On the way back to the manor, Nangong Yi stared at Nangong Yu, making Nangong Yu feel somewhat uneasy.
"What, is there something on my face?"
"Yes, Fourth Brother, you seem to be in a good mood, you're all smiles." Nangong Yi leaned closer, only to be dodged by Nangong Yu with a look of disdain.
"Third Brother, look, Fourth Brother is disgusted with me!" Nangong Yi immediately accused Nangong Yu of his heartless actions to Nangong Yan.
Nangong Yan said with great elegance, "Fourth Brother has always disliked people getting too close. Fortunately, he's in a good mood today, otherwise, he wouldn't just avoid you, he'd kick you away."
"Fourth Brother, what good news is it that makes you so happy?"
"Nothing."
"Liar, something must have happened in the General's manor to make you so happy. Tell us so we can all have a laugh." Nangong Yi, unwilling to give up, leaned in, looking determined.
Nangong Yu remained silent and quickened his pace. Nangong Yi had to trot to keep up, while Nangong Yan followed behind them at a leisurely pace. There was only one person in the General's manor who could make Nangong Yu happy, and that was Xiao Man. Had something happened between them?
By the time Nangong Yan was sent back to his manor, Nangong Yi still hadn't managed to coax anything out of Nangong Yu. He persistently followed Nangong Yu.
"Fourth Brother, you're unfair. I tell you everything, but you tell me nothing."
"I heard you're planning to dismiss all the concubines in your manor?" Nangong Yu changed the subject.
"Mm." Nangong Yi nodded profusely. "Those who are willing to leave will be given generous severance pay, and for those who are unwilling, I will find them suitable husbands."
"Don't you always have a penchant for beautiful women? How can you bear to dismiss them?"
"Xiao Man dislikes it."
Nangong Yu paused, then pretended nothing was amiss and continued walking. "What does she have to do with it?"
"She doesn't like the strong scent of perfume in my manor and refuses to visit. To get her to come over, I'm dismissing them."
The smile vanished from Nangong Yu's face. However, whether he was smiling or angry, it wasn't obvious. Unless one knew him very well, it was impossible to tell.
"She dislikes it, so you're dismissing them?"
"Yes." Nangong Yi said without hesitation. "If I don't dismiss them, I'm afraid she won't visit me again."
"I think, even if you dismiss all the concubines in your manor, she still won't actively seek you out," Nangong Yu said softly.
"That's not necessarily true. After all, we once promised to be together forever."
Nangong Yu finally understood. "Thirteenth Brother likes Xiao Man."
"Yes, I've liked her since I was a child." Nangong Yi put his hands behind his head, walking forward with a relaxed posture. He could have returned by carriage, but he just wanted to walk with his two elder brothers.
"Since you like her, why did you still act so recklessly with her?" Nangong Yu didn't believe it. If Nangong Yi truly liked Xiao Man, how could he flirt with other girls in front of her, or even take her to brothels? It didn't seem like he liked Xiao Man at all, but rather liked to tease her.
"If I didn't act recklessly with her, how would she pay attention to me?" Nangong Yi's voice lowered. "I don't have Fourth Brother's handsome looks to make her fall for me at first sight. The only thing I can do is attract her attention."
Upon hearing this, Nangong Yu sighed. It was a pity that the real Xiao Man was dead. The one alive now was Du Gu Man. If Xiao Man were still alive, he could take a step back and fulfill their wishes. But she wasn't. The person within that body was the one he deeply loved.
"Fourth Brother," Nangong Yi called out to Nangong Yu.
"What is it?"
"I like Xiao Man. Fourth Brother, you won't fight me for her, will you?" Nangong Yi looked at Nangong Yu seriously and asked, "I know Fourth Brother dotes on me the most."
Nangong Yu did not evade Nangong Yi's gaze, but simply looked at him. "You're asking the wrong person." Sudan Fiction Network
Nangong Yi looked at his Fourth Brother in confusion. What did he mean by asking the wrong person?
"You should ask Xiao Man if she likes you, if she is willing to spend the rest of her life with you, not me. Because who Xiao Man likes is not something you or I can control."
"What if she chooses me?"
"She won't," Nangong Yu said gently, looking at his brother. "You don't understand her well enough. She is a woman with strong opinions and knows what she wants. She is different from the concubines in your manor. You cannot give her the life she desires."
"Why does Fourth Brother think I cannot give her the life she desires?"
"Because you don't understand her."
Nangong Yu said very decisively. He had long known Xiao Man's heart's true desire. During his long wait, he had also suffered immense torment, worrying that she might fall in love with someone else. But now, he understood Xiao Man's heart.
Xiao Man liked him. When did it start?
Was it six years ago, when she pulled him out of a pile of corpses, or when she affectionately called him A Yu?
In any case, he understood that at that time, Xiao Man had already developed the desire to claim him as her own.
Fortunately, heaven had been kind to him, allowing him the opportunity to watch over her and possess her. Therefore, he would never let go, not even in death!
Nangong Yi stared blankly at the back of Prince Qin's figure, his eyes filled with stubbornness. "Why is Fourth Brother so certain that I don't understand her?"
"Because I understand her very well," Nangong Yu said slowly. "Thirteenth Brother, some people are not to be yielded to even by an inch."
"Fourth Brother admits he likes Xiao Man now."
Nangong Yu glanced at Nangong Yi, but it was dark, and he couldn't see the expression on Nangong Yi's face. "You wanted to trick information out of me tonight?"
"I just wanted to know if Fourth Brother truly likes Xiao Man," Nangong Yi said softly. "After all, it was you who abandoned Xiao Man and rushed to the battlefield years ago, and it was still you who returned from the battlefield and ignored her. What made Fourth Brother change his attitude?"
"The reason has always been the same," Nangong Yu's voice sounded somewhat indistinct. "Because of love."
Nangong Yi frowned. He didn't quite understand. Going to the battlefield was because of love for Xiao Man, ignoring Xiao Man was also because of love, and changing his attitude now was still because of love. Wasn't your love a bit too capricious?
"Fourth Brother, for some reason, I always feel that you don't love Xiao Man. Otherwise, you wouldn't have fought with Crown Prince Imperial Brother over a mere jest back then," Nangong Yi believed his intuition. Fourth Brother didn't love Xiao Man, neither before nor now. As for why his attitude changed, the only reason he could think of was manipulation.
"Not loving her before doesn't mean I don't love her now," Nangong Yu stopped. "Your manor, we've arrived."
Nangong Yi looked at the words "Qi Wang Fu" (Prince Qi's Manor) and frowned slightly. Standing at the entrance, he looked at his handsome and tall elder brother. Even though he didn't want to admit it, he had to convince himself that Xiao Man liked his Fourth Brother. "Fourth Brother, Xiao Man has liked you since she was little. You... please don't hurt her."
"Don't worry, anyone else might hurt her, but I will not."