“Your Highness…” The old woman wanted to say a few more words of advice, but Consort De couldn’t listen: “There’s no need to say anything more. Just do as I say.”
After that, the old nanny left, and Consort De returned to Yonghe Palace with a large entourage.
Li Tiao emerged from the cracks in the rocks of the artificial hill, her legs trembling. She looked around and saw that Consort De's people had already left. Li Tiao didn't dare to linger and quickly left as well.
The thought of returning to the prince's quarters and finding that the old nanny by Consort De's side was still waiting for her made Li Tiao's steps falter.
Although Li Tiao didn't know what she had done to offend Consort De, she was still a little scared when she thought of the Consort De's gritted teeth earlier.
After all, Consort De's dislike for her was quite obvious, and she had even taken the matter to the Kangxi Emperor in an attempt to cause trouble for Li Tiao.
At that time, Emperor Kangxi did not punish Li Tiao, and even gave the Fourth Prince a separate residence!
Just this one incident alone made Consort De hate her to the core, not to mention the inexplicable death of Granny Liu by Consort De.
Hesitantly walking, Li Tiao paused as she approached the Prince's residence. After a moment of hesitation, she headed towards the Qianqing Palace.
From afar, Li Tiao saw Su Peisheng talking with other eunuchs, and she knew that the Fourth Prince should not have dismissed the court yet.
She was waiting quietly when Su Peisheng saw her and jogged over.
"Master Li, what brings you here?"
"I was just wandering around and ended up here. When I saw you were still here, I figured the emperor probably hadn't finished court yet. Since I'm here, I'll wait for him to finish court."
If the court session ends soon, and you have nothing else to do, please come back with me. If you have other business to attend to, then please pay your respects before you leave.
After Li Tiao finished speaking, seeing that Su Peisheng was surprised and didn't know how to respond, she said, "Eunuch Su, you don't need to worry about me, you go and do your work."
Su Peisheng hesitated and walked away, looking back every few steps. In his opinion, Li Tiao's behavior was really hard to understand.
Li Tiao didn't explain anything. She seemed extremely at ease, but in reality, she was incredibly nervous.
The court session ended quickly, and the solemn Qianqing Palace was no longer quiet. Li Tiao stood on tiptoe to look over, afraid that the Fourth Prince would leave immediately.
Seeing the Fourth Prince and Su Peisheng walking towards him, Li Tiao smiled and looked over, hoping that the Fourth Prince would notice her at a glance.
Soon, Li Tiao saw the Fourth Prince approaching her with a surprised look on his face. She recalled the so-called smile of a well-bred young lady that her nanny had taught her when she was in the Li family.
"What's up?"
Hearing the Fourth Prince's direct question, Li Tiao's carefully prepared opening remarks seemed to have become useless. "Your Highness, what a question! Can't I come to see you if there's nothing wrong?"
The Fourth Prince didn't speak. He stared at Li Tiao for a moment, then looked back at the gates of princes and ministers outside the Qianqing Palace, where the crowds hadn't completely dispersed. He then walked towards the direction of the Princes' quarters.
Li Tiao quickly followed.
During this time, the Fourth Prince would occasionally glance at Li Tiao who was following him, but Li Tiao was a little hesitant to speak. Normally, she would avoid him like the plague, but now that something had happened, she thought of the Fourth Prince... and she also felt that what she was doing was a little... not good.
However, seeing that they had arrived at the prince's residence, it would be too late to speak up if they did not do so soon.
So Li Tiao reached out and grabbed the Fourth Prince's clothes.
Just as the Fourth Prince was about to turn around and question Li Tiao, he caught a glimpse of the nanny coming out of the prince's quarters, and he paused for a moment.
Then he glanced at Li Tiao, who naturally also saw the old woman. She subconsciously looked away, but her action made the Fourth Prince suddenly understand something.
The Fourth Prince's lips were originally flat, revealing no emotion, but now they drooped.
"This servant greets the Fourth Prince." The nanny also saw the Fourth Prince and took the initiative to come over and pay her respects.
"Do you need something from me?"
The old woman glanced at Li Tiao, who was following the Fourth Prince, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Her Majesty asked me to pass on a message to Consort Li. Her Majesty has something to discuss with Consort Li."
"Li Tiao has something to attend to, so she won't be going." The Fourth Prince refused directly without saying anything tactful.
This attitude seemed to be within the nanny's expectations, but the words of Consort De were still ringing in her ears, and she hesitated before speaking, "But what about Her Majesty..."
"I will speak to my mother myself."
After saying that, the Fourth Prince took Li Tiao's hand and left, not caring whether the nanny had anything else to say.
"Is Your Highness sure everything is alright?" Li Tiao was still a little guilty. She had heard Consort De's words before, and it seemed that the reason she was being approached was also because of the Fourth Prince.
Although Li Tiao seems to be alright now, she feels a little regretful that she was so focused on herself that she neglected the Fourth Prince's situation with Consort De.
"Change your clothes, and I'll take you out."
The Fourth Prince gave an irrelevant answer.
"Huh?" Li Tiao asked in surprise, "Go out? Where to?"
The Fourth Prince didn't say anything, but simply told Li Tiao to quickly change her clothes.
After turning around, Li Tiao heard the Fourth Prince say again: "You'd better get rid of those unrealistic ideas in your heart as soon as possible, otherwise you know what you'll face when Mother finds you."
Because of the Fourth Prince's veiled threat, Li Tiao staggered and had to hold onto the door frame to steady herself. After regaining her composure, she turned around and smiled at the Fourth Prince: "Your Highness is joking."
After changing out of her cheongsam and into ordinary clothes, Li Tiao even asked Chunxi to help her remove the elaborate headdress.
When she recovered, the Fourth Prince was already waiting for her: "Your Highness, I'm all better now."
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