"What did you say?" Li Tiao asked Hongye incredulously, "The Crown Prince punished Master?"
Hongye nodded.
They were all princes, and it was broad daylight, so I thought they wouldn't do anything disrespectful. But the Crown Prince actually punished the Fourth Prince in public!
Yes, as the crown prince and the heir apparent of the country, he certainly has the authority to punish the fourth prince.
But the two are brothers. How embarrassing it is for the Fourth Prince for the Crown Prince to do this.
"What punishment did you give Master?" Li Tiao asked Hongye anxiously.
“Grandpa is standing in the sun right now,” Hongye said softly.
With just a few words, Li Tiao roughly understood what it meant, and she ran outside as fast as she could.
As soon as Li Tiao stepped out of the gate of the Princes' Residence, she saw the Fourth Prince standing not far away. The Forbidden City was vast, with many palace walls, and because of the cover of the palace walls, there were many shady places.
However, the place where the Fourth Prince was standing was indeed one of the few places where the sun shone directly on him.
It was clearly a place carefully chosen by the Crown Prince.
Without thinking twice, Li Tiao ran to the Fourth Prince without a second's delay: "Your Highness..."
The Fourth Prince glanced at Li Tiao, then quickly looked away. "Go back."
"My lord, why is the Crown Prince treating you like this?" Li Tiao felt she needed to find out exactly why the Crown Prince had disregarded all decorum.
Although Li Tiao felt that it might be because of her, she also thought that the Crown Prince's grand gesture would surely reach Kangxi's attention, so it couldn't be that she was able to predict the future.
"This is a matter between the master and the crown prince."
Seeing that the Fourth Prince's eyes were squinting from the sun, Li Tiao subconsciously moved to a different spot to shield him from the sun, while also raising the round fan in her hand.
However, it's still a drop in the ocean.
However, the Fourth Prince's hands involuntarily clenched.
"My lord, how can I help you?" After anxiously asking, Li Tiao realized she had no other options and, in desperation, said, "How about I go find the Crown Prince..."
Upon hearing Li Tiao's words, the Fourth Prince's expression changed instantly, but Li Tiao didn't notice.
Following her own ideas, Li Tiao continued, "This servant went to the Crown Prince and told him that although the Eighth Prince's wife comes from a good family, she can't ultimately help the Eighth Prince. She might even implicate him in the future. I also told the Crown Prince that the Eighth Prince has ambitions to seize the throne and wants to replace him..."
As they talked, Li Tiao felt the air around her gradually change, as if it had been air-conditioned. She belatedly realized that the Fourth Prince's expression had changed again.
People passing by were all looking in their direction. Li Tiao felt sorry for the Fourth Prince. She leaned close to him and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Your Highness, I know what I said earlier was a bit like grasping at straws, but I can't just do nothing, can I? Your Highness, you're like this..."
As she spoke, Li Tiao couldn't help but get teary-eyed.
It was so sunny that there was no sunscreen available. She risked getting a tan and discussed a solution with the Fourth Prince, but he rejected her idea.
Moreover, the Fourth Prince looked even more tanned than Li Tiao. Considering the Fourth Prince's usual attitude towards her, Li Tiao was afraid that he would pick a fight with her after the matter was over.
However, the Fourth Prince seemed to have misunderstood Li Tiao. He slowly raised his hand and wiped away the tears that hadn't even fallen yet.
"Go back, I'm fine. I've been punished since I was a child."
“But…” Li Tiao thought that before, when you were punished, it had nothing to do with me, and I didn’t need to feel guilty or afraid. But now… it has something to do with me.
However, the Fourth Prince's fingers gently caressed the corner of Li Tiao's eye, causing her to forget what she wanted to say, and the atmosphere suddenly became a little different.
Under the scorching sun, the two gazing at each other resembled a captivating oil painting, a sight to behold and delightful.
However, Li Tiao couldn't help but wonder if she should brush his hand away; it was too embarrassing.
"Go back." The Fourth Prince finally lowered his hand, but he was still urging Li Tiao to leave.
Li Tiao hesitated greatly.
The Fourth Prince glanced at Hongye, who was standing not far away. Hongye understood and quickly came over and pulled Li Tiao away.
“Master, if you were here right now, the master would be in an even more embarrassing situation.”
Li Tiao knew this, but if she did nothing, she would feel even more guilty. After returning to the prince's residence, she thought about it and found an umbrella. However, at this time, most umbrellas were still made of oiled paper, and their sun protection function was absurd.
Having no other choice, she rummaged through her drawers and found a piece of dark-colored fabric.
Then, carrying an umbrella and some fabric, she went out again.
When the Fourth Prince saw Li Tiao arrive again, he frowned. Before he could finish speaking to her, Li Tiao hurriedly opened the umbrella and then awkwardly draped a piece of fabric over it.
Perhaps it was too heavy, because Li Tiao's hand holding the umbrella trembled slightly, and even her forehead was sweaty. But she felt a great sense of accomplishment and looked at the Fourth Prince in a flattering manner: "Your Highness, how is it? Is it not as sunny as before?"
It's definitely not as sunny as it was before.
Because of the dark color of the fabric, it was much darker than the surroundings for the two people, but this small space felt like a paradise.
"My lord, isn't my method quite good?" Li Tiao's mind was now filled with the hope that the Fourth Prince wouldn't hold her accountable after the matter was over.
After all, he's usually quite stingy.
The Fourth Prince remained silent, but reached out and grasped the umbrella handle. "Let go of me."
Li Tiao was turning her head to look around, checking which areas weren't fully covered by the fabric and needed to be shielded from the sun.
So she didn't notice what the Fourth Prince said: "Uh?"
After regaining her senses, Li Tiao saw that the Fourth Prince was already holding the umbrella handle, so she let go. However, as soon as she let go, she felt something hit her head.
"Ouch..."
She had barely uttered a cry, and before she could even react, Hongye and Su Peisheng rushed over: "Master..."
After that, besides feeling something pressing down on her head, Li Tiao felt something else hit her.
She stared in disbelief at the Fourth Prince, whose eyes were tightly closed and who had no strength left. Li Tiao panicked as well: "Your Highness..."
Hongye and Su Peisheng had already moved the umbrella aside, and the eunuchs who were passing by also came over to help, carrying the Fourth Prince to the Prince's quarters together with Su Peisheng.
Li Tiao was still standing there, somewhat dazed. Her hair ornaments were in disarray, and she herself was in a terrible state.
"Master, are you alright?"
Li Tiao almost cried: "I just didn't want him to be in too much sun, how did it end up hitting him?"
If she were to accidentally kill a prince... Li Tiao dared not think further. Her situation was already worse than before, and she could not bear such a stigma any longer.
Heaven knows she was just trying to curry favor with the Fourth Prince.
"Your Majesty, the imperial physician has arrived. You don't need to worry too much. My lord is a lucky man and should be fine."
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