Meanwhile, once Nan Yi arrived on the vast grasslands, he rode his horse freely, enjoying the most authentic, tender, and succulent roasted mutton, roasted lamb leg, and roasted lamb chops, and was so happy that he forgot all about home.
The fourth prince, who was accompanying the emperor, never relaxed for a moment after receiving the message from the palace's secret guards.
Consort Nian and Lady Li Jia, who were accompanying the emperor, were still gloating the day before. That evening, they dressed up in new clothes, waiting for the emperor's summons.
Let's go back to two weeks ago.
Grandfather Kang led a large entourage to the summer palace. As usual, Yinzhen paid his respects to Grandfather Kang and then returned to his temporary residence.
Su Peisheng waited anxiously at the door. Upon seeing his master, he quickly went to greet him, "Master, you're finally back."
"What's the matter that you're in such a panic?"
Just as Su Peisheng was about to report, he was interrupted by the greetings from Consort Nian and Princess Xiao Li, and he immediately stopped talking.
"This humble servant greets Your Highness..."
"This humble servant greets Your Highness..."
Yinzhen waved his hand, signaling them to get up.
Consort Nian and Princess Xiao Li dressed up elaborately, and the two of them did indeed catch Yinzhen's eye.
He hadn't forgotten the important matter, and said, "You two go inside and wait."
Lady Nian and Lady Li Jia understood that their master had important matters to discuss, so after performing their formalities, they quietly went inside to wait.
"Speak, what is it?" He was exhausted from the journey and all he wanted now was a good night's sleep.
Su Peisheng glanced around and handed the note to his master. "The letter from the manor arrived less than an hour ago. Two of the guards died on the way here before it reached me."
Yinzhen nodded and opened it to take a look, then shouted angrily, "Nonsense! Where is he? Summon him immediately. I have questions to ask him."
Su Peisheng shrank back, forgetting to ask for a greeting, and turned to run away in a hurry. He was secretly thinking that he hoped it wouldn't be the one from Wanyue Pavilion. This master's ability to cause trouble was unmatched by any woman in the princes' and nobles' mansions.
The master never had a moment's peace once he met her, and of course, the servants who attended to the two masters also couldn't have a moment's peace.
Yinzhen was furious, wishing he could keep her by his side at all times. He had only been away for a short time, and Tong had already caused such a scene.
She left a note saying she missed him and wanted to come find him, but he had no idea whether she would really come to find him after she slipped out of the manor.
Without that slap, without Nian Feixu, he would still have some confidence. But after so many things that have happened, he really has no confidence.
Yi'er, you will come, won't you? Don't disappoint me, otherwise, I will find you even if I have to dig three feet into the ground.
The guard's words brought him no comfort whatsoever. On the contrary, Yinzhen sat in the temporary study for a long time without saying a word.
Tong disappeared five days ago, which means that she also slipped out of the mansion nearly eleven days after he left.
The secret gate was guarding outside her courtyard. How did she manage to avoid the guards' sight, and how did she manage to leave the capital under cover of night after curfew?
Yi'er, oh Yi'er, how many more skills do you have that I don't know about?
In the study, Yinzhen sat upright behind his desk, his face as black as ink, his eyes filled with a storm.
Su Peisheng huddled in a corner of the room. If he could, he would prefer to hide so that his master wouldn't see him.
After an unknown amount of time, Yinzhen moved. He reached for a brush, and Su Peisheng immediately ran over to help him grind the ink.
Yinzhen wrote two letters, one to his primary wife and the other to Qiu Ma, the head nanny of Wanyue Pavilion.
"Immediately send someone back to the manor; there must be no delay on the way."
"twitter"
Just after Su Peisheng left, Quanfu came in to deliver a message: Consort Nian and Princess Xiao Li were still waiting in the room; should they stay to serve him for the night?
"I'm tired, take the two of them back."
Yinzhen's heart and soul are now completely occupied by Tongshi. When she says she misses him, it makes his heart ache. But when she leaves the mansion without permission to come see him, he is secretly delighted, but his heart is also filled with anxiety.
I was afraid she would suffer on the road, afraid she would be bullied if she traveled alone, afraid she would get lost, afraid she would run away.
Just now, he ordered his secret guards to send a message to block the news and not to reveal that Tong had left the mansion without permission. He also instructed them to send a message to his primary consort, Nara, that Wanyue Pavilion should be temporarily closed and all the people in Wanyue Pavilion should reflect on their mistakes behind closed doors. No one is allowed to leave Wanyue Pavilion. Daily necessities should be handled by a special person.
A willful woman always acts impulsively and without thinking, without considering the consequences. If even a whisper of this matter gets out, she might not be able to keep her position as a concubine.
On the surface, Wanyue Pavilion looks no different from any other day.
In reality, Qingfeng was guarding the door, while his lover Qingyun, Yiren, and Qiu's mother sat trembling in Nan Yi's bedroom, as if facing a formidable enemy.
The mistress was an impatient person. She stared straight at Qiu Ma and urged, "Granny, please give me some advice. The mistress has already planned this all along. She has given us servants money and even prepared the retirement money for the nanny. She has been planning to leave for a long time. I don't believe that the mistress is going to go find the master."
"Yes, ever since Qiaoqiao was seriously injured, and the mistress begged the prince to save Constable Xiao, the prince only had eyes for the mistress. At that time, I sensed that the mistress's heart was broken. After returning from the villa, although she still argued with the prince, she was happy then, and her face was often smiling. Later, although she smiled, her eyes were like still water, without a trace of life. Alas!"
Yiren sighed, glanced at the group, and said, "Asking Qiu Ma about this is pointless. Let's wait for the Prince's letter."
The usually composed Qingyun looked worried. "But we can't just wait around. What if the masters from the other courtyards come looking for trouble, and our master isn't here?"
Yiren scoffed, "The reason is already ready. Our master has just been demoted, and there's also the decree from Consort De. Our master is going to reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors. Who would come here to make a fool of themselves?"
After she finished speaking, she stood up, patted her sleeves, put her hands behind her back, and sighed to the sky. "It's strange, really. My master ran away, but I always felt that she would come back soon. Our Prince treats her like a precious gem, afraid that she might fall or melt. He truly regards her as the apple of his eye. Only my master herself is unaware of this. As servants, we are responsible for not taking good care of her, but because the Prince loves her so much, he will soon take a hard line against us. Of course, a beating is inevitable."
"A beating? It's not like we haven't been beaten before. Compared to losing our heads, it's nothing. The master has even prepared the money, so a little pain won't hurt." The lover also stood up and said with a smile.
Hearing what Yiren said, she suddenly lost all her worries and turned to Qiu Ma with a smile, saying, "Granny, why don't you have time to talk to those women and see if you can slip them some money so they can beat you lightly, just to make it look like a beating?"
Aunt Qiu smiled wryly. Like master, like servant. These maids are really too big for their britches, following the concubine to the very end.
Her mistress was willful and had already run away; thinking about it further wouldn't change anything. She wasn't as open-minded as Yiren, but ever since she followed Consort Tong, her future had been entirely on her shoulders. Whether it was a blessing or a curse, she would just have to accept it.
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