As night fell, no one moved about in the courtyard. The master of Wanyue Pavilion was not happy, and the servants below him were also frowning.
Nan Yi remained unchanged. The three maids exchanged bitter smiles. Their mistress wouldn't listen to their advice and recently she would go back to bed every night. If they tried to drag her up, she would crawl back to bed. If she made any further moves, she would ignore them.
One day, Yiren wanted to go over and check if her master was asleep when suddenly, Nan, who was lying quietly on the bed, twitched his ear.
Her eyes darted around, and she immediately sat up, tilting her head as if listening intently.
The three maids, bewildered, were startled. Yiren swallowed hard and called out softly, "Master?"
Nan put a finger to her lips and gently shushed him, mouthing the words "shush." After saying "shush," she listened carefully again.
Less than fifteen minutes later, a series of rustling footsteps echoed around the courtyard. She chuckled softly and lay down comfortably.
The three maids seemed to have heard the commotion as well. Their previous gloomy expressions vanished, replaced by undisguised joy. Qingyun approached the bed and said mysteriously, "Master, if you want to go out, I'll keep watch for you."
Ah, as long as the master is happy, that's all that matters. Don't be like before... ugh, what are you thinking?
Nan Yi chuckled, realizing they had misunderstood, and said with a smile, "Silly girl, I don't want to go out. It's just that I can't sleep when there are too many strangers around."
The three maids were immediately speechless, realizing their master was playing a trick on them. But then they thought, "It's good that nothing happened."
Yiren, curious, stared at her intently and asked, "Then what happened to Master before..."
Nan waved his hand and explained, "It's a childhood habit. One of you stay here to keep watch at night, and the other two go to rest. You must be exhausted these days. I want to get a good night's sleep now."
It felt like all the sleep she'd had before was fake. She rolled into bed and quietly fell asleep.
Qingyun was on night duty. She carefully drew the curtains and blew out the lamps. She breathed a sigh of relief and lay down on the small bed in the side room to rest.
When Nan heard her breathing become steady, she suddenly opened her eyes, staring indifferently at the dark tent ceiling, a mocking smile playing on her lips. She guessed that he was waiting for her to sneak out so he could catch her red-handed.
What was the purpose of sending those messages through Xiao Shunzi? Although I knew he had ulterior motives, I couldn't fathom his thoughts.
They sent so many guards to watch over her, to prevent her from sneaking away, but now they've withdrawn. I'm getting impatient, but she just won't budge. Let's see who can outmaneuver whom.
Nan Yi felt that since she wasn't in a hurry, she could sleep with whichever woman she wanted. He was still investigating the matter of Yin Tang taking her to Jiangnan, and he had to give Qing Feng a good reminder not to give anything away.
Unable to leave the house, she had not met Xiao Xiyintang since returning. As friends, it was truly distressing not to see each other for several months.
In mid-October, Nan Yi occasionally strolled around the courtyard, first messing with the flowers and plants, then messing with the kitchen. After being chased out by Granny Qiu, she started to harass several maids.
One day, she suddenly remembered something she had forgotten for a long time, which led Shunzi to ask her about it.
"Master?" Xiao Shunzi felt his hair stand on end from the stare and took a slight step back. Looking at his master's strange yet excited eyes, he was afraid that his master was up to some bad idea again.
Things haven't been peaceful in the manor lately. The master has a gloomy face all day long. He doesn't want to go against the grain and feels like crying.
Nan Yi was speechless. She hadn't even done anything, and he was already giving her the cold shoulder. "You damned eunuch!" she thought, reaching out and poking Xiao Shunzi's forehead with her index finger, gritting her teeth as she said, "You're unhappy with me, throwing a tantrum, hmm—"
Xiao Shunzi was so frightened that he knelt on the ground with a thud and hurriedly explained, "It is this servant who deserves to die. This servant would never have had such thoughts, but..." Xiao Shunzi's voice gradually lowered, and he secretly glanced at her. Seeing that his master's anger had not subsided, the words he was about to say stuck in his throat.
Nan glared at him. "Just what? Explain yourself!"
Xiao Shunzi hesitated for a long time, remaining silent, his expression suggesting he wanted to say something but stopped.
Nan Yi deliberately put on a stern face and said, "Speak."
Xiao Shunzi then whispered, "Master has been in a bad mood lately."
A master in a bad mood is terrifying. The master will definitely want to sneak out of the mansion. He dares not add fuel to the fire. If the master finds out, he will probably be skinned alive.
"What do I care if you're in a bad mood?" Nan kicked him and frowned. "Get up, I have something else to talk to you about."
She was well aware of Shunzi's little scheme, but she wouldn't make things difficult for him because of it. This guy was gentle and timid, and had just the right amount of loyalty, making him someone she could trust to use.
Xiao Shunzi breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that he hadn't left the manor. He put on a smiling and obsequious face and stepped forward, asking, "Master, please just give me your orders. This servant will definitely handle it properly."
"What if I want to leave the manor?" Nan Yi suddenly asked.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Shunzi's face fell, and his eyes darted around.
Nan Yi rolled her eyes at him. "Qing, you're always talking big. Luckily it's not what you think, otherwise you'd probably be complaining about me behind my back."
She rolled her eyes at Shunzi, glancing at the corner of the wall in the distance, and deliberately raised her voice, saying, "These days, it's not easy being a master, and it's not easy being a servant either."
As she finished speaking, the branches and leaves in the corner of the wall trembled slightly before returning to stillness. Nan Yi snorted coldly, "Staring at her all day long, she'll either die of resentment or exhaustion, especially a servant like her."
That damned man, thinking she didn't know, openly removed the people, but secretly those two annoying mosquitoes never left.
Xiao Shunzi deeply agreed and kept nodding. When she realized what was happening, her master was looking at her with a half-smile. For the first time in her life, Shunzi reacted quickly and changed the subject, "Master, you summoned me here because it's urgent, right?" She hoped it was extremely urgent so that he could leave this troublesome place as soon as possible.
Nan nodded, glanced around, and saw several maids standing guard not far away. He whispered, "Tell Xiao Xi to come and see me, and ask her if there are any suitable young men in the camp where she is on duty."
Qingyun is quite old, and she feels bored just watching them being confined to this small, tightly-knit courtyard every day.
It's time to keep the promises we made.
"Qingyun is of marriageable age, and so is Yiren Qingfeng. Tell her to keep an eye out for me. I'm willing to give more dowry to anyone who is of good character and willing to treat his wife well."
Xiao Shunzi's eyes lit up. What a great thing! It was a simple and easy job. He nodded repeatedly, took the gift box his master had given to the Xiao family, and left the mansion through the side gate.
As soon as Nan entered the house, two gray shadows flashed past the corner of the wall, following Xiao Shunzi who had left the mansion.
"Do you think we should mention it to him?" Li Yi said.
Li Er understood immediately and asked in return, "Will the master blame us for meddling?"
Li Yi pondered for a moment, "I can't worry about that. I'm just afraid of the master's glare. I'll ask Eunuch Su to cover for me then."
Li Er gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, let's do it this way."
Xiao Shunzi was carefree, humming a little tune. As long as he wasn't helping his master sneak out of the manor, he felt that life was especially comfortable. The sky was especially blue, the trees were especially green, and the walls were especially...
Uh, Xiao Shunzi's face twitched slightly, and he greeted her with a dry laugh, "Hehe, it's Guard Li."
Li Yi smiled faintly, "Eunuch Shun seems to be in a good mood."
He and Li Er often grudged each other over Xiao Shunzi helping Master Tong sneak out of the mansion. The grudge wasn't deep; they were just both resentful and wanted to bite each other to vent their anger.
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