On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

Yi Fei dared not move again, letting Lin Yi hold her hand.

His palms were large and warm, with calluses from years of holding knives. As he rubbed the back of his hand, a tingling sensation ran through him.

Lin Yi took something out of his pocket, but Yi Fei kept her head down and didn't look at it.

"Hey girl, take a look." Lin Yi nudged her forearm with his elbow.

When Yifei came to her senses and looked around, she was immediately dumbfounded.

Lin Yi was holding a warm, jade-green hairpin in his hand.

Isn't this the butterfly-and-flower gold hairpin that I gave to my grandmother?

How did it end up in the prince's hands?

"This... Your Highness, this hairpin..." Yifei stammered, unable to even finish her sentence.

Lin Yi smiled and placed the hairpin in her hand: "This is the second time I've given it to you. If you give it away again, there won't be any left."

Yifei's eyes instantly reddened.

"Your Highness, you already know..." She wasn't stupid; of course she knew that the hairpin must have been redeemed from the pawnshop by someone sent by the prince.

Thinking of this, an indescribable feeling of emotion welled up in my heart, and tears streamed down my face.

Seeing her tearful face, Lin Yi felt a pang of sympathy and gently comforted her, "Why are you crying? You're mine, and I'll naturally take care of your family. Next time something like this happens, just go directly to Lin An and have him draw money from the Prince's account. I'll give Min'er a special talking-to; don't give away your things so easily, understand?"

I belong to him...

Yifei didn't hear the second half of the sentence at all; her mind was filled with repeating "I am his person."

Oh my god, my heart is so hot, so burning, it feels like it's melting.

She looked up at Lin Yi with teary eyes and nodded emphatically.

After nodding, she seemed to remember something, shook her head, and pushed the hairpin back into her hand.

"Your Highness, I cannot accept this hairpin."

Lin Yi frowned: "Why?"

"I am a servant, and the Prince's Mansion is the Prince's Mansion." Yifei wiped away her tears, her attitude firm. "Grandma's matter is my private matter. I cannot take the Prince's Mansion's money. That's the rule."

"Nonsense! My word is law!"

"But……"

"No buts!" Lin Yi's attitude was equally firm. "I said, you're my person! Your business is my business. What private business is there to it? You must accept this hairpin today, or don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Yifei bit her lip.

Lin Yi usually never referred to himself as "this king" in front of her; if he did, it meant he was going to be in a formal and official capacity.

Of course, she knew the prince meant well, but she just couldn't get over that hurdle in her heart. She didn't want to take advantage of the prince's mansion, and she didn't want to cause trouble for the prince or give outsiders something to talk about because of her family's messy affairs.

In Yifei's heart, the prince is like heaven, and he cannot be criticized or insulted by anyone.

But... the prince insisted on accepting it himself.

What should we do?

"Sister Yifei." Nangong Min appeared at the palace gate at some point, dressed in a moon-white nightgown. Looking at the two people on the steps, she said with a smile, "Your Highness is right. Just accept it. Being so rigid is not like someone who serves Your Highness."

After saying that, she remained standing there without coming over immediately.

When Yifei saw Nangong Min, she panicked and quickly stood up from the stone steps, intending to bow.

"This servant greets Madam."

"Don't be so polite." Nangong Min waved her hand with a smile, then gracefully walked over. "Why are you sitting outside so late? Aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"

"I'm sorry to have worried you, Madam." Yifei still looked timid.

Nangong Min grabbed her hand and patted it: "Look, your hands are cold. Is there anything you can't tell me? Is it worth defying the prince for a mere few taels of silver?"

Knowing Yifei's place in Lin Yi's heart, she spoke with exceptional gentleness and consideration.

Yifei kept her head down and said, "This servant...this servant only did what she was supposed to do."

"No, you're wrong." Nangong Min shook her head. "You only think about what you should do, but you haven't considered how much it will upset the prince."

"The prince gave you this gift because he values ​​you, likes you, and considers you one of his own. This hairpin represents the prince's goodwill. But what did you do? You immediately pawned this gift and used the money to help others. What do you expect the prince to think? He will feel that you are a treasure in his heart. But in your heart, his goodwill is not as important as a few dozen taels of silver."

"I didn't!" Yifei had been nonchalant about the beginning, but she panicked when she heard the rest and hurriedly protested, "That's not what I meant! That's what I..."

"Of course you don't think that way, I know," Nangong Min interrupted her, her tone softening. "But the Prince doesn't know that. He only sees that you didn't value the things he gave you."

Lin Yi listened from the side, secretly delighted.

Surprisingly, Min'er, who seems so dignified and virtuous, is quite good at arguing.

After hearing what Nangong Min said, Yifei was somewhat swayed. After thinking about it carefully, it seemed... that there was some truth to it.

The prince treated me so well, yet I pawned the things he gave me... If the prince knew, he would definitely be upset.

Thinking of this, Yifei felt very guilty.

"Madam, I know I was wrong." She lowered her head, her voice filled with remorse.

"It's good that you know you've made a mistake. The prince is magnanimous and won't hold it against you. Be good. Now that the prince has redeemed the hairpin for you, keep it safe and don't do anything foolish like that again."

Nangong Min paused, then added.

But what she really wanted to say tonight was what she was about to say next.

"Sister, you must remember, you are now the Prince's person, a person of this Regent's Palace. The Palace is your home. If family members are in trouble, it is only natural to take money from the family. This is not taking advantage, it is mutual support among family members."

"If you always think, 'A servant is a servant, and the Prince's mansion is the Prince's mansion,' and treat yourself as an outsider, then you will truly hurt the Prince's heart. Because that means that you don't consider the Prince's mansion your own home from the bottom of your heart, and you don't consider the Prince as your own family."

These words shattered Yifei's concerns and so-called principles.

Yes, the Prince's Mansion is my home.

The prince is my family.

Why should I treat myself as an outsider?

Yifei felt a sudden sense of clarity. She looked up at Nangong Min with gratitude in her eyes and said, "Thank you, Madam. I understand."

Without further hesitation, she gripped the hairpin tightly in her hand and said to Lin Yi, "This servant thanks Your Highness for your kindness."

Lin Yi smiled and nodded, his opinion of Nangong Min rising even higher.

This woman was not only smart, but also very shrewd; she completely won over Yifei with just a few words.

It seems I made the right choice in entrusting the backyard to her.

Sometimes, royal education can be quite reliable.

Lin Yi gently pinched Yi Fei's nose and said affectionately, "Alright, you've been out in the wind all day. Quickly have the kitchen make some ginger soup, drink it before you go to sleep."

"Yes, Your Highness, I will obey your will!" Yifei smiled sweetly, nodded, and curtsied to the two of them before returning to her room with the hairpin.

Only Lin Yi and Nangong Min remained on the stone steps.

Nangong Min watched Yifei's departing figure, smiled faintly, and naturally took Lin Yi's arm: "Husband, have I been meddling?"

Lin Yi pulled her into his arms and smiled, "Perfect timing."