Xiao Xi was alive. If it wasn't a dream, with such severe injuries, if she had arrived even half a moment later, it might have been... Now that she was alright, shouldn't Xiao Xi be saved?
In the end, he did not disappoint her.
"She's alive and well." Yinzhen picked up the person on the bed and let her lean against the soft pillow. After settling Nan Yi in, he picked up the congee that had been prepared earlier from the cork stool beside the bed and fed her.
"Really?"
"Really, she's out of danger, but she's still unconscious. We've already quietly taken her home, and your young mistress is taking care of her. Don't worry."
"Thank you, thank you, Yin Tang!" Through her teary eyes, she gazed at him steadily, her heart overflowing with gratitude.
Xiao Xi, covered in blood, was the source of her despair. No one knew the extent of her despair. The Nine Gates Commander's Office was not a place a mere concubine could casually enter. Xiao Xi was saved, not by him, but by Yin Tang. How wonderful.
"Look at you, you don't need to thank me, you're being too formal. I'd love to see you play the hero and save the beauty, I'd love to repay you with my body. Hey, don't cry, I don't like ugly women."
Yinzhen, who had clearly made her cry inexplicably and felt heartbroken, roughly wiped away the tears from her face.
"It's really ugly, like a red-eyed rabbit."
"—Waaah, hehe..." Nan Yi, who had been crying, glared at him helplessly. He was really ruining the atmosphere. She was feeling touched, so she blurted out, "Who doesn't look ugly when they cry?"
"Wanqing... Haha, that porridge is cold, you should eat it while it's hot." Yintang almost bit her tongue, regretting it terribly, and hurriedly changed the subject, but Nanyi had heard it before, but who was Wanqing? The name sounded so familiar.
Before she could ask, Yintang had already scooped up some porridge and fed it to her, silencing her. She didn't hesitate and started eating right away. Her body, which had just recovered from an illness, was now severely overtaxed, and she didn't know how long she would need to recover.
After a bowl of porridge, two bowls of dark, bitter-colored medicine awaited her. After drinking them all, both of them were covered in sweat. She was suffering from the bitterness from the hot soup, while Yinzhen was suffering from it from being in a hurry.
He was busy serving tea, taking out candied fruit, and fetching handkerchiefs, his hands trembling with activity.
Nan Yi chuckled, which annoyed Yin Tang. He glared at her and said irritably, "This is the first time I've served someone. You should be extremely honored. How dare you make fun of me? You don't want to live anymore."
His tone changed, and he said with a hint of relief, "But it's good that you can laugh. You really scared me yesterday. Don't come again, or I'm afraid it will shorten my lifespan." He then pretended to tap her on the head.
Nan Yi quickly covered his mouth and shook his head. Upon learning that Xiao Xi was unharmed, his mood improved slightly, and he casually asked, "Where is this?"
Yin Tang raised his sword-like eyebrows and snorted, then said, "It's a secret. You just need to stay put. Your health is already ruined, and you still have the leisure to worry about these things."
"Huh?" Retribution? She remembered that these two words sounded like her catchphrase, but she had to go back.
"Yin Tang, I..."
As if knowing what she wanted to say, he said, "What? He treated you like that, and you still think about him?" Seeing that she remained silent...
He said fiercely, "If it weren't for Eighth Brother, do you think Xiao Xi would still be alive? If it weren't for me, what kind of good doctor could that little eunuch have found? Is he worth you worrying about like this? And what about me?"
After saying that, he swept the cups, bowls, and plates he had just used to the ground with a wave of his hand, and then ran out like a gust of wind.
Nan Yi was stunned by his actions, then lowered her head, her eyes filled with sadness. Was she thinking of him after he had disappointed her so much?
Standing outside the door, Yinzhen smiled bitterly. He had done it on purpose. After experiencing such a scene, how could he let her go back? The words of the old doctor from Huichuntang still echoed in his ears: "He has a chronic illness that has damaged his heart meridian. The residual poison lingers in his body, which will shorten his lifespan. He needs careful treatment."
Last time, she was actually poisoned, but she tried to hide it from him.
Fourth Brother doesn't cherish her, letting her suffer in the backyard. He cherishes her, and the mansion wouldn't be affected by her presence or absence. Yet he can't live without her, and he can't have her.
Meeting her in the palace brought him such joy, and the ability to forgive past grievances made him even more excited. However, the shocking news brought by the Eighth Brother was a complete shock. If it weren't for the secret guards arranged by the Eighth Brother who had been following them in secret and rescued them from the prison at the last minute, taking them to a separate courtyard for treatment, Nan Yi and Xiao Xi would have been saved.
The two brothers were busy all night, rushing to court, and then rushing back after court, afraid that she would wake up and not be able to find them.
He was still filled with lingering fear. If something had happened to Xiao Xi, he couldn't have imagined the consequences. He could tell from the fact that she was still thinking about him even in her unconscious state. He couldn't care less about what others did, but how could he bear to see her heartbroken and sad?
Then, recalling the source of this trouble, his face turned ashen, his eyes flashed with cold light, and he slowly raised his hand to grab something in the air, letting out a cold laugh: "Nine Gates Admiral Qi Heng, and that old playboy who claims to be half his father-in-law, just wait."
Yintang, lost in her daydreams of getting revenge, was interrupted by a soft sound. Listening closely, she realized it came from inside the room. She quickly went back in and saw Nan Yi staggering out of bed. She scolded him lightly, "Nonsense, do you have a death wish?"
The ground was littered with shards of porcelain bowl; if one of them had pierced her small frame, she would have been heartbroken.
He carried her back to bed and laid her down, staring at her intently with cold eyes, and said in a deep voice, "You really want to go back like that?"
He still seemed angry. Perhaps she vaguely knew some of the reasons, but she didn't want to delve into it. Qiao'er was in the manor, and human life was more important than anything else. So she said softly, "Yin Tang, is Qiao'er alright?"
Yintang was taken aback by the question and frowned. Yes, on the day of the incident, according to the secret guards, Xiao Xi's sister Xiao Qiao seemed to be in critical condition as well. The culprit was his fourth brother. Although he was not familiar with the sisters, he couldn't help but sigh that the whole family was going through a series of disasters. He had previously heard that Xiao Xi's brother Xiao Ran's incident had angered Nan Yi and his tenth brother.
He then smiled in relief. If it was because of Xiao Qiao that he insisted on going back, his anger inexplicably disappeared.
Furthermore, the fact that Eighth Brother and he hid Nan Yi caused the spies from Fourth Brother's residence to cause a great stir in the capital. Fourth Brother's residence was kept under strict guard, yet he could not find out any news about Xiao Qiao. If this was the reason, it would be very bad if something happened to Xiao Qiao and Nan Yi became angry with him.
"Qiao'er must not get into trouble, otherwise I will not be at ease."
Yinzhen sat down beside her, brushed aside the stray hairs that fell behind her ear, and lightly touched her smooth forehead with his fingertips. "I understand. I'll send you back to your residence tomorrow, okay?"
"It suits my taste perfectly."
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