The Thirteenth Prince was stunned by the Fourth Prince's words.

In a moment, he realized why the Fourth Prince was so restless: "Fourth Brother, now that you mention it, it is indeed a bit strange. To be honest, I was also a little surprised when I heard from this servant that Li Tiao went back to the Prince's residence with you."

But thinking that you were alright, Fourth Brother, I didn't think about it too much. Now that you've brought it up, it really does seem a bit unusual.

It's not just strange, it's downright unbelievable.

Consort De's attempt to scheme against Li Tiao was not clever, even somewhat clumsy. The conversation between Emperor Kangxi and Consort De after leaving Yonghe Palace shows that Emperor Kangxi knew Consort De's purpose from the beginning.

However, Emperor Kangxi was still willing to cooperate with Consort De in her act.

This way, one can also claim that Kangxi's feelings for Consort De were extraordinary.

Even before the Fourth Prince and Li Tiao left the Qianqing Palace, Kangxi warned the Fourth Prince not to have any improper thoughts and not to get carried away just because Li Tiao said he could replace the Crown Prince.

But the culprit behind all this was Li Tiao, yet Kangxi said nothing.

The Fourth Prince shared his thoughts with the Thirteenth Prince. He wasn't blaming Li Tiao for telling him these things in the first place because of money; he just found the whole thing strange.

"Fourth Brother, Father's actions are a bit strange. You know, Father..." The Thirteenth Prince suddenly thought of something, looked at the Fourth Prince, and swallowed his words.

"Just say what you want to say. There's no need for us brothers to beat around the bush."

Although the Fourth Prince said that, the Thirteenth Prince was still a little hesitant. But seeing that the Fourth Prince's patience was about to run out, he muttered in a low voice, "Fourth Brother, do you think Father Emperor has... taken a fancy to... Li Tiao?"

The moment the Thirteenth Prince finished speaking, the Fourth Prince clenched his fists tightly.

"I was just talking nonsense, nonsense..."

The Fourth Prince remained silent in the face of the Thirteenth Prince's attempts to make amends.

Not only did the two fail to figure out what Kangxi meant, the Fourth Prince became even more worried. The Thirteenth Prince did not stay long. Before leaving, he said, "Fourth Brother, I will keep a close eye on Eighth Brother, Ninth Brother, and Second Brother."

"Thank you for your hard work, Thirteenth Brother."

"Fourth Brother, you're too kind."

Although the Thirteenth Prince's words were just a guess, the Fourth Prince took them to heart.

Li Tiao was unaware that the Fourth Prince and the Thirteenth Prince had once again discussed something that she considered "horrifying."

Because after she relaxed, she started thinking about running away again, because she felt her situation was too dangerous.

Although her status as a substitute bride was not investigated, and she was able to know about things that hadn't happened yet, the danger still existed.

She didn't think as much as the Fourth Prince, and didn't find Kangxi's decision not to pursue the matter somewhat unexpected.

Because Li Tiao felt that she had a lot of "landmines" (crimes/fears), and that any one of them would be devastating, Chunxi's death made Li Tiao feel that people in the palace treated human life like dirt.

She didn't sympathize with Chunxi, but she couldn't help thinking about herself. Moreover, given today's situation, Li Tiao knew that the grudge between her and Consort De was getting deeper and deeper, and the methods that the Fourth Prince had devised to control Consort De were no longer very effective.

No matter how I think about it, running away is the best option among the thirty-six stratagems.

After Li Tiao made up her mind, she suddenly stood up from the wooden tub, ready to come out. Her hand was still reaching for the towel when she heard Hongye outside greeting the Fourth Prince: "This servant greets Your Highness."

"Get up, where is your master?"

"Reporting to you, sir, the master is taking a bath..."

Upon hearing this conversation, Li Tiao quickly shrank back into the wooden tub.

The footsteps grew closer, and Li Tiao shouted, "Don't come in!"

"Master, the master is here. If you are ready, this servant will help you out."

Li Tiao composed herself and called out towards the outside of the screen, "Come in alone."

Soon, Hongye came in alone. Li Tiao tidied herself up briefly, let her hair down, and went out to see the Fourth Prince.

"This servant greets Your Highness."

While the Fourth Prince was deep in thought, he heard Li Tiao's greeting and his eyes slightly lifted. The phrase "lotus emerging from water" unexpectedly popped into his mind.

His gaze gradually shifted from indifference to a more intense intensity.

Li Tiao was unaware that in ancient times, there were no hair dryers, and women all had long hair. Every time she washed her hair, just getting it completely dry was a huge undertaking.

After paying her respects, Li Tiao held a towel in her hand and habitually tilted her head to wipe her hair.

Every move she made seemed to be that of a beautiful woman who had stepped out of a painting.

Recalling the Thirteenth Prince's words, the Fourth Prince's mood became much more agitated. He slowly stepped forward and took Li Tiao's hand as she dried her hair.

Li Tiao was surprised and blushed quickly.

"Sir, you..."

The Fourth Prince didn't speak, but pressed Li Tiao's shoulder and made her sit in front of the dressing mirror. He glanced at Hongye, who was holding a towel next to Li Tiao, and reached out to Hongye.

Seeing that Hongye was stunned and didn't understand what he meant, the Fourth Prince took the towel from Li Tiao's hand and stood behind her to wipe her hair.

His movements were clumsy, but his gaze was fixed on Li Tiao through the dressing mirror. The bronze mirror wasn't very clear, which was a good thing for the Fourth Prince, because he didn't have to hide his "unrestrained" gaze.

Li Tiao was trapped on the stool, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

Although ancient clothing was conservative, coolness was still the priority in summer. Just now, when the Fourth Prince pressed her shoulder, she vaguely felt the rough calluses on his palm.

The Fourth Prince's hair-drying technique was rather clumsy. Although he was earnest, he would occasionally tug at Li Tiao's hair. It didn't hurt, but the pulling sensation seemed to reflect her inner struggle.

So Li Tiao quickly turned her head away to avoid the Fourth Prince's act of wiping her hair. Then, while the Fourth Prince was still surprised, Li Tiao quickly stood up.

Just as she was about to escape this uncomfortable atmosphere, the Fourth Prince reached out and grabbed her.

Not knowing what had suddenly happened to this man, Li Tiao didn't dare to utter a sound. She wanted to ask Hongye for help, but Hongye had already tactfully left.

"Master..."

"Your face is very deceptive."

Finally, the Fourth Prince stopped his eerily quiet demeanor, but Li Tiao didn't know how to respond to his words, so she just smiled awkwardly.

"Li Tiao, haven't you ever calculated it for yourself?"

"What's the big deal?" Li Tiao thought that since she had already fooled Emperor Kangxi with her "fortune telling" skills, she wouldn't pretend to be confused now.

Let's calculate our marriage prospects.

Li Tiao's lips twitched: "My lord, I am now your princess, do we still need to calculate our marriage?"

The Fourth Prince's eyebrows twitched unexpectedly at Li Tiao's words, and his mood seemed to have calmed down.

But seeing Li Tiao looking like a startled rabbit, which was especially endearing, the Fourth Prince recalled the Thirteenth Prince's words: Was this how the Emperor saw Li Tiao in the Qianqing Palace?

So the Fourth Prince asked, "Don't you want a better marriage? Like marrying Father Emperor?"