Yan Yu froze on the spot, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
“If I didn’t want you by my side, why would I personally write to Father and Fifth Brother, asking them to risk the dangers of cholera to spread this rumor about you! You only think of yourself, but have you ever considered the consequences for the entire Ulanara family? If Fourth Prince or the Emperor finds out, the whole family will be implicated! Without the support of the family, what do you think will become of us? Just like the other women in this inner quarters, like rootless duckweed, a small wave will overturn us and we’ll never see the light of day again.” The Fujin’s words were like steel needles thrown into Yan Yu’s heart, sending a chill down her spine.
"But, is this how it ends?" Yan Yu still refused to give up and clung to a sliver of hope.
“If you insist on taking the risk, you can try, but I can’t guarantee that the chief priest won’t resemble the Fourth Prince. Even if he is, I can’t guarantee that he will actually marry you as the rumors say! From what I heard from him this morning, I can tell that the Fourth Prince doesn’t really believe it. If he’s determined not to care about these rumors, what can we do?” The Fujin sighed as she spoke, regretting that she had been too rash this time and had dragged the entire Ulanara family into it.
"What should I do now?" Yan Yu never expected that all her hopes would be shattered overnight. Just this morning, she was still full of hope to realize the secret she had kept in her heart for many years.
"Observe the situation quietly and do not do anything else, otherwise it will surely arouse your brother-in-law's suspicion," the Fujin said solemnly.
Yan Yu nodded, wiped the tears from her face with the handkerchief in her hand, and then let Yun Yuan help her back to her room.
After the mistress and servants left the main room, Granny Li immediately went up to help the Fujin up and helped her to sit down on the main couch. She then sent Xia He to pour her a cup of Da Hong Pao tea and handed it to the Fujin. Only then did Granny Li straighten her sleeves and say solemnly, "This old servant begs the Fujin to punish me!" After saying that, she knelt down solemnly.
"Granny, what are you doing?" The princess frowned slightly as she looked at Granny Li kneeling at her feet.
"This old servant was short-sighted and shouldn't have urged my master to do this. Now the Ulanara family is in danger. This old servant deserves to die. Please punish me, Madam!" Granny Li bowed down and prostrated herself on the ground, not daring to raise her head.
"This is not your fault. We just didn't expect what was going on in the palace, and I didn't expect that the master would be so unmoved!" the princess sighed.
“But this old servant heard Master Wu say that the chief officiant should be the master, so why isn’t he now?” said Granny Li.
"You mean he's lying to me?" the princess asked in surprise.
“This old servant does not know, but in my opinion, it would be better to go out of the manor now and let Lord Wuge find out. He is currently serving as a Sanyi Dafu in the Ministry of Rites, so he should know some things,” said Granny Li, looking up.
The Fujin's heart sank deeper and deeper. If the Fourth Prince was lying to her, then it meant he already suspected her, yet he remained silent. What was his purpose in doing so? The Fourth Prince only suspected, without any real evidence. He was waiting, waiting for Yan Yu and me to slip up, and then he…
"Granny, you must leave the manor immediately and tell Wuge that he must not reveal any clues. If I'm not mistaken, the Fourth Prince has probably already sent people to investigate the rumors. Tell him to cut off all possible leads, and under no circumstances should he inquire about the chief priest's matter again!" the Fujin said sternly. "Granny, this matter ends here. I have a very bad feeling..."
The princess raised her hand to her forehead and said, "Arrange for Yan Yu to return to the manor immediately. She cannot linger here any longer."
Seeing that the Princess Consort had made up her mind, Granny Li agreed, then got up from the ground and left.
Furthermore, the Fourth Prince had indeed dispatched palace guards to investigate the origin of the rumors. He returned to the mansion not only to rest but also to await the results of the investigation. After resting in the front courtyard for most of the day, the Fourth Prince suddenly remembered that he hadn't visited the Fourth Prince in a long time, so he took Su Peisheng to the East Courtyard.
When Li saw that the Fourth Master had suddenly arrived, she panicked. She quickly asked her maid to adjust her beaded hairpins and straighten her sleeves before walking to the door, bowing, and greeting the Fourth Master.
"Get up, where is the Fourth Prince? Bring him out so I can see him!" The Fourth Prince walked up to Madam Li, grabbed her slender hand, and led her into the inner room.
"The Fourth Prince is only one year old now, and he's mostly asleep. He just finished his milk and is sleeping while being held by his wet nurse!" Li said sweetly. She accompanied the Fourth Prince to his room, where the little prince was indeed fast asleep, with the wet nurse gently fanning him.
After watching for a while, Fourth Master turned and walked out of the house, and Li Shi naturally followed him out.
"My lord, I just got some honeydew melons from Xinjiang. Shall we cut some up and have some?" Li Shi said as she followed the Fourth Master back to her main room. Seeing that the Fourth Master was silent, she took the initiative to speak.
Fourth Master nodded and sat down on the main couch with Madam Li. He looked at Madam Li's beautiful face, took her hand and said, "Canlian, are you aware of the rumor circulating outside lately?"
Madam Li naturally understood that the Fourth Prince was referring to that rumor, and immediately nodded, saying, "I know a little about it. I also know that the woman mentioned in the rumor, whose five elements are associated with water, is in our household!"
"Who is it?" He never expected that it would actually be related to his own household, and couldn't help but ask immediately.
"Didn't the Princess Consort tell the Master? It was Yan Yu, she told me herself last night when we were enjoying the cool air," Li said, feigning ignorance.
"Yan Yu!!" Fourth Master exclaimed, his eyes wide.
"My lord," said Lady Li, glancing cautiously at the Fourth Prince, "I find Princess Yan Yu to be beautiful and well-mannered. If she could truly alleviate this severe drought, she could help you out of your immediate predicament." She deliberately arranged for him to marry Yan Yu, noticing his furrowed brow and slightly changed expression. She knew the rumor, while seemingly plausible, was riddled with flaws, and the Fourth Prince, with his intelligence, couldn't possibly be unaware of them. If he became suspicious and investigated, the Princess and her family would be dragged into this vortex of fabricated rumors. Lady Li was delighted that the Princess had been so foolish as to dig her own grave.
"Don't you think this rumor is absurd?" Fourth Prince asked subconsciously. Although he was talking to Madam Li, his mind was already on what the Princess Consort had said this morning.
Sure enough, her claim that she was thinking about her birthday was just a last-minute change of heart after hearing my words!
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