Li chuckled awkwardly, glanced inside, and said, "Never mind, I'll come see you another day, Sister. Mingyan, let's go!"
As Madam Li turned around, Granny Li gave a proper bow and said, "Respectfully seeing off Consort Li!"
Li walked back dejectedly. Just as she reached a narrow alley in front of the East Courtyard, she saw the Third Prince being led by Xiao Zhuzi from the main courtyard towards the front yard.
"Third Prince!" Madam Li called out quickly.
Upon seeing that it was Consort Li, Xiao Zhuzi quickly patted his sleeves, bowed respectfully, and stood aside, waiting to be questioned.
"Jun'er, where are you going? You're not fully recovered yet!" Madam Li said with a pained expression, raising her hand, which was adorned with a gold-trimmed openwork armor, to place on the Third Prince's face.
"Mother, Xiaozhu said Father wants me to come over. Mother, has Father returned?" The Third Prince's face was noticeably thinner. Ever since Honghui passed away, he had had a high fever for three days and was quite ill. After being treated by Doctor Zhou, his fever finally subsided, but he hadn't fully recovered.
"Hmm. He should be back. Little Zhu, why did the master send the Third Prince over?" Madam Li turned to Little Zhu and asked.
"Reporting to Consort, this servant doesn't know either. It was just an order from Eunuch Su. All I know is that the Third Prince and the First Prince's servants, Haha Zhuzi, should all go over," Xiao Zhuzi said, bowing his head.
Lady Li turned her phoenix eyes and said to Xiao Zhuzi, "You go first. I have a few words to say to the Third Prince. After I finish speaking, I will personally escort him there."
Xiao Zhuzi hesitated to leave, looking rather troubled. Seeing this, Mingyan immediately pulled out a gold melon seed from her sleeve, pulled Xiao Zhuzi aside, and stuffed it into his hand, saying softly, "Just wait there for a while. Once the concubine and the third prince have finished talking, you can follow them."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhuzi immediately nodded, took the golden melon seed, and hurriedly walked away.
Madam Li watched him walk away, gave Mingyan a satisfied look, then turned back, took the Third Prince's hand, and said, "Jun'er, your mother is asking you, what if your father asks you how the First Prince fell into the water?"
Upon hearing this, the Third Prince's face immediately showed a distressed expression. He suddenly shook his head in a panic and said to himself, "I don't know, I don't know."
Madam Li raised her hand to stroke the Third Prince's little face and said softly, "Jun'er, listen to your mother. If your father asks you, just say one sentence: 'The First Prince's skateboard suddenly hit a stone on the ground, and then the First Prince flew to the ground by the lake and rolled into the lake.' Do you understand?"
The Third Prince's eyes were already brimming with tears. Ever since he had a fever, he had refused to mention the First Prince's drowning. Even when others asked, the poor Third Prince had shut himself off from that matter. Whenever anyone brought it up, he would only say, "I don't know."
Lady Li was the first to notice the Third Prince's unusual behavior. She didn't tell the doctor about her son's condition, because it wasn't entirely without benefit for them. The Third Prince was too frightened to talk about what happened that day, and she figured the Fourth Prince wouldn't punish him too severely.
The Third Prince looked at his mother with a complicated expression, muttering repeatedly, "I don't know, I don't know."
Madam Li continued, "Jun'er, if you just keep saying you don't know, your father will keep asking you questions. Are you willing to accept that?"
The Third Prince shook his head, his expression growing increasingly panicked.
Fearing that the Third Prince might say something detrimental to her, Madam Li grabbed his head and said, word by word, "Jun'er, listen, you must say what your mother says. And it was indeed the First Prince who was careless; the skateboard hit something on the ground, which is why he fell."
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