Li Tiao believed that the Imperial Concubine was speaking up for the Fourth Prince, but if one listened carefully to the Imperial Concubine's words, there seemed to be flaws, and it would be easy for someone to find fault with them.
This left Li Tiao unsure whether the Imperial Concubine was friend or foe. Just as she was considering whether to say a few more words in support of the Fourth Prince, following the Imperial Concubine's lead, Kangxi seemed to have found a flaw in the Imperial Concubine's words:
“My dear Consort, if what you say is true, the Fourth Prince often goes to Su Ma La Gu’s place to secretly call Li Tiao out. If something happens to Li Tiao, it’s like telling everyone that Li Tiao’s accident is related to him.”
Li Tiao thought so too, and in the midst of the chaos, she looked at the Imperial Concubine in response to Kangxi's words.
The Imperial Concubine replied calmly, "Your Majesty, you are testing me with your words. The Fourth Prince also grew up by Your Majesty's side. Your Majesty naturally knows the Fourth Prince better than we do. Do you really think the Fourth Prince is that stupid?"
This is also what I wanted to express from the beginning.
It has to be said that people with high skill levels are really amazing.
These words may seem unconvincing, but they subtly helped the Fourth Prince out of a predicament. After all, if you think about it carefully, you'll realize that a prince who grew up in the palace wouldn't usually be caught out so easily if he wanted to scheme.
Seeing that Master Kang was silent, Li Tiao looked at Consort De and the Crown Princess and found that they were both a little nervous.
Li Tiao guessed that perhaps Consort De and the Crown Princess had conspired to do this, firstly to kill her, and secondly to frame the Fourth Prince.
Now that they haven't died, they're bound to join forces to kill the Fourth Prince.
Just as Li Tiao was pondering what to do about this matter, the silent Emperor Kangxi spoke up again: "Noble Consort, although this matter happened in Su Ma La Gu's courtyard, it is still within the inner palace. You must find a way to investigate it thoroughly. I cannot let the spirit of my late grandmother, the Empress Dowager, still worry about Su Ma La Gu."
"Your Majesty, I will obey your decree. I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly."
"I have always trusted the Imperial Concubine very much." After giving the Imperial Concubine a somewhat flattering compliment, Emperor Kang waved his hand and dismissed everyone.
The Crown Princess and Consort De seemed to have something to discuss, and they left in a rather hurried manner.
As a result, Li Tiao and the Imperial Concubine fell behind.
Previously, Li Tiao had never formally paid her respects to the Imperial Concubine. Regardless of whether she would have any interaction with the Imperial Concubine in the future, she could not pretend not to know her under the current circumstances.
So he respectfully greeted the Imperial Concubine and bowed.
Compared to when she interrupted Li Tiao to speak for the Fourth Prince in front of Master Kang, the Consort's attitude towards Li Tiao was now very cold.
"Get up."
"Thank you, Your Highness, for speaking up for the Fourth Prince earlier."
After Li Tiao finished speaking, she straightened her legs, which were bent in a curtsy position. When she looked up, she saw that the Imperial Concubine's expression was even colder than before, and she felt a little hysterical.
"If I were you, you would do something to avoid being noticed, or find a way to leave this place."
Li Tiao's big eyes were filled with great confusion.
"What is the Emperor's attitude towards you? Why does the Crown Prince want to kill you, and why does Consort De want to kill you? To be honest, I don't really know, but I don't need to know, because now that you're not dead, they're thinking of killing the Fourth Prince!"
You just thanked me for speaking up for the Fourth Prince? What is your status?
Since you care about the Fourth Prince, then try not to cause him any trouble.
After speaking, the Imperial Concubine gave Li Tiao a meaningful look, and then left in a grand procession with her entourage.
Since even Consort De, her own mother, cares about the Fourth Prince, Li Tiao naturally wouldn't think that the Imperial Concubine had any inappropriate thoughts about the Fourth Prince; it was most likely because of self-interest.
Since it's about self-interest, Li Tiao can understand the Consort's dissatisfaction with her, but leaving won't be so easy, will it?
Sumalagu told her to kill a chicken to scare the monkey. Consort De and the Crown Prince conspired together. Who was the chicken she could kill?
The Crown Prince? It's definitely inappropriate for someone of my status to go to the Crown Prince.
Consort De... Last time, even threatening her with the matter of the Sixth Prince didn't stop her from wanting to kill him, so it's obviously not appropriate to approach Consort De.
Perhaps it was because she had threatened her with the matter of the Sixth Prince last time that Consort De's desire to kill her became even stronger.
"Master, let's go."
Hongye's words brought Li Tiao back to her senses for a moment. "Let's go."
Back at her lodgings, Li Tiao was still thinking about how Su Mala Gu should make an example of someone, but deciding which chicken to kill and which monkey to warn was too difficult for her.
For someone of her status to think she could compete with Consort De and the Crown Princess, to put it nicely, she was bold; to put it bluntly, she was reckless.
After much thought, the only person who had no connection with her now was Su Ma La Gu, so Li Tiao went to see her before Su Ma La Gu went to rest.
"This old servant sees that the matter hasn't been resolved yet?" Su Mala Gu said before Li Tiao could speak.
Since the issue was to be resolved, Li Tiao naturally expressed her confusion: "Granny, although the Emperor didn't say anything, judging from what he said, it seems that Consort De and the Crown Princess conspired to kill Li Tiao, but unexpectedly, Li Tiao was lucky enough to escape. Consort De and the Crown Princess were unwilling to give up, so they thought they would make the Fourth Prince suffer no matter what."
Of course, the Crown Princess should listen to the Crown Prince.
In this situation, Li Tiao wouldn't even be able to make an example of someone; she'd be lucky to survive herself.
"I can guess why Consort De is so hostile to you. What I don't understand is why the Crown Prince would do this? Even if the Crown Princess wanted you dead, I could understand that she might have misunderstood the Crown Prince's feelings for you... What I don't understand is why the Crown Prince is so hostile to the Fourth Prince as well."
Li Tiao hesitated. Should she say or not say that the Fourth Prince could replace the Crown Prince?
“If you feel it’s inconvenient for this old servant to know, then you don’t have to say it… but…” Su Ma La Gu wasn’t angry; she just noticed Li Tiao’s predicament and took the initiative to find a way out.
"No, it's not that I can't know, it's just..." Li Tiao hesitated for a moment, then leaned close to Su Mala Gu's ear and whispered that the Fourth Prince would replace the Crown Prince.
Sumalagu's aged gaze changed drastically in an instant.
"you……"
Li Tiao swallowed hard, feeling a little embarrassed and guilty. She subconsciously shrank her neck to avoid Su Mala Gu's gaze.
“If the Crown Prince hears what you said, he will want to kill you… You are not…” Su Ma La Gu, being a devout Buddhist, did not utter the words “you deserve it.”
Li Tiao naturally knew this, which made her even more guilty.
“Granny, Li Tiao was foolish back then and didn’t think about the possible consequences… Now Li Tiao knows that she brought this upon herself, but Li Tiao’s death is not a pity. Fourth Prince… we can’t let Li Tiao be implicated because of those nonsense things she said back then.”
Li Tiao said, "I really have no other choice, that's why I came to find Granny. I know that if Granny helps me, it might break her peace and quiet all these years, but..."
Sumalagu interrupted Li Tiao calmly, saying, "Let this old servant think about this matter carefully."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
