Li Tiao, who had already loosened her grip on the handkerchief, couldn't help but tighten her grip again upon hearing Hongye's words.
"The Fourth Prince is a prince, and many people are worried about him. It's not my place to worry." In fact, Li Tiao felt that the Fourth Prince would be fine. Otherwise, how could he have become the emperor?
However, because of her previous careless remarks, Li Tiao is now much more cautious, and she might as well refrain from saying such things, even when facing Hongye.
"Your Highness, you rushed back and didn't even have a proper meal. Should I go to the kitchen and see if there's anything left to eat?" Seeing that Li Tiao was being stubborn, Hongye stopped talking.
But her words made Li Tiao jump up: "Hongye, what's wrong with you? Why am I in such a hurry? I just finished eating, that's why I left."
"I'm not hungry, no need to bother the kitchen staff. The shop is already open, and the food and drinks they're making are all for profit, so let's not waste any."
Hongye pursed her lips, wanting to smile, but when she saw Li Tiao looking at her, she held back.
While Li Tiao and Hongye were staring at each other, someone outside asked the guards a question.
"Has the person returned?"
“It’s the Thirteenth Prince,” Hongye whispered to Li Tiao.
Li Tiao naturally understood what was going on and winked at Hongye to let the Thirteenth Prince in.
When the Thirteenth Prince saw Li Tiao like this, he was first taken aback, then wanted to laugh, but he held back because of his past attitude towards Li Tiao.
"Hongye, you can go out now. Your master and I have a few words to say."
Hongye hesitated. After all, it was a bit awkward for a man and a woman to be alone in a room. Although Li Tiao's situation was not as bad as before, Hongye still didn't want Li Tiao to be gossiped about.
Li Tiao naturally knew what Hongye was thinking, but judging from the Thirteenth Prince's attitude, it seemed he was referring to the Fourth Prince. After thinking for a moment, Li Tiao nodded to Hongye and let her leave.
Do you think the Fourth Prince can pull through this?
Hearing the Thirteenth Prince's undisguised words, Li Tiao asked in surprise, "Is the Fourth Prince really seriously injured?"
"How did you know?" The Thirteenth Prince was equally surprised.
The unexpected conversation between the two made Li Tiao realize that the Fourth Prince's injury was probably not a rumor, so she told the Thirteenth Prince what she had heard at the restaurant.
"You mean Father Emperor has already returned to the capital?" the Thirteenth Prince asked in surprise.
Li Tiao swallowed hard. "I heard about it. Didn't you know?"
The thirteenth prince shook his head, then stared at Li Tiao for a long time.
Li Tiao felt extremely uncomfortable under the Thirteenth Prince's gaze: "It really is what I heard. If you don't believe me, you can ask Hongye. Just now, when we went out to the restaurant for dinner..."
"You're good at divination, aren't you? Then you calculate for me whether Second Brother is really planning to take this opportunity to... rebel..."
Although the Thirteenth Prince spoke the word "treason" very softly, Li Tiao heard it.
She suddenly stood up, keeping a good distance from the Thirteenth Prince: "Thirteenth Prince, Li Tiao knows she was wrong. She shouldn't have talked nonsense before. I really don't have any other ambitions. I just want to live a peaceful life and earn a little money. Don't ask me about these things between you princes, I..."
"But you said Fourth Brother can..."
Li Tiao did speak, but she only knew the general direction. Before the result arrived, there were more than ten years in between. How could she remember every single detail so clearly?
Even if she knew, Li Tiao knew she should remain silent at this time, after all, the Crown Prince's rebellion... this was no joke.
"Thirteenth Prince, Li Tiao did that back then because..."
"No matter what your reasons were back then, how could you bear to watch your fourth brother's life hang in the balance on the front lines? Your fourth brother cared about you so much, even when he went to war with Father Emperor, he kept sending people to look for you and protect your safety."
“Thirteenth Prince, you can’t say that. Li Tiao thinks you should go and find out if the Emperor has really returned to the capital secretly. If he has, Li Tiao thinks the Emperor won’t let things get out of control.”
"Besides, if the Emperor really does return, doing too much now will only cause trouble."
Li Tiao felt that this person was a prince, yet he didn't think things through as thoroughly as she did.
"you……"
Li Tiao really didn't want to talk to the Thirteenth Prince about these important court matters. These princes really thought too highly of themselves. Just as she was about to speak up to stop the Thirteenth Prince from continuing, his personal eunuch called him from outside.
Frowning, the Thirteenth Prince invited someone in. The eunuch whispered a few words in the Thirteenth Prince's ear, and then the Thirteenth Prince hurriedly left.
Li Tiao breathed a sigh of relief, but in her heart she felt that perhaps she should leave the capital.
Otherwise, he might lose his life one day. After all, he always hears things he shouldn't hear, and the Thirteenth Prince always asks him things he doesn't want to know.
"Hongye, go and call the person in charge of the shop."
Although Li Tiao is the owner of Qunxinglou, she works behind the scenes. There is a manager who takes the lead in handling the affairs of the store.
Afraid of frightening people, Li Tiao removed the matchmaker makeup from her face and temporarily changed back into men's clothing.
"Boss, what do you need me for?"
Li Tiao pondered for a moment and said, "Spread the word that Qunxinglou is planning to change owners, and see if anyone in the capital is interested."
"Change owners? Mr. Li, you... Qunxing Tower is making a lot of money every day. If you sell it off like this, you'll suffer a huge loss..."
"Do as I say." Li Tiao naturally knew that exchanging the shares now would be a huge loss.
Perhaps she had been too complacent before and had become lax in her vigilance. Now she could not continue like this. Kangxi had secretly returned to the capital, and the princes were all eager to make their move. Song Gege even wished she were dead.
She felt that the sooner she left this place of trouble, the better.
While no one knows her yet, she should leave quietly without making a sound. Otherwise, once everyone knows she is Li Tiao, things will turn back to the way they were before, and she won't be able to leave even if she wanted to.
In modern terms, a manager is someone who works, a high-level employee.
So even though he was reluctant, he had no choice but to comply since Li Tiao, the real boss, had spoken.
After the steward left, Hongye anxiously asked Li Tiao, "Master, what are you doing?"
"Leave the capital."
"Leave..." Hongye asked, a mix of surprise and excitement in her voice, "Go find the Fourth Prince?"
"You're overthinking it," Li Tiao said. "I just want to leave this place of trouble."
Although in Li Tiao's knowledge, it seemed that the time had not yet come for the princes to fight bloody battles for the throne, there is a saying that goes, "No one has the right to speak without practice."
She only knew what was written in books before, and only after experiencing it herself did she realize the danger. She was a coward, and saving her life was the priority.
The business at Qunxinglou was booming. After the manager announced that the shop was going to be sold, a buyer quickly came looking for them. However, the buyer specifically asked to discuss the details with Li Tiao and ignored the manager.
Li Tiao found it extremely strange.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
