Rumors have been flying around lately, and with Xiao Man in seclusion, Nangong Yi hasn't visited her once since his wedding. Du Yulan even began to wonder if Nangong Yi had given up on Xiao Man!
But Du Yulan knew in her heart that this was just wishful thinking. The reason Nangong Yi wasn't seeing Xiao Man was because he knew the closer he got to her, the more danger she would be in. However, Nangong Yi had been incredibly busy lately, to the point of being perpetually on his feet. She couldn't shake a feeling of unease.
Du Yulan, holding a bowl of ginseng soup, was stopped at the door by Zhou Kang and sighed.
"How dare you! Do you know who you are blocking? It's the Wangfei!"
Du Yulan reprimanded Xiao Yu, then handed the ginseng soup to Zhou Kang. "When His Highness is finished, please ask Guard Zhou to have His Highness drink this ginseng soup. No matter how busy his duties, he must still take care of himself."
"Yes, Wangfei."
As they were speaking, the door opened, and a person emerged. It was Jin Yu, the eldest son of the Jin family. Although Jin Yu had lost his position as the young master of the Jin family, as the legitimate son of the patriarch, he still held considerable influence within the family.
Nangong Yi had been close to Jin Yu since childhood. Coupled with their being cousins, their relationship was naturally better than that of Jin Rong, who had suddenly appeared. Even though Jin Rong was now the young master of the Jin family, their relationship couldn't compare. Furthermore, given Jin Yu and his mother's disdain for Jin Rong, Nangong Yi had never been close to Jin Rong, only summoning him when necessary.
The Prince of Qi's attitude led some of the elder members of the Jin family to see the writing on the wall. They understood that even though Jin Rong had achieved first place in the young master examinations, without the support of the Prince of Qi, he could not establish a firm footing in the Jin family. This made Jin Rong's situation within the Jin family increasingly difficult.
"Your Highness."
"Wangfei Niangniang."
Jin Yu immediately paid his respects. This Wangfei was the Grand Tutor's beloved granddaughter and the Empress Dowager's chosen bride. By marrying her, the Prince of Qi would gain the support of many civil officials. However, military power... Jin Yu was somewhat troubled. In truth, he felt marrying Xiao Man would have been better than marrying Du Yulan, but the Empress Dowager would not permit it.
"Has Your Highness finished with your work? This concubine made some ginseng soup, Your Highness, please have some."
"Leave these matters to the servants. You don't need to do them," Nangong Yi said indifferently. "If you don't have enough maids, have someone fetch a batch from the matchmakers."
Du Yulan watched Nangong Yi silently. His words sounded like he was concerned for her, but she understood that Nangong Yi was shutting her out, refusing to let her into his inner world.
"It is Yulan's honor to personally prepare food for Your Highness."
"There is no need. You are the Wangfei. Fulfilling your duties as Wangfei is sufficient. Other matters will be handled by the servants." Nangong Yi looked at Jin Yu. "You may go."
"Your subordinate withdraws." Jin Yu's gaze swept over Du Yulan. The young lady of the Du family was indeed as beautiful as a flower, gentle and virtuous. The Empress Dowager had always favored His Highness, choosing only the finest beauties for him.
Seeing Nangong Yi turn to enter the study, Du Yulan quickly spoke up, "Your Highness, although your work is busy, you must also take care of your health."
Nangong Yi stopped. "Mm, this King understands."
"Your Highness..." Du Yulan called out again. "Your Highness, in a few days it is Grandfather's birthday. Your Highness..."
"This King will accompany you back to the Grand Tutor's mansion then." Nangong Yi closed the door, and the moment it shut, weariness flickered across his face. "Just a little longer, just a little longer..."
Nangong Yi took a deep breath, suppressing all his fatigue. However, upon seeing the memorials placed on the table, his expression instantly turned ferocious. He swept everything on the desk to the ground with a violent crash.
Du Yulan, who had just turned to walk away, heard the sound from behind her and stopped. She turned back to see Nangong Yi emerge, a dark aura surrounding him, and stride out without a word. Zhou Kang quickly followed.
"Where is Your Highness going?" Du Yulan's voice drifted into the air. Nangong Yi had already vanished from sight.
Nangong Yi headed straight for the Prince of Qin's mansion. Recently, he had been confining himself to his own mansion and hadn't gone out. If it weren't for the messages he'd received, he wouldn't have known that the Prince of Qin's mansion was taking in beauty after beauty, some of them even pregnant!
"Your Highness, the Prince of Qi is here," Si Chen reported as he entered. But before he could finish speaking, Nangong Yi had already burst in, his brows furrowed in anger, looking less like someone visiting and more like someone intending to fight.
Nangong Yu gestured for Si Chen to withdraw and continued to pore over his official documents. "Thirteenth Brother, is there something you need from this King?"
"Fourth Brother, do you owe me an explanation?"
"An explanation for what?"
"An explanation for the women in your mansion!"
Nangong Yu looked up at Nangong Yi. "Who is in this King's mansion is this King's business. Why should I explain to you?"
"You promised you wouldn't make her sad, but look at what you're doing now! Woman after woman is entering your mansion. If you continue like this, don't blame me for being impolite."
Nangong Yu scoffed. "The position of my Wangfei is still vacant. What about you? You already have a Wangfei."
"Fourth Brother, are your feelings for Xiao Man all false?" Nangong Yi's eyes reddened as he roared.
Nangong Yu sighed with some helplessness. "This King's feelings for her are not a trace false, nor a sliver insincere. As for the women in my mansion, their presence does not mean they are this King's women. But the women who have entered your Prince of Qi's mansion, which one of them is not your woman?"
Nangong Yi fell silent. Yes, the women who entered the Prince of Qi's mansion were all his women. He had been dissolute for so many years, he couldn't change now. Or perhaps, for him, taking a woman was no big deal. Moreover, to deceive the Empress Dowager, merely putting on a show was absolutely impossible.
"Back then, you gave her up. Why are you coming back to fight for her now?" Nangong Yi felt a surge of anger. He had clearly given up, so why was he coming back to fight for her?
"Because you are too incompetent," Nangong Yu said pointedly. "You stay by her side every day, yet you can't capture her heart. You can't even protect her. What use are you?"
Nangong Yi felt as though a mouthful of blood was stuck in his throat, almost choking him. "I have already tried my best to protect her."
"Then have you protected her well?" Nangong Yu's voice remained cold. "Since you don't have the ability to protect her, you should step aside. She will be guarded by this King."
"Liar!" Nangong Yi's face turned red with frustration. "You big liar! You clearly said back then that you didn't like Xiao Man, so you wouldn't compete with me, but after only a few years, you've changed your mind!"
Nangong Yu was silent for a moment. "I did not like the Xiao Man of the past. That is a fact. But the Xiao Man of today, she is mine."
"What do you mean, 'the Xiao Man of today is yours'?"
Nangong Yu glanced indifferently at Nangong Yi. "Return to your Prince of Qi's mansion. Your Wangfei is there. As for Xiao Man, she can only be this King's woman. No matter who it is, this King will not yield."