Li Tiao looked at Master Kang in surprise, somewhat incredulous at what she had just heard. She didn't know how to respond; neither agreeing nor disagreeing seemed right.

Therefore, Li Tiao had no choice but to pretend to be stupid.

It wasn't exactly feigning ignorance, because Li Tiao genuinely didn't know: "Your Majesty, what you mean is... This servant is foolish and doesn't quite understand what you mean."

"Don't understand?" Kangxi asked.

Li Tiao nodded.

"You should first calm your mind and calculate for my fourth son who his wife is, and then we'll talk."

"Your Majesty, this servant..."

"What's wrong? Are you in a difficult situation?" the Emperor asked.

Li Tiao was indeed in a bit of a predicament; if she "calculated" too many times, her secret would be exposed.

"Your Majesty, this servant's skill is merely a trivial matter, like Duan Yu's Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique), sometimes effective, sometimes not. Therefore, Your Majesty, this servant..."

Kangxi raised an eyebrow: "Duan Yu's Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique)?"

"Yes, it's a metaphor for things going well and badly at times." After explaining, Li Tiao closed her eyes in frustration. What should she say if Master Kang asked her who Duan Yu was?

Li Tiao realized she had been careless again, so she lowered her head even further. Although she knew that burying her head in the sand like this was useless, she was still afraid that Kangxi would ask her questions.

"You even know Duan Yu?"

Hearing Kangxi's words, which seemed to be either a monologue or a question to himself, Li Tiao felt her heart pounding in her throat.

But then I thought about it again and felt something was off. Kangxi seemed to be familiar with the name Duan Yu, and he also knew about the Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique).

Then… Li Tiao suddenly looked up, her pupils wide and her mouth covered, looking as if she had been struck by lightning.

Could this Emperor Kangxi be from my hometown?

Upon realizing this possibility, Li Tiao quickly lowered her head again.

"How exactly did you offend Consort De? Why is she so determined to kill you?"

Just as Li Tiao was filled with questions, Kangxi changed the subject, no longer asking her to figure out who the Fourth Prince's wife was, and started asking Consort De.

Li Tiao quickly banished the unanswerable thoughts from her mind and earnestly addressed each of Kangxi's questions. She realized that she wasn't overthinking; she just hadn't been thinking in the right direction.

"Your Majesty, this servant does not know how I offended Consort De."

"No reason? She doesn't get along with the fourth prince, but given your status and Consort De's personality, she usually wouldn't even give you a second glance. But now she keeps causing you trouble. Don't you have any idea why?"

Li Tiao truly didn't know, but the Fourth Prince should know. However, Li Tiao didn't know what was going on and dared not say anything to Master Kang rashly.

So Li Tiao shook her head: "Your Majesty, this servant truly does not know what this is about."

Seeing that Kangxi remained silent, Li Tiao hesitated for a moment and then asked, "This servant dares to ask, but what did Consort De say to this servant?"

"I had already agreed to let the fourth prince move out of the mansion, but after Consort De heard the news, she came to me and told me that the fourth prince did not have a consort yet, and said that he should leave the palace after he had a consort."

That sounds reasonable, and I had mentioned the matter of the fourth prince marrying a princess to her before.

but……"

Looking at Kangxi, who was lost in thought, Li Tiao understood what was going on.

When the Emperor asked Consort De to pay attention to the Fourth Prince, Li Tiao was also present. At that time, Consort De was not too willing to let the Emperor ask her to care about the Fourth Prince.

Now she's taking the initiative to care, but rather than saying she cares about the Fourth Prince, it's more accurate to say she's obsessed with killing herself.

After all, once outside the palace, Consort De still had ways to kill Li Tiao, but it wasn't as convenient as it was inside the palace.

However, Li Tiao's doubts grew stronger. Although she didn't understand why Consort De wanted to kill her, it wasn't a secret to her.

But does Master Kang seem to be helping himself?

Who exactly is he?

"She is the fourth prince's biological mother. She mentioned the matter of the fourth prince's wife, which makes sense. I couldn't refuse her, so I temporarily prevented the fourth prince from leaving the palace."

But you must be careful in the palace.

Li Tiao naturally had to be careful: "This servant thanks Your Majesty."

"Stop calling me 'servant' all the time, it's exhausting to hear. How about this, I'll allow you to call yourself by your own name."

Faced with such a great favor, Li Tiao was unsure whether she should accept it, but reason told her that she should express her gratitude at this moment.

"Li Tiao thanks Your Majesty for your grace."

"you……"

"Your Majesty, just give me your orders."

After staring at Li Tiao for a long time, Master Kang waved his hand and said, "It's alright, you can go back now."

She arrived with trepidation and left full of doubt. Master Kang's attitude was simply too suspicious. Li Tiao had a shocking idea, but she dared not confirm it.

She seemed to understand why Kangxi asked her to calculate who the Fourth Prince's wife was and how many years he had been on the throne. Perhaps it was a test?

If that's the case, Li Tiao felt it was plausible.

But if things really turned out the way she thought, Li Tiao wouldn't be happy. If Master Kang felt that his existence was a threat to her, he could just chop off his own head without any schemes; he could do it with just a few words.

It's not some awkward family drama about a father-in-law and daughter-in-law anymore, but it could still be incredibly shocking. Li Tiao is going bald; why can't she just settle down and live a peaceful life here?

As she looked up in distress, she saw the Fourth Prince not far away.

Li Tiao glanced back at the Qianqing Palace not far away, then at the Fourth Prince, and realizing something, she excitedly took two quick steps. Then, seeing the Fourth Prince's calm demeanor as if he were just passing by, Li Tiao quickly composed herself: "Your Highness, why are you here?"

"Did Father Emperor make things difficult for you? What did he say to you?"

Although the Fourth Prince hid his emotions well, Li Tiao still saw through his restraint. Thinking that she had almost misunderstood before, Li Tiao said, "Your Highness, I'm fine. Besides, the Emperor didn't make things difficult for me when he summoned me. He just asked me a few questions."

Thinking back to how Li Tiao had once indignantly accused the Emperor of being "disrespectful to his elders," but now she was offering explanations, the Fourth Prince felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Even though it was his own father, it was precisely because he was his own father that he knew better than anyone else what the prefix of his father's title was: first the Emperor, then the Father.

However, the Fourth Prince couldn't say such a direct thing to Li Tiao, so he awkwardly asked, "What did Father Emperor ask you?"

Li Tiao naturally didn't hide anything, except for her suspicion about Master Kang's identity.

After asking, Li Tiao said, "Master, why does Consort De insist on killing me? Is it because I..." Thinking of her own status, Li Tiao whispered, "Is it because I'm a fake young lady from a wealthy family?"

"So what if you know? Even if you know why your mother wants you dead, does that mean your mother will stop killing you?"

Li Tiao sighed, "But if you say that, Master, wouldn't this matter be a dead end? Will I die sooner or later?!"

Is running away the only way to escape this disaster?