"You know perfectly well whether or not my hobby is going to the Xiang Mansion."
But if you really were brought back from the mansion by the master, then you've done him a great favor. Perhaps this war will end before spring even arrives.
Li Tiao asked in surprise, "Why?"
"Among the enemy is a very important person, a strategist-like figure, who fled from Jiangnan to the grasslands. It is said that he liked to visit the Xiang Gong Mansion when he was in Jiangnan."
Seeing Li Tiao's stunned expression, the Fourth Prince smiled and pretended to start buttoning his clothes seriously.
But the moment his hand touched the betting table, Li Tiao shoved his hand away, her voice extremely obsequious:
"Master, how can you trouble yourself with such a thing? This is the maid's job."
"Where did this maid come from?" the Fourth Prince asked, feigning ignorance.
Li Tiao pointed to herself: "Master, you're confused, aren't you? Isn't Li Tiao your maid?"
While they were chatting, Li Tiao had already helped the Fourth Prince fasten the buttons on his collar.
"Is there anything else you need, Your Highness?" Li Tiao believed the Fourth Prince's words. She thought that someone as serious as the Fourth Prince would not joke about such a thing.
Although it would be too conspicuous for her to change back into women's clothing, she wanted to do some maid's work, which would give her some peace of mind.
"You'll do whatever I tell you to do?"
Li Tiao nodded: "Of course, Li Tiao is your maid now, isn't she?"
"So what exactly did Father Emperor say to you before you came?" the Fourth Prince asked, grabbing Li Tiao's hand.
Li Tiao tried to pull her hand away, but the Fourth Prince held it tightly and she couldn't. However, she no longer had the fawning attitude she had just displayed and seemed a bit uncomfortable: "Actually, the Emperor didn't say anything. He just said that things are not peaceful in the capital right now, and that Li Tiao said things she shouldn't have, so he asked Li Tiao to lay low for a while."
That's all?
Li Tiao nodded.
"Didn't you mention your future?" the Fourth Prince asked.
"In the future? In the future what?" Li Tiao's heart was pounding.
"Because of Father Emperor's decree, you've essentially divorced me, so you won't be all alone from now on..."
"Whether Li Tiao has any plans or not is not important now, because it depends on the Emperor's will."
Feeling somewhat guilty, and not wanting the Fourth Prince to ask too many questions, Li Tiao took the opportunity to slip away. However, being a woman, it wasn't convenient for her to go to other tents. Besides, it had started snowing outside again, and she was afraid of getting lost in the freezing cold.
So Li Tiao went behind the screen. Although she didn't look at the Fourth Prince, she could feel a gaze watching her from behind.
Li Tiao felt very uncomfortable being stared at, and her gaze wandered aimlessly. Coincidentally, there was a book next to her, so she picked it up and opened it. Only after opening it did she realize that it was actually a book on military strategy.
It was all in classical Chinese, not vernacular Chinese, which made it very difficult for Li Tiao. But at this point, she knew that she had to grit her teeth and keep reading, otherwise the Fourth Prince would definitely mock her again.
The long winter on the grasslands is finally coming to an end, and the situation in the capital has probably been resolved, since the supply of food and other necessities has been taken care of.
However, the enemy's food supplies became even more scarce due to the long winter.
So after the start of spring, there was almost no doubt about who would win this battle.
When war breaks out, the main force needs to set off and cannot stay in one place for too long. Li Tiao is, after all, a woman, and it is not convenient for her to keep following the Fourth Prince. So Li Tiao thought about returning to Lucheng first. After thinking about it, the Fourth Prince also felt that it was not appropriate for Li Tiao to keep following him, so he had someone send Li Tiao to Lucheng.
In Lucheng, Li Tiao reunited with Hongye, whom she hadn't seen in a long time.
"Master, are you alright?" Hongye pulled Li Tiao up and down for a long time.
"I'm fine, but Hongye, you... you're not that old, why are you starting to ramble on?"
"master……"
It was truly a long-awaited moment for Li Tiao to finally have someone to talk to freely.
Originally, the Fourth Prince and Li Tiao had agreed that she should stay quietly in Lucheng, and that he would pass through Lucheng on his way back to the capital after the war ended.
Li Tiao naturally had no objections. After spending two or three months alone with the Fourth Prince on the grassland, Li Tiao was no longer so averse to being with him.
However, little did anyone know that Li Tiao had only been resting in Lucheng for a short while when Emperor Kangxi's decree arrived, ordering her to return to the capital immediately.
To reiterate, regardless of whether Li Tiao wanted to go back or not, she had to obey the imperial decree.
Because it was the Fourth Prince who sent people to escort Li Tiao to Lucheng, and the people who escorted Li Tiao stayed in Lucheng to protect her, the Fourth Prince naturally knew about Kangxi's decree, so Li Tiao did not write a letter to inform the Fourth Prince.
It took another month or so to get from Lucheng to the capital, and by the time we arrived in the capital it was already summer.
Because of Emperor Kangxi's decree, Li Tiao did not return to Qunxing Tower, but was arranged by Kangxi to stay elsewhere.
"My lady, what exactly does the Emperor mean?" Hongye looked at this residence, which was even better than the Fourth Prince's former residence, and felt uneasy. "Didn't you say that the Emperor didn't... but now..."
Li Tiao surveyed this place, which was even better than the Fourth Prince's residence...
"You look like you're keeping a mistress hidden away?" Li Tiao asked Hongye.
"Your Majesty, how can you say that about yourself? The Emperor probably didn't mean that... Otherwise, it would have been much better to just let you enter the palace."
Hongye is also very uncertain and has mixed feelings. She hopes Li Tiao is doing well. If Li Tiao really becomes an empress, Hongye will be happy. But the premise is that Li Tiao was with the Fourth Prince before... If Li Tiao really becomes an empress, the spittle alone could drown people.
"Look at you!" Li Tiao laughed. "Don't worry, things aren't that bad. You've forgotten that the Emperor has given me a new identity."
"When you were ice skating in the palace before, the Emperor pretended not to know you. At that time, everyone said that the Emperor was planning to give you a new identity. Now that you have a new identity, doesn't that mean the Emperor... has a plan?"
Li Tiao nodded: "Of course."
"Then why are you never home, Master?"
"There are reasons why I'm not in a hurry."
Hongye was worried about Li Tiao, but Li Tiao remained calm and composed, eating and drinking as usual, showing no trace of the sorrowful look she had when she lived with Su Ma La Gu.
When the Fourth Prince returned to the capital, the Emperor personally went to the city gate to welcome him because of the victory.
Li Tiao didn't go to see the excitement, but Hongye heard from others that the capital was bustling with activity.
Because of the victory, the emperor not only bestowed a title upon the fourth prince, but also arranged a marriage for him.
"Master, Master..." Hongye called out excitedly to Li Tiao as soon as she returned from outside.
Li Tiao glanced at Hongye, who was dressed as a man and had just returned from the Star Pavilion: "Where's the account book? Is this month's income particularly high? Is that why you're so excited?"
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