By the time they left Jingren Palace, the sun had already set and dusk was approaching.
Hongli's tense back relaxed slightly. He secretly rejoiced that he hadn't argued with his mother. After all, she was an elder and wouldn't tolerate his authority being questioned. So he could only compromise and use the blood test to temporarily appease her.
Because he knew very well that she was his mother. If she were to turn her back on Su Yushan, no matter how much he hated her, he couldn't do anything to her. He couldn't risk Su Yushan's safety, so he had to act cautiously and try to please his mother.
However, this matter could not be left unresolved; a traitor had already appeared in his inner circle, something that Hongli absolutely could not allow to happen.
After leaving the palace, Hongli immediately instructed Demin, "Find out who the mole is within two days. If you fail to do so, you will be held responsible!"
Demin immediately cupped his hands in greeting, "Yes, Your humble servant obeys!"
There was a traitor among his men, a fact he himself was unaware of until the Fourth Prince revealed it to him. Demin took this extremely seriously, for he knew very well that his master had always been the Fourth Prince, not Consort Xi. Such a mistake could not be allowed to happen again; the traitor had to be found as soon as possible, or he would be in deep trouble!
Who exactly is the mole? Demin slowly turned to look at Li Yu, who immediately clarified, "Don't look at me. Anyone could betray Fourth Master, but I would never betray him!"
Demin immediately stated, "I would never betray Fourth Master."
Li Yu chuckled and said, "Then go ahead and investigate! Otherwise, you can just wait to be the scapegoat!"
The master only gave him two days, which is a bit tricky, but Demin will do his best to handle it and try not to disappoint the Fourth Prince.
They traveled in silence. After returning to the manor, Hongli went to Huatang Pavilion as usual, where a faint, elegant incense was burning.
Su Yushan disliked change and used the same fragrance year after year. Hongli was used to it, and every time he entered her room, the light fragrance would calm his mind.
He was different today; he didn't say much after entering, and Su Yushan could tell he looked tired, so she asked him a question.
"But what troublesome matter has arisen?"
Hongli looked at her in surprise and squeezed her hand. "It seems you're in a good mood. You actually took the initiative to care about me."
She asked casually, was that considered showing concern? Su Yushan didn't think too much about it and continued, "You can talk about your worries. I may not be able to help you solve them, but talking about it is a way to relieve stress."
He was willing to be honest with her about other things, but this matter was different. It concerned her and involved malicious suspicions, which he didn't want her to know, lest she feel hurt.
With a forced smile, Hongli ultimately did not speak out, "There are some discrepancies in the Ministry of Revenue's accounts, which involve some officials. Father Emperor lost his temper, and I also got a few scoldings, but it's not a big deal."
"The Emperor may not be sincerely reprimanding you; he's probably just putting on an act to make himself appear impartial and selfless."
"I know that, so I won't hold a grudge. I'll learn from this experience and try to avoid making mistakes next time."
Hongli dismissed the matter with a few words, and Su Yushan assumed he was genuinely worried about the state of affairs, without giving it much thought.
He returned too late; Su Yushan had already eaten dinner. The maids reheated the food and waited for him to finish before he washed up and went to his tent.
Because her belly was already noticeably protruding, it was uncomfortable to hug her face-to-face, so he could only hug her from behind.
With this posture, Su Yushan could more easily sense his change, and she awkwardly reminded him, "That dragon seems to... have awakened. Could you please make it behave?"
Hongli chuckled, his deliberately suppressed voice low and alluring, "That's a question for you. Only you can calm it down."
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