“My lord, how can I leave the palace without a waist token? Besides, Eunuch Su is with you and hasn’t returned to the palace yet. Even if I wanted to find you, I would be powerless to do so.”
Li Tiao was even more puzzled: "Who found the Fourteenth Prince? What did you mean when you said 'it's alright'?"
"Your Majesty, I only told the Eighth Prince."
"Who?" Li Tiao was even more terrified. "Eighth Prince? How did you find him?"
“I didn’t look for him. After you left with that nanny who served Consort De, I was so worried. I ran into the Eighth Prince at the Princes’ quarters, and he asked me…”
As Chunxi spoke, she noticed that Li Tiao's expression wasn't as good, so she hesitated and stammered, "So this servant... told the Eighth Prince... the Eighth Prince said he would think of a way..."
This is truly... Li Tiao hates owing favors the most, and she originally wanted to get rid of the Eighth Prince and stop being his spy, but now...
The Eighth Prince has gained another leverage over himself.
Li Tiao sighed deeply.
"Master, did I...do something wrong?"
Chunxi's timid voice made it difficult for Li Tiao to be harsh, after all, Chunxi's original intention was to help her, and in fact, she did help her.
"It's alright," Li Tiao said with a smile, reassuring Chunxi. "I was just frightened by Consort De and overthinking things."
Chunxi was both skeptical and doubtful.
Although she had appeased Chunxi, Li Tiao was not entirely at ease, nor did she stop suspecting Chunxi's motives.
After all, Chunxi was helping the Fourth Prince keep an eye on him, so she should know that he was acting as the Eighth Prince's spy.
However… Li Tiao glanced at Chunxi. She felt that Chunxi wouldn’t do it on purpose, because if she were in trouble and her identity was exposed… just like Li Tiao had said before, the worst that could happen to her was death.
Moreover, dying might allow her to travel back in time, and being able to go back is something Li Tiao has always dreamed of.
But Chunxi is different; she has parents and a brother who travels the world for love...
"Master, you've been frightened. Please rest well."
Upon hearing Chunxi's words again, Li Tiao looked up and realized that they had arrived at the small courtyard where the prince lived.
"You should go and rest too. I don't need you to serve me for now."
Li Tiao went back to her room and closed the door; she wanted to be alone.
Today's events, while not entirely unexpected by Li Tiao, have once again made her feel a sense of crisis, a sense of crisis she has never felt before.
Consort De's dislike for her was somewhat inexplicable yet extremely strong, bordering on a hatred that wished she could kill Li Tiao outright.
Li Tiao didn't know why this was the case. Also, Chunxi's relationship with the Fourth Prince made Li Tiao realize that her identity had a deep secret.
If things go wrong, it could lead to utter ruin.
So after much thought, leaving this place seems to be the only option.
But... Li Tiao was extremely worried. It wasn't so easy for her to leave on her own. Divorce... seemed to be the only option. But she thought that even getting the Fourth Prince to divorce her wouldn't be so easy.
She was also well aware that her loud and boisterous manner, and her apparent lack of respect for the Fourth Prince, stemmed from the fact that Li Tiao could tell that although the Fourth Prince harbored thoughts of killing her, he had not yet made up his mind.
This is why Li Tiao is sometimes a bit unrestrained.
She hadn't made up her mind to kill herself. Li Tiao had previously "fortune-telling" the Fourth Prince, saying that he had a greater destiny than the Crown Prince. Even though Li Tiao didn't know much about court affairs, she knew that if it were her, she wouldn't let such a "fortune-teller" slip out of her control.
How annoying! Li Tiao sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), her head resting on the kang table, nodding off every now and then.
Because she discovered that all the routes she could take seemed to be blocked.
However, the reality is fraught with crises.
Just as Li Tiao slammed her head on the kang table again, the door was pushed open, followed by hurried footsteps.
Li Tiao glanced back and quickly came down to pay her respects to the Fourth Prince, but was stopped by him.
"Did your mother cause you trouble again? Did you suffer any consequences?"
"Replying to Your Highness, this servant has not suffered any loss." Li Tiao was extremely respectful, but seeing the Fourth Prince's anxious expression, she felt something was amiss, and was also a little uneasy: "Your Highness... are you... concerned about this servant?"
Li Tiao stammered when she asked a probing question.
The Fourth Prince then released Li Tiao's hand: "You are my concubine, representing my face, so naturally I care about you."
"No!" Li Tiao cried out in her heart, praying that the Fourth Prince would just be a cold and indifferent prince without any feelings.
If he actually starts to care about me, then a divorce will be even more distant.
"Master, I'm fine. You can go about your business."
The Fourth Prince had already sat down leisurely. Hearing Li Tiao's words, he raised an eyebrow and glanced at her. "I heard that the Fourteenth Prince just happened to arrive, which is why Mother didn't make things difficult for you?"
Li Tiao nodded, and without hiding anything from the Fourth Prince, she repeated what Chunxi had told her to him.
Hearing Li Tiao repeat Chunxi's words in great detail, the Fourth Prince slowly clenched his fist on the kang table and asked with an ambiguous expression, "Did the Eighth Prince find the Fourteenth Prince?"
"That's what Chunxi said."
The Fourth Prince pursed his lips, lifted his eyelids and stared at Li Tiao for a long time, then smiled again with an ambiguous expression: "The Eighth Prince is quite concerned about you."
“This servant is the Eighth Prince’s spy. If anything happens to this servant, the Eighth Prince’s interests will also be harmed, and naturally he will…”
Li Tiao continued the conversation without a care in the world, but as she spoke, she realized that she seemed to see the Fourth Prince again, who looked like he had come from hell. With a strong survival instinct, she shut up.
The Fourth Prince composed himself and twirled the ring on his finger: "You think your relationship with the Eighth Prince is based on mutual benefit, but what does the Eighth Prince think of you?"
"It's probably also because of interests."
The turning of the thumb ring stopped abruptly. The Fourth Prince stood up and slowly moved towards Li Tiao's side.
Li Tiao couldn't discern the Fourth Prince's thoughts, but his unusual behavior made her sense a hint of murderous intent. As he approached, she slowly retreated.
With nowhere left to retreat, Li Tiao plopped down on the kang (heated brick bed), tilting her head back and looking anxiously at the Fourth Prince: "Your Highness... what's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"
The Fourth Prince, standing tall, looked down at Li Tiao and said, "I think you are very different from others."
Li Tiao forced a smile. She instinctively felt that these words weren't a compliment, but the atmosphere was too suffocating, and she felt she had to break the awkward silence.
So she asked, trembling, "Master, how am I different from others?"
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