Upon hearing those three words, Feng Yue immediately wiped her face and excitedly followed him, saying with a smile, “She’s in the western courtyard of the general’s mansion, in the room with wormwood hanging at the door.”
Yin Gezhi didn’t acknowledge her but carefully noted the information. After moving all the books, he went straight to that courtyard and carried the still-dazed Nanny Xun to the alley outside the mansion.
When Feng Yue returned to the main courtyard, she saw him bidding farewell to Yi Zhangzhu: “The items have been returned to their rightful places. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.”
Yi Zhangzhu nodded with a smile, then glanced at the sulking Xu Huaizu behind him before turning to push Song Ruoci toward the front.
“Farewell, Young Master Xu.” Whether from embarrassment or anger, Miss Song’s face was bright red and her body trembled slightly.
Xu Huaizu pressed his lips together and returned her courtesy, but said nothing before following Yin Gezhi out.
Walking last, Feng Yue secretly glanced back to see Yi Zhangzhu holding Song Ruoci’s hand, consoling her softly: “It’s alright, what young lady hasn’t faced some grievances before marriage?”
Shaking her head, she lifted her skirts to chase after the quickly departing figures ahead.
“Master, do you have an urgent business?” Seeing him walk so fast, Xu Huaizu couldn’t help but ask.
Yin Gezhi replied expressionlessly, “If we walk any slower, she might get angry later.”
“Who might get angry?” Feng Yue asked curiously as she caught up.
Pressing his lips together, Yin Gezhi didn’t answer. After leaving the general’s mansion, he got into the carriage and had Guanzhi take several turns before stopping at an alley entrance. Then he said flatly, “None of you come over. I’m going to pick someone up.”
Pick someone up? Xu Huaizu and Guanzhi looked completely bewildered, but before they could ask who, they saw the great prince quickly disappear into the alley.
Feng Yue narrowed her eyes, seeming to realize something, and immediately jumped down from the carriage to follow.
Nanny Xun sat dazedly on the rooftop, feeling the wind that had blown for the time it took three incense sticks to burn, watching the bustling crowd below. She still couldn’t believe it.
“Am I really out of the mansion?” she muttered to herself.
“Yes,” a sudden gust of wind brought a handsome man who appeared before her, saying sternly, “You’re out, and now I’ll take you down. Don’t scream – it’s quite high.”
Climbing shakily onto Yin Gezhi’s back, Nanny Xun’s eyes widened: “You…”
“Whatever questions you have, ask Feng Yue later.”
With a whoosh, they descended from the rooftop to the ground. Nanny Xun was so frightened her heart nearly stopped beating, cold sweat beading on her forehead as she gaped wordlessly.
Yin Gezhi looked somewhat troubled. If he just took her back like this, what if that little demon cried again? Better let her rest a bit first.
So he casually set Nanny Xun on a large wine jar in the alley and watched her coldly.
Suddenly a voice behind him asked, “Your Highness, are you planning to pickle Nanny Xun in wine?”
Lost in thought, he hadn’t noticed his surroundings. Startled by the voice, Yin Gezhi pressed his lips together and turned to look at Feng Yue with composure, saying, “No, she’s tired, so I’m letting her rest here.”
Looking at him questioningly, Feng Yue hurried over to help Nanny Xun down, asking softly, “Are you alright?”
Staring at her blankly, Nanny Xun nodded stiffly: “I’m fine, fine…”
“That’s good.” Feng Yue smiled. “Let’s go back and talk.”
She turned to leave, but Nanny Xun didn’t move, causing her to stumble when she pulled.
Feng Yue paused and turned to look at her: “What’s wrong?”
“My legs… are a bit weak,” Nanny Xun said trembling. Looking at Yin Gezhi, she added, “I need a moment to recover.”
Having arrived too late to witness Yin Gezhi’s feat, Feng Yue assumed Nanny Xun was just too excited about finally leaving the general’s mansion, so she patiently waited for her to recover.
Yin Gezhi touched his nose tip and said seriously, “Now that I’ve helped, I’ll go back to the carriage first.”
“Alright.” Smiling brightly at him, Feng Yue watched him leave the alley, then turned to Nanny Xun with a meaningful look: “See? We got you out, didn’t we?”
Still shaken, Nanny Xun glanced at the ground and heaved a long sigh. Finally recovering her composure, her eyes grew wet again: “His Highness… did such a thing. You…”
She was about to ask if Feng Yue had a close relationship with His Highness when the girl suddenly grabbed her hand and lifted her up, saying with a smile, “His Highness is very kind-hearted. Once he knew of your difficulty, he came to rescue you.”
Kind-hearted? Thinking of His Highness’s fearsome reputation, Nanny Xun shook her head.
She couldn’t see that at all!
The carriage became crowded. When Xu Huaizu saw Nanny Xun, his mouth fell open: “Master, who is this?”
It was a tight fit, so Yin Gezhi simply pulled Feng Yue into his lap and sat comfortably before saying, “Feng Yue’s distant relative.”
Feng Yue nodded along with a silly smile while Nanny Xun looked at them in surprise before lowering her head in silence.
Simple-minded Xu Huaizu didn’t question further, only praising: “This madame has quite the dignity, comparable to the palace teaching matrons.”
Nanny Xun nodded in thanks while Feng Yue continued smiling foolishly.
Of course, she was like a palace teaching matron!
The overloaded carriage struggled back to the envoy’s mansion. Yin Gezhi dropped Feng Yue off to settle Nanny Xun in, then turned to face Guanzhi’s worried expression.
“Master,” he said softly, “haven’t you noticed you’ve been increasingly… indulgent of Miss Feng Yue lately?”
How could a distant relative simply stay at the envoy’s mansion?
Frowning slightly, Yin Gezhi seriously reflected for a moment before asking, “Have I?”
Guanzhi held his head: “You truly haven’t noticed at all?”
Waving his hand, Yin Gezhi said, “She’s useful for now, so we’ll indulge her.”
Guanzhi was stunned, his expression growing more complex. Looking at his master’s retreating figure, he couldn’t help but sigh.
Deceiving others wasn’t easy, but self-deception came naturally.
Feng Yue happily settled Nanny Xun in the guest courtyard. Then she hugged her bedding and rolled onto Yin Gezhi’s bed, smiling ingratiatingly: “Your Highness, may I borrow your bed to sleep?”
Sitting at the table, Yin Gezhi looked at what he was holding without raising his head: “It would seem more sincere if you’d asked before rolling onto it.”
“Hehe,” Feng Yue deftly arranged her bedding, then lay down on the cool jade mat, sighing contentedly.
Unable to focus on the words in his book, Yin Gezhi glanced up at the person on the bed.
He seemed to have truly become too gentle with her, to the point where she dared to bounce around on his bed. What was he to do about this?
Nanny Xun spent one night at the envoy’s mansion and rose early the next day. When Feng Yue opened the door, she was already fully dressed in the courtyard.
“I must leave now.” The worry in her eyes had completely vanished, and Nanny Xun’s smile was particularly kind. “I need to go find him – I can’t let him wait any longer. Before I go, there are some things I want to tell you.”
Feng Yue nodded, closing the door to let Yin Gezhi continue sleeping, then went to stand obediently beside her.
“I served by Consort Yi’s side for many years, punishing people on her behalf and attending to her daily needs. I’ve seen some unsavory things, and I’ve witnessed Consort Yi weeping through the night until dawn.”
“Consort Yi has a lover – I often heard her call out ‘Qilin’, both in her sleep and when alone while awake. She frequently wrote letters home to the general’s mansion. I don’t know how they were sent, but there would be more than ten pieces in a single envelope every fortnight. These are my observations from all these years.”