After Nanzhi returned to her quarters, Madam Nan could no longer contain herself. Burning with suppressed fury, she marched straight toward Nan Huaimin’s courtyard.
Just as she arrived, Nanyan happened to be storming out with a face full of resentment.
Not only had Nanyan failed to get her way with Nan Huaimin, but she had also been severely chewed out by him and scolded for being lacking in sense, sending her running out in deep grievance.
“Greetings, Mother,” Nanyan muttered stiffly before walking away with a dark expression.
Casting an indifferent, sidelong glance at her, Madam Nan kept her expression flat and chose not to engage with her.
Upon seeing Madam Nan arrive, Steward Fu was utterly startled, though his manners remained respectful: “This slave greets Madam. What brings Madam here?”
“Is the Master inside?” Madam Nan’s voice was icy, rivaling the bitter snow of deep winter and entirely devoid of her usual gentle warmth.
“The Master is inside. Please, right this way, Madam.”
Before Steward Fu even finished speaking, Madam Nan swept past him like a sudden gale-force wind. By the time he recovered his senses, her figure had already vanished from the doorway.
Walking in with a freezing expression, Madam Nan happened to cross paths with Nan Huaimin, who was just about to head out. He had been planning to pay a visit to the Crown Prince and never expected Madam Nan to suddenly appear at his threshold.
“Madam, why have you co—”
Standing against the light from the doorway, Nan Huaimin hadn’t quite managed to clearly discern the expression on Madam Nan’s face. Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Madam Nan raise her hand and, without a single moment of hesitation, swing it violently across his face.
Crack—!
The sharp, resounding slap echoed through the entire room.
Putting every ounce of her strength into the blow, Madam Nan struck Nan Huaimin so hard that stars danced before his eyes. Stunned into a daze by the sheer suddenness of the attack, he stood frozen on the spot.
A single slap was nowhere near enough to purge the bitter hatred festering in her heart—he had just gone and ruined Zhi’er’s entire life! She wished she could beat this wretched scoundrel to death right here and now!
“Nan Huaimin, I must have been blind to ever choose you back then! You sanctimonious hypocrite! How dare you pull such a vile stunt on Zhi’er! If you want to grovel and curry favor with the Crown Prince, I couldn’t care less, but of all things, you had no right—not in a million years—to calculate against Zhi’er!”
Unsatisfied and still seething with rage, Madam Nan took advantage of Nan Huaimin’s dazed state to deliver another fierce, ringing slap.
Though Nan Huaimin had anticipated she would be angry, he never imagined that his normally dignified and gentle wife would actually lay hands on him.
Taking two slaps back-to-back, Nan Huaimin flew into a rage, losing all restraint as he barked and cursed: “Song Yingwan, what kind of madness has gotten into you?! Being favored by the Crown Prince is a blessing Zhi’er took several lifetimes to cultivate! I am clearly doing this for her own good—water flows downwards, but people must strive upwards! How could that fiancé of hers ever hold a candle to the Crown Prince?”
Glaring at him with freezing eyes, Madam Nan locked her gaze onto his hypocritical face and let out a cold sneer: “You truly are a hypocrite. You keep hiding behind the excuse of doing it for Zhi’er’s sake, but who you are really doing it for, you know best in your heart.”
“When you were down on your luck all those years ago, I was the one who helped you rise to this glorious position. I never dreamed that you would let greed consume your soul and turn into this repulsive creature. Nan Huaimin, you make me sick.”
Song Yingwan’s relentless questioning left Nan Huaimin’s face flushed a deep, ugly crimson, as though someone had stepped directly on his most sensitive sore spot. Stung past the point of reason and throwing all concern for his smarting face to the wind, he blurted out recklessly: “I raised her for sixteen years! Now that she’s grown up, it’s high time she pays me back!”
“Besides, the Crown Prince is a dragon among men—countless women throw themselves forward just for a chance to catch his eye. Following the Crown Prince can hardly be considered a grievance for Zhi’er, can it?!”
“You! Is that truly how you think?!”
Trembling with rage, Song Yingwan shook down to her very lips, pointing a finger straight at his nose as she screamed: “You ungrateful, heartless bastard! I never should have helped you in the first place!”
Driven completely out of his mind by her words, a ferocious, distorted expression twisted Nan Huaimin’s features. Raising his hand with a flushed face, he roared as he moved to strike her back: “You’ve completely lost your mind! She isn’t even—”
Right at that critical second, Steward Fu’s anxious voice cut through from outside: “Master! This slave has an urgent matter requesting an audience!”
Meanwhile, completely unaware of the violent confrontation exploding between her parents, Nanzhi had just finished drinking the bowl of contraceptive decoction brought over by Zhuyan, feeling a slight sense of relief settle into her mind.
Barely had she sat down to rest for a moment when Qingyu, the personal maid attending the Crown Prince, hurried over in a breathless rush.
“Miss, Qingyu is outside requesting an audience.”
Hearing Zhuyan’s words, Nanzhi couldn’t help a brief flicker of surprise. What could she possibly want here?
“Please, invite her in.”
Stepping with a longer, more purposeful stride than most young women, Qingyu walked briskly right up to Nanzhi and spoke with polite urgency: “Miss Nan, His Highness is departing immediately. Please pack your things at once and come with me.”
“How can it be so sudden?” Nanzhi looked at her in astonishment. It was far too rushed; she had originally assumed the Crown Prince would remain for a few more days. To announce a sudden departure meant she had zero preparation—she hadn’t even had a chance to say goodbye to her mother.
Unaware of the turmoil behind the scenes, Qingyu was simply following orders. Though she also found the timeline abrupt, since the Crown Prince had given the command, her only duty was to comply.
“Miss Nan, I am not privy to the reasons; this is merely the Crown Prince’s directive, so I must ask you to please make haste.”
“Miss, how can this be? How could the Crown Prince—”
Driven by panic, Hongzhu nearly blurted out something inappropriate. It was only when Zhuyan yanked sharply on her sleeve that she choked back the word inhumane and hastily course-corrected: “This slave simply feels it’s all too hasty. How is anyone supposed to pack everything in this short amount of time?”
Since the Crown Prince’s personal attendant was standing right there, they absolutely could not afford to voice any criticism of him.
“Miss Nan, you only need to pack a few essential personal belongings. It won’t take long at all.”
“Never mind. Zhuyan, Hongzhu, just grab a random selection of clothes and pack them for me.”
Though Nanzhi’s exterior expression appeared completely normal, complete with a lingering smile, she was internally cursing the Crown Prince with every colorful insult she could muster.
“Qingyu, would it be possible for me to go bid my mother a quick farewell?”
Lifting her eyes, Nanzhi fixed a limpid, crystal-clear gaze filled with desperate anticipation straight onto Qingyu, looking at her with an expression of pure, pleading vulnerability.
Qingyu came perilously close to nodding in agreement, but the moment she remembered the Crown Prince’s strict instruction to bring the person over immediately without delay, hesitation checked her impulse.
His Highness was already waiting inside the carriage, and he possessed the lowest tolerance for being kept waiting. If she delayed too long, she feared he would penalize her for incompetence.
At that thought, Qingyu ultimately shook her head, hardening her heart to refuse: “Miss Nan, please hurry and do not delay. His Highness is waiting for you outside in the carriage right now.”
The light in Nanzhi’s eyes extinguished in an instant, dimming heavily as she dropped her head. A heavy wave of disappointment washed over her, making even the surrounding air fall completely quiet.
The dejected sight of her was enough to wrench anyone’s heart, making Qingyu feel torn in half and wishing she could just say yes.
After a brief pause, Nanzhi lifted her head once more, as if having hastily re-adjusted her emotions. Wearing a faint smile, she spoke in a voice so soft and calm that it paradoxically stirred an unprovoked wave of heartache: “I understand. Thank you, and I’m sorry for putting you in a difficult spot.”
Internally, Qingyu mentally berated herself: I am a sinner, I shouldn’t have refused a beauty’s request—yet what else could I possibly do?
A short while later, Zhuyan and Hongzhu emerged carrying a pouch each: “Miss, we’ve packed a few essentials for you. Take a look and see if anything else needs to be added.”
Glancing briefly at the bags, Nanzhi retracted her gaze: “That’s fine, leave it as is.”
She brushed her hand against the pouch hanging at her waist, and feeling the object resting securely inside, a small measure of reassurance settled into her mind.
“Miss Nan, if you please.”
Spotting that the packing was complete, Qingyu stepped aside to clear the path.
“Zhuyan, Hongzhu, you two stay here in the estate and take good care of my mother. Qingyu, let’s go.”
With those words, Nanzhi rose to her feet, ready to follow Qingyu outside.
Beside her, Zhuyan and Hongzhu felt their eyes burn red with tears: “Miss, this slave wants to come with you!”
“This slave wants to follow you too!”
Nanzhi shook her head. Though a quiet reluctance pulled at her heart, she ultimately refused them: “If both of you leave with me, there won’t be anyone left to look after Mother.”
The Eastern Palace was a place filled with eyes and ears everywhere, far less carefree than the family estate. It was enough that she alone was trapped there.
With glistening, tear-filled eyes, Zhuyan and Hongzhu trailed after her all the way out to the front entrance.
Standing outside the gates of the Nan residence, Nanzhi gazed out toward the street, lingering for a long moment before taking another step.
Just as she stood lost in thought, a crisp, teasing voice suddenly drifted out from the carriage parked nearby:
“If Zhizhi doesn’t get up here right now, could it be that you’re waiting for Gu to step down and carry you up?”