After Li Tiao finished speaking, she felt a chill run down her spine. She looked up and saw the Fourth Prince glaring at her sharply. So Li Tiao shrank back timidly and said, "This servant was just saying that. How could I have run away?"
The Fourth Prince remained silent, though his gaze was still sharp. When he looked away from Li Tiao, his eyes were filled with an unyielding sorrow.
Hongye was also worried about Li Tiao. When she saw the Fourth Prince and Li Tiao walking one after the other, both looking rather unwell, she didn't dare to ask any more questions.
Only after returning to Li Tiao's own room did Hongye dare to ask, "Master, is everything alright?"
Already feeling uncertain, Li Tiao sighed upon hearing Hongye's words: "It seems like nothing's wrong, but I can't think about it too deeply. The more I think about it, the more I feel like I'm only one step away from death."
"Ah...this..." Hongye was also a little confused, but she was, after all, someone the Fourth Prince had carefully selected and trusted, so she quickly composed herself: "Master, is there anything this servant can do to help you?"
Li Tiao looked at Hongye with her chin resting on her hand, thinking to herself, "Although Hongye is the Fourth Prince's person, she is very trustworthy."
"Red Leaf, thank you."
There's really nothing Hongye can do to help right now.
Just as Li Tiaochou was about to pluck her hair bald, there seemed to be movement at the door. She jumped up and sat up straight, hoping to look ladylike so that the Fourth Prince wouldn't come over and look at her with disdain.
Then Li Tiao glanced at Hongye and gestured for her to open the door.
“Master, no one is here…” Hongye was about to turn around and close the door when she saw a note on the threshold.
"What's wrong?" Li Tiao asked.
Before bending down to pick up the note from the ground and closing the door, Hongye looked outside again, but there was no one there.
With a puzzled look, Li Tiao took the note from Hongye, glanced at it, and quickly clutched it in her hand, her heart pounding.
The Eighth Prince hadn't contacted Li Tiao for a long time, which made Li Tiao almost forget that she was still the Eighth Prince's spy.
The note contained very simple information: the Eighth Prince wanted to see Li Tiao.
Hongye wisely refrained from asking what was written on the note or why Li Tiao was so nervous, but Li Tiao found herself in a dilemma.
After much deliberation, Li Tiao decided to take Hongye with her when she went to see the Eighth Prince.
At this time, Li Tiao did not want to make any mistakes, so she could not let the Fourth Prince cause her trouble. Bringing Hongye along was a way of showing her attitude.
When they arrived at the place agreed upon with the Eighth Prince, Hongye waited for him from afar.
"May the Eighth Prince be blessed."
"I heard that Father Emperor is looking for you again today."
Li Tiao knew that this matter could not be hidden from the shrewd princes, so she nodded: "Yes, Eighth Prince."
"What does Father Emperor want?" the Eighth Prince asked.
This was not too surprising. When Li Tiao received the note from the Eighth Prince asking to see her, she guessed that the Eighth Prince might ask her something.
So they came prepared.
"Replying to the Eighth Prince, it's nothing. You've probably heard that one of the Fourteenth Prince's concubines has passed away. She was in Consort De's Yonghe Palace. I was there at the time. Because that concubine was pregnant, Consort De always felt that this matter was related to me, so His Majesty had to intervene."
"Are you talking about Chunxi?" Seeing Li Tiao nod, the Eighth Prince continued, "But didn't Father Emperor know you were good at divination? It's said that you not only correctly predicted who would be the Prince's consort, but you also predicted the Fourth Brother's fate. Isn't this what Father Emperor was asking you about?"
Li Tiao was extremely nervous. These princes were really something... Why did they have to keep digging so deep?
"In response to the Eighth Prince, His Majesty didn't ask about these things much. After all, my so-called ability to predict the future is just a fluke, and it can't be trusted. Compared to these things, what His Majesty cares about most is that Chunxi, who was carrying the royal bloodline, is no longer pregnant."
Although Li Tiao's words were not entirely flawless, they left the Eighth Prince with no openings, since he couldn't ask Kangxi what he had asked Li Tiao.
He had no choice but to believe Li Tiao, but the Eighth Prince was still uneasy thinking about the rumors in the palace: "Father Emperor only asked about your former maid Chunxi?"
Li Tiao replied to the Eighth Prince with a "What else?" emoji.
But the reply was respectful: "That's all, Eighth Prince. Nothing else."
The Eighth Prince's scrutinizing gaze made Li Tiao very uncomfortable. She tried her best to remain calm, but to her surprise, the Eighth Prince was still uneasy: "Have you heard the many rumors circulating in the palace lately?"
“Rumors?” Li Tiao shook her head, but thinking of what even the Fourth Prince was somewhat concerned about, she seemed to realize what the Eighth Prince was talking about: “Replying to the Eighth Prince, you must have heard the saying ‘three men can make a tiger.’ Some rumors are just rumors to be taken with a grain of salt. If they were really true, how could I be your spy?”
Although she didn't say it explicitly, Li Tiao's meaning was clear: if she really caught the eye of Emperor Kangxi and became a concubine, she would no longer be a spy for the Eighth Prince.
Who knows, she might whisper in his ear and cause trouble for the Eighth Prince.
Although Li Tiao wouldn't actually do that, anyone can scare people. You can't always be the one being scared; even a rabbit will bite when cornered.
Seeing that the Eighth Prince remained silent, Li Tiao didn't care whether he had anything else to say and turned to leave.
Once she had walked a distance, Hongye came to greet her, and Li Tiao finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Because she had brought Hongye with her to see the Eighth Prince, when she returned to the prince's residence and entered her room, she saw the Fourth Prince there, but Li Tiao wasn't too surprised.
After bowing and paying his respects, the Fourth Prince waved for Hongye to leave.
The Fourth Prince was not in a good mood, and Li Tiao, being very tactful, told him before he could ask what the Eighth Prince wanted to see her about.
After she finished speaking, Li Tiao saw that the Fourth Prince still didn't say anything, and she felt a little unsure.
Although she felt she was innocent in being forced to become the Eighth Prince's spy, at this critical moment when she was only one step away from death, Li Tiao felt it was best to be cautious.
We must make sure the Fourth Prince is compliant!
So Li Tiao tried to reiterate her stance to the Fourth Prince: "Your Highness, this servant..."
Before he could finish speaking, the Fourth Prince stood up, walked up to Li Tiao, and silently sized her up.
She swallowed hard, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
Being scrutinized and examined by Emperor Kangxi, and the same was true when meeting the Eighth Prince and the Fourth Prince, Li Tiao felt like a piece of meat on a chopping board, being chosen and told how to cut it to avoid the fatty parts and perfectly cut the freshest meat.
Although Li Tiao was becoming more and more timid with fear each day, she still wanted to take some initiative, so she prepared to make a move. However, before she could do anything, the Fourth Prince spoke first, which startled Li Tiao.
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