"Haha, fourth brother, there's no need to be cautious. My wife will listen to anything you say to me." Lu Anyuan was now open with Xu Yixing, so naturally there was nothing to hide.
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince forced a smile. No one knew what he was thinking in his heart, but he just said, "I'm fine, luckily my Seventh Brother saved me." He had just woken up, and he knew without thinking that the person who saved him was definitely not his second brother. He had never seen this medical officer before, and since he was not from the Imperial Hospital, it could only be the Seventh Prince's man.
Since the seventh brother was alive and had the energy to save him, it must be the second brother who was defeated. He still hadn't forgotten the words "My people will save you" that he heard while being wrapped in a blanket before he passed out from the poisoning. If he didn't want to repay this favor, Lu Anyuan would definitely not agree.
"Seventh brother, I really wasn't the one hiding Second Brother in my house. I didn't lie that day. He hid in my house for ten days without my knowledge and even transformed the Bamboo Forest Pavilion into what it looked like that day. I really didn't collude with him!"
The Fourth Prince knew that the most urgent thing was to clear himself. Instead of going into the palace to face his father's questioning, it would be better to talk to his seventh brother first, so that if his father became suspicious, there would be someone to prove his guilt.
Lu Anyuan pulled Xu Yixing to sit in front of the couch, winked at Mr. Yao to leave, and then said, "This is also my explanation to my father."
"Hmm?" The Fourth Prince looked up at the beautiful couple before him, a little unconvinced that his Seventh Brother could be so kind. A closer look revealed that although the two of them weren't dressed up today, their clothes...
"Seventh brother, is this the prince's uniform? You..." The voice took a turn in his throat and immediately turned into words of congratulation: "Congratulations, seventh brother, you have made great contributions in saving the emperor and arresting the traitor. You deserve the honor!"
Xu Yixing had been paying attention to the changes in the Fourth Prince's eyes. He admired him very much for being able to judge the current situation without any hint. He was really smart.
"I'm happy to share your joy, Fourth Brother. Now that the traitor has been brought to justice, Father, mindful of your serious injuries, has rewarded you with a detachment of guards. You will have nothing to worry about from now on."
When the Fourth Prince heard the word "guards", his eyes showed a moment of alertness and loneliness. It seemed that he had guessed his father's implicit meaning, but he quickly returned to normal, so quickly that Xu Yixing thought he had seen it wrong.
"My second brother died? So quickly... How long was I unconscious?"
"Not long, only five or six days. My second brother wasn't put to death by the Emperor. He tried to force his way into the secret passages of the Imperial Palace, but was killed by the gunpowder he had prepared. He brought this upon himself, and he deserves death."
"So that's how it is." The Fourth Prince ran his fingers across the brocade quilt, quickly figuring everything out: his second brother had only been dead for five or six days, yet his father was already rushing to offer a reward, clearly fearing a rift within the royal family. So, his seventh brother probably hadn't reported him to the emperor; on the contrary, perhaps, as he'd claimed, he'd actually spoken up for him.
After figuring this out, he immediately felt relieved. As long as he was not considered an accomplice, it was fine.
"Seventh brother, I actually have some evidence of the crimes committed by Second Brother and Concubine Ying when they were still alive. If you need it..."
"No need." Lu Anyuan interrupted Lu Hexin directly. How could he not know what he was thinking? They were already dead. It was a lifelong shame to bear the crime of treason. Going to complain to his father at this time would not only not make his father feel good, but would arouse his displeasure. This kid was really dangerous and vicious.
Xu Yixing shifted his gaze slightly to the side and felt that Lu Anyuan seemed a little unhappy.
"Don't worry, Seventh Brother. These are just things I collected some time ago. You know, my Second Brother and I are not born of the same mother. They are strangers to me. Even if they were forcibly raised by Concubine Ying, they were just a stepping stone for my Second Brother. Seventh Brother, you must understand the feeling behind this, right?"
Xu Yixing smiled inwardly. The Fourth Prince was really willing to sacrifice anything to protect himself. He drew the line so clearly and even resorted to the tactic of inflicting pain on himself. He really admired him.
But he really should have done so. The emperor showed no sign of stopping his investigation, and he had spared no one connected to the Second Prince. As Ying Fei's nominal adopted son, he had discovered the traitor's hiding place, so he really should have done his best to distance himself from it.
"Fourth brother, I understand what you want to say. You don't have to say too much."
The Fourth Prince saw his Seventh Brother wave his hand and turned his gaze towards Xu Yiyan:
"Since I've already recounted the true events of that day to the Emperor, I naturally won't change my story or make irresponsible remarks. Fourth Brother, how you explain this to the Emperor is up to you. I have another story to share. The man who saved you that day was one of my wife's men. Unfortunately, he was poisoned to such an extent that he died instantly. My wife is deeply saddened."
The Fourth Prince was shocked when he heard this. How could that skilled technician not belong to his Seventh Brother, but to Xu Yiyan? Did that mean that the Xu family had already begun to create conditions for his Seventh Brother?
"Thank you, sister-in-law. I will remember this favor. If you need anything in the future, please feel free to ask me." The Fourth Prince was not a fool. He did not see with his own eyes whether the other person was dead or not, but since the other person had asked for something, he must have some request.
"Thank you very much, Your Highness the Fourth Prince." Xu Yixing had never expected that the Fourth Prince would be so easy to talk to. He hadn't even said what he wanted him to do, but he readily agreed. This person was very good at judging the situation and making appropriate moves. He was indeed very difficult to deal with.
Seeing that things were going smoothly, Lu Anyuan quietly took Yixing's hand in his sleeve and spoke softly, "The doctor just now is from my family. His last name is Yao. He will take care of Fourth Brother until he recovers. If Fourth Brother needs anything, you can ask Mr. Yao to bring a message to me, just like today."
"Okay, I won't see you off." The Fourth Prince nodded slightly. He urgently needed someone to tell him what had happened during the few days he was unconscious, but he definitely didn't want Lu Anyuan and his wife to tell him.
After leaving the gate, Xu Yixing looked around every three steps, observing the scenery of the Fourth Prince's Mansion. "This place is quite large, and there are only the couple living here. If someone really lived in the empty yard for ten days or so, they might not be discovered."
"Yes." Lu Anyuan had no reason to doubt it. He was now convinced that his second brother had escaped on his own. How he had escaped from the outer palace and entered the capital was a serious problem. His father had not yet ordered the case to be closed for this very reason.
"By the way, what about your father's wedding? When will it be postponed?" He had been busy with the follow-up matters these days and had to entertain the people who kept coming to congratulate him. He almost forgot about his father-in-law.
Xu Yixing gets angry when talking about this. He thought his father would wait for a while, but after the last banquet, Xu Qian said that the general's wedding was postponed for a month, to September 15th. Isn't it just around the corner again? It's so annoying!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
