On the fifth day of the tenth month of the forty-first year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, Hongming, the eldest prince of the Yongjun Prince's Mansion, drowned.
Li Chenjiao frowned, standing outside the mansion gate, a chill seemingly seeping into her heart in an instant.
Qiu Hu quickly helped her up. At this moment, Bai Jia and Niu Hulu, who were behind her, had also gotten off the carriage. When they saw that Li Chenjiao's expression was not right, they quickly came forward.
Niohuru reached out to help Li Chenjiao almost simultaneously with Qiu Hu, and she didn't withdraw her hand even after Qiu Hu had already reached out.
"Be careful, Consort." Her voice was clear and gentle, yet tinged with a subtle concern.
Li Chenjiao stood firmly, but was somewhat surprised to hear such news. She waved her hand to indicate that she was alright.
Turning her head to look at Bai Jia and Niu Hulu behind her, she was momentarily at a loss for what expression to make.
She slowly exhaled: "It's getting late, you should all go back and rest."
She then said to Qiu Hu, "Take that Miss Lu to the main courtyard and explain to the Fujin (principal wife) that she will arrange accommodations for you."
The rest, such as unloading the luggage, was naturally left to Xiao Luzi and the others. At this moment, Li Chenjiao just wanted to rush back to the East Courtyard to find out what exactly had happened.
Seeing that something was amiss, Bai Jiashi didn't offer any further pleasantries and simply gave a bow.
As Li Chenjiao walked towards the East Courtyard, the maids and eunuchs she encountered along the way all had solemn expressions, and there seemed to be a hint of hidden fear in them.
Because of the sudden change, everyone only knew that the Fourth Prince would return to the capital in the next two days, but they did not know exactly when. As a result, many servants on the road were still a little stunned when they saw Li Chenjiao.
On the way, Qiu Ci only whispered what she could say: "The accident happened yesterday evening. When Prince Hongming was found, he was already dead. The imperial physician said it was drowning, but Consort Wu doesn't believe it..."
Li Chenjiao walked rather hastily, which was unusual for her. When she was almost at the East Courtyard, she spotted a small figure at the gate in the distance.
The little girl's clothes were probably made this year; the soft peach-pink color made her look like a little butterfly.
Since it was already late, the lanterns outside the courtyard were lit up for illumination, and the two wet nurses stood on either side of her. Green Chrysanthemum stood a little further away, but as long as the Second Princess ran a few more steps, she could catch up with her.
Upon approaching Li Chenjiao, it was discovered that there was not only the Second Princess outside the courtyard gate, but also the Fourth Prince, who walked quite steadily.
The little girl had her back to Li Chenjiao and was currently teasing the Fourth Prince to walk closer to her.
Li Chenjiao stretched out her hand from afar: "Aman!"
The little girl turned around immediately, and the clear and loud "Mother" she uttered brought tears to Li Chenjiao's eyes.
Li Chenjiao quickly stepped forward and squatted down as the little girl ran into her arms.
The little girl called out "Mother" twice more, her voice like that of a nightingale: "Mother, will I never see my big brother again...?"
The little girl is precocious; her voice is nasal and filled with deep sadness as she speaks.
Li Chenjiao gently patted the little girl's shoulder: "Will Aman miss him?"
The little girl broke free from her mother's embrace, her eyes brimming with tears: "I... I didn't think that way. My older brother doesn't like to talk to me; he's always reading with his head down..."
The little girl pouted slightly as she said this.
The little girl wrapped her arms around Li Chenjiao's neck, her eyes brimming with tears, looking so pitiful that Li Chenjiao's heart softened. She raised her hand to wipe away the little girl's tears, but didn't interrupt her, waiting for the little girl to finish speaking.
"But big brother is also very nice. Big brother will help me catch crickets~" The little girl laughed as she spoke.
Li Chenjiao gently pinched the little girl's upturned nose: "Then you'll still miss your big brother, right? Your big brother will miss our Aman too."
The little girl gave a tearful "hmm." At her age, she might not understand what drowning meant, but she understood what it meant to never see her older brother again.
The little girl managed to stop her tears, but then she remembered something else. She turned and ran into the yard, and Green Chrysanthemum followed her.
A little while later, the little girl came out carrying a small horse.
When Li Chenjiao was leaving, the Second Princess gave her the little horse that she loved most. The one that the Second Princess is holding in her arms now is naturally the one that was originally meant for the First Prince.
The little girl's eyes were full of accusation as she looked at Li Chenjiao.
Li Chenjiao touched her nose guiltily, while the Fourth Prince next to her was still chuckling.
Niohuru passed by during this time, and seemed to stop for a while, but quickly returned to her courtyard.
The city of Tianjing in October was still quite humid. Li Chenjiao first led the little girl back to the inner room, and the little horse that had been brought along was also taken out.
Looking at the two somewhat similar ponies in front of her, Li Chenjiao was speechless for once.
Because it was for the eldest prince, Green Plum added some bright colors when sewing it. Even Li Chenjiao herself couldn't help but admire Green Plum's craftsmanship every time she saw it.
Unfortunately, due to various concerns, Li Chenjiao was never able to give away the little horse that had already been sewn up.
Knowing that Li Chenjiao would have many questions to ask upon her return, Madam Chen cleverly found a topic and took the Second Princess outside to play.
Li Chenjiao felt stifled, so she opened the window and fanned herself with a round fan: "What do you know? What happened? Tell me slowly."
Qiu Ci, always quick-witted, said, "While the master has been away from the manor, apart from the second prince, everyone else in the manor is in and out of health. There's nothing else wrong. Consort Wu personally goes to pick up the eldest prince every day, and the eldest prince is also keeping a very low profile."
Li Chenjiao nodded in agreement, indicating Bai Qiuci's meaning.
The Second Prince was in poor health, which naturally displeased the First Prince's wife. Wu was also clever and kept a low profile with the First Prince.
But how could something like that have happened?
Qiu Ci sighed: "Last month, because of the eldest prince's birthday, I heard that it was delayed by a day, so we have been asking the eldest prince to stay there for an extra quarter of an hour ever since."
"Yesterday afternoon, as usual, Consort Wu went to fetch the First Prince back to the South Courtyard. Afterwards, the First Prince seemed to go to play in the garden. At that time, the servants were puzzled because the First Prince rarely went to play in the garden. He might go once every two or three months, depending on the day. But yesterday was not a special day."
In other words, the eldest prince did not encounter any problems returning from his studies in the front courtyard.
Qiu Ci continued, "Because our Second Princess was also in the garden at that time, she played for half the afternoon. When the First Prince arrived, our Second Princess was tired and was about to return. I was with her at that time and saw that the First Prince was surrounded by a large group of people, which should not be the case."
Hearing this, Li Chenjiao finally asked, "When did the First Prince have his accident?"
“It’s past midnight, not yet 9 PM. I heard from the servants who follow the First Prince that they’ve only been gone for less than a quarter of an hour,” Qiu Ci answered readily.
Li Chenjiao continued, "What was the Fujin doing at that time? What did she do after the incident?"
When the eldest prince got into trouble, the first beneficiary was the princess consort.
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