The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 193: Only Allowed to Drink in My Presence

Chapter 193: Only Allowed to Drink in My Presence

Ye Siheng’s heart burned with intensity as he solemnly stated, "But remember, you can only drink in my presence. Even in the presence of your brothers, thou shall not partake in wine."

"I understand," Nanli readily agreed.

Ye Siheng ordered for the wine to be brought forth.

Nanli also found the wine to be lacking in potency, yet after a few cups, she quickly became drowsy and disoriented.

Looking at Ye Siheng, his figure began to blur before her eyes.

Nanli hiccuped, "My lord, please stand still and cease your swaying."

Ye Siheng sighed helplessly, realizing that she should not indulge in too much wine.

Seeing her about to collapse on the imperial concubine’s chair, he quickly reached out and steadied her, gently placing her head on a soft pillow.

Observing her flushed cheeks, a sign that the wine had taken effect, she mumbled incoherently.

Yuanbao, quick-witted as ever, brought in some water.

She intended to wipe Nanli’s face and hands, but Ye Siheng took the towel from her, saying, "I will do it myself."

Yuanbao was no longer surprised by this and silently retreated to the side.

Ever since Miss married into the Mansion of Prince Yu, she and Chunbao had fewer tasks to attend to.

It was because Ye Siheng had taken over all their responsibilities.

Ye Siheng turned around to wring out the towel.

Yuanbao glanced up, feeling a tinge of envy and even more joy that her mistress had found such a husband.

However, she noticed a glimmer on Nanli’s forehead.

What was that?

Yuanbao was taken aback and blinked her eyes, but the glimmer had already vanished.

Could it be that she had mistaken it due to her own eyes playing tricks?

Yuanbao scrutinized Nanli’s forehead several times, but there was no sign of any glimmer.

She concluded that she must have been mistaken.

Ye Siheng had finished wiping Nanli’s cheeks and hands, and Yuanbao went out to pour away the water.

In the past, Ye Siheng disliked being attended to by maidservants, but after Nanli’s arrival, he couldn’t continue relying on young servants and guards.

Thus, there were now several maidservants in the Liuli Pavilion.

However, only Yuanbao and Chunbao were allowed to enter the chambers to serve.

A maidservant approached Yuanbao when she saw her carrying the water, saying, "Sister Yuanbao, let me take over."

She reached out to receive the copper basin.

This maidservant was named Caiping, a second-ranked maid who was nimble and often helped Yuanbao with various tasks.

After observing her for some time, Yuanbao realized that she was simply diligent and had no ulterior motives.

Yuanbao handed the basin to her without hesitation and said, "It is getting late. Once you finish tidying up, go rest as well."

Caiping smiled and replied, "Yes, Sister Yuanbao, you should rest early too."

She carried the basin away.

Yuanbao also intended to return to her room to freshen up and sleep, but suddenly, her arm stung as if it had been bitten.

She rolled up her sleeve and, illuminated by the moonlight and lanterns in the corridor, saw a red mark on her arm, yet there was no sign of any mosquito.

The bitten area was not itchy either, so Yuanbao dismissed it and let her sleeve fall back down, paying no further attention to it.

In the capital, there had been sightings of supernatural beings, causing harm to Miss Zhong from the Zhong family.

This has left many citizens in a state of unease, prompting them to rush to Nanli’s store to purchase talismans for warding off evil spirits.

Young Zhi Mi lacked the experience and knowledge, and considered that supernatural beings had not appeared in a century, and that Qing Xu had never encountered them, how could he possibly teach Zhi Mi to draw talismans?

Zhi Mi is unable to draw them, but Nanli possessed the skill.

However, she was unwilling to do so.

Firstly, she only had two hands, and with so many people wanting to buy talismans, she would not be able to keep up with the demand.

Secondly, most of the supernatural beings in the world were already dealt with thousands of years ago, and the remaining few were hidden deep in the mountains, practicing their arts.

The talismans bought by the common people with their hard-earned savings would likely never be used in their lifetime.

In that case, how could they allow the common people to waste their money?

Initially, the common people did not understand, but Nanli posted a notice at the entrance of her store, and word quickly spread.

The common people soon understood her intentions and no longer panicked or desired to buy talismans.

Some Taoist priests wanted to take advantage of the situation to make a fortune, but Nanli’s note disrupted their plans, leaving them frustrated and angry.

However, Nanli not only possessed profound Taoist skills, but she was also the esteemed Ninth Princess, favored by the Ninth Prince and protected by Emperor Muwu.

Despite their anger, they could do nothing but only endure it.

As the weather gradually grew hotter, Emperor Muwu, despite his recent hardships, was unaffected except for some physical weakness that prevented him from exerting himself.

Nevertheless, he took precautions and restored the status of Crown Prince to Ye Chengyan.

Ye Chengyan was delighted, but also became more cautious, fearing that he might disappoint his father’s expectations once again.

On this day, Empress Xie summoned Nanli to the palace.

Nanli wondered what had happened in the palace, but upon arriving at the Fengxi Palace, she saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Instead, she noticed a young lady sitting in the main hall, with delicate eyebrows and a dignified and noble appearance.

"Li’er, you’ve arrived," Empress Xie smiled and gestured for Nanli to sit without formalities.

She then introduced the young lady, "This is the Second Miss of the Lord of Zhenguo."

Nanli had never met her, but she had heard about her from others.

This Second Miss was named Rong Dongling and had long been engaged to Ye Chengyan.

However, due to her mother’s passing, she had been in mourning and had not entered the Eastern Palace.

Now, she was almost eighteen years old, which, in this feudal era, made her quite an old maid.

Now that her mourning period was over, she had come out to socialize.

Rong Dongling stood up and greeted Nanli with a gentle and pleasant voice, "Greetings, Ninth Princess."

Nanli nodded slightly, "No need for formalities, Second Miss."

Rong Dongling had come to the palace to bring some silk threads for embroidery.

She did not stay long and soon left after paying her respects to Empress Xie.

Empress Xie ordered a palace maid to see her off, then turned her gaze to Nanli, lowering her voice, she asked, "What do you think of Second Miss Rong?"

Nanli was a bit confused, "Empress Mother, what aspect are you referring to?"

"Of course, her appearance and whether her aura is normal," Empress Xie’s brows furrowed with worry.

"As you know, there have been many incidents this year, and I am somewhat afraid.

That’s why I summoned you to the palace to have a look."

"Second Miss Rong has a round and auspicious appearance, quite good. However, as for her aura..." Nanli suddenly stopped.

Empress Xie instantly became nervous, leaning forward slightly, "What’s wrong with her aura? Does she possess any evil energy?"

She had heard about the incident where Zhong Mingyu was skinned by a supernatural being, naturally causing panic in her heart.

The palace and the royal family had experienced frequent incidents this year, and there were already many rumors among the common people, claiming that the Ye royal family was unworthy of their position, and that the heavenly gods were punishing them with calamities and misfortunes.

If Rong Dongling were to encounter any mishaps just before her marriage into the Eastern Palace, it would be disastrous.

"It’s not evil energy, but rather, it resembles the aura of the deceased," Nanli gently shook her head.

"The aura of the deceased?" Empress Xie didn’t quite understand.

"It seems that she has encountered the deceased, which is why she has absorbed some of their energy," Nanli explained.

Empress Xie breathed a sigh of relief, "As long as there are no issues."

However, it was still inauspicious for Rong Dongling to have absorbed the energy of the deceased.

Therefore, Empress Xie requested that Nanli draw a talisman and have a palace maid deliver it to Rong Dongling, in order to dispel the lingering energy.

This was a simple task for Nanli, and she quickly drew the talisman and handed it to the palace maid.

Not long after Rong Dongling returned to her manor, a palace maid brought her something.

It was a sachet containing a talisman, specially requested by Empress Xie for her.

The palace maid said, "Second Miss, please keep this talisman with you at all times."