As the princess listened, her heart clenched. Was Honghui's drowning really a coincidence? An accident?
Fourth Master pondered for a moment, then looked up at Da and A and said, "You go back with your aunt. Honghui can't stop like this any longer; the funeral must be held immediately."
The princess consort immediately said, "My lord, Hui'er died under mysterious circumstances. Should we just let it go like this?"
Granny Li wanted to stop her, but the Princess Consort spoke too quickly, and she didn't have time to stop her.
The Fourth Prince raised his long eyebrows and said with restraint, "Is there anything else you don't understand, my lady? Honghui's death was an accident. Leaving it like this prevents him from being laid to rest in peace?"
“You’re right, Master. Honghui can’t stop like this. Let Master decide everything,” the Fujin said gently, suppressing her immense resentment and dissatisfaction. She sensed the displeasure in the Fourth Prince’s words, but she truly believed Honghui’s death was arson, and the mother and son in the East Courtyard were the prime suspects.
Fourth Master nodded and said to Su Peisheng, "Go to the east courtyard and invite Madam Li over."
Upon hearing this, the Fujin's heart immediately stirred. If the Fourth Prince still wanted to summon Li Shi, it meant that he still had doubts.
A short while later, Lady Li arrived wearing a plain brocade qipao. Her headdress was simple, and her makeup consisted of only a light dusting of powder. After exchanging greetings with the Fourth Prince and his wife, she sat down to the seat below the wife at the Fourth Prince's signal.
"Canlian, I heard from the Third Prince that you made him a skateboard exactly like the First Prince's?" the Fourth Prince asked calmly.
Lady Li, leaning slightly to the side, replied respectfully, "Yes, I specially had it made. Jun'er kept telling me how beautiful and good the First Prince's skateboard was. So I had someone make him one exactly the same as the First Prince's."
The Fujin glanced coldly at Li Shi out of the corner of her eye, trying her best to suppress her disgust, and said, "If it wasn't the Concubine, who did it? Can you tell the Master and me?"
Li's eyelids twitched, but she said calmly, "Of course, I first drew the skateboard for the eldest prince, and then I took the drawing to my father to have someone make it. A few days ago, one of my cousins came to the manor to give Jun'er this skateboard."
In fact, Li had known all along that the Fourth Prince would invite her over for questioning, so she had already drawn up a blueprint for the First Prince's skateboard beforehand. As for the person Li's father found, he was naturally no longer the actual skateboard maker.
The Princess Consort chimed in, "I don't know why you insist on making a skateboard exactly like Honghui's for the Third Prince. Don't you realize that the two of them might mistake it for something else in the future?"
Upon hearing this, Li felt as if she had been stabbed in the heart with a needle, the pain almost unbearable. However, she clenched her fingers tightly to suppress the turmoil in her mind.
"Now that you mention it, Madam, I really didn't expect that," Madam Li said apologetically. "My lord, the Third Prince's studies are not as good as the First Prince's, and he often loses to his elder brother even on the skateboard. So I made a skateboard exactly like his elder brother's and gave it to him to encourage him to make progress. I never expected it would cause the situation that Madam just mentioned."
The Third Prince nodded vigorously, his eyes brimming with tears of grievance.
After a moment of contemplation, Fourth Master said to Madam Li, "Go and bring the person your father found. I want to make some more for Honghui. Since he loved skateboarding so much when he was alive, make more so he can be buried next to him."
Upon hearing this, the Fujin's face lit up with joy, while Li, sitting below her, panicked again. Where was she supposed to find him? Besides, it wasn't just one or two people who saw him enter the mansion. If she just randomly found a substitute, the Fourth Prince would immediately notice. Knowing his personality, he wouldn't overlook this one.
"What's wrong, Canlian? Is there a problem with the person you found?" Fourth Master asked Li Shi coldly.
“I just remembered that the person Father was looking for might not be in the capital right now. He left after making this skateboard for Jun’er. If Your Highness asks me to go and find him, it will probably take some time,” Li said carefully, knowing that the Fourth Prince had already become suspicious of her.
"What a coincidence! As soon as the concubine summoned him to the mansion, how did he leave the capital?" the concubine couldn't help but say, wiping her mouth.
The Fourth Prince glanced at his wife, but his gaze remained fixed on Lady Li; he was waiting for her reply.
“Your Highness, this man is a traveling craftsman. It took Father quite a while to find him. Now that he suddenly needs to be summoned back to the manor, I can only ask Father to find him as quickly as possible,” Li Shi said firmly. She knew that as long as she could get Father to find another craftsman to make an identical skateboard for the Fourth Prince, they would have no way to investigate. Because the person who made the problematic skateboard was no longer able to speak.
The Fourth Prince and his wife exchanged a glance, and then had no choice but to agree to what Lady Li said.
After everyone came out of the front yard, Li was about to leave with the Third Prince when she was stopped by the Princess Consort behind her, who said, "Li Canlian, I have a few words to say to you. If you don't want the Third Prince to know your true colors, come here to me!"
With her back to the Fujin, Li suppressed her hatred upon hearing these words and said to the Third Prince, "Jun'er, go back with Mingyan. Your mother will speak with your stepmother for a few minutes and then come to find you soon."
The Third Prince was so exhausted from the tension that he could barely stand. He nodded blankly and followed Mingyan forward.
Li Shi, supporting Xiang Qiao's hand, walked up to the Fujin (the Princess Consort) and smiled sweetly, saying, "I wonder what advice Fujin has for me?"
The Fujin stared at Li with a gaze that seemed to devour her. Suddenly, she grabbed Li's hand, brought her long lips close to Li's ear, and said in a tone that only the two of them could hear, "It's you, it's you, isn't it? I will make you pay for Honghui's life!"
Although Li knew that the Fujin would not say anything nice, she was still terrified when she heard these words. However, she still put on a helpless expression and said, "Fujin, I did nothing wrong. You have misunderstood. I am also very sad about the passing of the First Prince. It is just that Fujin insists on blaming me for the death of the First Prince. I am really sad."
"Enough! There's no one else here. Who are you putting on this show for?" The princess finally couldn't contain her anger and her voice suddenly rose.
Seeing that she couldn't hold back any longer, Granny Li quickly stepped forward and grabbed the princess's arm, saying, "Princess, please calm down. Let His Majesty decide everything. This old servant believes that His Majesty will definitely support the eldest prince and seek justice."
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