Lost in her own thoughts, she completely forgot the danger she was in. Before the Eighth Prince could explain, he rushed forward. Nan Yi unconsciously hid behind the Ninth Prince, trying to conceal herself, afraid that Yinzhen would see her.
"Nan Yi..." Ninth Prince called softly when he saw that she was absent-minded.
"Huh?" She snapped back to reality and looked ahead. Oh no, that guy was coming! I had to get away quickly... If only I had gone back to the villa sooner. Now I hadn't seen anything and was risking being discovered.
"I... I have to get out of here first. See you next time." With his life at stake, Nan turned and ran, disappearing into the night in an instant.
If that man knew she was out in the red-light district with other men, he'd probably want to kill her.
The Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince were nearly speechless when they saw that speed.
"Ninth Brother, it's too late. Will she be in danger going back?" The Tenth Prince looked at the night sky, his heart filled with worry.
The Ninth Prince was also worried, frowning and pondering. Recently, he had heard that there were often cases of missing girls in the capital. Stop, stop, he couldn't think about it, because it made his heart clench.
He clenched his fist and pinched himself, lowered his gaze, and whispered to comfort his younger brother, "No, look how clever she is. Besides, she's already far away, we can't catch her." Although he was worried, he straightened his face and walked toward his fourth brother and the others.
Seeing the woman take off running, Yinzhen raised an eyebrow, marveling at her speed... This piqued his interest even more, but unfortunately, he didn't catch her.
He gave Thirteen a disdainful look. "Serves you right for alerting the enemy! I was just looking forward to seeing Eighth Brother make a scene, and look what happened..." Thirteen lowered his head in regret. He hadn't known the woman would run away; it was a miscalculation.
Phew... It's okay, I'll find an opportunity eventually, as long as she shows up.
Yinzhen greeted his three brothers, the eighth, ninth, and tenth, who had come to visit. The thirteenth brother joked, "Hey, eighth brother, ninth brother, tenth brother, you guys are so stingy. You brought your confidantes but didn't even introduce them. How petty!"
The Eighth Prince chuckled: "Thirteenth Brother, how could that be? It's just that there are a bunch of us men, and it's inconvenient for her, a little woman. Besides, it's too late to say anything now, maybe next time."
It's inconvenient to bring someone to a place like this. Acknowledging that she's a close female friend, Thirteen thought for a moment and said, "It's a promise, so you can't hide next time."
You can hide from the monks, but you can't hide from the temple.
The Eighth Prince laughed and said, "Of course." As long as we bump into each other again next time.
Nan Yi left, and he pulled his ninth brother aside to whisper, "Where is he?"
Jiu'a said softly, "Let's go."
Upon hearing this, the Eighth Prince's expression changed instantly. He frowned and scolded the Ninth Prince, "She was alone, why didn't you escort her?"
Walking home alone at night, especially late at night, is extremely dangerous for a woman. This ignorant ninth brother was so angry he died.
A woman as beautiful as Nan Yi would be tempted by even ordinary men, let alone lecherous thieves or street thugs.
"She ran too fast, she disappeared in the blink of an eye, I couldn't catch up, and she didn't want us to know her background," the Ninth Prince said with rare remorse, he was now regretting it and his heart was in his throat.
"Foolish boy," the Eighth Prince scolded in a low voice. Seeing the Ninth Brother's annoyed expression, he realized that what was done was done and there was no point in pursuing it further. He took a deep breath and returned to his brothers as if nothing had happened.
Thirteen glanced at his fourth brother, raised an eyebrow to signal to him, it seemed that Eighth Brother cared quite a bit about that woman. Yinzhen looked back at him and said, "What do you think?" The two exchanged a few coded messages.
After a brief chat, the group decided not to dwell on the woman any longer and began discussing court affairs.
The Tenth Prince started shouting, "It's not enough to stay at home, we have to go out and have fun!" He added, "Fourth Brother, it's rare for brothers to get together, let's find a place to drink."
Hearing him say that, everyone chuckled. The atmosphere was unusually good, so they agreed to go for a drink and parted ways around midnight.
The next day, as soon as the court assembly ended, the Eighth Prince left the palace with a slightly anxious expression, followed closely by the Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince.
Yinzhen stayed behind to discuss the imperial tour with the Crown Prince, ignoring the anxious look on the Eighth Prince's face, which showed confusion, but kept quiet about it.
The Crown Prince stood with Yinzhen. Seeing him glance to the side, he followed his gaze and saw the backs of his eighth brother and the others hurrying away. He asked, "What happened to the eighth brother and the others?"
Yinzhen composed himself and said, "Your Majesty, I do not know." He was also curious, as his eighth brother's residence was close to his own, and he would have to inquire about it carefully when he returned.
"Eighth Brother, wait a minute," the Ninth and Tenth Princes called out, panting as they caught up.
The Eighth Prince slowed his pace and waited for his younger brothers to catch up. He instructed them, "Ninth Brother, Tenth Brother, you should go back and pay your respects to your mothers first. After you have paid your respects, go to the Huike Residence and see if Nan Yi has sent any messages. I will meet up with you after I have paid my respects to Consort Hui and Mother." After saying this, he left without looking back.
The two looked at each other, not caring about the myna's lapse in behavior, and went about their own business.
The Eighth Prince emerged from Zhongcui Palace, rubbing his temples. He pondered his mother's numerous hints. His elder brother had become increasingly unreasonable lately. Seeing him so close to his ninth and tenth brothers, putting on a show of brotherly affection in public while secretly guarding against him at every turn, truly chilled him to the bone. He had his own ambitions, and if it weren't for his mother's nurturing grace, he...
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