"From now on, Qingyun and her lover will be first-class maids, and Yiren and Qingfeng will be second-class maids," she said, pausing to look at Huan'er and her mother. "Granny Zhao, I would like to ask you to come to the mansion to manage my kitchen. I wonder if you would agree?"
Granny Zhao was startled, as if struck by a sweet treat. She readily agreed to such a good thing, but glancing at her daughter out of the corner of her eye, she was reluctant to part with her. Nan Yi saw her gaze fall on her daughter and smiled, "I'm taking Huan'er with me. I'll have her run errands for me."
Upon hearing this, Granny Zhao immediately knelt on the ground to express her gratitude.
After everyone left, Nan Yi kept Yi Ren behind and instructed her, "I'll grant you leave tomorrow. Go and choose a gift yourself, then go see my mother and tell her that I want to ask the nanny to help me with my health. As for the master, I'll tell him. After you've found the right person, bring her back to the manor directly. Don't say anything more, so as not to worry them."
She had never met any of her family members in this life, and Nan thought to herself that she truly lacked kinship ties.
Because of the matter of returning to the manor, Nan Yi put his mind at ease and left Qingyun, Yiren, and Huan'er to talk at night. Perhaps it was because it was the last few days at the villa, Qingyun did not try to dissuade him. The group chatted happily, then sat together on the bed, wrapped in blankets, eating melon seeds and peanuts, forgetting all about the distinction between master and servant.
On the west side of the main courtyard of the Fourth Prince's mansion, back to the morning, Lady Nara lay on the couch with a pale and haggard face. Through the screen, she heard the steward's reply and learned that Lady Tong was going back to the mansion.
When Madam Tong returned to the mansion, the celadon bowl that Nara was holding instantly fell to the ground with a light, crisp sound, splashing medicine all over the floor. Her mind went blank; it was all too fast, Madam Tong had caught her completely off guard. It wasn't until Madam Liu gently called her that she was brought back to her senses.
"Granny, will it succeed?" She was a little anxious, hoping it wouldn't be too late.
After lowering her eyes in thought, Liu nodded slightly, perhaps indicating that success was possible.
"Granny, go and tell Eunuch Gao that I am quite ill. Tell him to wait outside the palace and that the master must return home after court." Whether this matter can be accomplished depends on the master.
At three quarters past noon, Yinzhen walked out of the palace gate and saw his steward waiting in front of the palace gate with a look of anxiety on his face, which surprised him.
"This servant greets Your Highness, may Your Highness be well."
"Get up, what is it?"
The eunuch urgently reported, "Your Highness, the Princess Consort is unwell. Please return to the manor as soon as possible."
After hearing this, Yinzhen asked, "When did it start? Why didn't anyone reply this morning?" He wondered why he hadn't heard from the servants when he left.
The eunuch said, "She got up in the middle of the night. It might not be serious. Today, the master went directly to court from Fangfei Courtyard. The princess got up late, and the maids noticed something was wrong. That's when they learned that the princess was ill. Eunuch Gao has already invited the imperial physician, so I came to report."
"What did the imperial physician say?" Yinzhen asked as he hurried straight into the mansion.
The eunuch said, "When I left the mansion, the imperial physician had not yet given his diagnosis, so I was unaware of it."
Upon hearing the eunuch's words, he knew he wouldn't get any information out of him, so he urged the sedan chair bearers to hurry on.
When Yinzhen returned to the mansion, Lady Nara had already taken her medicine and fallen asleep. He summoned the imperial physician to inquire about the details and learned that she had caught a cold. He gave the physician detailed instructions for a long time. Seeing that his wife was still asleep, he couldn't help but stay with her in the inner room.
At the hour of Shenshiwei, Nara woke up, looked up and saw the figure beside her bed. Her heart was filled with happiness. They were finally husband and wife, the person closest to her.
With her husband by her side, Lady Nara was in a very good mood, and her face softened.
Hearing the movement on the bed, Yinzhen raised his hand to check her forehead temperature, then reached out to touch his own. He felt much better and said gently, "Why didn't you tell me you were sick? Luckily, it was discovered early."
Lady Nara smiled weakly, "I was negligent. I was only feeling a little unwell at first, but it got worse later. I'm sorry for your concern, Your Highness. It was my fault."
Yinzhen's expression softened, "Be more careful next time. You still need to manage the backyard, so take good care of yourself."
I'll take care of everything in the backyard so he won't be distracted. Then I thought that Tong Shi would be returning to the mansion soon, so I could have her help the Fujin with some things, so as not to tire the Fujin out.
Thinking it over, she blurted it out. Nara was startled. To ask Tong to manage the household and divide her power? That was unacceptable. She lowered her eyes, pulled at her face, and refused with a forced smile, "No need. It is my honor to manage the inner quarters for you, Master. How could I trouble you, Sister Tong? You are too kind, Master."
When Yinzhen heard her refusal, he pursed his lips and didn't mention it again.
"Thump, thump thump..."
"Enter," Yinzhen said in a deep voice.
Lingyu lifted the curtain and entered, greeting the two masters. "Master, Madam, the Thirteenth Prince has come to visit and is waiting outside the door."
Upon hearing this, Yinzhen waved for her to leave, saying, "Princess Consort, please take good care of yourself. I'll go and see you."
Thirteen stood outside the door with his hands clasped. Seeing his fourth brother come out, he frowned and asked, "I heard when I came into the manor that your fourth sister-in-law was not feeling well. Is she feeling any better now?"
At this juncture, what he said might upset his fourth sister-in-law, but he had no choice but to say it.
Yinzhen walked over and nodded, "Much better. Is something wrong so late?"
Thirteen gestured to the surroundings, and Yinzhen waved his hand. After the eunuchs withdrew, Thirteen said, "Fourth Brother, I just heard some news that makes me uneasy. I think it would be best to remind you. The Shuntian Prefecture raided a den of thieves outside the city the other day."
He suddenly turned his voice low and mysteriously said, "I heard that women have been going missing recently. This time, the Shuntian Prefecture mobilized its forces and unexpectedly rescued seven or eight innocent women who had been abducted."
Yinzhen was surprised and said in a deep voice, "Has the court not heard about this? Such a thing happened right under the emperor's nose, and no one has reported it to the emperor."
"They said they didn't report it because the main culprit hadn't been caught."
"That's all?"
"Fourth Brother, you didn't pay attention to the important point," he said. Why would he have come all this way just to say that?
Yinzhen, “?”
"Sister-in-law Tong," Thirteen reminded him, making him say it aloud.
Yinzhen's face turned ashen in an instant, and frost formed between his brows. Thirteen subconsciously touched his arm and shrank back slightly. It was so cold. Luckily, it wasn't winter.
The main culprit hasn't been caught... The main culprit—Yinzhen kept thinking about those two words, and instantly made a decision, "Thirteenth, get ready, we'll go to the other courtyard together."
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