Seeing that the Fourth Prince remained silent, the Seventeenth Prince quickly said, "It is all my fault, Your Majesty. Please punish me!"

The Fourth Prince glanced at her, put the tea in his hand on the table, and said, "You've done your best. We can't conduct an open investigation, and the Fourteenth Prince is hiding very well. It's understandable that you can't find him for a while. I don't blame you."

The Seventeenth Prince bowed his head and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I will search as soon as possible."

The Fourth Prince curled his lips and said, "Get up. You must prepare well for the matter I have entrusted to you. You may leave now!"

The Seventeenth Prince nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty, I shall take my leave."

After he finished speaking, he stood up, turned around, and walked towards the door.

The Fourth Prince sat on the couch, looking at the ground as if he was thinking about something. After a while, he said to Su Peisheng, who was standing to the side, "Go and call the Thirteenth Prince."

Su Peisheng quickly withdrew and ordered someone to go out of the palace and summon the Thirteenth Prince.

Before long, Su Peisheng led the Thirteenth Prince into the Hall of Mental Cultivation and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, the Thirteenth Prince has arrived."

Thirteen, dressed in a silver-white brocade robe, strode in with a calm smile on his face. He was dashing and handsome. Upon seeing Fourth Prince, he cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."

Fourth Master beckoned to him and said, "Come here and sit down."

Thirteen walked to the couch opposite Fourth Prince, sat down, and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The Fourth Prince was in a good mood when he saw the Thirteenth Prince, and a gentle smile appeared on his face. The Thirteenth Prince said, "Your Majesty will be holding a lotus appreciation party at Yuanmingyuan in half a month. I heard that the Seventeenth Prince has already arranged the guards to protect you."

Fourth Master nodded, sighed, and said, "Yes, everything has been arranged. Lanqin has been handling it all."

"Your Majesty is wise and intelligent; you will surely make this lotus appreciation event a resounding success."

Mentioning Lanqin, the Fourth Prince smiled faintly, "She is indeed very good, and I trust her to handle these matters."

The Thirteenth Prince asked, "I heard that Your Majesty invited Eighth Brother and Ninth Brother to this lotus appreciation gathering."

Fourth Master exchanged a glance with him and nodded.

Thirteen said, "Your Majesty knows that you are not particularly close to Eighth Brother and Ninth Brother. Yet this time you personally sent them invitations. If I am not mistaken, Your Majesty's intention is to gauge their thoughts."

Among all the brothers in the palace, none understood the Fourth Prince better than the Thirteenth Prince.

Fourth Master called him over because he really wanted to talk to him about these things.

Without him even having to speak, Thirteen had already voiced what was on his mind.

The Fourth Prince laughed heartily, looking at the Thirteenth Prince with admiration, and said, "You, Thirteenth Prince, are indeed the one who understands me perfectly. You're like a mind reader, knowing exactly what I'm thinking!"

The Thirteenth Prince smiled modestly, "Your Majesty, I merely guessed correctly."

The Fourth Prince put away his smile, sighed, and said, "This time, when the Fourteenth Prince went missing, I ordered the Seventeenth Prince to search for him, but I didn't want him to make a fuss about it. This was to prevent people with ulterior motives from finding out and doing something. But the Seventeenth Prince has been searching for so long, and he still hasn't found a single clue."

Upon hearing this, the Thirteenth Prince understood and said, "Could it be that Your Majesty suspects that someone in the capital is secretly contacting the Fourteenth Prince to help him escape?"

The Fourth Prince nodded. "I invited them here to see who might be unable to restrain themselves and take action during this lotus festival."