It was impossible for her to sit in the back; it wouldn't be appropriate given her status. There were no seats in the front either. Yinzhen had clearly noticed her predicament and was frowning as he was about to order someone to add a seat when he saw the person on his right stand up.
Without saying a word, Nan Yi got up and walked to the last seat. She didn't want to be so close to him. Sitting in the front made her feel uneasy. To hell with mutual affection and flirtatious glances.
Everyone looked at her in confusion, and Madam Li smiled and said, "What's wrong with you, Sister Tong? You shouldn't have given up your seat."
Nan Yidao: "This location is great, with a wide view and fresh air. I like it."
Lady Nian glanced at Yinzhen, then at the Fujin (the Prince's wife). She liked this seat; it was close to the Prince. But whether or not to sit there...
Yinzhen was inexplicably angered. He could tell that she was deliberately keeping her distance from him and didn't even want to get close.
Three months have passed, and she is still angry with him, angry that he hit her. But she doesn't think about herself. She insulted him like that, and what about his dignity and face? They are not only husband and wife, but he is also a prince of the Qing Dynasty.
Even ordinary couples wouldn't say such vile things to their husbands. He had already calmed down, so she should know when to stop. But no, she wasn't the Tong Shi before she lost her memory. She wouldn't know when to stop. Yinzhen smiled bitterly to himself. The Tong Shi of the past was full of love for him, but the current her made him feel uncertain.
While Lady Nian was still hesitating about whether to sit or not, Yinzhen nodded to her, and she happily sat down.
After the three newlyweds had served tea, Yinzhen and Nara led them into the palace to pay their respects to Consort De. Nan Yi originally wanted to stay, but then felt that doing so would make her stand out and she would have to put up with the man's bad temper, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and go.
When riding horses, Yinzhen rode in one carriage with Nara, she rode in another with Li and Nian, and the two princesses rode in yet another. She disliked Nian and ignored the complicated looks from the crowd, squeezing into the two princesses' carriage without permission. Yinzhen and Nara did not stop her, while Li and Nian rode together.
Yonghe Palace
Nara and Consort De appeared intimate, whispering to each other. Li occasionally chimed in, while Nara and Consort Nian played supporting roles, leaving the two princesses no chance to speak.
Last time she was punished by being made to stand in the sun, this time she was left out in the cold. She couldn't be bothered to complain. Anyway, she wouldn't fawn over someone who was trying to please her. She wouldn't do anything to curry favor.
It wasn't until Li Dequan from the Qianqing Palace came to deliver the imperial edict that the matter was resolved.
"This servant greets Consort De."
"Eunuch Li has arrived, please have a seat," Consort De said, showing great courtesy to the chief eunuch beside Emperor Kangxi. Li Dequan smiled and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty. This servant has official business to attend to. His Majesty has decreed that Consort Tong be invited to the Hall of Mental Cultivation for a chat."
Everyone was stunned, and Nan Yi was also taken aback. Kangxi was looking for her?
"Consort, please come with me."
Ignoring the envious glances from the crowd and the resentful looks from Consort De, Nan Yi got up and walked out with Li Dequan. After a sigh of relief, they finally came out. Being a mere accompaniment is no job for an inhuman.
As they walked, she glanced at Li Dequan with secret admiration. He was truly a shrewd man. The path was shady and flat, and the scenery was the most beautiful. There was no sense of urgency from the emperor, as if he were taking her for a leisurely stroll in a garden.
Unbeknownst to her, Emperor Kangxi often ate the porridge she made last year, and Li Dequan also benefited from it.
We treated her better, but that was all.
Li Dequan led her into the side hall and said, "His Majesty is probably talking with the princes. Please wait a moment while I go and inform him."
Nan Yi smiled and said, "I'll trouble you, Eunuch Li."
"I dare not"
As soon as Li Dequan left, she wandered around admiring the emperor's daily residence. When she reached the outside of the hall, she could faintly hear voices. Emperor Ming, dressed in his robes, stepped out first, and she slipped into the hall.
When Li Dequan went in to report to the Emperor in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Emperor Kangxi was talking with his princes.
"Fourteenth Prince, I heard you've been fighting again?"
Fourteenth Prince chuckled and stepped forward, saying, "Father, it was just a little teasing. Who's so petty as to complain to you? A bunch of useless good-for-nothings. They must be taught a lesson next time."
"Oh," Kangxi drawled, and said in a low voice, "If it's cutting and shredding, why break people's hands and feet?"
"Father, in any fight, mistakes are inevitable. Don't worry, Father, I have already sent someone to check on things," the Fourteenth Prince said with a forced smile.
"Forget it, since it's a match, that old bastard Na Hai is too shameless. His son is useless; he knows to complain when he loses."
A soft, suppressed laugh rang out, and everyone else trembled as they tried to hold back their laughter. The Emperor was too protective of his own son; everyone knew that the Fourteenth Prince was a local tyrant who would beat anyone he didn't like.
Kangxi raised his head slightly and saw that his sons all had distorted expressions of suppressed laughter. He raised the corners of his mouth slightly and said, "Go outside and laugh. I have other matters to attend to."
He wasn't wrong. No, among all the emperors of the Qing Dynasty, none could compare to him. He had more than a dozen sons, each with their own intelligence and strengths. Why should the Qing Dynasty be unstable? Why should there be no successor?
As a father, he was proud and frankly, very successful. As an emperor, however, his many outstanding sons became a burden. With the change of imperial power, how to protect them as much as possible became a lifelong problem he planned throughout his imperial career.
He lowered his brows and focused his mind, faintly hearing the unrestrained laughter outside the door. He composed himself slightly, raised his head, and said, "Summon Madam Tong to the East Warm Pavilion."
"twitter"
Knowing that Kangxi had finished speaking, Nan Yi obediently waited in the same spot for his summons.
The princes went outside the palace, exchanged a few words, and then dispersed. However, the Tenth Prince, with his sharp eyes, caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye. Upon closer inspection, the person had already vanished. He tugged at the Ninth Prince's robe and asked in confusion, "Hey, Ninth Brother, I saw Nan Yi."
The Ninth Prince tapped him on the head, rolled his eyes at him, and said, "In broad daylight, you're talking nonsense." Nan Yi was not in the palace. Last time, he thought she would participate in the selection of concubines, so he went to the Chuxiu Palace several times, but returned disappointed each time. This caused his mother to give him a few more women.
The Eighth Prince was startled and his heart pounded. He remembered that his Fourth Brother had brought his new concubine to the palace to pay his respects today, and Concubine Tong would also be coming. He would know whether Nan Yi was her or not once he went to Yonghe Palace.
He was somewhat flustered, his palms sweaty and damp. The question kept repeating in his mind: should he go and confirm it? If not, he would be overjoyed; if so… The Eighth Prince had never felt such torment before, as if heaven and hell were separated by a thin line.
“It’s true, people enter the side hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation. If you don’t believe me, we’ll see for ourselves,” the Tenth Prince said sternly.
The Ninth Prince was slightly taken aback. He knew his Tenth Brother well; if he was serious, then it was most likely him.
"Brother Ba, what do you think?" He looked at his older brother beside him. "Brother Ba, what's wrong?"
Something was wrong with the myna bird; its expression seemed slightly off, and it looked very nervous. His heart sank. Could it really be Nan Yi? The myna bird was known for its gentle and refined demeanor, and it was always calm and collected in the face of adversity, rarely showing any emotion to him.
unless. . . . . .
“Ninth Brother, I’ve kept some things from you,” the Eighth Prince suddenly said, as if he had made up his mind and thought that he would have to face it sooner or later, so it was better to know sooner rather than later.
The Ninth Prince's heart skipped a beat, and a slight tremor ran through his body. What the Eighth Prince could keep from him must be no small matter.
"What's up?"
The Eighth Prince sighed softly, looked into the distance, put his hands behind his back, and said, "Let's go, you'll know soon enough."
East Warm Pavilion of Yangxin Hall
"Do you know why I summoned you?" Kangxi asked calmly, his expression inscrutable.
Nan Yi shook her head and said, "This servant does not know." She was curious because meeting the emperor was a rare opportunity, but the risks were extremely high, and she was worried about where her head would end up.
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