Li Mama's words acted like a shot of adrenaline, giving the Princess Consort a boost of confidence and allowing her to slowly regain her self-assurance.
Just then, Xia He suddenly walked to the door and said to the lady in the inner room, "Reporting to the lady, Princess Yan Yu and the others have returned."
Upon hearing this, the princess's expression changed drastically, and she said resentfully, "Master said they would be back later, so why are they back now?"
Clearly, Lanqin's return to the manor has made the Fujin (the wife of the prince) very wary. Last night was the first day that she and the Fourth Prince resumed sleeping together, but their return immediately made the Fujin feel that the reconciliation she had been looking forward to was about to be put to the test again.
Granny Li whispered to him, "This old servant will go and call all the servants who have served the First Prince over!"
The princess nodded, then turned to Xia He and said, "Go find me a plain-colored dress to change into."
Upon returning to the manor, Lanqin and Yanyu heard the news of the First Prince's death. Yanyu was immediately stunned, while Lanqin sighed inwardly: "It really was Honghui! The course of history cannot be changed! But it happened a full four months later than recorded in the history books. Was it because of my intervention?"
When Lanqin returned to the South Courtyard, she saw Granny Wang waiting at the gate with Huanbi Hou. After Lanqin, along with several maids and servants carrying boxes, went inside, Granny Wang immediately closed the gate.
Lanqin was somewhat displeased because of Honghui. As soon as she returned to her room, she went inside to rest and ordered that no one was allowed to disturb her.
Nianxue and the others assumed that Lanqin was tired from the bumpy ride in the carriage, so they didn't take it to heart.
After everything was put back in its place, the maids finally had some free time.
"Huanbi, is the First Prince really dead?" Xicha couldn't help but ask first, her almond-shaped eyes wide open in disbelief.
Huanbi nodded and said in a low voice, "It's been four days already. Alas, it's said that the Fujin (Prince's wife) won't allow the burial, and the First Prince's body is still in the main courtyard!"
Zi Ran walked to Huan Bi's side and said, "Have you reached any conclusions in the past few days?"
Huanbi glanced at Ziran, looking bewildered, and asked, "What conclusion?"
Upon hearing Zi Ran's words, Nian Xue understood her meaning and immediately asked, "Was the First Prince really drowned in an accident?"
Huanbi nodded and said, "I heard that he was skateboarding in the garden with the Third Prince when the skateboard hit something. It was probably going too fast, because the First Prince was thrown out and rolled into the lake."
Zi Ran frowned and said, "The whole thing is a bit unbelievable."
"Where is the inconceivable thing?" Lanqin suddenly appeared at the door and stared at Ziran as she asked.
When everyone saw Lanqin come out, they all concealed their surprise and helped her sit down in the main seat. Xicha quickly poured a cup of tea and placed it next to Lanqin.
"Ziran, you just said it was unbelievable, tell me what you're thinking?" Lanqin asked.
“Your Highness, the First Prince is very calm and composed, and that skateboard has been used for quite some time. Given his character, he would never allow his skateboard to malfunction without his knowledge. Therefore, I find the claim that the skateboard malfunction caused the First Prince's accident to be questionable. That's all I can think of,” Zi Ran said.
Lanqin's eyes flickered several times. After hearing about Honghui's accident, she had the same question as Ziran: How could the skateboard, which had always been working perfectly, suddenly have a problem?
Another person who shared the same question was the Princess Consort, who was currently questioning the eunuchs serving the First Prince in the front courtyard.
"Think carefully about what unusual things happened before and after the First Prince's accident. Don't miss a single thing. Whoever can think of one, I will reward him with a gold melon seed. The more you think of, the more seriously you should think of it." The Princess Consort ordered Xia He to hold a lacquered tray with a handful of gold melon seeds inside, which emitted an alluring yellow golden light.
The eunuchs racked their brains but couldn't recall anything unusual about the eldest prince before his accident. Everything had been normal, and they couldn't remember anything special happening. Although the golden melon seeds were tempting, they dared not speculate or speak carelessly. Since it concerned the eldest prince, none of them dared to have any designs on them.
Xiao Hongzi blinked and whispered, "Your Highness, I just remembered something. I wonder if it counts as unusual?"
The princess consort narrowed her eyes, walked up to Xiao Hongzi, stared at him, and said, "Speak quickly!"
Xiao Hongzi's heart tightened, and he licked his lips, saying, "On the day the First Prince had his accident, when the First Prince was still with you, I bumped into the Third Prince at the door of the First Prince's room. I saw that he was holding the First Prince's skateboard in his hand. Yes, it was the First Prince's skateboard."
The princess's pupils contracted, and she grabbed Xiao Hongzi's arm, shouting, "Damn it, why didn't you say so sooner! Didn't the master summon them for questioning? Why didn't you tell the master about this?"
Xiao Hongzi trembled with fear and stammered, "This servant, this servant deserves to die! I didn't think to mention this for a moment. Please punish me, Madam!" After saying this, he knelt down abruptly, thinking to himself: It would have been better if I hadn't said anything. Now, not only will I not get the gold melon seeds, but I'll also be punished!
It wasn't that Xiao Hongzi forgot about it, but rather that he simply hadn't considered that possibility. The Third Prince was only five or six years old, and he had a very harmonious relationship with the First Prince. There was no way he could have done something so terrible.
The princess was furious, but this was not the time to blame Xiao Hongzi. She had to go see the fourth prince immediately and tell him that the third prince had gone to the eldest prince's room alone and had taken his skateboard.
So, the princess called for Li Mama to help her up, and the group of maids and servants went to the front courtyard in a grand procession.
Actually, at this moment, Fourth Master in the front yard was also talking about this "skateboard" with someone, and that person was Da Yu A!
As Da and A were being escorted back to Xinghui Mansion by the men arranged by Fourth Master, they suddenly broke free from his grasp and ran away, saying, "I just remembered something that I must tell my uncle."
"Da Yu, what is it?" Fourth Master had already recovered from the shock of Honghui's death. It was not that he was not in pain, but he would not allow himself to wallow in grief like a woman.
“Uncle, Da Yu’a has just remembered something. I feel there’s something strange about it, and I would appreciate your advice,” Da Yu’a said.
Fourth Master looked up from the letter, looked at Da and A, and said, "Speak, what is it?"
Da and Ali sorted out their thoughts and said excitedly, "Uncle, before the eldest prince went skateboarding that day, we saw the third prince holding a skateboard that looked exactly like the eldest prince's in the yard."
The Fourth Prince's face darkened, his eyes initially calm but then sharpening as he said, "Are you sure the Third Prince is holding a skateboard that looks exactly like the First Prince's?"
Da and A nodded and said, "It wasn't just me, Fu Weiting and the others saw it too."
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