"Get out of the way, get out of the way, everyone get out of the way!" The commotion was so loud that it attracted the patrol team.
Xiao Xi breathed a sigh of relief. A sixth-rank captain ran over menacingly and shouted, "What are you doing? Do you know where you are? Gang fighting! Don't you want your heads? Men, take them all away!"
Xiao Xi stepped aside, but then he was told, "You too, tie yourself up."
Xiao Xi was slightly taken aback but did not struggle. He thought it would be fine to go to the yamen to explain things clearly, and gestured to Qiaoqiao to follow.
In the main hall, Xiao Xi was sweating profusely and her face was flushed. Things were not as she had imagined. After listening to the unanimous opinions of the group, especially the middle-aged man, the presiding judge, Lord Qi, delivered his verdict directly.
"You audacious Xiao Xi, as the head constable of Shuntian Prefecture, you knowingly break the law by engaging in a public brawl. What is your punishment? Guards, drag him away and give him forty severe beatings as a warning to others," without mentioning a word about the middle-aged man stealing her chicken-blood jade.
She was immediately filled with anxiety, anger, and resentment, and shouted repeatedly, "...Sir, you have closed the case so hastily without evidence or distinguishing right from wrong, based solely on one side's account. Xiao Xi is not satisfied."
The presiding judge frowned, slammed his gavel down, and said, "How dare you! You show no remorse! Guards, give him another ten strokes of the cane and a good beating!"
Xiao Xi was dragged away and placed on a wooden bench, still shouting, "My lord, they were the ones who stole my jade, yet you haven't said a word about it and are openly protecting them. If I live, I will surely clear my name!"
The man in the hall narrowed his eyes, exchanged a glance with the middle-aged man below, and shouted at the bailiffs, "Strike him hard!"
A group of spoiled brats below the hall exchanged knowing glances until Xiao Xi fell silent. They didn't wake him even after splashing water on him, and then simply left him in the prison cell.
The idle chatter in the palace continued. "...I heard you were sick, are you feeling better?"
Nan nodded for a moment, then said sullenly, "Much better. The doctor said I just need to recuperate for a while longer."
The Ninth Prince nodded, looking at her slender, white hand holding the apple. The fine veins on it were clearly visible, the skin covering the bones, and the neatly trimmed fingertips had lost their former luster.
He frowned, his handsome face somewhat gloomy, and he longed to hold it in his hands.
His Adam's apple bobbed. Suppressing his longing, he said slowly and deliberately, "It is indeed an illness, and not something else?" His words were filled with disbelief and tinged with disappointment.
Nan Yi awkwardly turned her head away and remained silent. The Ninth Prince understood most of her behavior, but he didn't press her. He abruptly changed the subject and started talking about other things.
"......What are you doing, giving me back the silver......Hmm, giving it back to Master?" It seems that in front of her, he is used to calling her "I", and calling her "Master" always feels awkward.
"I was just afraid you wouldn't be able to bear it."
The Ninth Prince tapped her forehead with his fingertip and said resentfully, "If you can't bear to part with it, then I won't give it to you."
Thinking about her previous actions, he was furious, yet he still kept thinking about her. He added, "I will have the tenth prince's concubine help me pass it on to you."
Nan Yi didn't understand, "Transfer what...?"
"Ahem," came a pleasant reminder. The Ninth Prince paused slightly, then gently patted her slender shoulder and straightened the jade hairpin that had fallen askew on her head.
"I'm leaving now. This time... I won't be accompanying you," he said, then disappeared into the quiet path.
Yiren ran over only when she couldn't see the Ninth Prince. Nan Yi handed her some pastries, and Yiren ate them while saying "Thank you, Master" in a garbled voice.
After finishing her meal, Yiren hesitated several times, her eyes filled with an ambiguous expression. She seemed to have mustered her courage and whispered, "Master,"
"Um?"
"That... money... um?"
Nan Yi looked slightly helpless; the girl was too smart, and she felt a lot of pressure. "It's exactly what you think."
Yiren had a look of "just as I thought." She had always assumed that her master's money came from her maternal family, but then she thought that what the Ninth Prince gave was not bad either. Everyone in the Qing Dynasty knew that the Ninth Prince was good at business and knew how to make money. He didn't care about the small change he gave her.
As for other matters, she neither asked nor wanted to delve into them, as her master did not speak of them. The affairs of the royal harem were beyond her comprehension; she only needed to do her job as a maid.
"Master, it's so good to have found you! Come back quickly, Master is very worried." Xiao Shun ran over breathlessly.
"Is the banquet over?" Nan asked as he straightened his robes. He had been sitting for a long time and his robes were a little wrinkled, which didn't look very good. Yiren helped him smooth them out, but the effect was not obvious.
Xiao Shunzi said, "Yes, Master is waiting for you at the palace gate."
Nan Yi said "Oh", then turned to Yi Ren and said, "Forget it, don't bother, I'm still waiting." He then reminded Yi Ren not to forget the bamboo basket.
Upon arriving at the palace gate, Yinzhen was bidding farewell to the Eighth Prince. Avoiding the Eighth Prince's seemingly indifferent gaze, she slowly stepped forward. After performing the ceremony, she noticed that Yinzhen seemed somewhat uneasy, yet in a very good mood. Nara was absent-minded, clearly preoccupied.
Looking at the others, well, Nian Shi was both shy and overjoyed, and the nanny behind her was also full of pride.
Li Shi's face showed nothing, but the handkerchief in her hand was almost crumpled into a rag. She kept stealing glances at Nian Shi. As for Qi Shi, she looked very forlorn and disappointed, and her hand unconsciously rested in front of her abdomen as if she were deep in thought.
Yinzhen helped his primary wife into the carriage, then looked at Nian Shi with concern. He skipped over Nan Yi Shi and turned to step into the carriage. She was somewhat surprised, thinking, "Huh, he's not even putting on airs anymore."
Yiren seemed to sense something was amiss as well. The two exchanged a glance, and Yiren shrugged. She had been with her mistress the whole time and was unaware of what had happened. Qi Shi, who was in the same carriage, clearly did not intend to bring it up.
The carriage stopped after half an hour. Just as Nan was about to get off, she heard faint shouts and cries. She paused for a moment, lifted the curtain, and Yiren jogged forward to help her out of the carriage.
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