Nan Yuan'er had been much quieter lately, and had not even stepped out of the mansion's gates for a long time.
"Miss has been preparing her dowry. It is now past April, and there are less than six months until her entry into the palace. His Majesty has not yet sent the empresses from the Imperial Wardrobe to measure Miss for her attire, so Miss has been sewing it herself."
Nan Yuan'er's maid relayed everything her young lady had been doing recently to Nan Chaoyin, word for word. Upon hearing that Nan Yuan'er was preparing her wedding dress, Nan Chaoyin nodded and said no more.
...
Approaching the capital, Nan Shiying changed out of her women's attire and back into the guise of Feng Luan.
Halfway there, she let Mu Xiaoxiao down and left Jian Wuming, or rather, Ying Yi, to protect and look after her until Mu Xiaoxiao returned to the capital.
When Nan Shiying had left the capital, the weather was still somewhat cold and damp. Now, it was gradually warming up. It was early May, and the hundred flowers were in bloom, filling the air with a mixture of floral fragrances. The news of Feng Luan's entry into the capital quickly spread throughout the city.
A few days prior, Luan Wencheng and his retinue had returned to report for duty. The officials of the Dali Temple were stunned speechless when they heard about the events in Xiling County.
This harbinger of doom, why had they returned again!
Two months after leaving the prince's manor, there were no major changes within the estate. Nan Shiying's return brought the most joy to Lu Wan and the others.
"Your Highness, you've grown so thin from exhaustion! Please eat more!"
"Your Highness, this is a new dish from Guangfu Tower, do try it."
"Your Highness..."
"Enough!"
Their incessant chatter was giving her a headache. Bai Zhi had been confined to the manor for months. In order to maintain the facade of her mistress being gravely ill, she hadn't dared to go out and buy food. Normally, she could only ask Jia Huan to bring some. Now that her mistress had returned, she could finally indulge in gluttony on command.
"His Highness the Prince arrives!"
"Your Highness, His Lordship is back from the morning court~"
The four, including Lu Wan, giggled and retreated. Ji Jinmo, clad in his court robes, had come straight to Xinyuan Pavilion after the morning court. Nan Shiying hadn't seen him wear the python robe in a while and was momentarily captivated.
The man strode in and immediately pulled her into a tight embrace.
"Ying'er, you've finally returned."
It had been so long that he had begun to believe she would never want to come back.
Ji Jinmo buried his head in Nan Shiying's chest, listening to the strong heartbeat emanating from within, finally feeling a sense of reality. Nan Shiying reached up and stroked Ji Jinmo's head. His tied-up hair was smooth and soft. She rested her chin on his head, her arms encircling his shoulders.
The man nuzzled closer, the soft sensation making him yearn to drown in it. He used his teeth to nibble at her clothes, and his prominent nose parted the collar of her garment.
"Don't move!"
Nan Shiying grabbed Ji Jinmo's head and pushed him away.
"Don't push!"
The man's voice was hoarse, and his words were muffled by what was in his mouth. His tongue toyed with the "grape" (referring to a kiss or caress) and moved back and forth. Nan Shiying tilted her head slightly, the tingling sensation spreading from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, and her legs suddenly went weak.
Ji Jinmo tightened his embrace, lifted her, and walked towards the bed.
Months of separation had made their longing unbearable.
The taste of soul-devouring, bone-eroding passion, once experienced, became like poison, making it impossible to quit.
From morning till night, Nan Shiying's back ached slightly. Her stomach grumbled in unison, accusing Ji Jinmo of his beastly behavior.
At dinner, Nan Shiying wore a simple undergarment. Lu Wan and the others did not come in to serve. With their Prince present, they had no place by their mistress's side.
For the past few months, the two could only communicate through letters, and many things had not been discussed in detail. Nan Shiying, however, recounted the events at Medicine King Valley in detail.
Ji Jinmo remembered something and placed a letter in front of Nan Shiying.
The secret guards had gathered some information about Nan Shiying's birth mother.
Nan Shiying's birth mother might not be dead.
It was said that she had died in childbirth, but no one had seen her body. Fifteen years ago, a woman who resembled her by eight parts had been seen in Xiling County.
Xiling County was also a necessary path to Medicine King Valley.
Nan Shiying finished the letter at a glance and tossed it aside. There were too many things to deal with, and she decided to let nature take its course regarding her birth mother.
"There were Japanese at the martial arts大会. That Gui Yidao, I thought he would cause some trouble, but he did nothing until I left."
"Later, I thought, perhaps he deliberately exposed his identity as Japanese..."
Nan Shiying had pondered Gui Yidao for a long time. He had desperately sought the position of Martial Arts Alliance Leader, and after being defeated, he had done nothing but recover from his injuries.
If he truly had a hidden agenda, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to compete, knowing he had no chance of becoming the Alliance Leader, even to the point of revealing his identity. Although Nan Shiying couldn't quite grasp his motive, she had instructed someone to keep an eye on him. A person who was being watched had nothing to fear.
Ji Jinmo nodded in agreement.
Recently, there had been much news from Yuznan County entering the capital, via official routes and imperial gazettes.
Nan Yujin and Hui'an had arrived in Yuznan County a month ago and became the Prefects of Yuznan County. Gui Yidao hailed from Yuznan County, making it difficult to say that the Miao Jiang region was not involved in the Gui Yidao affair.
As for Official Zou.
Nan Shiying had previously wondered why the imperial secret guards, being so numerous, would require a second-rank court official to fake his death. Was the person lured out by this staged death so worthy of such a grand operation? It seemed that Ji Hong was quite capable, as Official Zou was now a great merchant in Yuznan County.
Zou Yun'er was nearing her due date, and there were many things to prepare.
Ji Hong had kept Zou Yun'er's pregnancy a closely guarded secret, so much so that even Zou's family was unaware. Every day, the Empress Dowager made her mandatory visit to Lilan Courtyard. Each time she saw Zou Yun'er's belly grow larger, her smiling wrinkles would deepen.
The Empress Dowager could now utter simple syllables. Ji Hong had previously claimed to outsiders that the Empress Dowager had been afflicted by an evil wind, which was why she was unable to speak. By the time Yun'er gave birth, his mother would likely be able to speak full sentences. Hearing that the Imperial Consort had returned, Ji Hong planned to invite her over in a few days to examine Yun'er and his mother's health.
Upon Feng Luan's return, the Consort Nan Shiying's health also improved. No one found this strange, merely marveling at Feng Luan's medical skills.
Mu Xiaoxiao had secretly returned home. Fortunately, only a few people knew she had run away. The Consort of the Heir Apparent originally intended to break her legs, but upon seeing her pale and bloodless face, she felt pity and quickly ordered chicken soup to be prepared.
When she heard that she had gone to Fengyu City, the Consort's face turned ashen with anger.
...
The sun was high in the sky when Nan Shiying awoke from her slumber.
The sunlight dazzled her eyes. She saw Ji Jinmo sitting by the bed, his gaze fixed on the worn, black leather book in his hands. She had always wanted to ask what was written in this book that made him pore over it constantly, but she never inquired about things Ji Jinmo was unwilling or hadn't proactively shared.
"Awake?"
Ji Jinmo put down the book and leaned over to kiss her lips.
Their noses brushed against each other, and the warm breath he exhaled tickled her cheeks. Nan Shiying cupped Ji Jinmo's face with her hands and moved his face aside.
Ji Jinmo caught her hands and pulled them away from his face, then turned his face back. "Hungry?" he asked.
Nan Shiying nodded.
Ji Jinmo asked Lu Wan to bring the midday meal and placed a low table on the bed.
Having woken up late, Nan Shiying didn't have much appetite and ate little. Ji Jinmo instructed the small kitchen to prepare some pastries and then peeled grapes, offering them to her. Nan Shiying ate one, finding it quite sweet.
There was nothing much to do lately, and Nan Shiying finally enjoyed a few days of idleness. However, her idleness was not entirely smooth, as someone always wanted to steal her joy.
The Emperor had wanted her to enter the palace for several days, but Jinmo had blocked him. Letters arrived at the prince's manor like paper pieces, with an outer envelope and an inner envelope containing a secret.
Nan Shiying was utterly vexed.
On the sixth day, she entered the palace with Ji Jinmo, of course, using the secret passage.
They first visited the Empress Dowager, and then Lilan Courtyard. Both the Empress Dowager and Zou Yun'er were in good health, and their bodies were recovering well. In her opinion, Ji Hong was simply bored and perhaps over-emotional due to becoming a father soon.
After taking the pulses of the Empress Dowager and Zou Yun'er, Nan Shiying had a meal at the imperial kitchen. The taste was just so-so. She heard that Ji Hong still had not sent the Imperial Wardrobe to make Nan Yuan'er's wedding dress, which would surely drive that old rascal Nan Chaoyin crazy.
However, he might not be anxious.
After all, Nan Yuan'er's entry into the palace was a foregone conclusion.
After a brief conversation with Ji Hong in the imperial study, Ji Jinmo and Nan Shiying returned to the manor via the secret passage. For the past few days, due to the issue of her identity, the 'Consort' had been forced to feign illness and had not made an appearance for a long time. Taking advantage of the outing today, the couple decided to go for a lake excursion on the outskirts of the city.
When the spring river warms, the ducks are the first to know.
The ducks in the lake were becoming a nuisance.