“You’re getting bolder and bolder; you don’t even bow to me anymore.”
Before Li Tiao could even react in shock, the Fourth Prince had already launched an attack.
However, this also served as a reminder to Li Tiao, who quickly bowed to the Fourth Prince and said, "Your Highness, may you be blessed."
Chunxi also nervously followed Li Tiao in bowing to the Fourth Prince.
"What's wrong?" The Fourth Prince didn't immediately tell Li Tiao and Chunxi to get up. He sat down and looked them over before asking them with "concern."
It was unclear whether the Fourth Prince had heard or not, but maintaining the bowing posture for so long was tiring. So, Li Tiao took the opportunity to stand up while instructing Chunxi: "Chunxi, what are you standing there for? Quickly serve me some tea."
Chunxi was quick-witted; following Li Tiao's words, she stood up and hurried out.
"Looking at you, you're the clever one."
Faced with the Fourth Prince's words, which were neither clear as praise nor criticism, Li Tiao smiled and remained silent.
Li Tiao remained silent, but the Fourth Prince, unusually, became more talkative: "What happened just now?"
The truth was naturally out of the question, but an excuse wasn't so easy to come up with either. Besides, Chunxi was no longer around. The excuse she had given to the twins before had worked by accident, and the two of them hadn't been exposed. But this time, Li Tiao dared not be careless.
So she dawdled for a while, and only after Chunxi brought over the teacup did Li Tiao finally speak up with a resentful tone: "Master, what could this servant possibly have to do? I'm just bored staying in my room every day."
There was no one to talk to, and it's easy to get upset over time. That's why I lost my temper just now and said a few harsh words to Chunxi.
At this point, Li Tiao looked at Chunxi and said, "It's just that Chunxi has been wronged."
Chunxi quickly knelt down: "Master, this servant is not wronged. It is this servant's honor to serve you."
After observing the Fourth Prince discreetly, Li Tiao noticed that he merely watched coldly without any change in emotion.
Li Tiao's unease gradually grew. Could it be that the Fourth Prince had overheard her?
However, just as Li Tiao was racking her brains, thinking about whether she should test the Fourth Prince to see if he had heard it or not.
However, at this moment, the Fourth Prince spoke calmly: "Speaking of which, I just remembered. If I remember correctly, you are still under house arrest, but I just heard from this servant that I saw you go out?"
Li Tiao's lips twitched; she wanted to say that she had been careless.
Fortunately, Li Tiao reacted much faster at this moment: "But didn't Your Highness take me to the banquet at the Crown Prince's Yuqing Palace a couple of days ago? I thought that meant my confinement order had been lifted?"
After speaking, Li Tiao recalled what the Fourth Prince had said. Fearing that the Fourth Prince would continue to confine her to her quarters, she preemptively asked, "Your Highness, you won't go back on your word, will you?"
Although I shouldn't complain about being confined to my quarters, I'm the only one serving you right now. If I stay confined, you'll have to handle all the social obligations yourself.
If the people you need to socialize with are worthy of your status, that's fine. But if they aren't, and you have to personally handle the socializing, it's not only giving them too much face, but it also makes you look bad..."
The Fourth Prince remained silent, and Li Tiao began to sound a little guilty as she spoke.
But after observing carefully, the Fourth Prince didn't seem angry... So Li Tiao struggled to finish her sentence: "Your Highness, don't you think so?"
"So you're that important? I really can't live without you. No wonder I look for you as soon as I see you."
It sounded like sweet nothings, but Li Tiao felt a cold sweat break out on her back.
Now, as long as she's not embarrassed, it's everyone else who's embarrassed.
Li Tiao pretended not to understand the deeper meaning in the Fourth Prince's words, and went along with what he said: "Since Your Highness has said that I am so important, then if you continue to confine me to my quarters..."
"Since you've made yourself sound so important, the stay-at-home order should naturally be lifted... but..."
Upon hearing this, Li Tiao quickly bowed to the Fourth Prince and said, "This servant thanks Your Highness."
As for what followed... Li Tiao pretended not to hear it or understand it.
In any case, in the eyes of the Fourth Prince, she is now like a silly fool jumping around, so let's not let her image collapse. Now she is the only one by the Fourth Prince's side, so the image of being jealous and envious is naturally outdated.
With Li Tiao feigning ignorance, the Fourth Prince left without saying a word.
Although she breathed a sigh of relief, Li Tiao was still uneasy. Since she had already been released from confinement, she decided to be "considerate" and ask the Fourth Prince.
But when Li Tiao chased after him, just as she was about to call out to the Fourth Prince, she discovered that Chunxi had also followed him.
So Li Tiao quickly dodged and hid.
"What just happened?"
Chunxi: "I was looking for something in the kang hole where Master hides things, and Master saw me."
The Fourth Prince was slightly taken aback: "Has she gotten herself into trouble again recently?"
Chunxi shook her head.
The Fourth Prince narrowed his eyes: "If there's nothing wrong, why did you go looking for her where she hid things?"
Chunxi didn't speak. Who was the Fourth Prince? He grew up in the palace since childhood. His own mother didn't like him when he was young. If he wanted to grow up properly, he had to pay much more than the average person.
So how could I be fooled?
"Chunxi, don't try to play tricks on me, or I can kill you easily, including your family, all of your family."
Chunxi said tremblingly, "This servant dares not."
"What did she say when she saw you looking for something?"
"After I told you my identity, you wanted to ask more questions, but since you arrived just in time, you didn't ask any more."
The Fourth Prince's expression grew even more stern, and Chunxi trembled even more violently.
Upon hearing this, Li Tiao quietly turned and left, no longer asking why the Fourth Prince had suddenly come to see her.
Chunxi certainly didn't lie to her, but although Li Tiao seemed loud and boisterous, she wasn't that stupid. From Chunxi's conversation with the Fourth Prince, Li Tiao felt that Chunxi knew more than she had told her.
But it's difficult to get anything more out of Chunxi.
After all, she had said everything that could be said, so what remained was what she couldn't say.
With Granny Liu gone... Chunxi seems even harder to get rid of than Granny Liu.
Running away was even more imperative, but Li Tiao also knew that she couldn't act rashly, otherwise, with Chunxi around, she would be caught by the Fourth Prince in no time if she ran.
Li Tiao herself was an informant and spy, so she didn't have much grounds to criticize Chunxi.
Moreover, just as Li Tiao was thinking about how to avoid Chunxi, her "upline," the Eighth Prince, secretly sent her a message saying that he wanted to see her.
She didn't want to see him, but Li Tiao also wanted to test her ability to avoid Chunxi, so she went to see him as agreed with the Eighth Prince.
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