Hongye was sent by Li Tiao to Qunxing Tower to look at the monthly accounts. Since Li Tiao's hair had grown back quite a bit, any further disguises would have to be done with clothing. To avoid being recognized, she sent Hongye to ask the manager for the accounts.
Although Li Tiao now knows that the manager of Qunxinglou is one of Master Kang's men and that he probably wouldn't cheat her, she still likes to look at the silver figures in the ledger.
Hongye casually handed the account book to Li Tiao and said, "Your Highness, the Fourth Prince has been betrothed by the Emperor..."
Li Tiao raised an eyebrow and glanced at Hongye, remaining noncommittal, before continuing to look down at the account book in her hand.
Looking at Li Tiao's calm demeanor, the excited Hongye belatedly realized something: "Master, did you already know all along?"
"Know what?"
"Is it about the Emperor arranging a marriage for the Fourth Prince?"
"Didn't they say the Emperor had already issued an imperial edict? This isn't a secret." Although Li Tiao appeared very calm, she felt a great sense of excitement inside.
“My lord, that’s not what I meant. What I meant was, did you already know who the Emperor had betrothed to you, my lord?”
Li Tiao's attention remained entirely on the ledger, and she didn't seem to be very enthusiastic about what Hongye was saying.
Although Li Tiao didn't say anything, Hongye seemed to understand something.
The Fourth Prince's residence... should now be called the Beile's residence, as Emperor Kangxi has already bestowed upon him the title of Beile.
The Prince's mansion was filled with joy. After all, the master had just been granted a title, and the Prince was about to get married. If the servants did well, they would naturally be richly rewarded, and everyone was working hard.
However, the master of the mansion did not experience the joy that preceded his wedding.
"Fourth Brother..." the Thirteenth Prince called out to him somewhat guiltily.
The Fourth Prince raised his eyes and looked at the Thirteenth Prince, but said nothing.
"Fourth Brother, you know what I'm thinking. From the beginning, I felt that Li Tiao knew too much, and I was afraid that keeping her around would cause you unnecessary trouble..."
Finally, the Fourth Prince spoke: "Thirteenth Brother, I knew about your attitude towards Li Tiao from the beginning, but what surprised me was that you actually got together with Consort Song..."
"Fourth Brother, it was indeed a bit inappropriate of me to use a woman's jealousy to have Song Gege deal with Li Tiao. But I assure you, Fourth Brother, that I really didn't intend to target Li Tiao again afterward. I truly didn't know that she was kidnapped by Song Gege..."
In fact, the Fourth Prince did not want to criticize the Thirteenth Prince, after all, he knew what kind of person his younger brother was.
Moreover, at the beginning, the Fourth Prince's feelings towards Li Tiao were similar to those of the Thirteenth Prince. They both felt that Li Tiao could not be kept alive because they knew that keeping her might bring trouble. That's why the Fourth Prince couldn't let Li Tiao be controlled by others.
However, many things later spiraled out of control...
"Thirteenth brother, what's done is done, let's not talk about it anymore. But from now on..."
"Fourth Brother, don't worry. Your wedding is just around the corner. I know what I'm doing and will absolutely not interfere in your private affairs. Back then, Princess Song..." The Thirteenth Prince hadn't even finished his promise when he realized the Fourth Prince wasn't actually happy about the upcoming wedding: "Fourth Brother, are you still thinking about Li Tiao? She..."
The Fourth Prince put aside his thoughts, glanced at the Thirteenth Prince, and remained silent.
The Fourth Prince knew that the Emperor had ordered Li Tiao to return to the capital. Perhaps it was because he had spent so much time alone with Li Tiao on the grasslands that his thoughts had become more active. When Li Tiao returned to the capital from Lucheng, the Emperor's men forbade the guards from following her, and the Fourth Prince did not instruct the guards to follow her secretly either.
He believed Li Tiao and thought that the Emperor's feelings for her were not romantic...
However, after Li Tiao returned to the capital, she seemed to have vanished into thin air. The Fourth Prince sent people everywhere to search for her, but they could not find her.
Of course, he could ask the Emperor, but since the Emperor had just arranged his marriage and bestowed upon him a consort, it would be somewhat inappropriate for the Fourth Prince to ask the Emperor about other women at this time.
After all, the Fourth Prince was an ambitious man. Even though Li Tiao never said that he could replace the Crown Prince, the Fourth Prince had long harbored such thoughts.
Therefore, for someone who sees the throne as his goal, placing too much importance on romantic relationships is a major taboo. Even if the Fourth Prince thought that Master Kang might know about his feelings, he would not ask Master Kang so directly.
I didn't ask, but I was incredibly agitated.
The Thirteenth Prince may not fully know what the Fourth Prince is thinking, but as a prince, he understands some things. He also knows that it is not appropriate for the Fourth Prince to take the initiative to ask the Emperor about Li Tiao.
After a moment of silence, the Thirteenth Prince asked the Fourth Prince, "Fourth Brother, how about I discreetly ask Father Emperor about Li Tiao..."
Before he could finish speaking, someone knocked on the door from outside, and the Thirteenth Prince swallowed his words again.
"Come in," the Fourth Prince called out.
Su Peisheng crouched down as he entered: "Master, Princess Song is here."
"Can't you see how busy I am?" The Fourth Prince's expression was visibly more irritable.
"Gege Song said she thought she saw Master Li..."
The Fourth Prince suddenly looked at Su Peisheng, who whispered, "That's what Consort Song said."
"Let her in." The Fourth Prince's tone became even worse. In his opinion, Song Gege was really cunning.
After Song Gege entered and paid her respects, the Thirteenth Prince left first.
"Master, I think I saw Hongye, the maid who serves Sister Li personally."
Because of Song Gege's words, the Fourth Prince suddenly clenched his hands on his knees, staring at Song Gege, trying to figure out what she meant.
If possible, Song Gege would not say anything, but during the time when the Fourth Prince was not in the capital, he knew what she did to Li Tiao. Song Gege was not favored to begin with, and she had been in the mansion for so long, but she was still a young girl, so she was anxious.
Before, Li Tiao alone was enough to make people uneasy, but now that the Fourth Prince is going to have a consort, Song Gege feels that if she doesn't work harder, she really has no hope for the future.
After much deliberation, Song Gege decided that focusing her efforts on Li Tiao would be more effective.
"Where did you meet him?" the Fourth Prince asked.
“Near the Star Tower,” Song Gege said. “However, because the other person was dressed as a man, I couldn’t really tell if it was Hongye. But the person next to her was the manager of the Star Tower, and the manager was very respectful to that person.”
Although Song Gege's words were ambiguous, the Fourth Prince actually knew that the manager of the Qunxing Tower was probably one of the Emperor's men, so it was very likely that it really was Hongye.
However, the Fourth Prince was very dissatisfied with Song Gege's attitude: "So you, a person from the inner quarters, are still paying attention to the Star Tower every day? I can let bygones be bygones regarding Li Tiao's matter, but don't try to be clever!"
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