The Crown Prince's illness improved day by day. Emperor Kangxi was furious, but he couldn't order the Censorate to investigate, as it would be a scandal. Now, whenever Kangxi encountered a problem, he habitually turned to the Fourth Prince for help. Is this what they call "the capable are always given more work"?

"Fourth Prince, I've thought long and hard about the Crown Prince being poisoned, so I'll leave the investigation to you!" Kangxi said.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will investigate thoroughly as soon as possible!" The Fourth Prince's heart tightened; this was no easy matter. The Crown Prince's attitude towards him was becoming increasingly subtle, and who knew what secrets this investigation might uncover.

That day, after returning to the manor, Fourth Master went straight to Lanqin's place.

"Sixth Prince, Sixth Prince can walk!" Jinju's joyful voice came as the Fourth Prince entered the South Courtyard.

In the courtyard, Jinju and Putao were each holding one of the arms, wearing thin silk jackets with a thin braid hanging down the back of their heads, while the front was still shaved bald. Their little heads were round and plump, with slightly narrow eyes, and they were walking along the bluestone path, wobbling along.

"Greetings to Master!" Upon seeing the Fourth Master arrive, the others in the courtyard immediately suppressed their smiles and hurriedly greeted him.

Jinju and Putao also hurriedly paid their respects, leaving only little Hongli still walking forward with unsteady steps. Lanqin had just heard Jinju's voice from inside the house and immediately came out happily to see Hongli walking, only to see the Fourth Prince looking at Hongli and smiling.

"He's not even eight months old, and he can already walk. This child is precocious!" Fourth Master couldn't help but exclaim.

"Jinju, help him a bit. Sixth Prince's legs are still very weak, don't let him walk too much." Lanqin felt a surge of sweetness in her heart and quickly said to Jinju.

"Yes." Jinju and Putao quickly went to help Hongli.

The Fourth Prince strode over to Hongli, squatted down, and said to him, "Father, want a hug?"

Hongli didn't see the Fourth Prince often, and each time he did, he was a little afraid of him. When he was first brought back from the palace, Hongli didn't recognize anyone except Lanqin. This was because Lanqin would visit the Qianqing Palace every few days, so he recognized her to some extent.

"Master, you should wash your hands and face," Lanqin said.

"Alright, go wash your hands first." Seeing that Hongli wouldn't let him hold him, Fourth Master walked towards Lanqin with a somewhat disheartened expression.

Seeing the Fourth Master's dissatisfaction, Lanqin had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on. She said to Si Hua beside her, "Go and get ready."

"Aren't you going to help me clear my head?" Fourth Master walked up to Lanqin and grabbed her hand.

"Alright, Master, go wash your hands and face first, I'll be there in a bit," Lanqin said, patting the Fourth Master's hand.

After the Fourth Prince went inside to wash his hands and face, Lanqin walked up to Hongli and said to him, "Hongli, that was your father just now. Next time you see your father, let's let him hug you, okay?"

Little Hongli is only eight months old, but he can already walk unsteadily and make simple sounds like "ah" and "ba." He has been spending every day with Lanqin these days and already knows that Lanqin is his mother.

"Uh, uh!!" Hongli waved his chubby little hands and rushed into Lanqin's arms. His adorable appearance was truly cute.

"Okay, let Mom hug you!" Lanqin hugged Hongli, patted his little back, and was filled with joy and satisfaction.

"Jinju, did you bring that little rocking horse over? Let Hongli ride it and play with it," Lanqin said, holding Hongli.

Lanqin carried Hongli into the room. The Fourth Master had already cleaned his face with the help of Sihua and Xicha.

"Hongli, call him Dad!" Lanqin knew that Hongli could pronounce this word, so she encouraged him to call the Fourth Master "Dad".

"What father?" Fourth Master asked as he walked over to Hongli, who was obediently lying in Lanqin's arms.

“That’s also what Father wanted,” Lanqin said.

"Dad? Why does that sound like poop?" Fourth Master felt a little awkward.

"Pfft!"

Looking at Fourth Master's face, Lanqin knew what he had thought of and couldn't help but laugh.

"Jinju, take Hongli downstairs to play for a while," Lanqin said, handing Hongli, whom she was holding, to Jinju, who was standing nearby.

After Jinju carried Hongli away, Lanqin said, "My lord, let me give you a good scalp massage."

Fourth Master took Lanqin's hand, and the two walked together to the daybed in the bedroom. Because it was still April, a thin layer of cotton wadding was laid on it.

After the two took off their shoes and got into bed, Shui Ling brought in tea.

Lanqin personally picked up the tassel of Fourth Master's braid and untied it little by little.

"Shui Ling, go out and tell Master Niu that we'll have noodles tonight. Summer is almost here, so let's eat something light," Lan Qin said, seeing Shui Ling standing to the side.

After she left, Lanqin began to slowly untangle the Fourth Master's braid. She was still not used to making overly intimate gestures with the Fourth Master in front of the maids, nor did she like to show the Fourth Master's casual side too much to the maids.

Holding a sieve, she gently cleaned Fourth Master's hair. The sunlight outside, no longer so intense, shone through the sparse pear trees onto the paper windows, with only a few rays able to penetrate.

"Qin'er, Father Emperor has sent me to investigate the matter of the Crown Prince being poisoned." The Fourth Prince squinted his eyes, tilted his head back, and let Lanqin comb his hair step by step.

Lanqin also learned about the recent events concerning the Crown Prince from the Fourth Prince. She sorted through her thoughts about the Crown Prince and Yinti, and had a general idea of ​​what was going on. However, she couldn't directly reveal who was behind it all. Although that's what the history textbooks said, who could say for sure what the real historical situation was?

“Since Father trusts me so much, I will investigate this matter thoroughly,” Lanqin said.

"It's not easy to investigate! It's not easy to ask the Crown Prince anything. As for who's involved on the other side, it's hard to say. The Crown Princess said that it started after the Prince Heshuo had a few drinks at his residence that day. That day, Your Highness was there too, and everyone who drank was fine, except for the Crown Prince," said the Fourth Prince.

"Does Your Highness think this matter has nothing to do with Prince Heshuo?" Lanqin asked.

"It's hard to say. We still have no clue how the Crown Prince was poisoned. But Father has already handed over the investigation to you, Your Highness. You have to come up with a conclusion for Father," the Fourth Prince said with a worry.

"My lord, you should thoroughly investigate Prince Heshuo's side. After all, everyone knows about his rift with the Crown Prince. Now that the Crown Prince is in trouble, he is the prime suspect," Lanqin said.

"Why?" Fourth Master asked.

"Because he is the eldest son of the emperor. I believe that if the crown prince dies from the poison, who will benefit the most?" Lanqin had to point out.

"On the surface, he's the eldest brother," Fourth Master said.

"Indeed, did Father Emperor give you any hints?" Lanqin asked.

"I still can't figure out Father Emperor's attitude. The probing that day seemed to indicate that he also suspected Prince Heshuo," the Fourth Prince said.