Prince Ping was having some difficulty even raising his arm. He was only thirteen or fourteen years old, the age when he was growing up. He had been raised with great care and pampering, and his skin was very fair and plump. This made his eyes look like small green beans. However, he looked quite honest when he smiled.
However, Prince Ping could not laugh at this moment. His face turned pale instantly after hearing the Fourth Prince's nonchalant words. He trembled and said, "Fourth Brother is joking... It is better for the people serving me to be more experienced. I do not understand what Fourth Brother means."
He knew how to take advantage of the situation, calling out "Fourth Brother" to get closer to the Fourth Master.
However, aside from trying to build rapport, Nalsé seemed to be playing dumb after hearing what he said.
The Fourth Prince didn't even frown, but simply raised his hand and tapped the table, indicating that he didn't have much patience at the moment: "I don't have time to listen to your affairs in the backyard. I've come today to ask about your disobedience to the imperial decree to go to Yuqing Palace and disturb the Crown Prince."
The Fourth Prince immediately set the tone for the matter, not mentioning that the Crown Prince had beaten Narse, but instead focusing on Narse's disobedience to the imperial decree.
Narsel naturally refused; despite his young age, he was quite adept at sophistry.
The Fourth Prince had spent half the night at the Imperial Clan Court without closing his eyes, and at this moment he certainly didn't have the patience to waste on Narse.
He tapped the table lightly with his fingers again: "I don't want to say it a second time. Su Peisheng, prepare the pen and ink."
The candles lit in front of the octagonal table were exceptionally bright because of the arrival of the Fourth Master. Several glass lamps were also placed in the room. Narse was almost two heads shorter than the Fourth Master, and now he was sitting in the round chair with his head tucked in, his eyes occasionally squinting and flickering.
It took him a long time to muster the courage to look up. The flickering candlelight illuminated the Fourth Master's cold, hard face and his piercing gaze that seemed to be constantly stabbing into Narse.
Nalsé was so frightened that he shrank back.
"I said..."
The Fourth Master's gaze shifted slightly, and he raised his hand in a gesture of restraint: "I almost forgot to ask, I heard you also kept a mistress, and that mistress was your wet nurse's..."
The Fourth Prince's tone was devoid of any emotion; he even merely glanced at Narse indifferently.
There are quite a few such scoundrels among the royal family members. Narse may really be blinded by lust. However, judging from Narse's appearance, it is unknown whether someone is behind him plotting to harm the crown prince.
However, these members of the imperial family, relying on the kindness of their fathers and grandfathers, always try to curry favor with the Emperor.
The Fourth Prince had long been aware of the truth, and how to handle the matter was not something he needed to worry about.
What the Fourth Prince could and had to do was to embellish his testimony to the Emperor.
...
When the Fourth Prince left the Prince of Ping's residence, it was already dawn. He was obviously exhausted, but he did not delay. He would not be able to sleep well until this matter was resolved.
He went directly to the Ministry of Revenue, where he carefully collected all the testimonies from the Crown Prince's servants, the Crown Prince himself, and the Prince of Ping. He first put the testimonies into an envelope, then pondered for a moment before picking up his brush and dipping it in ink.
Su Peisheng silently ground ink on the side. Originally, His Majesty had not said that he would investigate the matter in a short time, but his master could not stay idle whenever he had a task. He had only been back in the capital for two days and had already investigated the matter.
In Su Peisheng's mind, the Fourth Prince's speed was already extremely fast, but for the Fourth Prince, it was only to be expected. After all, although the matter had been investigated and clarified, it would still take several days for the letter to reach the Emperor.
The Fourth Prince quickly sealed the memorial and handed it to Su Peisheng, saying, "Send it to Father Emperor as fast as you can."
Su Peisheng personally accepted the letter, and before leaving, he couldn't help but say, "You haven't slept a wink all night, you should go back to your residence and rest first."
The Fourth Prince put down his pen, stretched his shoulders slightly, and found the interrogation to be hardly arduous.
"Have breakfast outside before returning to the manor." Fourth Master rarely ate breakfast at the manor.
Fourth Master usually eats breakfast at a breakfast shop on East Street outside the Ministry of Revenue, and he did the same today.
However, by the time they finished their business and left the Ministry of Revenue, it was past breakfast time, and the breakfast shops were almost empty.
The Fourth Prince always kept a low profile when he was out. Several guards ate at another shop far away, while Su Peisheng and Fulu stayed by his side.
At most, outsiders could only guess that Fourth Master was an extraordinary person from his unusual clothes, but with Su Peisheng keeping a close eye on him at all times, there was no fear of anyone causing trouble.
After having a simple breakfast, Fourth Master drank a bowl of milk tea. This shop's milk tea was unusually good and didn't have a fishy smell. Fourth Master waved his hand and said, "Take two cups of milk tea back for your Master Li."
Fu Lu left immediately.
Su Peisheng remained motionless, his gaze following the Fourth Master.
After finishing his work, Fourth Master was naturally free. He drank his still-hot milk tea and occasionally glanced at passersby.
Suddenly, Fourth Master looked in a certain direction.
Su Peisheng subconsciously looked in that direction and saw a tall, thin figure disappear at the end of East Street.
He bowed slightly: "Master, is there something amiss?"
He only caught a glimpse of the man's back and didn't notice anything amiss. He hoped it wasn't some kind of spy sent to investigate Fourth Master's whereabouts.
The Fourth Prince withdrew his gaze as soon as the figure disappeared, his memory being excellent: "That was Longkodo's bodyguard."
He could not be said to have a photographic memory, but if he saw something a few times, he would have a general impression of it.
The Fourth Prince only saw a profile, but he could immediately recognize that it was one of Longkodo's close attendants. He might not know the man's name, but he would never mistake him for someone else.
Su Peisheng suddenly realized: "Over there..."
Coming out of the Ministry of Revenue, you're facing the Great Qing Gate, and across from it is Houfu Hutong. But the man walked straight ahead from the Great Qing Gate and then turned left into Hongchang Hutong. Going in that direction would lead to the Plain Blue Banner. Why did Longkodo's guards go that way?
It would make sense if it were Longkodo's personal attendants living there, but this time, when the Emperor inspected the river works, he specifically requested Longkodo's...
The most important and sensitive point is that Su Peisheng also went to Hongchang Hutong yesterday, precisely to inquire about the mistress that Prince Ping was keeping...
The sudden appearance of Longkodo's close associates in the capital naturally caught the attention of the Fourth Prince.
Su Peisheng quickly realized it too, and he shuddered: "Master?"
At this moment, the Fourth Prince felt only relief; it seemed that his memorial to his father, the Emperor, had not been written incorrectly.
On the surface, the Emperor ordered him to return to the capital to investigate, but in reality, he secretly arranged for Longkodo, who was far away in the capital, to conduct the search.
Fourth Master stood up, and Su Peisheng paid the bill without daring to ask where his master was going.
However, they most likely went back home.
Fourth Master naturally went straight back to his residence, and on the way, he had Su Peisheng invite Dai Duo over.
Fourth Master really hasn't stopped for a moment.
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