The Fourth Prince was troubled and irritable by the affairs of the inner quarters, but fortunately, a message from the Seventeenth Prince via carrier pigeon brought him good news. The Fourth Prince then entrusted the investigation into how Hong Sheng was poisoned with cinnabar to Lan Qin. When Lady Nian learned of this, although she was dissatisfied, she dared not say anything.
Fourth Master immediately sent someone to summon Thirteenth Master to the mansion. Thirteenth Master's legs had completely healed, and he was no longer as pessimistic about his tuberculosis as before, because Fourth Master's wife had promised to go to the West to find medicine for him, and she was sure she would find it.
"Fourth Brother~" The thirteenth master was led directly into the fourth master's study by the servant.
"Yinxiang, come here quickly and take a look at this!" The Fourth Prince handed the Seventeenth Prince's secret letter to the Thirteenth Prince.
Thirteenth Master took the note and examined the handwriting. It was all in tiny, illegible characters; it would take half a day to decipher it.
"A gold mine?" Thirteen exclaimed in surprise after reading it.
“That’s right. Yinli said that many people have gone missing in Ganzhou, and it’s related to the White Lotus Sect. This White Lotus Sect has been active in some remote prefectures and counties. They were originally founded by remnants of the Ming Dynasty, but later gradually fell into the hands of some Jianghu figures. They used the anti-Qing and restorationist ideas of some people to build up their followers and specifically oppose our Great Qing. Seventeen has finally found out what they did in Ganzhou. Presumably, those laborers were coerced and dragged into the deep mountains to mine gold. That’s a job that requires a lot of labor, no wonder so many people have gone missing,” Fourth Master said.
"Fourth Brother, why don't you let Thirteen lead the troops and wipe out these people in one fell swoop? If we can really find the gold mine, it will be just right to alleviate the empty national treasury. We must not let this gold mine fall into the hands of the White Lotus Sect," Thirteen said indignantly.
"Seventeenth is already over there. Why don't we let him lead the troops and give him some experience? As for you, I have more important things to entrust to you!" Fourth Master said.
"Fourth Brother, give the order quickly!" Thirteen asked the Fourth Master.
"Take the troops to Tongguan and block Fourteenth Prince there. We absolutely cannot let him enter the pass!" Fourth Prince said with a resolute look in his eyes.
"Fourteenth is going to rebel?" Thirteen asked in surprise. "He is currently leading an army of 200,000 in the Northwest. If he were to lead his troops into the pass, it would cause great chaos."
"Therefore, we absolutely cannot let him enter the pass. If necessary, I will even deal with him personally. Now, Father is unwell, and Mother is not in good health either. He has grown too big for his britches, and after listening to the instigation of certain people, he has actually done such a rebellious thing." Fourth Master said in a deep voice.
“Fourth Brother, Fourteenth Brother wasn’t like this before. Although he was loved by Consort De and favored by Father Emperor, he wasn’t the kind of person who would disregard the safety of the Qing Dynasty like this,” Thirteenth Brother said.
"Yes, I don't know what he's thinking now. He's like a completely different person from the Fourteenth Prince we knew before. My informant reported that a woman wearing a bamboo hat has appeared by his side, and the Fourteenth Prince seems to value her highly. She's neither a palace maid nor one of his wives or concubines, yet she frequently visits the Fourteenth Prince's quarters," the Fourth Prince said.
"Who exactly is it?" Thirteen asked, puzzled.
“We’re investigating! I knew a woman before, and she was present during the great drought that occurred when Hongli was born. After that, she disappeared without a trace. I suspect that the woman wearing the bamboo hat is very likely her!” the Fourth Prince said.
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