Qiu Ci hesitated for a moment: "When the incident happened, the Fujin was in the main courtyard the whole time. Yu Ru and Wang Jinzhong, who were by the Fujin's side, did not leave the main courtyard much yesterday."
Li Chenjiao waved her hand to indicate that she understood, and then asked, "Did anything happen during the day?"
Qiu Ci hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yesterday, it was Granny Chen and Lü Ju who went to pick up our Second Princess. There was no argument between them."
Li Chenjiao said okay, and asked one last question: "So how exactly did this happen?"
Qiu Ci bit her lip: "I heard that the First Prince's servants were all dismissed by him with various excuses. The servants all thought that others would return sooner. No one can say for sure how the First Prince fell into the pond in the garden. It really didn't take a quarter of an hour."
The eldest prince's drowning seemed to be just an accident.
After all, this matter is important, and no one dares to inquire too much, otherwise they might get themselves into trouble.
Li Chenjiao tapped the table. There wasn't much more to ask at this point, so she forced herself to suppress her agitation: "What's the situation now?"
Qiu Ci spoke until her lips were parched. She dared not take the tea that Li Chenjiao offered. She took a breath and said, "Yes, last night the Fujin had the South Courtyard sealed off, and this morning she sent a messenger to the master... Also, preparations are being made for the eldest prince's funeral."
However, the eldest prince was still young and only a son of a concubine, so it would be against the rules to have a funeral that was too grand. Therefore, Li Chenjiao only saw some white banners in the south courtyard along the way.
No one can say for sure whether the First Prince's wife would act desperately because of the Second Prince's health, but does she really have that much courage? Furthermore, in less than a quarter of an hour, how did the First Prince's wife manage to keep an eye on the things around him and make up her mind at all times?
Li Chenjiao took a deep breath. Her mind was like a tangled mess of threads that she couldn't untangle at all.
She took a sip of her herbal tea and quickly made a decision: "Let's keep that little horse for now and burn it for the eldest prince on his final journey. Let's go to the main courtyard now."
When returning from outside, the proper greetings should still be given.
Qiu Hu let Qiu Ci rest, and didn't want Qiu Hu to get tired from following along all the way, so he simply asked Granny Lin to come along, while Dong Sheng walked in front to hold the lantern.
The mansion was unusually quiet. Li Chenjiao lowered her eyelids and asked Lin Mama beside her, "Do you think this matter could be an accidental coincidence?"
Lin Mama fanned herself, her voice as steady as ever: "I suppose the master must have had someone watching him before he left the manor. For him to cause trouble at such a critical juncture doesn't seem like something he could have done intentionally."
In other words, Granny Lin was more inclined to believe it was a coincidence.
It's just too coincidental. A four-year-old child who couldn't swim yet drowned due to an accident. Such an explanation is really hard to believe.
Seeing that Li Chenjiao remained silent, Lin Mama spoke up again: "I had someone inquire about the craftsmen who built the mansion. The pond in the garden is about the same height as a normal person, and it is decorated with various beautiful stones. There is actually not much water. And since it was autumn, the water should not be deep when we found the First Prince. Even if he swallowed some water in his panic, it shouldn't be... But no one knows what exactly happened back then."
Granny Lin rambled on and on, as if she had thought of something, probably the filth she had witnessed in the palace.
Some things are indeed possible if someone wants to do them perfectly, but it just so happens that the eldest prince himself sent all the maids and servants away...
When Li Chenjiao arrived at the main courtyard, both Bai Jiashi and Niu Hulushi were there. Bai Jiashi's face was still pale, indicating that she had obviously heard some rumors.
A look of lingering fear and relief flashed across her face.
After all, when the incident happened, she, Niohuru, and the concubine were not at the mansion, so they were naturally far removed from the matter concerning the eldest prince.
Niohuru seemed to be in a trance, only raising her eyes once when Li Chenjiao entered. Even with her eyes lowered, they looked as if they were filled with water, which was somewhat like Li Chenjiao's.
Li Chenjiao waved her hand and sat down, looking somewhat tired.
A maid from the main courtyard came in to serve tea.
Inside the room, the Fujin's brows remained tightly furrowed. She tossed aside the booklet in her hand: "Why did she have to come back so soon, right after the First Prince's accident? I almost thought I was the one who did it..."
The Princess Consort had indeed disliked the First Prince of the Southern Courtyard for a long time. She had considered taking action, but Lady Wu of the Southern Courtyard was watching her like a hawk, so even if she had all her skills, she couldn't use them.
She hadn't even had a chance to take action until after the eldest prince's accident, when he was allowed to play in the garden. Now she had to deal with all the aftermath. The princess hadn't slept well from last night until this morning.
On one hand, she was busy with the funeral arrangements for the eldest prince, and on the other hand, she had to prove to the fourth prince that she was not the one who did it.
She pressed her temples, but it would be a lie to say that she wasn't secretly pleased by the drowning of the eldest prince. She suppressed her smile, and anxiety was written all over her face. In the candlelight, her expression was so terrifying that even Yu Ru, who came in from outside, was startled.
The princess forced a stiff smile: "You sent Xianxin away?"
Yesterday morning, my mother had someone send Xianxin over, still not giving up on the idea of bringing Xianxin into the mansion.
The Fujin knew that this was her mother's good intention, so she couldn't refuse. She simply had someone bring Xianxin over, but then left her aside and didn't ask about her at all.
However, because of the incident involving the eldest prince during the night, no one remembered Xianxin. The Fujin was even busier today. After going to the palace early in the morning to report the whole story to the Empress, she received a severe scolding. She was exhausted when she returned to the mansion and had no time to care about Xianxin. It was only after her mother sent someone to inquire that the Fujin had time to send Xianxin back to the mansion.
Yu Ru nodded and said that Wang Jinzhong had personally escorted the people out of the mansion. She also mentioned that Consort Li and the two princesses, Bai Jia and Niu Hulu, had arrived.
"Now that everyone's here, let's go see Consort Wu. We can't let her keep harassing the First Prince, can we?" The Princess Consort stood up gracefully.
Yu Ru agreed, and then said, "The gatekeeper also said that... the master has already returned to the manor, and he is probably already back in the front yard by now."
Upon hearing this, the princess felt a little flustered.
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