Uроn hearing the wоrds "Gеneral's Мansion," Fеng Yuе immеdiаtеlу wiped hеr face clean аnd fоllowеd eхсitеdlу, smiling as shе sаid, "Shе's in thе сourtуard on the wеst sidе of thе General's Мansion, in thе room with wоrmwооd hаnging аt thе dоor."
Yin Gezhi ignоrеd her but саrеfully nоted thе lоcatiоn. Оncе the books wеre moved, hе саsuallу made his waу tо thаt cоurtуаrd аnd саrried thе still-dаzed Nаnny Хun out to thе allеу оutside thе mаnsiоn.
Whеn Feng Yue returnеd to the main courtуard, she saw him bidding fаrewell tо Yi Zhangzhu: "Тhе items hаve been returned to their rightful owner. I have other matters to attend to and must take my leave."
Yi Zhangzhu nodded with a smile, then glanced at the fuming Xu Huaizu behind her and promptly pulled Song Ruo Ci forward.
"Take care, Young Master Xu," said Miss Song, her face flushed red—whether from embarrassment or anger—and her body trembling slightly.
Xu Huaizu pressed his lips together and returned the gesture with a bow but said nothing, simply following Yin Gezhi as he left.
Feng Yue walked at the rear and turned back for a discreet look. She saw Yi Zhangzhu holding Song Ruo Ci's hand, gently comforting her: "It's alright. What young lady hasn't faced a bit of hardship before marriage?"
Shaking her head, Feng Yue lifted her skirt and hurried after the swiftly departing figures ahead.
"Do you have urgent business, Master?" Xu Huaizu couldn't help but ask, seeing how fast he was walking.
Yin Gezhi replied expressionlessly, "If we walk any slower, she might get angry later."
"Who's going to get angry?" Feng Yue asked curiously as she caught up.
Pressing his lips together, Yin Gezhi didn't answer. Once outside the gates of the General's Mansion, he boarded the carriage and instructed Guan Zhi to wind through several turns before stopping at the entrance of an alley. Then, with a blank expression, he said, "All of you stay here. I'm going to pick someone up."
Pick someone up? Xu Huaizu and Guan Zhi looked bewildered. Before they could ask who it was, they saw the First Prince swiftly disappear into the alley.
Feng Yue narrowed her eyes, as if realizing something, and immediately jumped off the carriage to chase after him.
Nanny Xun stood dazed on the rooftop, buffeted by the wind for what felt like three incense sticks' worth of time, staring blankly at the bustling crowd below. She still couldn't quite grasp what was happening.
"Am I... out of the mansion?" she murmured to herself.
"Yes," came a sudden gust of wind as a handsome man appeared out of nowhere in front of her, his face stern as he said, "You're out. Now I'll take you down. Don't scream—it's a bit high."
Trembling, Nanny Xun climbed onto Yin Gezhi's back, her eyes wide with shock. "You..."
"Whatever questions you have, you can ask Feng Yue later."
With a whoosh, they descended from the rooftop to the ground. Nanny Xun was so frightened her heart nearly stopped, cold sweat beading on her forehead as she gaped, speechless.
Yin Gezhi felt a bit troubled. If he brought her back like this, what if that little temptress started crying again? Better to let her rest for a while first.
So, he casually placed Nanny Xun on a large wine jar in the alley and watched her coldly.
Suddenly, a voice from behind asked, "Your Highness, are you planning to use Nanny Xun to brew wine?"
Distracted and unaware of his surroundings, Yin Gezhi was startled by the voice. He pressed his lips together and turned to look at Feng Yue with composure, saying, "No. She's a bit tired, so I'm letting her rest here for a moment."
Giving him a suspicious glance, Feng Yue quickly walked over to help Nanny Xun down, asking softly, "Are you alright?"
Staring blankly at her, Nanny Xun nodded stiffly. "I'm fine, I'm fine..."
"That's good," Feng Yue said with a smile. "Let's go back and talk."Turning to leave, Feng Yue tugged Nanny Xun, who hadn’t moved, causing her to stumble.
Feng Yue paused and looked back at her: “What’s wrong?”
“My legs… feel a bit weak.” Nanny Xun trembled as she spoke. After glancing at Yin Gezhi nearby, she said: “I need a moment to recover.”
Having arrived late and not witnessing Yin Gezhi’s heroic act earlier, Feng Yue assumed Nanny Xun was simply too excited after finally leaving the General’s Mansion, so she obediently waited for her to recover.
Yin Gezhi touched his nose and said seriously: “The help is done, I’ll get on the carriage first.”
“Alright.” Feng Yue smiled brightly at him, watching him leave the alley, then winked at Nanny Xun: “See, we’ve made it out, haven’t we?”
Still shaken, Nanny Xun looked at the ground. She sighed deeply, finally calming down, her eyes moist again: “His Highness… would actually do such a thing. You…”
She was about to ask, “Are you very close with His Highness?” when Feng Yue grabbed her hand and carried her on her back, laughing: “His Highness is an extremely kind-hearted person. Knowing your hardship, he rescued you.”
An extremely kind-hearted person? Thinking of His Highness’s reputation, Nanny Xun shook her head.
It’s completely unimaginable!
The carriage became more crowded. When Xu Huaizu saw Nanny Xun, his mouth gaped wide: “Master, who is this?”
Sitting a bit cramped, Yin Gezhi pulled Feng Yue into his embrace, then comfortably sat and said: “Feng Yue’s distant relative.”
Feng Yue nodded with a silly smile, while Nanny Xun stared at them in astonishment, lowering her head in silence.
Xu Huaizu was carefree and didn’t ask further, only complimenting: “This aunt has an extraordinary demeanor, comparable to the teaching nannies in the palace.”
Nanny Xun nodded in thanks, Feng Yue continued her silly smile.
Isn’t she exactly a teaching nanny!
The overloaded carriage struggled back to the Envoy’s Mansion. Yin Gezhi sent Feng Yue to settle Nanny Xun, then turned to face Guan Zhi’s worried expression.
“Master,” he whispered: “Don’t you feel that lately you’ve been increasingly… indulging Feng Yue?”
How can a distant relative also live in the Envoy’s Mansion?
Frowning, Yin Gezhi seriously reflected for a moment, then asked: “Have I?”
Guan Zhi held his forehead: “You haven’t noticed at all?”
Waving his hand, Yin Gezhi said: “She’s useful now, so indulge her for now.”
Guan Zhi froze, his expression even more complicated. Watching his master’s departing back view, he couldn’t help sighing.
Deceiving others is difficult, but deceiving oneself is easy.
Feng Yue happily settled Nanny Xun in the guest courtyard, then rolled onto Yin Gezhi’s bed with her blanket, smiling fawningly: “Your Highness, can your servant sleep on your bed?”
Yin Gezhi, sitting at the table looking at something in his hands, didn’t raise his head: “If you asked me before rolling onto it, it would seem more sincere.”
“Hehehe.Feng Yue swiftly arranged her blanket, then lay down on the cool jade mat, sighing comfortably.
Unable to focus on the words in the book, Yin Gezhi glanced at the person on the bed.
He seemed to have indeed been too gentle with her, allowing her to bounce on his bed. What should he do about this?
Nanny Xun slept one night in the Envoy’s Mansion and woke early the next day. When Feng Yue opened the door, she was already dressed neatly in the courtyard."I must go now." The sorrow in her eyes vanished completely, and Nanny Xun smiled with exceptional kindness: "I have to find him; I cannot let him wait any longer. Before I leave, there are some things I wish to tell you."
Feng Yue nodded, closed the door to let Yin Gezhi continue sleeping, and went out to her side, looking at her obediently.
"I have been by Consort Yi's side for many years, disciplining people on her behalf and attending to her daily needs. I have witnessed some unsavory things and also seen Consort Yi weeping through the night until dawn in the palace."
"Consort Yi has someone she loves in her heart. I often heard her call out 'Qilin'—in her sleep, and when she was alone and awake. She frequently wrote letters home to the General's Mansion. How they were sent out, I do not know, but there could be over a dozen items in half a month, all sealed in one envelope and dispatched. These are the things I have seen and heard over all these years."
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