The shopkeeper thought for a moment and said thoughtfully, "This girl's face is so dark, but her hands are very white and beautiful. She's also been injured."
"What? Where are you injured?" Eight and Nine exclaimed in unison.
The shopkeeper was frightened by the attitude of his two masters.
"Tell me, where is she injured?" Ninth Prince rushed over anxiously and grabbed the shopkeeper by the collar.
"There's a rather large wound on her palm," she recalled, "and it looks fresh." The shopkeeper trembled slightly, unable to help but wonder who that girl was that his masters cared so much about.
The Ninth Prince shouted to the Eighth Prince, "She's injured, Eighth Prince..." but the Eighth Prince swallowed the rest of his words.
The Ninth Prince glanced at the house next door, and thinking of the women inside, he suddenly realized that his own family was fine, but his cousin's personality was not good if she found out.
The Ninth Prince paced around the room in annoyance. His two elder brothers spoke in riddles, and the Tenth Prince, still unaware of the situation, listened to his brothers' words and realized that it was just a little girl who was injured, and that it was not worth the Ninth Prince's distress. So he asked the Tenth Prince as well.
The Eighth Prince looked at his Tenth Brother, shook his head with a wry smile, and instructed, "Go and take your sisters-in-law back to the manor now. Don't say anything else. Tell them that the Ninth Brother and I have something to do and will not be returning to the manor for the time being."
The tenth prince nodded indifferently and left, and the shopkeeper followed him out.
"Eighth Brother, did she suffer some injustice, which is why she came to us?" Ninth Prince asked worriedly. This guy was right; Nan Yi really did have some feelings for her.
"Ninth Brother, just now at the door..." Eighth Brother recalled his actions at the door.
The Ninth Prince clearly misunderstood her meaning and exclaimed, "What, you mean...you just..." His face froze; she was right there, she had seen them...
The Ninth Prince was filled with remorse, rubbing his hand that was holding Xiao Guoshi vigorously, as if it were covered in something. If she saw that he had a wife and became jealous and stopped talking to him, it would be difficult to deal with. He absolutely did not want to never see her again. Just thinking about this made his heart feel empty.
The Eighth Prince glanced at his Ninth Brother, understanding the situation perfectly, and sighed, "Ninth Brother, as a prince, well, it's better not to say anything." The rest was left unsaid; both understood each other perfectly.
"If she knew our identities, she would understand." He said this, but his heart was still uneasy. Understand? No woman could understand. These words could only comfort others. All women are the same. Why did his mother fall out of favor? His wife wanted to monopolize his favor. There were no other women in the household at the moment. What would happen in the future?
It's impossible for him to never take a concubine; even if he didn't want to, his father might not agree.
"The three-day agreement may have to wait..." He couldn't quite put his words into words, still harboring some resentment. Since he had seen them but hadn't gone up to greet them, he must be annoyed.
Eighth Master was very annoyed; he had come out at the worst possible time.
"—Oh no, no way," the Ninth Prince exclaimed. "Then let's go find her." If the mountain won't come to him, he'll go to the mountain. It's been several days since he last saw her, and he really misses her.
The Eighth Prince pondered for a moment, then said, "Alright, but keep it quiet."
*******
The appointment was made in three days, but Nan Yi has not yet arrived.
Nan Yi has been holed up in her room lately, fiddling with clothes for going out. She always borrows clothes from her maid when she goes out, feeling embarrassed not to ask, and they never seem to fit properly. So she's asked Qingyun to make her a few sets of casual clothes. (Author's note: This guy is preparing for a long-term battle.)
After finishing the clothes, she still had half a day left, which seemed like not enough time to go out. Bored, she started to fuss over the flowers in the garden. After the flowers were ruined, she started to fuss over the fish in the pond. Later, she ran into the kitchen and almost set it on fire.
This commotion caused the servants in the garden to complain bitterly.
The next day, when Nan Yi mentioned wanting to go out, Qingyun worriedly said, "Master, what if the master comes and you're not here?"
Remembering what he had said as he left, Nan Yi patted her shoulder, "Don't worry, your master won't be coming to the other courtyard for the time being."
Qingyun was taken aback. "Why?"
"Because your master has fallen out of favor," she blinked a few times, half serious and half mischievous, making it hard to tell whether she was telling the truth or not.
Qingyun recalled that day when her master left without saying a word. She had only half believed what her master had said, so it seemed that there really had been a falling out between her master and her master.
Qingyun wanted to ask the reason, but was afraid of upsetting her mistress, so she agreed to let her go out. As long as her mistress was happy, that was all that mattered. It didn't matter to her if the master didn't come; the key issue was that their concubine might fall out of favor. Sigh, she was just a maid, and she couldn't worry about that.
For a moment, neither the master nor the servant spoke, and the atmosphere was somewhat somber. Nan Yi changed the subject, "By the way, girl, whose are those fruit trees?" She had passed by them a few times before, and the peach blossoms covering the mountainside were breathtakingly beautiful.
Well, the master has ruined his own family and now wants to ruin others' families too. But what about that orchard? "Master, what are you planning to do now?"
Nan tossed his head and said, "Can't I just pick a few fruits to eat?"
Qingyun corrected, "Your Highness, that's not picking, that's stealing." She couldn't imagine the concubine acting like a thief.
Besides, that orchard is off-limits. If they catch her and find out she's the Fourth Prince's concubine, the prince will lose face, and all the servants who serve her will have to see Buddha beforehand.
Qingyun was in a panic, not wanting her master to go, and said cautiously, "Master, the flowers are still in bloom, there are no fruits on the tree."
"No?" Nan Yi said casually. A tree in bloom doesn't bear fruit. She's not stupid.
"No."
"Okay, let's let it bloom for now, and then we'll go after it bears fruit."
Qingyun was both amused and exasperated; she kept this in mind and had no intention of giving up.
******
When Nan Yi woke up from her coma, she found that her whole body was sore and she couldn't move her hands and feet. She could faintly hear crying all around her. She struggled to sit up and, after looking around carefully, she became extremely excited, her eyes gleaming.
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