When it came to the deposed Crown Prince Yinreng, Li Chenjiao stood up on her own initiative and said she would go and see how the medicine she was preparing for the Fourth Prince was going.
This time, Fourth Master didn't ask her to stay, but only told Li Chenjiao not to go too far.
Only the Fourth Prince and his servant Su Peisheng remained in the inner palace. The Fourth Prince had already read Longkodo's letter two days ago, in which Longkodo subtly mentioned that he had found out about Yinreng.
The Emperor's decision to punish Yinreng was actually within the Fourth Prince's expectations; in fact, the Fourth Prince even felt that his father's decision was a bit late.
It was as if they had been secretly brewing this, and only now, having reached their breaking point, did they finally take action.
Immediately afterward, Su Peisheng whispered that Prince Zhi had arrived in Beijing last night and had already reached Changchun Garden this morning, where he was staying behind Chunhui Hall.
This surprised Fourth Master: "You're back already?"
Su Peisheng said yes.
"Wait," Fourth Master said after a moment's thought.
He didn't believe that Yinreng would orchestrate the assassination, but since Prince Zhi was in the north, he was definitely not a suspect.
But if someone is truly determined, they could probably carry out an assassination even from afar.
Now all we can do is wait and see how Father Emperor will handle it.
Su Peisheng agreed and then left.
The Fourth Prince is currently recuperating, and he will not appear in public under any circumstances, unless His Majesty insists on summoning him.
Not long after Su Peisheng left, Li Chenjiao came in. She entered quietly and, seeing that the Fourth Master was still thinking, she nestled on the soft couch opposite him and pretended to sleep.
It's so much more comfortable in here; it's really hot outside.
By the time Fourth Master came to his senses, Li Chenjiao had already fallen asleep.
Fourth Master smiled helplessly. He had originally wanted Su Peisheng to prepare pen and ink, but he decided against it now and simply went over his thoughts in his mind.
Before the Emperor, Yinreng had been kneeling for a while in August. His second wife, Lady Guarjia, came upon hearing the news. She said nothing, but simply knelt beside Yinreng.
The couple knelt for a long time, until about noon, when they felt better and returned to the palace. Liang Jiugong, who was serving the emperor, came out from inside.
He bowed to the couple as usual, but the smile on his face faded slightly: "By order of His Majesty, the Second Prince has been working hard serving the Emperor recently, and has specially asked this servant to escort you back."
Go back? Go back to where?
Lady Guarjia couldn't help but look up. She knelt there, completely bewildered, still unable to figure out how Yinreng had angered His Majesty...
Seeing that Yinreng did not intend to speak, she waited a moment before saying, "Eunuch, are we going back...?"
Liang Jiugong lowered his eyes and didn't look at anyone: "Naturally... I'll go back to Yuqing Palace."
Lady Guarjia paused, opened her lips as if to say something, but when she turned her head, Yinreng had already stood up.
Guarjia then noticed that Yinreng's robe was wet, and the dark brown medicine stains looked like a menacing dragon, which was quite frightening.
Having come to Changchun Garden in good spirits, Guarjia was now returning to Yuqing Palace in such a disheveled state, which was truly embarrassing for her.
Yinreng seemed completely unconcerned, patting his sleeves and saying, "Thank you for your trouble."
He strolled out, and Liang Jiugong seemed to be merely a guide.
Guarjia had no choice but to hurriedly order people to pack their luggage. Just as the servants were carrying the trunks out, another group of people were carrying trunks inside.
They go in and out without disturbing each other.
Guarjia clan did not need anyone to inquire; they only needed to listen to the conversations of the servants coming and going to know whose trunk it was.
They had just left Changchun Garden when Prince Zhi and his family moved in, as if they were making room for him.
It seemed to be hinting at something.
For example, the position of Crown Prince that Yinreng held—oh, it no longer belongs to Yinreng—wasn't it just a way to make way for Prince Zhi?
Lady Guarjia's face was burning with embarrassment. Listening to the servants' whispers, she didn't want to look at Yinreng's expression anymore.
They were already in a sorry state.
Returning home like a stray dog, with Yinreng no longer the crown prince and without any title, Guarjia had long since given up all hope. She only hoped that Yinreng would stop causing trouble and keep his head, so that things could just pass by in a daze.
After Prince Zhi returned to Beijing, he brought his family to Changchun Garden, while Yinreng returned to the Forbidden City in such a dejected manner. This news quickly spread throughout Changchun Garden.
His Majesty's thoughts are becoming increasingly unfathomable.
However, since the Fourth Prince was ill, he didn't get involved in any of these troubles.
However, after only a few days, His Majesty sent over a lot of tonics and even had the head of the Imperial Medical Academy examine the Fourth Prince's pulse. In the end, the conclusion was that the Fourth Prince needed to rest and recuperate for a while longer.
It will take a while to recover; specifically, it will be around the Lunar New Year period before it's considered fully healed.
When the head of the Imperial Medical Academy arrived that day, Li Chenjiao happened to be in the main hall. After all, the Fourth Prince was still ill. At that time, Li Chenjiao was reading a storybook with the Fourth Prince. In the end, she took the storybook and went to the side hall to wait before the head of the Imperial Medical Academy came in.
She listened to the commotion after the imperial physician took her pulse. In her opinion, His Majesty wasn't showing concern by calling someone to take her pulse; he clearly suspected that the Fourth Prince's illness was fake and wanted the old physician to confirm it.
However, the injuries on Fourth Master's body were naturally serious. Li Chenjiao felt nauseous looking at the meals Fourth Master ate every day these past few days, as they were really not tasty at all.
Looking around, His Majesty seems to be suspicious of everyone, whether they are in his presence or not.
A few days later, His Majesty bestowed many tonics upon them. The Fourth Prince sent several children to the Emperor to express their gratitude. This was something that the Fourth Prince had overheard from Li Chenjiao's casual remark.
Since it's inconvenient for Fourth Master to go and express his gratitude himself, then let the children go instead.
If Ama can't do it, then let the child do it.
Yes, what Ama can't do, the children have to do.
The Fourth Prince had already realized that his father, the Emperor, suspected him, but it was just his guess. The only thing the Fourth Prince did out of line on Mid-Autumn Festival was probably leading the Imperial Guards to wipe out the remaining assassins, since he did not have the Emperor's permission.
But Father Emperor wasn't awake at that time.
The purpose of having the children express their gratitude was precisely this.
However, Li Chenjiao didn't think so much when she spoke. The first two times His Majesty sent tonics and the Imperial Physician, Fourth Prince asked Su Peisheng to express his gratitude. It wouldn't be good to ask Su Peisheng to express his gratitude every time, so he simply let the children go when it was shady.
I heard from His Majesty that the three children went to express their gratitude. He met with the children and even had lunch with them. When the children returned at noon, each of them had servants carrying rewards behind them.
They said they went to express their gratitude, but they ended up returning with a full load of gifts.
However, the Fourth Prince only kept the Second Prince and the Fourth Prince to talk.
While the Fourth Prince was talking to the two children, Li Chenjiao simply escorted the Third Prince a bit. The Third Prince seemed a little reserved, so Li Chenjiao didn't talk to him much. Before they even left the main hall, she saw Xu Shi standing in the sun from afar.
Li Chenjiao didn't leave. She nodded slightly to Madam Xu and then raised her hand to indicate that Madam Xu didn't need to bow before returning.
That's good, that's good enough.
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