In the main courtyard of the Fourth Prince's residence, Yinzhen and Lady Nara sat in the main seats. Lady Nara held her son and gently coaxed him, while keeping an eye on Xiao Shunzi who was responding.
Yinzhen lowered his eyes, his expression unchanged, and asked in a calm tone, "So, Lady Tong didn't reply?"
Xiao Shunzi, with a bitter face, pressed his head to the ground and whispered, "Reporting to Master, Master Tong's period of reflection is not over yet, so she dares not return to the manor."
Yinzhen curled his lips into a smile, a dark glint in his eyes. Playing coy with him, not bad, quite bold. Ignoring the disappointment in his heart, he stared silently. This shouldn't be his emotion. If she doesn't want to reply, then so be it. Woman, hmph.
"Master, why don't I go and invite her? She's probably holding a grudge against me." Nala spoke up at the right moment. If she didn't return to the manor, would Tong Shi come back? She would let her know that if she didn't return, she would never come back.
Yinzhen glanced at her, "What is your status? The principal wife should be the one to invite you. You're just a concubine." He must be out of his mind to ask the principal wife to invite a concubine back to the mansion.
"I'm going to the study. I'll stay there tonight too," he said, and then stepped out the door. But no one came back, and he suddenly felt a loss of interest.
Nara watched the straight figure walk away, hugged Honghui tightly, and chuckled softly, her eyes filled with mockery and disdain. Tong Shi, she was just a concubine.
Yinzhen walked slowly into the study. It was early summer, and his father was preparing to embark on an inspection tour. The entourage had been decided, and he was among them. He would be away from the capital for at least two months. Perhaps things would become less intense then.
He called out to the little eunuch outside the door, "Xiao Shunzi."
"Your servant is here."
“Repeat what she said.”
"Ah?" Xiao Shunzi pressed his chest, feeling like crying at the thought of the money he had bitten off.
"Speak, I don't care," she said, what else could she possibly say that he couldn't bear to hear?
Xiao Shunzi said nervously, "The concubine said that the master told her to reflect on her actions, but she hadn't reflected enough, and the time was too short, therefore..."
"Alright." He used his words to shut her up, and then he'd see what she would do.
"Take it out." Yinzhen glanced at Xiao Shunzi, who had been touching his chest since he entered the room. Did he think he was blind?
Shunzi was stunned and asked in confusion, "Master, what are you taking?" What does Master mean? It can't be what he's thinking, can it?
Yinzhen frowned. "Say it again, um—"
The words, as cold as frost, struck Xiao Shunzi's slightly hunched back. With a "thud," he knelt heavily on the ground, his face as bitter as gall. His hand trembled as he pulled out the silver note he had tucked into his chest. How did the master know? He hadn't even warmed it yet.
Seeing his master accept the silver note, Xiao Shunzi cried and kowtowed, begging for forgiveness, "This servant didn't want to accept it, but Qingyun forced it on me. This servant deserves to die. I won't do it again. Please spare my life, Master."
Yinzhen accepted the money, surprised. One hundred taels—that was quite generous. He composed himself and asked, "How much is your monthly allowance?"
Xiao Shunzi was taken aback. When his master asked him about his monthly allowance, he didn't punish him for accepting bribes, but instead said, "Five taels."
That's normal. He then instructed him, "From now on, if she gives you anything, you should accept it." At this rate, she'll probably lose all her dowry in a few years.
Xiao Shunzi's face twitched after hearing this. He couldn't get what he wanted, what a loss.
"Bang!" A small gold ingot landed in front of him.
"Huh?"
Xiao Shunzi peeked at his master; this was a reward for him.
"I would never let a servant like you suffer a loss." As if knowing what Xiao Shunzi was thinking, Yinzhen said generously.
Now, Xiao Shunzi's heart clenched even more. His master's skin was really thick; he didn't even blush when he spoke. He carefully picked up the silver; five taels. Well, even a mosquito's worth of silver is still meat.
Overwhelmed with gratitude, Yinzhen kowtowed to express his thanks. Then, he took out a plaque and said, "Take this to Lady Tong."
Xiao Shunzi took a look and immediately understood the token for entering and exiting the city gate.
In front of the Fourth Prince's residence, several carriages were parked. The coachmen stood in front of the carriages with their eyes closed, while the guards around them were in high spirits, keeping a close eye on any unusual movements.
Seeing that the concubine was so sleepy that she could barely keep her eyes open, Qingyun advised, "Your Highness, please take a nap. I will wake you when it is time."
"How's it outside?" Nan Yi asked in a low, hoarse voice.
"Money works well, and it's very safe outside," Qingyun said with a happy smile. Her master was worried that the guards might be unhappy if they went out in the middle of the night, so yesterday, he gave her and Yiren's guards who were going to travel a generous reward for their hard work.
"Who's worried about that?" Nan Yi muttered. Getting into the city today had been quite an ordeal. She was stopped and questioned twice after entering the city. She remembered that there was usually a curfew in ancient times. It was fortunate that Fourth Uncle had thought of everything and gave her a token.
What are you worried about?
"Someone will arrest us later."
"No, the adults have started their court sessions now."
Being a civil servant in ancient times must have been an incredibly difficult job.
"What time is it?"
"Mao Shi (5-7 AM)".
It was only a little past five o'clock; Uncle Si should have finished plowing by now.
This street was inhabited by princes and nobles. When the carriage guards passed by, they all showed curiosity. When the Eighth Prince stepped into the sedan chair, he glanced at them. His personal eunuch, Xiao Li, cleverly explained, "I heard that the master in the palace summoned Consort Tong from the Fourth Prince's residence."
"Oh—why aren't you with Fourth Brother?" The caravan seemed to have been waiting in front of the mansion for quite some time; even the coachman was asleep, and Fourth Brother and his entourage were nowhere to be seen.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, Consort Tong moved to a villa in the outskirts of the capital last month to recuperate," Xiao Lizi explained.
The villa was also in the outskirts of the capital. A strange light flashed through his mind, but he couldn't quite grasp it. Nan Yi lived in the outskirts of the capital. Thinking of her, the Eighth Prince smiled and waved to get into his sedan chair.
Qingyun slightly lifted the curtain, and a sedan chair hurriedly approached. Nan squinted at it and casually asked, "Why are you in such a rush to get to court? Whose sedan chair is this? They're so dedicated."
I didn't expect Qingyun to answer, but she said, "Judging from the direction he came from, it should be the Eighth Prince."
What? Eighth Prince? Her drowsiness vanished instantly. She yanked the curtain down, thinking to herself, "That was close! That scared me to death!" She didn't want to confront them for the time being, as if if they met again, they would become strangers.
She didn't know much about the Fourth Master, but the novels mentioned that he had a very bad relationship with the Eighth Master's faction, which lasted until his death. Regardless of whether it was true or not, she would probably believe it for now.
The Eighth Prince, sensing something, gently lifted the curtain. The carriage curtain hung still, and the guards stepped aside. It had all been an illusion.
The servants in the Fourth Prince's residence were already busy early in the morning. After finishing his official duties, Yinzhen got up to stretch his stiff limbs and went into the washroom to wash up. Xiao Shunzi saw this and quickly tidied up the table.
After Yinzhen changed into his court robes, he slowly walked out of the study. The sky outside was just beginning to brighten, and he hurried out of the mansion gate.
He woke up around 4 a.m., unable to sleep soundly. He put on his clothes and got up to handle official business. Knowing that she had arrived early, he wanted to give her some space, even arriving a little later than usual. Since she was willing to wait, he would let her wait as long as she wanted.
As for Xiao Shunzi behind him, seeing his master walking faster and faster, he lowered his head and chuckled. He clearly remembered him very much, but deliberately lingered in the study. Last night, his master probably didn't even get a good night's sleep and tossed and turned all night.
As Yinzhen stepped out of the gate, he immediately spotted the carriage in front of the mansion. His entourage greeted him and bowed. He paused slightly and slowly walked to the carriage. It had been half a month since he last saw it.
It felt like half a year had passed.
Nan Yi was shaken awake by Qingyun. "Master, the master is out."
"Oh," she responded casually, squinting as she sat up. So what if they came? What's so strange about them disturbing her sleep?
Qingyun straightened her robes and was about to go out to greet her when the carriage curtain was lifted, revealing Yinzhen in his court robes standing in front of the carriage.
"This servant greets Your Majesty, may you be blessed," Qingyun was so surprised that she was about to kneel down to pay her respects, but Yinzhen waved her off.
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