Fourth Master walked restlessly from the south courtyard towards the torture chamber where Zhao Mingcai was being held. Lanqin's words from earlier kept replaying in his mind. He suddenly realized that he had indeed initially suspected Lanqin of being responsible. But after seven years together, he felt Lanqin wasn't that kind of person; otherwise, why would he have favored her so much for so many years?
But what about the Uya clan? What about the Nian clan? We'll have to ask Zhao Mingcai, that damned lackey, who dares to lead us by the nose!
When Fourth Master arrived at the torture chamber, Zhao Mingcai had already been put on the tiger bench three times. At this moment, he was thrown into a corner like a tattered sack, only able to gasp for breath.
"Have you thought this through?" Fourth Master walked up to Zhao Mingcai and looked at him, who was already half-dead from the ordeal.
"Just kill me already, I'm going to die anyway," Zhao Mingcai said.
"Who exactly is it that makes you protect them so fiercely? Even risking your life?" Fourth Master asked.
"Actually, only a few people can influence this servant. How could Master, who is so wise, not know this?" Zhao Mingcai seemed to have already accepted his inevitable death, and therefore his attitude towards the Fourth Master was no longer as respectful. When a person is about to die, all the feigned obedience and respect he had shown in the past no longer need to be pretended.
Fourth Master frowned as he stared at Zhao Mingcai lying on the ground, then kicked him a few times, saying, "I'll find out sooner or later. You just keep talking tough, let's see how long you can hold out!"
After emerging from the torture chamber, the Fourth Prince walked grimly towards the front courtyard. Su Peisheng followed behind, not daring to approach or say anything. Now that the Fourth Prince even suspected the South Courtyard, Su Peisheng felt a chill in his heart. Consort Niu and the Prince used to be so close; how could things have turned out like this overnight?
"You dog of a servant, I called you several times, why didn't you answer?" Just as Su Peisheng was thinking about these things, the Fourth Master's voice suddenly entered his ears.
"Oh, oh, Your Majesty, I was thinking about something and didn't hear you for a moment. Please punish me!" Su Peisheng quickly bowed his head and said.
"What are you thinking about?" the Fourth Prince suddenly asked his personal eunuch. Perhaps he had been thinking too much these past few days, and some things were no longer clear to him, so he asked Su Peisheng, an observant servant, hoping to gain a different perspective.
Seeing that the Fourth Prince wanted to hear his advice, Su Peisheng looked at him in alarm and finally lowered his head, saying, "This servant is just a little worried about the master. The master is not happy when he quarrels with Consort Niu. This servant thinks that the master's mood might improve if he can reconcile with Consort Niu."
Fourth Master glanced at Su Peisheng blankly for a few moments and said, "Do you think I'm being too arbitrary in this matter concerning the Uya clan?"
"This servant dares not comment on Master's affairs. Having spent so many years with Consort Niu, this servant feels that she is not the kind of person with such a vicious mind. Therefore, this servant believes that Consort Niu is not the mastermind behind such a thing." Su Peisheng gritted his teeth and spoke up for Lanqin.
The Fourth Master stood quietly for a moment and said, "Isn't it too irrational of you to be so attached to Wanru?"
Su Peisheng was startled, but privately he wondered if the fact that the Fourth Prince could say such a thing meant that he had begun to reflect on his unfair treatment of Wuya.
Meanwhile, Lady Nian, like Lanqin, was also unable to eat, her entire being in a state of extreme anxiety and worry. This was because Zhao Mingcai hadn't followed her instructions to reveal "Lanqin" to the Fourth Master, instead stubbornly refusing to speak. This was completely unexpected for Lady Nian. She had thought she had grasped Zhao Mingcai's weakness and held his Achilles' heel—his elderly mother. But she hadn't anticipated that he would rather die than speak. Secondly, Lady Nian worried that Lanqin wouldn't simply sit idly by and wait for her fate, but would definitely take action. And she had absolutely no idea how Lanqin would do it.
“Baizhi! What do we do now? That bastard Zhao Mingcai didn’t follow my instructions. His interruption has thrown the rest of the plan into chaos,” said Lady Nian.
“Master, although Zhao Mingcai refuses to say anything, after Princess Wuya’s hint, Your Majesty should suspect Nan Xiaoyuan. In addition, it was Your Majesty who took the initiative to speak with His Majesty, so His Majesty will not easily suspect Your Majesty,” Bai Zhi said.
“Indeed, he certainly wouldn’t have guessed that I, the concubine, am the one behind it all, and he even brought up the matter of Lady Wuya to him. However, I am worried that the one in the South Courtyard is always full of ideas and unpredictable, so how will she get out of this predicament?” Lady Nian said.
“From what I’ve observed, Your Majesty is well aware of Consort Niu’s dissatisfaction with Lady Wuya. So, the situation is definitely heading in that direction, so Your Majesty need not worry too much,” Bai Zhi said.
“That may be true, but our master is deeply in love with that woman, so I’m worried he might be lenient with her,” said Lady Nian.
"I'm afraid Consort Niu will be heartbroken and won't care about the master as much from now on," Bai Zhi said.
"Sigh, our original intention was to suppress the South Courtyard this time. But now we haven't even dealt with Wuya. This situation is completely beyond our expectations!" Nian Shi was no longer as confident as she had been at the beginning.
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