"Su Peisheng, keep Li's matter a secret for me."
At the entrance of the Pear Courtyard, snowflakes fluttered down and fell on the Fourth Master's still body.
Su Peisheng, who had also stopped and was following behind Fourth Master, breathed out a cold sweat and replied, "Yes, sir!"
Su Peisheng was very reliable. The fact that Li had superb martial arts skills and killed Xiangyu with a single palm strike was covered up very well.
Whether it was the Fujin (wife of the emperor), Jiaming, or the other women in the inner courtyard, the information they all gathered was that Hongyun had been poisoned by Xiangyu because Li Shi was capricious and had punished her too harshly, wanting to take revenge on her.
.
The Fourth Master had no idea that he had obtained two secret manuals from the Li family. After acquiring the manuals, he immediately selected people and arranged for them to practice them.
Unfortunately, after just half a month, no one had successfully cultivated the Shangqing Scripture, but a few people had successfully cultivated the Qingyu Technique.
The Fourth Prince personally read the Shangqing Scripture several times, but gained nothing from it.
Recalling what Li had said, he couldn't help but be skeptical. The suspicious Fourth Master couldn't help but wonder if Li had deliberately mixed a Taoist scripture into his book. Indeed, the Fourth Master felt that the Shangqing Scripture was more like a Taoist scripture than a martial arts manual.
The thought of Li deceiving him made him extremely uncomfortable. In the past, he would make anyone in the inner quarters who displeased him miserable.
However, he was wary of the powerful figures behind the Li family, so he could only occasionally have Su Peisheng or Gao Wuyong deliver rewards to the Pear Garden, and he would also occasionally visit the Pear Garden himself, but he never stayed overnight.
Some time ago, he had the Sticky Rod Office thoroughly investigate Li's background and other information. Everything about her was clean; she had always been a well-behaved, ordinary young lady from a modest family.
However, she changed after Hongfen passed away, but she was still the same person; she wasn't replaced.
After that, she started opening shops, selling novelties, and using these as a foundation to build her own power!
When someone suddenly undergoes such a drastic change, he can't help but feel that someone is guiding Li behind the scenes.
Is the underlying motivation to overthrow the Qing dynasty and restore the Ming dynasty, or something else?
Staying overnight at Pear Courtyard was too dangerous. If it weren't to lower Li's guard so he could continue investigating the big fish behind her, he wouldn't have taken the risk of coming to Pear Courtyard to see her every now and then.
As for Hongyun, he originally wanted to move him out, but he was afraid that the Li family would find out that he was investigating her and then use Hongyun to threaten him.
But there was no excuse, and besides, judging from the loving look in Li's eyes when she looked at Hongyun, her feelings for him didn't seem fake. For the time being, there shouldn't be any danger.
Thinking of Hongyun, the Fourth Prince thought of his eldest son Honghui, who had caught a cold. He put away the Shangqing Sutra he had just read, got up, and took Gao Wuyong, who was on duty today, to the main courtyard.
The arrival of the Fourth Prince delighted the Princess Consort, as it proved that he valued her and Hui'er, his legitimate son. This would further solidify their positions in the Prince's mansion.
However, the most important thing was Hui'er. After being distracted for a moment, the Fujin focused all her attention back on Honghui.
The Fourth Prince entered Honghui's room and was pleased to see his wife taking such good care of him. With his wife's attentiveness, he could feel more at ease about Honghui's situation.
After offering his concern and greetings, Fourth Master left the main courtyard and the side courtyard.
"Princess Consort! Why don't you keep me here? I haven't stayed overnight in the main courtyard for a long time! Take advantage of this time to have another little prince with me!"
The princess remained noncommittal, her eyes fixed on Honghui, fearing that if she looked away for even a moment, the sick Hui'er would be gone, just like in his previous life, never to wake up again.
"Fujin?" Seeing that Fujin didn't seem to care, Liu Mama immediately became anxious. Having more children would further solidify the position of the primary Fujin, which was a very important matter.
"Granny, as for the child, it's all about fate. If it's meant to be, it will come naturally." The Fujin truly believed this. After Honghui's death in her previous life, she and the Fourth Prince had tried, but seeing others pregnant while her belly remained stubbornly flat.
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At first, she thought she had been tricked and was infertile. But many doctors and imperial physicians said that nothing had been done to her and that she could give birth. Like the Eighth Prince's wife, she hadn't been tricked and was in good health, but she still couldn't conceive.
Therefore, she believed that having children was a matter of fate. In her entire life, she only had one child, Honghui.
After leaving the main courtyard and the side courtyard, Fourth Master turned and headed towards the pear courtyard, intending to visit Hongyun, who had just recovered from the poisoning, and Madam Li.
Before she could figure out Li's background, she had no choice but to pamper her; otherwise, things would get messy if she and the forces behind her "fought desperately."
After asking Li Shi a few questions and glancing at his son Hongyun, the Fourth Master returned to his front courtyard.
When the Fourth Prince passed by Peach Garden on the way, he did not go in. When the old women waiting at the gate of Peach Garden saw this, they couldn't help but gossip: "Princess Guarjia has fallen out of favor. The prince went to see his wife and the eldest prince, and then to see Li Shu's wife and the second prince. He just sent someone to say that he was coming to Peach Garden. Now he passes by the gate of Peach Garden but does not go in. It is obvious that he does not pay much attention to Princess Guarjia and the unborn little prince. What else can it be but falling out of favor?"
"Yes, yes, the wheel of fortune turns, she has indeed fallen out of favor. Before Prince Hongyun's accident, the Prince would visit Princess Guarjia every now and then, hehe, now, he visits that one from the Pear Courtyard every now and then."
...
In fact, the Fourth Prince really wanted to go in and see Jiaming, but as he walked on the road near Peach Garden, looking at the pavilions, towers, trees and shrubs covered in snow in the mansion, a passage from the Shangqing Scripture flashed through his mind.
Seemingly having gained some insight, he stood there in a daze for a while. After regaining his senses, he was overjoyed and wanted to go back immediately to open the Shangqing Sutra.
He immediately put the matter of going to Taoyuan to see Jiaming behind him.
Furthermore, Gao Wuyong is with him today. He has no connection with Taoyuan and would not be inclined to remind the Fourth Master.
As soon as Fourth Master returned to the front yard, he quickly went into his study and once again silently read and recited the Shangqing Scripture.
Sure enough, although the Fourth Master only vaguely understood the Shangqing Sutra, a warm feeling began to appear in his dantian. After he finished reading it silently, the warmth in his dantian disappeared, but his whole body felt extremely comfortable.
Fourth Master's dark eyes shone brightly; he was overjoyed.
According to reports from subordinates who successfully practiced Qingyu Gong, they initially experienced a warm sensation in their dantian. It took them several days to be able to make that warmth circulate slightly within their meridians.
Fourth Master wanted to try again immediately, and he did just that, silently reciting the Shangqing Scripture once more.
This time, it didn't work. The warmth didn't appear. Fourth Master frowned. What was going on? Why was it different from what his subordinates who practiced Qingyu Gong had said?
Didn't you say that you would feel warmth every time you practiced? Didn't you say that if you tried it more, it would flow through your meridians?
Where did that warmth go?
Fourth Master frowned deeply; after several attempts, the warmth still failed to appear.
Frustrated, the Fourth Prince suddenly stood up and began pacing around the study.
(To be continued.)
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