After leaving the palace, Li Chenjiao returned to the East Courtyard first. Along the way, she saw some of the things that should have happened after the death of the First Prince, especially near the South Courtyard.
Back in the East Courtyard, Green Plum was cleaning the pony. When she saw Li Chenjiao return, she bowed and explained, "Yesterday, the Second Princess cried while holding the pony and asked me to clean it before giving it to the First Prince."
Li Chenjiao hummed in agreement and returned to the inner room: "Find some needles and thread, I'll embroider a peace charm."
This was naturally embroidered for the eldest prince, and Li Chenjiao urgently needed to do something to calm her emotions.
Having not done needlework for a while, Li Chenjiao was pricked a few times at first. She made a simple peace charm, which was finished by evening. It was only embroidered with simple auspicious cloud patterns and did not have any special designs.
Feeling restless, Li Chenjiao knew that the Second Princess and the Fourth Prince had already gone to bed, so she sat on the corridor to relieve her boredom, and even lost her appetite for dinner.
The maids tried to persuade him, but in the end, they could only silently wait not far from the corridor.
Meanwhile, the Fourth Prince left the mansion at dusk.
He didn't go anywhere else, but went to the estate in the suburbs. He first went to feed the horses. There were foals in the stable, including the foal that the eldest prince had liked to be close to when he came last time.
Fu Lu silently followed with the lantern. After a long while, all was quiet. Fourth Master turned back and walked away. Su Peisheng appeared silently at some point.
"How's the investigation going?"
Upon hearing this, Su Peisheng immediately perked up: "Yes, Wang Jinzhong confessed that the Princess Consort had indeed asked him to keep an eye on the First Prince's daily movements. However, that day was the day the Second Prince was scheduled to have his pulse checked, and he was escorting the imperial physician back to the palace when the First Prince had his accident, so he wasn't at home. As for other places, nothing unusual has been found yet. The Second Princess was also playing in the garden that day and encountered the First Prince, but..."
The interrogation of Wang Jinzhong was conducted secretly by taking people out of the mansion. If the maids and servants around the Second Princess were investigated, there would inevitably be some controversy in the mansion.
The Fourth Master glanced at him, and in that single glance, Su Peisheng's heart trembled.
Alright, Su Peisheng immediately understood that his master had no suspicion of the concubine at all.
Indeed, the concubine doesn't seem like the type to do such a thing. At least not on the surface.
However, speaking of Consort Li, Su Peisheng suddenly remembered something else: "This morning, the Empress invited Consort Li to the palace."
Today, the Fourth Prince first went to the Imperial Clan Court, then saw the First Prince with the Imperial Physician, and then finalized the arrangements for the coffin and funeral. He hasn't had time to inquire about anything else yet.
At this moment, the Fourth Prince was actually reluctant to return to the manor. Losing the First Prince was undoubtedly painful for him, and he was filled with regret, regretting himself...
"Bring a pot of wine. Those servants who served the First Prince back then, have them beaten to death!" The Fourth Prince's face was ashen as he said this.
The eldest prince didn't want them to serve him, so he didn't keep any of them, which shows that they were a group of people who were used to being outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant.
Not only these people, but also those whom the Fourth Prince left behind to keep watch before leaving the capital were all severely punished in the end.
Even so, it was difficult to ease the grief and hatred in the Fourth Prince's heart.
Fourth Master stopped at a hexagonal pavilion in the manor to drink, without any snacks, just drinking.
Su Peisheng watched anxiously from the sidelines.
"My lord, it's windy tonight. Shall I let you wear a cloak?"
Su Peisheng could not wait any longer. The air in the hexagonal pavilion seemed to have solidified, making it difficult for him to breathe.
He asked the question, but despite having served the emperor for decades, he was still afraid of making a mistake, so he asked the question very carefully.
But he waited and waited, and after a few breaths he still didn't receive a reply from the Fourth Master.
For a moment, Su Peisheng even thought that the Fourth Master might have fainted from grief, but he quickly dismissed the thought because the shadow in the hexagonal pavilion moved.
The Fourth Prince seemed to say something, and although Su Peisheng couldn't hear a single word, he keenly noticed that the Emperor's voice was hoarse.
So he immediately stepped forward and poured a cup of tea, apologizing to the Fourth Master that there was no hot tea available at the moment, and asked the Fourth Master to moisten his throat first.
Fourth Master didn't reach out, and sat up a little straighter. This time, Su Peisheng finally heard what his master said.
"Where is the eldest prince? Didn't he say he was going to go see the horses? Why hasn't he returned yet?"
Su Peisheng didn't understand what the Fourth Master was talking about for a moment, but he knew that if he didn't persuade the Fourth Master to stop drinking, the Fourth Master would probably have a headache tomorrow.
The full pot of wine was almost empty.
So he took two more steps forward and reached out to help Fourth Master.
"My lord, it's late. Let me help you back to your residence."
When Fourth Master placed his hand on Su Peisheng's arm, Su Peisheng suddenly felt a weight on his left arm.
The next second, Fourth Master pushed him away.
Just then, Su Peisheng suddenly understood. When the Fourth Prince brought the First Prince to the estate that day, the First Prince was reluctant to leave the foal in the stable, so the Fourth Prince allowed the First Prince to stay a little longer.
At that time, the Fourth Prince was waiting for the First Prince in this pavilion. Fearing that the First Prince would be hungry, he even asked the kitchen to prepare many of the First Prince's favorite cakes and pastries.
Fourth Prince still thinks the First Prince is here... or rather, Fourth Prince still thinks things are the same as before...
Su Peisheng secretly exerted his strength to help the Fourth Master up steadily, and then gave Fulu, who was standing outside the pavilion, a look.
The carriage was already prepared. Fulu waved his hand and then hurriedly went to the other side to help the Fourth Master.
Fourth Master was truly drunk. He didn't say anything and was supported by Su Peisheng and Fulu on either side as he walked straight.
Only after boarding the carriage did Su Peisheng finally hear the Fourth Prince's voice: "You good-for-nothing! How could you leave out the First Prince?"
Su Peisheng felt a lump in his throat and told the truth: "Sir... the eldest prince is no longer here..."
Fourth Master's eyes were not clear at the moment, and he mumbled, "N-no... gone?"
At this moment, the Fourth Prince was as vulnerable as a child. Su Peisheng lowered his voice and said, "You will see him when we return to the manor."
He couldn't bear it in the end and told a lie.
Although this is a great taboo for the master.
Fourth Master seemed to believe these words, and he slowly closed his eyes.
Su Peisheng was worried and didn't dare to get out of the carriage. He just silently lifted the carriage curtain and made a gesture towards the outside.
Fu Lu understood and quickly signaled the coachman to set off.
After the carriage had been on its way for a while, Fulu asked in a low voice from outside, "Master, what about Wang Jinzhong?"
Su Peisheng glanced at the Fourth Master first, and when he lifted the carriage curtain, he didn't give him a friendly look either: "Doesn't he know to go back to the manor himself? If you disturb the master's rest, you can forget about your head."
He spoke in a breathy voice.
Fu Lu shrank back and dared not say another word.
Originally, he had a lot of questions he wanted to ask, but his master's gaze silenced him.
When the carriage arrived at the gate of the mansion, Fulu peeked out again and asked, "Master, are we going back to the front courtyard?"
Su Peisheng gritted his teeth: "Go to Master Li's place in the East Courtyard."
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