He seemed unable to continue, a sinister smile on his face as he clutched his chest and stumbled backward. The chance encounter had brought him immense joy, which quickly turned to sorrow. The Ninth Prince was heartbroken. She had stolen his true feelings and then told him that she was already married. What a cruel woman.
The once proud and noble Ninth Prince was instantly dejected and exhausted, losing his usual composure. From the moment he met her, that kiss on the streets of the capital made him certain of her. He wanted to wait for her to reveal her identity before he could ask his mother to grant her a title and pamper her for life. He had planned out the process, but he never expected the ending.
The Ninth Prince's expression changed drastically, and he was heartbroken. Nan Yi couldn't bear it and said urgently, "It's not like that. Listen to me, I have my reasons." She really hadn't lied to them; she hadn't, but she couldn't tell them the real reason.
"Shut up, don't say another word, I don't want to hear it," he interrupted her with a mocking look in his eyes. She continued to fabricate lies to deceive him. Look at her fabricated backstory: a little orphan, living under the roof of others, residing at Shaolin Temple, practicing martial arts for years... Haha, a liar with a mouth full of lies.
The Eighth Prince did not try to dissuade him, because that was what he wanted to say too. He pulled back the steps of his Tenth Brother who was about to step forward.
"Myna, I'll go and try to persuade them..."
The Eighth Prince stopped him, saying calmly, "Don't worry about it."
"Huh? Oh." The Tenth Prince lowered his eyes. He was puzzled and felt that there was nothing wrong with her. Her status did not affect their friendship. But the Eighth and Ninth Princes were so angry. He was not good with words and did not know how to persuade them.
It seems like only a moment has passed, yet several autumns have gone by.
A cold and arrogant male voice rang out, "Nan Yi, from this day forward, pretend I never knew you."
Despite being extremely angry and in extreme pain, he maintained a calm and collected demeanor. He couldn't hear anything else; only one thought occupied his mind: she had lied to him, lied to him, that despicable liar. He didn't want to see her again, otherwise, he didn't know what he would do that he would regret.
They had asked her about her identity so many times. She had so many opportunities to be honest, but she chose to hide it. How could he not resent her?
After saying that, he turned and left. The Eighth Prince also took the Tenth Prince with him, leaving her alone in the same place, repeatedly regretting her actions. His cruel words before leaving still lingered in her mind: he had never known her and wanted to break off all ties with her. No, it was even crueler than breaking off ties.
But she didn't want to, she really didn't want to—if she had known that this would happen if she went to the palace, she would never have gone.
Nan Yi pulled out a handkerchief to cover her face, probably because the sunlight was too bright and hurt her eyes, making her want to cry.
Yinzhen stared at her, her face veiled by a white handkerchief. He stood there for a long time, but she didn't move. Her body seemed to be trembling slightly. Was she lost and crying because she couldn't find her way?
This is truly a beautiful misunderstanding.
He stepped forward and softly called out, "Yi'er."
Nan Yi shuddered, put down her handkerchief, and glanced at the figure in front of her with teary eyes. "Huh—" she was so shocked that she stepped back. When did he arrive?
Standing before her was the Fourth Master, but what was with that look in his eyes? It gave her goosebumps. Feeling inexplicably sad, Nan Yi took a deep breath to suppress the worries that filled her mind.
Seeing her red eyes, Yinzhen felt guilty and stepped forward to hug her tightly, saying, "If you get lost in the future, just stand where you are, and I will come to find you."
He had missed her terribly for three months, but the moment they met, she ignored him and angered him. Now she was alone, shedding tears. Yinzhen's heart was in turmoil, and his heart ached.
Nan Yi was surprised by his sudden action and didn't listen carefully to what he said. After a moment of realization, she asked blankly, "Um—what?"
Yinzhen sighed softly, assuming she hadn't heard him, and took her hand, saying, "It's nothing, Mother is probably getting impatient, let's go," as long as he understood.
Nan Yi still remembered that he hit her for Nian Shi's sake. She pulled her hand away from his and shrank behind him, rubbing against him. She felt uncomfortable when he held someone else's hand and then held hers again.
Ignoring his sullen face, she frowned and pouted, "I don't want to go to Yonghe Palace." Consort De disliked her, and she was too lazy to fawn over him.
Yinzhen raised his hand, and Nanyi caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of her eye. Startled, she took a few steps back and stared at her warily. Yinzhen was taken aback. What was he doing? He just wanted to rub his throbbing temples.
He immediately realized what had happened, recalling the night he had attacked her, and silently lowered his hand with a sigh.
Upon meeting her, he sighed more and more each day. He stepped forward and forcefully embraced her, saying, "Let's go. You go out of the palace first and wait for me in the carriage."
Seeing that he agreed, Nan Yi let him have his way. After returning to the mansion, Nan Yi stayed in her bedroom and did not come out. Her lover would bring her meals. This was the case for two days.
The maids were puzzled. Their mistress had gone to the palace and returned with a different expression. Since their mistress didn't bring it up, they didn't dare to ask. What kind of maid would inquire about her mistress's affairs? They were secretly worried for her.
Yinzhen had been frequently entering and leaving the study these past two days, but he hadn't seen her come out. Wanyue Pavilion still had hidden guards, and she didn't come out to cause trouble. On the third day, he still hadn't seen her, so Yinzhen couldn't stand it anymore and went to Wanyue Pavilion after court.
When he came in, there were two maids standing at the door, both with worried faces, looking as if they had seen a ghost when they saw him.
"Greetings, Master."
"rise"
The lover lifted the curtain, and Yinzhen went in to take a look. Seeing no one, he frowned and asked, "Where is your master?"
The two maids lowered their heads, and Qingyun said, "Master is in the bedroom."
Yinzhen was slightly taken aback; it was midday and he was taking a nap.
"Reporting to Master, Your Majesty has not left your bedroom for three days."
"What? Why aren't you replying?" Yinzhen glared at them angrily. He hadn't left his room for three days, and he wondered why he couldn't seem to find her.
The lover and Qingyun lowered their heads and remained silent. The master's temperament was unpredictable. When he came, he would come often, and when he didn't come, he would be gone for months. The master was also strange. She never complained. She welcomed him when he came and didn't bother with him when he didn't. She never thought about competing for favor, which made Yiren sigh that she had no place to use her talents.
Yinzhen hurried into the room. The bedroom was completely covered up, including the bed curtains, so she couldn't see anyone. She wasn't worried about getting bored.
He suddenly pulled back the bed curtains and saw a huddled figure under the thin fur coat, the blankets rising and falling slightly. He reached out and pulled back the blankets, revealing a slender figure in pink curled up in the center of the bed, her messy black hair spread out, her head resting against her chest as she slept soundly, her arms wrapped around her legs.
Was she scared? She seemed restless even while sleeping. Yinzhen felt a pang of guilt and secretly blamed himself for putting on a brave face and ignoring her.
Nan Yi vaguely sensed a burning gaze, as if someone was watching her. She opened her eyes slightly and saw the Fourth Master's intense gaze.
She ignored him, pulled the blanket over herself, and thought, "This guy is ridiculous, always appearing and disappearing like a ghost." But she didn't want to talk to him. She remembered it vividly from three months ago. A man who hits women, ugh, she despised him.
Nan Yizhi was spoiled by her senior brothers and had a bad temper. In her philosophy of life, she always believed that others had wronged her, but she had never wronged others. When it came to Yinzhen, she felt that it was all his fault and never reflected on her own shortcomings.
He pulled the covers off again, but Nan Yi covered him up again. This happened several times until Nan Yi got angry and asked, "What is it?"
Yinzhen chuckled, "You've been sleeping for three days straight. Be careful not to get sick from sleeping too much. Get up and stretch your muscles."
"What's it to you?" "Pshaw, I'm happy to," he said, telling him to mind his own business.
Yinzhen gently brushed her hair back and said softly, "I'm not willing."
"None of your business."
"If I don't care, who will?"
This woman seemed to have never understood their relationship from the start. They were husband and wife; he was the man she depended on for life. Dependence... He frowned slightly. She seemed to dislike being restrained and didn't like staying in the mansion. If she were to quietly slip away one day, where would he find her? Thinking of this, he wished he could keep her under his wing.
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