"It's all my fault, all my fault..." Nan Gongyan clutched his chest, sobbing uncontrollably.
Nan Gongyu and Nan Gongyi stood by, watching the Prince of Chu perform. "Thirteenth brother, when your wife gives birth, you must be by her side. Otherwise, if anything happens to her, you will have caused her death."
Nan Gongyi nodded in agreement. He didn't want to be interrogated by Xiao Man. It was originally an accident, but with Xiao Man's meddling, it turned into a conspiracy. It was impossible for Duke Chen not to have any suspicions, but with his only grandson in the Prince of Chu's hands, Duke Chen had to be cautious no matter how dissatisfied he was.
"Third brother, it has come to this, please accept your grief," Nan Gongyi comforted him. "No matter how much you cry, third sister-in-law will not return."
The Prince of Chu was overcome with grief, and as he cried, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted. Duke Chen was about to step forward to help him, but his leg suddenly went numb, and he couldn't catch the Prince of Chu, who fell directly to the ground.
"Third brother!" Xiao Man lunged forward, grabbed Nan Gongyan's wrist, and deliberately pressed his vital point. Nan Gongyan endured with all his might to avoid jumping up.
"Quick, someone call a doctor! His Highness the Prince of Chu has fainted again!"
Chaos erupted again in the mourning hall. Servants and maids frantically carried the Prince of Chu back to his room to be treated by the manor's physician.
Xiao Man and her entourage left the Prince of Chu's manor. Nan Gongyu deliberately lagged behind, waiting for Xiao Man.
They walked side by side. "How is third brother's condition?"
"Excessive grief has caused qi and blood to flow in reverse. He will be unable to practice martial arts for a while," Xiao Man said indifferently.
Nan Gongyu immediately understood Xiao Man's words. How could excessive grief cause qi and blood to flow in reverse? It was clear that he had been hit by Xiao Man's hidden weapon. Nan Gongyan's internal energy was insufficient, and he could not expel the bull's hair needles from his body, leading to the qi and blood reversal.
It seemed that Nan Gongyan was the one who had led the attack on them last night. Because of the attack, the manor was left unguarded, and he was targeted by others. The Princess of Chu's difficult labor and death were a consequence of this.
"The New Year is approaching. You should go out less often," Nan Gongyu reminded Xiao Man. The closer it got to the New Year, the more unsettled things became. It seemed this year's New Year would not be peaceful.
"Understood." Xiao Man's gaze fell on the two people ahead. Princess Qi, Du Yulan, was arm-in-arm with Nan Gongyi, who slowed his pace to match her steps. It seemed Nan Gongyi had taken her words to heart. With such a good girl by his side, he shouldn't let her down.
Thinking this, Xiao Man suddenly stopped and looked at Shan Yuyan. Shan Yuyan had a gentle smile on her face and nodded at Xiao Man. "It's been some time since we returned to the imperial capital. Are you still adjusting?"
Shan Yuyan stepped forward and linked arms with Xiao Man. "There's nothing to adjust to. I just want to go out for a walk, but I have no one to accompany me. Why don't you go shopping with me today?"
"Alright." Xiao Man pondered for a moment and agreed, going shopping with Shan Yuyan.
"Princess Qi, we're planning to go shopping. Would you like to join us?" Shan Yuyan asked gently.
"Let's go together. You're pregnant now, and staying cooped up in the manor isn't good for your health." Nan Gongyi answered for Du Yulan before she could refuse.
Du Yulan nodded obediently. The three of them walked ahead, discussing which brand of cosmetics was the best, planning to look at them first, then discussing which fabrics were good and had nice colors, planning to make some clothes and buy some bolts of cloth to make some close-fitting clothes for Princess Qi's unborn child.
"Miss Shan is quite adept at social graces."
Nan Gongyi watched Shan Yuyan chatting happily with the other two and said indifferently. Xiao Man and she were rivals in love, yet Xiao Man showed no signs of hostility, as if they were old friends who had known each other for many years, calmly discussing rouge, powder, clothes, and accessories.
Nan Gongyu glanced at Nan Gongyi. The truly adept one at social graces was Xiao Man, not Shan Yuyan. Shan Yuyan's heart had always been with Xiao Man. He hadn't forgotten that Shan Yuyan had threatened him for Xiao Man's sake, saying that if he ever harmed Xiao Man, she would never let him off.
"I heard that fourth brother encountered assassins last night?"
"I encounter more assassins in a month than I can count on two hands. I've long been accustomed to it," Nan Gongyu said calmly. Assassins were nothing out of the ordinary to him.
"Yun Qi is determined to marry Man'er as his empress. Do you have a plan?" Nan Gongyi asked in a low voice.
"There's no need to worry. With me here, I will never let her marry Yun Qi." Nan Gongyu's gaze was always on Xiao Man, with boundless tenderness in his eyes. Nan Gongyi frowned. If fourth brother liked Xiao Man, why did he keep Shan Yuyan by his side?
"Shan Yuyan was raised by the Liu family!"
Nan Gongyu shot him a sideways glance. "I know."
"She's an operative of the Empress Dowager!"
"I know."
"And you still keep her by your side?" Nan Gongyi gritted his teeth. "The Empress Dowager dislikes Man'er immensely. You even let Shan Yuyan get close to Man'er. Aren't you afraid she'll do something to harm Man'er?"
"She wouldn't dare."
"Wouldn't dare?" Nan Gongyi sneered. He knew too well the kind of people the Empress Dowager had around her. There was nothing they wouldn't dare to do. "It will be too late to regret it when she harms Man'er."
Nan Gongyu didn't respond. He knew exactly what kind of person the Empress Dowager was, but the Empress Dowager genuinely cared for Nan Gongyi. "The Empress Dowager has always doted on you. Aren't you afraid of hurting her feelings by being so wary of her?"
"Don't change the subject."
"I've always been curious. The Empress Dowager always appears to treat all the princes equally, yet she is exceptionally strict and dotes on you particularly. Why?"
"I'm the youngest," Nan Gongyi replied perfunctorily.
"Is that so?"
"Doesn't Father Emperor dote on me the most too?" Su Dan Novel Network
"Does Father Emperor really dote on you the most?" Nan Gongyu retorted. The Empress Dowager doted on Nan Gongyi, but the Emperor's favoritism was truly towards the Prince of Chu, Nan Gongyan. When Nan Gongyan was poisoned in the palace, the Emperor immediately sent him to Jiangnan to recuperate. Even if others wanted to harm him, they couldn't find his whereabouts.
Among the many princes, the Crown Prince had the Empress meticulously planning for him. The Prince of Chu was greatly favored by the Emperor, and the Prince of Qi was doted on by the Empress Dowager. He alone had nothing. Everything he possessed now was earned through his own capabilities.
Nan Gongyi desperately wanted to say that Father Emperor naturally loved him, but the words stuck in his throat. Father Emperor's favorite was likely third brother. Tenth brother was gone, and most of his influence had been taken by third brother. The Crown Prince was under house arrest, and most of his power had also fallen into third brother's hands. The once weak Prince of Chu was now by no means weak.
"The Princess of Chu's difficult labor was man-made?"
"If it wasn't man-made, how could it have been such a coincidence?" Nan Gongyu said indifferently. "It's just that we don't know who the mastermind behind this is. That person must have understood his every move extremely well to be able to cause such chaos in his manor while he was away."