Inside Yonghe Palace, Yinzhen sat calmly, his face expressionless, but his heart was in turmoil, a surge of restless anger rising in his chest. Without someone to guide him into the palace, getting lost was inevitable.
He hadn't expected the master and servant to be so foolish.
Were those guards and eunuchs just for show? Anyone could easily lead them to Yonghe Palace to pay their respects on time.
Her mother left Tongshi waiting for half a day; the sun was blazing outside, how could she stand it?
She stubbornly refused to listen to him and argued with him, so she only suffered because of her own actions. Hopefully, she can learn her lesson this time.
"It's terrible, Your Majesty... The Emperor is here!" A woman rushed in through the door, her voice trembling as she reported.
Just as Yinzhen was about to leave, a servant interrupted him. He unleashed his pent-up anger on her and said coldly, "How dare you! Where are your manners? What's wrong with Father Emperor coming?"
He was secretly delighted; his father's arrival was perfectly timed.
Consort De rose with delight, "Where are we? Come with me to greet the Emperor." Suddenly, she thought of Lady Tong in front of the palace gate, her eyes still filled with lingering anger.
She said to Yinzhen, "Fourth Prince, go and bring your wife in," not caring about punishing her anymore; she had enough to suffer for so long.
The maidservant cried, "Your Majesty, the Emperor came and went, and Consort Tong has already been sent out of the palace by Eunuch Li." After saying this in one breath, she collapsed to the ground.
Consort De's face, which had been full of joy, turned pale instantly. Was she gone? She swayed slightly. Fourteenth Prince stepped forward to support Consort De and comforted her, "Mother, don't worry. Let's find out the truth first."
When Yinzhen heard that Lady Tong had left the palace, he had a bad feeling, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it, and he was momentarily stunned.
"...After the Emperor arrived, he saw Consort Tong and asked her what had happened. Consort Tong said she had gotten lost. Her maid said that Consort Tong had entered the palace at dawn, but Eunuch Li told the Emperor that it was already noon. After hearing this, the Emperor ordered Eunuch Li to send someone to escort Consort Tong back."
The maid glanced cautiously at the Fourth Prince, then continued, "Consort Tong doesn't look well; her face is quite frightening."
The thirteenth prince glanced at his fourth brother, and seeing that he looked normal, he stepped forward to comfort Consort De.
When Yinzhen heard that Lady Tong was not well, his heart clenched. He stood up and said, "Mother, your son..."
Consort De waved to him, indicating that she understood and told him to go back first. Yinzhen turned around and walked in a hurry.
"Mother, I will also take my leave and come to pay my respects again tomorrow," Thirteen said, worried about his fourth brother, and followed him after him.
Consort De smiled bitterly. What a blunder! She had intended to curb Consort Tong's arrogance, but instead, she had shot herself in the foot, incurring her son's resentment. The Emperor had embarrassed her, and tomorrow… the palace gossip was like a double-edged sword, enough to make her suffer.
She usually recites Buddhist scriptures diligently, but this seems like a slap in the face to her, and she will have to keep a low profile for some time to come.
Seeing his mother distressed, Fourteenth Prince stayed with her, forgetting all about going out of the palace to play.
"Mother, it's alright. Your son will put in a good word for you with Father Emperor. In a few days, Father Emperor will calm down."
Consort De frowned as she looked at the Fourteenth Prince. Yes, she had two good sons, but the Emperor probably wouldn't come to Yonghe Palace for a short time.
Yinzhen hurriedly left the palace, and when he arrived at his residence, he asked the guards at the gate, "Has Consort Tong returned home?"
The guard replied, "The concubine has not returned to the mansion."
That means they went back to the villa. They were already disobedient, and after this incident, they'll be even less obedient. Thirteen came over and overheard their conversation. He said to his fourth brother, "Fourth brother, if you're worried, go to the villa and take a look. It's still early, I'll accompany you."
Yinzhen shook his head. He figured Madam Tong was probably still angry, and going there would only make things worse. He would find a more suitable time later. "Xiao Shunzi, go and get some more of the best medicine and send it to the other courtyard... Never mind, I'll go myself."
Xiao Shunzi stood there, stunned. The master personally fetched the medicine. Thirteen was also taken aback. He lightly tapped Xiao Shunzi's head and said, "Aren't you coming with me?"
In Jingren Palace, Consort Tong reclined on the couch, gently fanning herself with a round fan. Listening to her head maid, Lijuan's, report, she covered her mouth and chuckled, "She actually tripped up herself." She was always trying to fight with her, but she was too lazy to pay attention to her. Her cousin had seen it all.
After a while, she couldn't help but mock again, "She's always putting on an act in front of the Emperor and Empress Dowager, pretending to be compassionate and kind-hearted. She spends her time in the palace reciting the Heart Sutra and copying Buddhist scriptures, but the more she recites, the harder her heart becomes. She even torments her own wife to death. Humph, let's see how she manages to struggle now."
"Your Majesty, please be quiet." These words should remain in your heart and not be spoken aloud.
Consort Tong patted her head, "I know, it's just an occasional complaint."
Lijuan smiled shyly and said, "This servant has overstepped her bounds, but walls have ears." There are eyes everywhere in the palace, and it would be bad if these words got out.
Consort Tong chuckled and said, "I know, you little steward."
"Girl, go to the storeroom and pick out some of the best medicinal herbs. You can handle the rest. Have someone deliver them to Consort Tong and tell her that the villa is not a place to stay for long and that she should return to the manor as soon as possible."
This girl's gone mad. She didn't seize such a good opportunity and instead caused a scene by going back to the other courtyard.
“Yes, ma’am,” Lijuan said, and went to prepare.
When Nan Yi returned to the villa, it was already late afternoon, and the master and servant carried him into the house.
The incident caused Yiren to cry a lot of heartache. She was relieved when she learned that she was just hungry. After resting for a while, she took a bath, prepared a meal, and spent half the night making a fuss.
Clutching her full stomach, Nan Yi lay on the low couch. Yi Ren had prepared some fragrant herbs and placed them on the low table. She then knelt in front of the couch and gently massaged Nan Yi's legs and feet with the ointment she had prepared. "Master, your feet have turned into pig's trotters."
Nan choked a little. Luckily, she hadn't drunk any tea, or she would have definitely spat it out. She turned to look at it, then looked away in disgust. Her toes were swollen, and the soles of her feet were covered in blisters and bruises, looking even worse than pig's trotters.
"Girl, what should we do about the blisters? They look awful."
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