The sound of falling red leaves was followed by a thud.
The lock is open!
Li Tiao unlocked the door, pushed it open, and let Hongye in.
"Wow, mistress, this courtyard looks like that of a wealthy family. Is it really alright for us to come in like this? I'm afraid we'll be reported to the authorities," Hongye said worriedly.
"We're going to stick to this path now. This is a place most people wouldn't expect. Once the owner of this house finds out, we should leave. Report it to the authorities? If we do, where will they find us?"
Li Tiao turned around, closed the door, and looked through each room with the lantern she had taken from the carriage.
It has to be said that this is indeed a wealthy family; even though no one lives here, all the daily necessities are provided.
Having found the mirror, Li Tiao took out a knife from the bundle she had brought from the palace.
Seeing Li Tiao's actions, Hongye was so frightened that she quickly pressed down on Li Tiao's hand: "Master, what are you doing? You mustn't... you mustn't..."
The next day at the Imperial Palace.
The morning court session had just ended when Consort De arrived at the Qianqing Palace to see the Emperor.
The eunuchs had naturally informed the emperor, but since the court had just adjourned and not all the princes and ministers had left, Consort De was still waiting outside.
The Fourth Prince and the Thirteenth Prince walked out together. When they saw Consort De, before they could even pay their respects, Consort De spoke up sarcastically: "Fourth Prince, what do you think the Emperor will do if he finds out that Li Tiao has secretly run away?"
Upon hearing Consort De's words, the Fourth Prince paused in his steps.
The princes passing by stopped in their tracks, as if watching a spectacle, because of Consort De's words.
"What do you mean by that, Mother?" Yinzhen had a bad feeling, but he still restrained himself and asked Consort De first in front of so many people.
Just as Consort De was about to answer, a eunuch from Kangxi's side came out and called Consort De to go in and see the Emperor.
The Fourth Prince originally had other things to do, but now he's not in a hurry to do them.
He glanced at the Crown Prince and the Eighth Prince not far away; clearly, they had also heard what Consort De had said.
"Fourth Brother, if what Consort De said wasn't just said in anger, then I've remembered something," the Thirteenth Prince whispered to the Fourth Prince.
After glancing at the Eighth Prince and the Crown Prince not far away, the Fourth Prince gestured to the Thirteenth Prince to walk and talk with him, pretending not to care about the matter.
After they had walked a distance, the Fourth Prince, suppressing his impatience, asked, "What happened?"
“I saw Su Ma La Gu leave the palace yesterday, but since she goes to pay respects to the Empress Dowager every year around this time, I didn’t pay much attention. Does Consort De mean that Li Tiao left the palace with Su Ma La Gu?”
The Fourth Prince swallowed hard, his premonition growing increasingly ominous.
Just then, the eunuch beside Master Kang hurriedly came out of the Qianqing Palace.
The Fourth Prince disregarded everything else and grabbed Li Dequan: "Eunuch Li, has something happened to Mother?"
Although he knew it might be about Li Tiao, the Fourth Prince could only ask in the name of Consort De.
"In reply to Fourth Prince, it's not Consort De, but your former princess... It's said that Consort Li disappeared after going to Zhaoxi Mausoleum with Sumalagu."
Li Dequan spoke very quickly: "His Majesty instructed me to inquire with the guards who were on duty last night. If Master Li has indeed left the palace, then someone will need to be sent to Zhaoxi Mausoleum."
"Thank you for your hard work, Eunuch Li."
The Fourth Prince's hands, which had been hanging down, slowly clenched into fists.
"Fourth Brother, you don't need to worry too much. Keeping Li Tiao around was just asking for trouble. It's a good thing that she's wise enough to run away now, as long as Father and Second Brother's men don't find her."
The Thirteenth Prince thought it was nothing serious.
But the Fourth Prince was extremely anxious.
Whether the Eighth Prince will take this opportunity to kill the Fourth Prince Li Tiao is unknown, but Consort De and the Crown Prince will probably not let this opportunity pass.
What if Consort De and the Crown Prince's men find Li Tiao first...
The Fourth Prince dared not think any further.
"Fourth Brother..." The Thirteenth Prince called out to the Fourth Prince as he watched him leave in a hurry, but the Fourth Prince did not stop walking at all.
The Fourth Prince hurriedly left the palace to give orders to begin searching for Li Tiao.
After the Fourth Prince finished instructing his men, news arrived from the palace that Li Tiao had indeed disappeared.
Sumalagu has already sent someone to inform the Emperor that Li Tiao was on her way to Zhaoxi Mausoleum when she went to a place called Rugong, but she has not returned, nor has her maid Hongye.
Whether the Emperor believed this or not, the Fourth Prince didn't know, but he certainly didn't!
What angered the Fourth Prince even more was that Hongye hadn't given him a single word beforehand.
Moreover, the Fourth Prince felt that Su Ma La Gu must have helped with this matter. After all, Li Tiao couldn't possibly leave the palace on her own; otherwise, she would have left long ago and wouldn't have been blocked by him so many times.
Emperor Kangxi also sent people to search in a big way, but after two days there was still no news.
The Fourth Prince had absolutely no clue whatsoever.
With the day approaching that he would be going to Dzungar with the Emperor, the Fourth Prince's temper had reached its peak.
His biggest fear was that Li Tiao would be found first by Consort De or the Crown Prince's people.
He was already anxious, and then the Fourth Prince ran into the Crown Prince in the palace.
"Fourth brother, do you think your Princess Li really ran away, or is she being hidden away by Father?"
"Second Brother, she's not Consort Li anymore, so what she's like now is none of my business." The Fourth Prince knew he couldn't show even the slightest emotion in front of the Crown Prince.
"Fourth brother, you're not being honest. Aren't you afraid that Father has secretly hidden Li Tiao away?" The Crown Prince naturally didn't believe that the Fourth Prince could remain calm.
The Fourth Prince remained unchanged in the face of all changes; he simply listened to the Crown Prince's "provocations" without offering any opinion.
"To be honest, Fourth Brother, I've been secretly helping you find someone these past few days, but in the process, I've discovered that Father Emperor's people don't seem to be in a hurry."
At least he wasn't as anxious or furious as Father Emperor had shown. Why do you think that is?
The Fourth Prince said, "How could you and I, Second Brother, presume to know Father's thoughts?"
"Indeed, we can't presume to know Father's thoughts. But it's said that the Aisin Gioro family is full of romantics. Do you think Father might... If not, Father is really fond of this Li Tiao."
The Crown Prince didn't care whether the Fourth Prince would pay attention to him or not. After he finished speaking, he patted the Fourth Prince on the shoulder, smiled, and walked away.
The Fourth Prince stood there, lost in thought.
In fact, the Fourth Prince also realized that the Emperor wasn't very interested in finding Li Tiao, but he didn't dare to think too much about it, believing that Li Tiao wouldn't have any "deal" with the Emperor.
However, he is no longer so certain.
But asking the Emperor is obviously impossible, so... Sumalagu!
The Fourth Prince thought of Su Ma La Gu, but Su Ma La Gu was still in Zhaoxi Mausoleum and had not returned to the palace. It would be too conspicuous for the Fourth Prince to go to her directly like this.
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