Plum Garden
Nara sat at the table, flipping through the account books in her hands, looking at the newly added entries. The storeroom had sent another batch of goods to the villa today, making it the third delivery in two months, not counting the monthly quota.
Even after going to the other courtyard, Madam Tong was restless. The thought of her master visiting her again and staying overnight made her grit her teeth.
That time, Li only suffered a miscarriage. Demoting Tong to another courtyard was already against the master's wishes, but it was unexpected that it could attract people to that courtyard.
"Granny, are the things prepared?" Nara looked at Liu with a gloomy and terrifying expression, which made Liu feel frightened.
Liu Mama lowered her eyes and replied, "It's ready. Is this alright, Madam? She's just a concubine. It would be beneath Madam to argue with her."
Nara waved her hand, having already made her decision, and said resentfully, "No need to consider it. I will keep him occupied for the next few days. Make the arrangements immediately and hand them over to Linglong to handle. You know, accidents happen unexpectedly."
Since she's restless, let her regret it for the rest of her life. And that Li woman, hmph, she won't be arrogant for long either. Apart from the two of them, no one else is worth worrying about.
Lady Liu took a deep breath. It seemed she wouldn't listen. Little did she know that if one was eliminated, another would follow. Getting rid of a prince's concubine might lead to disastrous consequences if even the slightest clue was revealed...
Thinking of this, Liu couldn't help but shudder. She was just a servant, nothing more than a life at most, but the Fujin (Prince Consort) would fall out of favor with the master. Without the master's favor in the inner courtyard, life would be worse than being a widow.
The princess consort wouldn't listen, so she had no choice but to comply.
"Hmm, go down," Nara sat there blankly, smiling softly, as if she could see the woman's miserable state.
The day after Yinzhen left, Nan Yi's foot injury had not yet healed, so he had to stay in bed to recover.
After lunch, seeing that the sun was shining brightly, he had Yiren take her in a sedan chair to the small pond to admire the lotus flowers. The maids placed reclining chairs on the bank, and Nan Yi comfortably lay down, immersing herself in the beautiful scenery before her. The small pond was actually quite large, covering an area of about ten acres. In the distance, the blue sky was clear and the tender lotus flowers in the pond were fully unfurled and swaying in the wind.
"It's beautiful. I wish it could stay the same all year round." It looks good now, but she doesn't like it in winter when the branches are bare and the lotus leaves are withered by the rain. However, at least there are lotus roots to eat.
"My lady, beauty can't fill an empty stomach," she said, wanting to eat lotus root.
"Can't you be a little more poetic and artistic, girl?"
"I am not a master, so I have no need for poetry and painting," she said, not wanting to whine for no reason.
"Pfft—" What a spineless girl.
After gazing at the lotus flowers for a while, Nan suddenly realized that she would probably have to move back to the mansion. The Fourth Master had grabbed her during court that day and lectured her earnestly. She pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement.
"Yiren, who are the people I need to use in the manor?" I need to find out the situation first, otherwise, I'll be completely clueless when I get back to the manor.
Yiren opened her eyes wide and asked, "Master, are we going back to the manor?"
"Yes, I'll go back as soon as I can walk." Her poor feet meant that they were supposed to go back that day, but because she insisted on staying at the villa for a while longer, the Fourth Master didn't force her.
Her escape attempt made no progress, while the Fourth Master was pressuring her relentlessly, making her return to the manor inevitable.
It seems she'll need to spend some time in the Fourth Master's backyard.
Nan Yi was very worried about going back like this. She didn't know anything about the situation. Regardless of whether she and Fourth Master would go their separate ways in the future, she was never one to suffer a loss.
If someone treats her with respect, she will repay them tenfold; if someone mistreats her even slightly, she will retaliate fivefold.
She didn't want to just stand by and watch her wife bully her.
Yi Ren was overjoyed, finally about to leave the desolate courtyard. She explained to Nan Yi in detail, "Master, I was originally a second-class maid. Qingyun and Qingfeng were assigned by the Imperial Household Department and were third-class maids. You came to the courtyard as a second-class maid. Your original two first-class maids were sent back to their hometown by the Fujin, and your former second-class maids were promoted to first-class maids to guard the courtyard."
Sending her away to rebel, that's ruthless enough. Usually, first-class maids are the masters' spokespeople, and to remove both of her arms at once... Nan Yi frowned upon hearing this. She was left with only a lover. Thinking of this, she smiled silently. The name was quite good, it certainly made people's imaginations run wild.
Seeing her mistress's expression change several times, Yiren seemed to know her worries. It was really difficult to manage without a trustworthy and useful person in the backyard, so she comforted her, "Don't worry, mistress, you still have me." She then whispered a few words in Nan Yi's ear, which made Nan Yi raise his eyebrows.
Oh, there's a third-generation palace intrigue character hidden here. Her grandmother, who served the Empress Dowager, was a goddess-level figure. Judging from Yiren's smug demeanor, her grandmother must be quite extraordinary.
"Then how did you end up...?" How did you end up by her side, and in such a miserable state?
Yiren sighed, “My grandmother left the palace to marry when she reached a certain age. She was quite good at first, but unfortunately my father was useless. After I entered the Imperial Household Department, I offended someone unintentionally and was assigned to my master’s side by some twist of fate.” As she spoke, her expression became more animated, “I was lucky to be assigned a good master.”
Actually, Grandmother is right. It's better to find a kind-hearted master than a wealthy one. A concubine would be just as good.
"Yiren, I've been good to you, haven't I?" Nan Yi probed. Her grandmother was definitely a treasure, so why not bring her over as an advisor? She was idle anyway.
Yi Ren smiled and said, "Master, I can handle things in the backyard. But Grandmother's health isn't good, so I'm afraid..." Her original words were that Grandmother didn't want to get involved in the disputes of the younger generation. People who have been in the palace for a long time all want to live freely outside, even if it's just simple food every day.
"Ah," Nan Yi's disappointment was palpable.
Unable to bear seeing her mistress disappointed, Yiren said, "Actually, your mistress's governess is quite good. My grandmother is familiar with her, but they have different jobs. She is a palace maid sent out from the palace and is also younger."
"Really..." Nan Yi exclaimed in surprise. There was such a thing.
"It's true, my lady has lost her memory, perhaps she's forgotten," she said. "That's no simple person either. I heard from Yiren that we could invite her, but there's one problem: if she's an old aunt in her boudoir, she'll be very familiar with her temperament. Now that things have changed so drastically, how will she explain herself after seeing through it? Oh well, I can't worry about that now, let's invite her first."
"Your Majesty would be best to ask the Master for a favor, saying that you are weak and need someone to come into the manor to help you recuperate."
There are set rules for the people around a concubine. She can only bring two people as part of her dowry, and others can be added after entering the mansion. The mistress has probably forgotten this rule, so she has to remind her.
It's too complicated. Even getting someone in requires asking for favors. The backyard is indeed not a good place to live. Nan Yi rubbed his temples and instructed Yiren, "Gather everyone after dinner. I have something to announce." We need to select the people to enter the mansion.
At the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), everyone sat around Nan Yi. Nan Yi glanced at everyone, coughed lightly, and formally announced, "We will be returning to the manor soon. Let me first give you all some background information. Also, I would like to assign everyone your duties and tasks."
Yiren and the others already knew about returning to the manor, and their expressions were normal. Qingyun, however, seemed a little strange. Perhaps because life in the villa was leisurely and comfortable, she didn't really want to return to the manor. But since her mistress was returning, she still wanted to go with her. After spending so much time together, she felt like she had no backbone without her.
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