Could Nan Yi be Consort Tong? The thought to himself was like a knife twisting in his heart.
Impossible, absolutely impossible, yet I still can't understand it. Every time I ask her to reveal her identity, she always refuses.
If it were Madam Tong, why wouldn't she recognize them? She knew their identities. Moreover, they had seen Madam Tong before; when their fourth brother married her, they caught a glimpse of her in the bridal chamber and had a vague impression of her—she was a woman completely different from Nan Yi.
Nan Yi's background and her every move were flawless. She was outgoing and unconventional, and even more confused about the boundaries between men and women, which was completely different from the reserved and gentle nature of women from aristocratic families.
Furthermore, since Tong was already married, her behavior would not be so inappropriate; to put it bluntly, it was outrageous. Yet she openly robbed her ninth brother's silver notes, kissed him in the street, held his and her tenth brother's hands, and even made him carry her. More importantly, she was highly skilled in martial arts.
The Eighth Prince looked distressed and lightly pounded his head. Too many "buts" and "impossibilities" were driving him to the brink of confusion. He dared not think any further, wondering if it was the same person.
He admitted that he was running away, otherwise all his emotional attachments would become a joke. Let nature take its course, he sighed and left the study, rubbing his throbbing temples.
The Eighth Prince never expected that when Nan Yi woke up in Tong Yilan's body, her temperament changed drastically. Gone were the sorrow and resentment of her former self; her eyebrows and eyes were full of spirit.
Women usually wear heavy makeup on their wedding day, but she often went bare-faced and especially liked to make herself look ugly. They mostly only saw Nan Yi's beautiful eyes peeking out from under her veil.
Life is absurd, always catching people off guard; what we dare not face often comes unexpectedly.
The next morning, with the help of several maids, Nan Yi went to the main courtyard to pay her respects. In the afternoon, they would have to go to the palace to express their gratitude.
When Nan arrived, Li was already there. She was pregnant again. She couldn't quite describe how she felt. It was very strange. She was annoyed, but since it was a legitimate pregnancy, how could she not be annoyed?
Yinzhen showed great favor to Lady Li and valued her highly. Among all the women in the harem, who didn't envy her? Lady Li was beaming with joy.
When Madam Tong came in, she greeted her with a smile, "Sister Tong, you've come early today, that's really rare. Usually, you're rarely seen, and I've been thinking about you a lot."
Nan Yi sat in the first seat on the right, facing Li Shi. After listening to her words, he smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, sister."
Madam Li covered her mouth with her round fan and smiled, saying, "You're too kind. Lately, my sister has become even more beautiful. Her skin is as white as snow, and her figure is graceful. When she first came in, I thought she was a fairy descending to earth. Ah—"
She sighed deeply, lowered her head and touched her cheek, feigning sadness, "Unlike my sister, who has been pregnant and given birth several times, exhausting her energy each time. My sister truly envies my younger sister, who is in the prime of her life, full of youthful vigor, and pleasing to the eye."
Nan Yi sneered. It was a blatant display of smugness. Listen to the sarcasm in Li's words and the smugness on her face.
They laughed at her for not being able to have children.
Women, oh women, in a man's eyes, the best thing is for them to stay beautiful their whole lives and to keep giving birth.
She wanted to tell Ms. Li that she disdained having children, but she knew she might not believe her and might even be accused of sour grapes.
Li's words provoked the wrath of the crowd. The concubines and princesses who had arrived earlier all wore expressions of envy and resentment. None of them had children; some had never been able to conceive, while others had conceived but lost their babies. For example, Song's daughter had died young, and Wu had also conceived but the fetus died in the womb after a few months. Although they suspected foul play, the master had clearly stated that it was not intentional, and without evidence, even if they harbored resentment, they could not investigate further.
Everyone was furious and filled with rage, but Madam Li deliberately stuck out her three-month pregnant belly and said, "Pregnancy is tiring, but fortunately this baby is very well-behaved and doesn't cause much trouble. The master also praised him, saying that this little prince is very filial and knows how to be considerate of his mother even in the womb. What do you sisters think?"
Li is truly... an absolute jerk. Even arrogance has its limits. We know she can give birth, but we can't rub salt into someone's wounds. No... not rubbing salt, but practically pouring sulfuric acid on them! Didn't she even realize it? The anger of the crowd in the hall was about to erupt like a volcano.
Nan Yi couldn't bear to look at him anymore, and Li Shi knew it must be the young prince. Where did all this good luck come from?
She smiled brightly and said, "Sister Li, are you absolutely certain this baby is a prince?"
Li choked, wanting to say yes but fearing it would be embarrassing to give birth to a princess, but wanting to say no would go against her own wishes. She felt slightly embarrassed, but then proudly raised her head and looked around. Whether it was a boy or a girl, she could give birth, unlike them, who hadn't even had a baby yet.
Nan Yi smiled, looked up at the others, and said, "Sisters, how about we make a bet?"
Everyone remained silent, except for the woman in the light blue cheongsam, who whispered, "How do we bet?"
She was Li Jia Xianyun. As her name suggested, she was slender and delicate, with a fair complexion, peach-like cheeks, willow-leaf eyebrows, and phoenix eyes. Yinzhen (the Yongzheng Emperor) favored her daily.
She had been in the household for three years and had received constant favor, but her belly remained empty. Just now, Li's words had pierced her heart like knives, causing her unbearable pain.
Normally timid and weak, she couldn't help but stand up when Consort Tong spoke up. Just as Consort Tong said, did Lady Li know that she could keep giving birth to sons? Her rank was too low to touch Lady Li, so it was better to embarrass her than to keep holding her anger in.
One person chimed in, and then Consort Qi, a concubine, spoke up, saying, "Tell me, how does the concubine gamble?"
Nan Yidao said, "I bet that Sister Li's baby will definitely be a little princess. The bet is a long dress with four different floral patterns from this season."
"ah--"
"Really?"
"That's great!"
The group was both surprised and delighted, for everyone knew that Consort Tong's clothes were the most exquisite in style and pattern. In all the time they had known her, they had never seen her wear the same outfit twice.
Not only was there nowhere to buy them in the capital, but the imitations were also poorly made. She didn't like going out, didn't associate with them, and couldn't find an opportunity to build relationships. She could only watch with envy, which worried them to death.
Now she's actually using it as gambling capital, and she's even going for four sets at once. It's like a windfall; you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't grab it.
Li was so shocked that her face flushed and her eyes gleamed with greed. She wanted it too. Last time she asked the master for it, he frowned and stormed off. She dared not mention it again. Now she couldn't risk the child's gender, since it wouldn't hurt her anyway.
"I'll bet I'll give birth to a son, and the stake is a luminous pearl," she declared directly, ignoring the strange looks from others. Who wouldn't want something good? The hall fell silent for a moment, broken only by soft laughter, as people occasionally announced their predictions and bets.
A small voice came from behind, “I don’t have any items of corresponding value?” Li Jia said sadly. Although she was born into the imperial concubines, she was a concubine’s daughter.
Her family was not wealthy or influential, and her dowry was meager. She had nothing of note to offer. Her husband did give her some items, but they were not for this purpose.
Nan Yi was taken aback, then laughed and said, "Is that so? Silver is fine too." Although she didn't lack silver, no one would complain about having too much.
No one was targeting the Li family anymore; it was more of a joke. Nan Yi had his lover write down everyone's predictions and bets.
Aside from Song and Wu, who had offended Nan Yi and remained silent, the other concubines participated. Since they had previously publicly humiliated Consort Tong, they had already incurred her wrath, and it was not appropriate for them to shamelessly join in the fun now.
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