If Gao Wuyong were here and saw Su Peisheng like this, he would definitely laugh triumphantly, never expecting his wish to come true, that whatever he thought of would come true.
Haha, aren't you making fun of me? You're just as weak-kneed as I am now!
Like Gao Wuyong, Su Peisheng, whose legs were weak, quickly tried to minimize his presence.
"Good, very good!" Looking at the words on the first note, the Fourth Prince sneered repeatedly: "The Princess Consort fanned the flames, Li instigated others, Song changed the medicine and poisoned the patient, and Zhang mindlessly stirred up rumors. Heh, the Thirty-Six Stratagems, even more powerful than the officials of the previous dynasty!"
How could the Fourth Prince not be aware of the infighting among the women in his harem?
But he absolutely refused to allow these women to cross his bottom line, to target and harm his offspring!
He moved the teacup aside and looked at the next one, and then another. The Fourth Master's face grew increasingly grim. Upon seeing the last one, he lost his composure, abruptly stood up, and smashed the teacup on the spot!
How hateful! Absolutely hateful!
For so many years, the master has never smashed a teacup again! Looking at the master's face, which was as cold as a demon, Su Peisheng couldn't help but mourn for the actions of the person on that last note!
However, anger is harmful to health, so he had to step forward in the face of his master's rage and gently advised, "Master, calm down. Anger is harmful to your health. It's not worth hurting yourself over someone else's mistake!"
"Hmph, calm down! Even if it hurts your health, I will never calm down!" The Fourth Master's face remained cold as he said in a sinister tone, "If you calm down and don't pursue this matter, I'm afraid this mansion might change masters one day!"
Changing masters? The master is still so young, how could he change masters? Unless, someone wants me dead! Upon hearing this thought, Su Peisheng was so frightened that he fell silent.
Thinking of this, Fourth Master could no longer restrain himself. He crumpled the note in his hand. "Go, find the person from the Sticky Rod Office who is in charge of investigating Guarjia Jiaheng's incident."
"Yes, sir!" Su Peisheng bowed, his legs feeling weak as he stepped out.
However, he had to handle the matter concerning the Sticky Pole Office that his master had instructed him to do personally. Even if his legs were weak, his feet were unsteady, and he encountered one embarrassing situation after another, no matter how shameful he looked, he still had to go in person.
After a while, in the study, the Fourth Master continued to sit behind the long table and listen, but the one who spoke to him was now Nian Jiu from the Sticky Rod Office.
"...At first, the investigation seemed like an accident, but...we discovered it wasn't an accident at all. We found clues...someone had inquired about his itinerary for the next day from Guarjia Jiaheng's friend...all the evidence points to that group of men in black...it should be related to Li Shufu's wife from the Pear Academy..."
Behind the long table, Fourth Master initially had a gloomy face, lowered eyes, and kept turning the thumb ring on his thumb, giving the feeling that a cold volcano was about to erupt.
Upon hearing this, Fourth Master suddenly looked up, stopped turning his thumb ring, and clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking as he did so, exuding a strong killing intent.
The study was chilling and the air was heavy. Su Peisheng, who was in the background, and Nian Jiu, who was answering, were terrified and didn't dare to breathe.
Murderous intent? The master has murderous intent! Based on his many years of experience serving him closely, it's better to keep a low profile. As for his duty as a servant—to advise the master not to be angry, as anger is harmful to health? Su Peisheng thought, "Go if you don't want to die!"
This agonizing time lasted for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, but for Su Peisheng and Zhan Jiu, every second felt like an hour.
Just when the two thought they would have to stay in this terrifying atmosphere, they heard their master's cold voice from behind the long table.
"Secret guards! A mere Han Bannerwoman from such a family background, how could she have secret guards!" Even in his rage, the Fourth Prince, who still maintained a degree of composure, couldn't help but become suspicious.
The Fourth Prince, who personally established the Sticky Rod Office, knew very well how much money it would cost. If it weren't for his adoptive mother, Empress Tongjia, giving him a portion of her dowry before her death, he simply wouldn't have been able to support it.
A family like the Lis', a Han Chinese bannerman, with a father who was merely a prefect and two older brothers who were just bookworms, how much money could they possibly have? It was impossible for her and the Li family to build a secret guard on their own. So, who was really manipulating everything behind the scenes? What did that person or those people want from her household? Or something else?
The more the Fourth Prince thought about it, the more he began to suspect that Lady Li intended to use him to get close to the Emperor and assassinate him.
The more he thought about it, the darker and colder his face became, and a murderous intent emanated from his body.
Su Peisheng was so frightened he almost cried, but Zhan Jiu was better off, after all, he had received such training in killing intent.
In order to catch the big fish with a long line and find the person behind the Li family, the Fourth Prince, who originally planned to immediately send people to eliminate her and those secret guards, immediately changed his mind.
Moreover, upon remembering that Li was pregnant and that he had few children, the Fourth Master felt even more strongly that now was not the time to deal with her; at least he should wait until the child was born.
Therefore, he ordered the Sticky Rod Office to do everything in its power to investigate Li and dig out as much information about her as possible.
As evening approached, after an afternoon of quiet contemplation and reciting Buddhist scriptures, Fourth Master pushed open the study door and came out. His face had returned to its usual indifference, concealing all his thoughts beneath a blank expression, and his anger had subsided.
At least Gao Wuyong, who came to relieve Su Peisheng on duty, did not realize that his master had ever been so furious.
"Go to the Fujin!" Yinzhen said calmly.
"Yes, sir!"
Gao Wuyong calmly answered, and then followed the Fourth Master toward the main courtyard.
In the main courtyard, the Fourth Prince, after having eaten, was still angry that his wife hadn't helped protect his child. He knew that the women in the inner courtyard were jealous and loved to scheme against each other, but he couldn't accept that his wife was fueling the flames and harming his offspring.
"I have business to attend to!" The implication was clear: he wouldn't be staying in the main courtyard tonight. Then he said, "Gao Wuyong, go back."
Based on the respect the master had shown her in the past, he would usually stay at her place for the night after returning from his southern tours and northern hunts, before going to the other people's places in the backyard.
Today, he said he was going back to the front yard. Is there really something going on, or...?
The princess glanced at the fourth prince's face and, seeing his usual indifference, breathed a sigh of relief. He probably didn't have any complaints about her.
Seeing that the Fourth Prince was about to stand up and return to the front courtyard, the Princess Consort immediately remembered that she hadn't said what she wanted to say yet, and immediately said, "Your Highness, wait! I still have something to tell you."
"What is it?" The Fourth Prince looked at his wife, feeling somewhat annoyed as he recalled her instigation.
The Fourth Prince's tone was indifferent, and his emotions showed little fluctuation, so his wife did not notice.
“Sister Li is also pregnant. Her personal nanny has been sent to take care of the eldest princess and the second prince. Currently, she doesn’t have an experienced nanny to take care of her. I’m afraid Sister Li can’t trust me either. Does Your Highness have any other candidates?”
In this way, even with the help of her secret guards, the master's men still couldn't find Li Shi on Guarjia Jiaheng's side. Now that the master's men have been placed by Li Shi's side, and with her helping to leak information to the master, Li Shi will be exposed sooner or later.
Upon hearing his wife's words, the Fourth Prince initially intended to leave it to her to decide. Suddenly, he frowned and pondered for a moment, a strange glint flashing in his lowered eyes where his wife could not see.
This is indeed a good way to monitor Li Shi nearby and find out who is behind her.
"The Princess Consort's idea is very thoughtful. The Master will arrange for someone to go there tomorrow."
(To be continued.)
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