"master……"
Although Li Tiao didn't say anything, Hongye saw that she was deep in thought and knew that she was thinking about this matter, so Hongye couldn't help but call out to Li Tiao.
"Huh?" Although Li Tiao wasn't exactly shy, she was still a little embarrassed to talk about this with Hongye: "Let's just let things take their course."
Since Li Tiao was the mistress, Hongye naturally couldn't say anything more after she said that. However, she genuinely felt that Li Tiao's current situation was not good and that she needed to think of a solution.
"Hongye, I know what you mean, but let me think about this."
Li Tiao couldn't tell Hongye that the Fourth Prince was "potentially unfit," so she could only delay the matter for now.
However, after Hongye left, Li Tiao was all alone. She tossed and turned, unable to sleep, and began to think about what Hongye had said about her current situation.
So she sat up with a jolt, thinking that she could give up having children, but she absolutely had to get pregnant!
However, this requires the cooperation of the Fourth Prince, since Li Tiao cannot bribe the imperial physician.
Moreover, bribing the imperial physician and ensuring that the physician wouldn't expose the deception to the emperor was something that Li Tiao alone couldn't accomplish.
After much thought, Li Tiao felt that the Fourth Prince was a very good tool.
So Li Tiao prepared to go find the Fourth Prince. As soon as she opened the door, she saw the Fourth Prince's hurried figure. Startled, Li Tiao quickly closed the door and leaned against the doorway, quietly listening to the sounds.
A moment later, Li Tiao couldn't resist opening the door again, peeking out quietly, then quickly dressed and went out as well.
She didn't know where Li Tiao had gone after leaving the prince's residence, and since she had wasted some time, Li Tiao was somewhat aimless after leaving.
In the dead of night in the deep palace, Li Tiao couldn't see a single eunuch besides herself. She was somewhat frightened and thought that if all else failed, she would just go back to the prince's quarters.
However, just as she turned around, someone suddenly covered her mouth and pulled her aside.
Li Tiao's pupils suddenly widened in terror. She tried to break free, groaning and screaming, but to no avail.
After being dragged to a secluded corner, Li Tiao saw a man who looked like a eunuch carrying a lantern slowly walk up to her and then hold up the lantern to shine in front of her.
Li Tiao instinctively wanted to cover her eyes, but because she was being held back, she couldn't use her hands, so she turned her head to the side.
After she gradually got used to it, Li Tiao looked over slowly again.
This sight was quite a shock; Li Tiao was stunned, and her voice trembled slightly: "Eunuch Li?"
"So it's Princess Li." The eunuch whom Li Tiao called Eunuch Li winked at the little eunuch who was still holding Li Tiao, signaling him to let go of Li Tiao: "This servant greets Princess Li. I was rude just now and offended Princess Li in any way. Please don't blame me."
Li Tiao waved her hand to indicate that she was fine, but her eyes were full of curiosity.
This is because Li Tiao was only recently summoned by Emperor Kangxi, which is why she recognized who this person was.
Li Dequan, the eunuch who served Emperor Kangxi closely, was said to be the chief eunuch of the Qianqing Palace, and he was inseparable from Emperor Kangxi on a daily basis.
What is he doing here in the middle of the night instead of staying in the Qianqing Palace?
Thinking back to the fact that she seemed to have unintentionally seen the Fourth Prince's figure just now, Li Tiao's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that she was following the Fourth Prince as ordered by Emperor Kangxi?
Thinking of this, Li Tiao became even more nervous.
However, although this eunuch was a eunuch serving Emperor Kangxi, Li Tiao felt that she was still his master and could not back down.
"You're too kind, Eunuch Li."
"This servant thanks Lady Li for her magnanimity. It's getting late, this servant will escort Lady Li back to the Prince's residence."
"Then I'll have to trouble Eunuch Li."
Li Tiao naturally knew she couldn't go looking for the Fourth Prince anymore, and she had no way of knowing what he had been doing in the middle of the night.
Before returning to the prince's residence, Li Tiao subconsciously glanced back. She had been so focused on finding the fourth prince that she hadn't paid much attention, and only now did she belatedly realize what was not far ahead.
Isn't this the place I accidentally wandered into before?
The central palace of the six palaces in the east and west symbolizes the status and position of the imperial harem, but it is now empty!
Feeling anxious and full of doubts, Li Tiao returned to the prince's residence, no longer daring to wander off carelessly.
However, encountering Li Dequan still made Li Tiao very uneasy.
Under normal circumstances, even if a eunuch encountered you and didn't recognize you, he wouldn't directly and roughly pull you away and rudely ask who you were; that would be the usual practice.
but……
Having been tense all day, Li Tiao still had many doubts in her mind, but she eventually drifted off to sleep.
Because she didn't need to pay her respects, and the Fourth Prince usually acted as if Li Tiao didn't exist, Li Tiao was usually a bit lax, and she would get up late the next day.
Li Tiao had just finished her breakfast when everyone else was having lunch.
Seeing that Hongye had almost finished tidying up, and thinking about what happened last night, Li Tiao decided to tentatively ask Hongye to see if she could know anything.
However, before Li Tiao could figure out how to phrase her words, she received an imperial edict from Emperor Kangxi, summoning her to the Qianqing Palace.
After the eunuch who delivered the imperial decree left, Li Tiao looked at Hongye in horror. Her thoughts were wandering uncontrollably. Could it be that Kangxi really had designs on her...?
Shaking her head frantically, Li Tiao knew she shouldn't scare herself, but she still couldn't help asking Hongye, "Did I hear that right? The Emperor wants to see me? And alone?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Just now you asked, and the eunuch who delivered the decree did say that the Emperor wants to see you alone."
This time, no one else needed to say anything; even Li Tiao herself realized something was amiss.
Emperor Kangxi meeting alone with his son's concubine, the princess...
Li Tiao shook her head, not daring to think further. She didn't know if Kangxi had the same hobbies as Li Longji, but she certainly didn't want to be Yang Guifei. Even if she were pelted with silver, she wouldn't want to.
"Your Highness, you should pack your things and go quickly, after all, it's an audience with the Emperor," Hongye whispered to Li Tiao.
"It was because the Emperor summoned me that I..." Li Tiao said plaintively, but she realized halfway through that she was criticizing the Emperor, so she decided to say less.
Hongye looked around, then helped Li Tiao back into the house. After closing the door, she whispered, "Your Majesty, since the Emperor has sent someone to deliver the imperial edict, it means the morning court session has already ended."
Li Tiao looked at Hongye with confusion: "Of course they've scattered, what's wrong?"
"Since it's over, even though Master hasn't returned yet, I can send someone to find him and deliver a message."
After Hongye explained it this way, Li Tiao understood what she meant. "Alright, then hurry up and find someone to send a message to the master. I'll go to the Qianqing Palace first."
Li Tiao quickly changed into a Manchu-style dress befitting her status as a princess, and then went to the Qianqing Palace.
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