After the Fourth Prince finished writing his memorial to the Kangxi Emperor, he summoned the Thirteenth Prince to discuss matters, and they stayed there for several hours. By the time he emerged from the study, it was already dark.
Fourth Master then had Su Peisheng prepare a meal, and after Thirteenth Master had eaten, it was already past 7 PM.
After Thirteen returned to his room to rest, Fourth Master finally had some free time. He stood up and paced around the front yard in the moonlight several times before standing there quietly, lost in thought.
Su Peisheng had never had the chance to tell Fourth Master that Madam Nian had come and that he had mentioned the bird's nest. This was understandable; Fourth Master had given a strict order forbidding anyone from approaching, including Su Peisheng.
Moreover, based on his understanding of the Fourth Master, Su Peisheng knew that he was different tonight; there was an aura surrounding him that did not allow anyone to get close easily.
Fourth Master stood like a sculpture in the moonlight, the moonlight like water cascading over him, while the croaking of frogs and crickets around him rose and fell like a symphony.
"Lanqin, am I doing the right thing?" The Fourth Prince gazed at the bright moon in the sky, silently asking Lanqin, who was far away in the capital. The dragon robe, the Crown Prince's birth date and time, and those treasonous words found in the cave seemed to point to the Crown Prince Yinren as the mastermind behind this affair. However, the Fourth Prince felt this was illogical. If it were truly the Crown Prince, why would he have placed such things there, and why would he have immediately destroyed anything that could reveal his identity after being discovered? How could he have allowed himself to find them intact? This was clearly a frame-up! On the contrary, the mastermind behind this affair was not the Crown Prince, but someone who wanted to bring him down. He could think of this, and Kangxi couldn't possibly not. Therefore, he had to record his judgment in his memorial.
Thinking of this, Fourth Master began pacing back and forth in the moonlight, without uttering a word. Su Peisheng simply stood there, not daring to disturb Fourth Master's contemplation.
However, what the Fourth Prince didn't expect was that while the wise Emperor Kangxi's analysis was reasonable, the current Kangxi was over fifty years old and no longer possessed the strength and vigor of his youth. On the contrary, the current Kangxi had become suspicious, stubborn, and autocratic. Therefore, although he might suspect the Crown Prince was framed, he would still harbor suspicions about the Crown Prince. Because, from another perspective, this matter might indeed have been the Crown Prince's doing, and the dragon robe and the envelope were the best evidence.
The Fourth Prince looked up, considered another possibility, and finally sighed deeply, seemingly rejecting the idea. That is, the Crown Prince might truly fall from power because of this. Although he was framed, wasn't this an excellent opportunity for him?
Thirteen argued with Fourth Prince about this for an entire afternoon, but ultimately failed to persuade him and had to give up. He felt it would be better to let the Emperor believe that the mysterious weapons factory was the work of the Crown Prince, thus giving Fourth Prince a real chance to ascend to the throne. After all, Su Fusheng was a former student of the Crown Prince's tutor, and ostensibly one of the Crown Prince's men. So, on the surface, this matter seemed truly inseparable from the Crown Prince.
Fourth Prince wasn't unmoved, but could it really bring down the Crown Prince? If he wrote a memorial to the Emperor with that mindset, wouldn't the Emperor think he was a tiger lurking beside the Crown Prince?
The Fourth Prince ultimately gave up. He still wrote a five-page memorial to Emperor Kangxi from a very objective and fair perspective. It detailed why he had come to Yangzhou, what he had discovered there, how he uncovered the conspiracy hidden in the mountains, and his analysis of the entire affair. He knew this matter was far from over, and Kangxi would definitely send people to investigate the true mastermind. Officials of all ranks in Yangzhou would likely face a complete purge.
"Su Peisheng, go to the Geng family!" Fourth Master finally sighed and said suddenly.
"Hey, sir, would you like to take another bath?" Su Peisheng asked.
"Go wash at Geng's place," Fourth Master said.
In the inner quarters, Madam Nian had been looking forward to it all day, but she watched helplessly as the Fourth Master went to Madam Geng's room.
"Greetings to Master!" Madam Geng greeted him with a faint smile and utter submissiveness, curtsying gracefully.
"I'll take a bath here and give you a good massage. I've been really tired these past few days," Fourth Master said, pulling Geng Shi up.
Su Peisheng quickly led his men to move the bathtub and hot water for the Fourth Master's bath into Geng's room. Soon, the hot water was ready. The Fourth Master asked Geng to stay and serve him while he bathed, and everyone else withdrew.
After Geng helped Fourth Master undress, she began to serve him a bath. Fourth Master sat in the wooden tub with his eyes closed, lost in thought, while Geng poured hot water over him with a small wooden spoon.
"My lord, it's not good to soak in hot water for too long. You should get up. I've already prepared some essential oils." Seeing that the Fourth Prince's eyes remained closed, Madam Geng mustered her courage and said.
"Did you know I would be coming tonight?" Fourth Master said slowly, his eyes still closed. His expression remained unchanged, revealing no emotion whatsoever.
Geng carefully observed the Fourth Master's expression, wondering whether he was happy or unhappy that she had guessed his thoughts.
The steam continued to rise, and Geng's hands trembled slightly. She didn't want to lose the little place she had finally gained in the Fourth Prince's heart.
"I am always ready, whether you come or not. It is my honor to relieve your fatigue at any time," Geng finally said.
"Get up." Fourth Master slowly opened his eyes and got up with the help of Madam Geng.
After taking a bath, Fourth Master went directly to Geng's bed wearing only a thin shirt and lay down. Geng also took off her outer clothes and got into bed.
Under the precise kneading, Fourth Master felt incredibly comfortable all over and gradually fell asleep.
Geng pulled the blanket up for the Fourth Master, then gently lay down next to him. Looking at the man's handsome profile, she still felt a little disappointed. She wasn't really any different from Nian Shi, except that she didn't dare to express her desires.
Meanwhile, Lady Nian kept an eye on Lady Geng's room until the lights were turned off. Only then did Lady Nian sullenly allow the maids to serve her as she prepared to go to sleep.
"Baizhi, how could Master be so heartless? He doesn't even come to see me and the child in my belly. What is it about that Geng woman that she can capture Fourth Master's heart?" Nian Shi was clearly still angry after her outburst, and now that further anger was useless, she could only ask calmly.
"From my observation, the greatest advantage of Lady Geng is that she never goes to the master's side to curry favor," Bai Zhi said.
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