Chapter 47 Longkodo

"Fourth son, fourth son..."

The quiet private room was suddenly burst in by a tall, burly man who shouted as he entered, completely ignoring the three people inside, including the mistress and servants, and went straight for the woman who was tied up on the ground in a disheveled state.

"Fourth son, my dear fourth son, who dares to be so bold?"

"Third Master, you've finally arrived! Si'er has been so wronged..." With the rag removed from her mouth, Li Si'er gagged and wept, leaning against Longkodo's chest, utterly disheveled. She didn't notice that Longkodo stiffened for a moment because of her disheveled state. But then, heartache prevailed, and he suppressed his disgust and held her tightly.

"Don't be afraid, Si'er, I will avenge you!"

"Oh, I wonder how Third Master Tong plans to take revenge?" Yinzhen's voice drifted over, and Longkodo, who felt a sense of familiarity, turned around and saw Yinzhen, momentarily stunned.

"Fourth Prince? Has Fourth Prince offended you?"

Longkodo had always known Li Si'er's personality, and it was precisely because of this that he had deliberately indulged Li Si'er's arrogance. Therefore, even when Li Si'er was in the wrong and provoked others, Longkodo didn't care. After all, with his status, couldn't he protect a woman?

Today, he thought it was just like any other day, that Si'er had provoked a stubborn fool who had detained him. He originally came to settle scores for Li Si'er, but who knew that this person was actually the Fourth Prince Yinzhen.

Longkodo was initially flustered, but then a faint sense of dissatisfaction arose within him.

"Longkodo greets Fourth Master." Longkodo said he was bowing, but he didn't get up at all. He simply helped Li Si'er to sit on a soft couch to the side and asked, "Si'er, you didn't reveal your identity when you met the Fourth Prince?"

"Master, I told you, I told you long ago that you are my husband, but..." With Longkodo around, Li Si'er was no longer afraid of anything and leaned against Longkodo's chest to complain.

These words only fueled Longkodo's discontent. What did the Fourth Prince mean by this? The property had already been transferred to his sister's name, yet not only did he refuse his invitation, he was also making things difficult for his favored concubine. Was this disrespect towards the Fourth Prince, or towards Longkodo himself?

Recalling the complaints he had just received from Lady Uya in the palace, Longkodo disliked Yinzhen even more and directly questioned, "What does Fourth Prince mean by this? Are you deliberately going against me or do you look down on my Tongjia clan?"

Longkodo became increasingly convinced that this was indeed the case, and couldn't help but stand up and continue, "Fourth Prince is nothing but a weak woman, yet he can treat her so cruelly. He truly is a cold-hearted and heartless person, unfilial to his own mother..."

"Insolence!" Su Peisheng could not bear to see his master humiliated and was the first to step forward to rebuke him. Guarjia and Qing, who were standing to the side, also stepped forward. Although they did not speak, the swords in their hands were already drawn.

"I think you're the ones being insolent! Do you have the right to interrupt when I'm speaking to the Fourth Prince?" Longkodo roared arrogantly, not only unaware of his own wrongdoing, but also seeing this as proof of Yinzhen's disrespect towards him.

If he hadn't been transferred to Empress Xiaoyiren's name, who would have cared about him? Having enjoyed the power of the Tongjia clan, yet daring not to fawn over him with utmost respect, Longkodo grew increasingly dissatisfied.

"Su Peisheng, He Qing, you may step back."

“Your Highness…” The two men were not entirely at ease looking at the arrogant Longkodo.

Yinzhen didn't say much, just waved his hand, and the two had no choice but to obey. In Longkodo's eyes, this meant that Yinzhen had given in, and he was about to say a few more words when he heard Yinzhen order: "Drag that woman out with you."

"Let's see who dares!" Longkodo glared angrily, not expecting Yinzhen to give such an order.

"Longkodo!" Yinzhen simply uttered a cold snort, and Longkodo felt as if he were facing boundless killing intent. He shivered from the inside out, filled with endless fear and timidity, and stood rooted to the spot, not daring to move.

Taking this opportunity, Su Peisheng and his companion dragged Li Si'er out. No matter how much Li Si'er struggled and cried out, Longkodo remained unmoved. In the end, Li Si'er was once again given the same rag, gagged, and dragged out.

As everything settled, the sound of the door closing in the private room startled Longkodo. He was somewhat dazed, unsure of what had just happened. He didn't believe it was Yinzhen's intimidation, but rather that he had been too angry, and his rage had overwhelmed him, causing him to feel dizzy and unable to react.

The thought of his fourth son being dragged out right under his nose instantly reignited Longkodo's anger, and he shouted at Yinzhen, "Fourth Prince, what kind of person bullies a woman..."

"Bang!"

Before Longkodo could finish speaking, a teacup came hurtling straight at him. Had he not reacted quickly, he wouldn't have just brushed past it; he would have been hit squarely on the forehead.

“You…” Longkodo was speechless for a moment, like a punctured balloon, feeling both fear and confusion, not understanding how Yinzhen dared to treat him like this.

Before he could speak, Yinzhen stared at him with icy eyes and said coldly, "Longkodo, Father Emperor, he is the Son of Heaven!"

Longkodo's heart skipped a beat, his anger vanished instantly, and he forced himself to say, "His Majesty is naturally a wise and enlightened emperor, but what does that have to do with what we're talking about now?"

"In the imperial court, who doesn't know that you, Lord Longkodo, enjoy the emperor's favor? You can come and go as you please in the court and the harem, and you receive more care than even the princes. Isn't Father Emperor good to you? How dare you?"

Yinzhen's questioning made Longkodo uneasy. He dared not think too deeply about what Yinzhen knew, and could only stubbornly reply, "Your subject will certainly repay you with loyalty. I do not know what the Fourth Prince is talking about."

"I don't know. How about I remove Li Si'er's fine clothes and send her to the Emperor?"

As if the sky had fallen and the earth had cracked, Yinzhen's words struck Longkodo's heart hard. He couldn't help but stagger two steps and fall onto the soft couch behind him.

Yinzhen found out, but how did he find out?

To outsiders, even Yixiu, Li Si'er, dressed in her finest attire, appeared merely gaudy. However, without her makeup, Li Si'er bore a striking resemblance to Wuya Shi.

However, the two women's daily attire styles are quite different. Uya Shi follows a gentle and elegant style, while Li Si'er prefers extravagance and glamour. Coupled with Li Si'er's shallow and domineering temperament, no one would associate the two of them together.

But Yinzhen recognized him after only one meeting. How could that be? Longkodo was completely baffled. He knew how proud he had been when he had allowed Li Si'er to appear in public without being recognized, satisfying his unspeakable dark desires. That's why he had indulged Li Si'er even more.

The more arrogant Li Si'er became, the happier he was, but little did he know that he would run into Yinzhen.

Longkodo closed his eyes, unwilling to admit it, "I don't understand what the Fourth Prince is talking about."

"I've never been close to the Uya clan since I was a child. Do you know why?" Yinzhen abruptly changed the subject, but this question made Longkodo's heart jump again, and he dared not listen any further.

"That was a rainy night... and it's my eternal nightmare... Longkodo, how dare you?"

Yinzhen's vague words instantly drained Longkodo of his strength. It turned out that the Fourth Prince had seen it when he was a child. Even though he couldn't remember if there had been such a rainy night when he and Uya had their secret rendezvous, he clearly sensed from Yinzhen's tone that he had indeed seen it.

If the Fourth Prince could see it when he was young, could others have seen it too?

Longkodo, not daring to think further, closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were bloodshot, and he asked in a hoarse voice, "Fourth Prince, what do you want?"