Upon hearing Li Tiao's words, the Fourth Prince felt a strange unease, his eyes flickering: "A widow? Someone who's always thinking about running away isn't afraid of becoming a widow?"
Li Tiao had a lot to say, but the Fourth Prince's words were like a fatal blow, leaving her speechless and feeling a little guilty.
"Anyway, sir, what are you planning to do? The Crown Prince has already said he wants to..."
"I have my own plans."
"Are you still going to the palace tomorrow? Didn't you say the mansion the Emperor assigned to you was ready? Why are there still craftsmen here..."
"We're not moving it out of the palace now; we're letting the craftsmen refine it even further."
The Fourth Prince's words were somewhat evasive. In the past, Li Tiao might have wisely stopped asking, but now that it was a matter of life and death, she asked the question the Fourth Prince had deliberately ignored again: "Your Highness, are you going to leave the palace tomorrow?"
"Of course we have to go out."
"But the Crown Prince..." Li Tiao was extremely anxious. The Fourth Prince couldn't die! He was the future emperor. What if something went wrong because of her, this outsider butterfly, flapping its wings?!
For Li Tiao, the important thing was not whether the Fourth Prince would become emperor or not, but what if he failed to become emperor and she couldn't go back and died here prematurely?
“If you don’t go tomorrow, the Crown Prince will become suspicious. If he finds out that you overheard what he said, it will make your already difficult situation in the palace even more dangerous.”
"But..." Li Tiao felt a warmth in her heart, after all, the Fourth Prince did this for her safety.
Seeing that the Fourth Prince didn't want to discuss the matter further, Li Tiao didn't know how to continue. She had said everything she could to remind him of, but the Fourth Prince didn't care... there was nothing she could do.
"It's getting late, Your Highness should rest." Li Tiao's words were a reminder to the Fourth Prince that it was time for him to leave.
Although she knew she was being a bit dramatic, since normal couples have already done *that*, there's no need to kick someone out, Li Tiao really wanted to rest for a couple of days; she was too tired.
However, to everyone's surprise, the Fourth Prince seemed not to have heard Li Tiao's words, sitting silently, lost in thought.
Li Tiao went off to attend to her own business.
The next day, Li Tiao got up early, which was unusual for her, and didn't go back to sleep. Hongye was surprised: "Master, are you feeling unwell? Should we call the imperial physician?"
“No need, come back.” Li Tiao called to Hongye, “My eyelids have been twitching, I’m afraid something might have happened to Master today.”
Hearing this, Hongye also thought of Li Tiao's anxiety yesterday, and after thinking for a moment, she comforted Li Tiao:
“My lord, I think you don’t need to worry too much. After you told him what the Crown Prince might do when he came back yesterday, he did nothing. This shows that he knows what he’s doing.”
That's what she said, but Li Tiao was still a little uneasy. She sighed, thinking that she hadn't been this worried when she heard that someone wanted to kill her.
This is really weird. Is this some kind of butterfly effect? I, the butterfly, am starting to worry about others!
As the morning court session ended, Li Tiao's heart was in her throat; she felt she had to find something to do.
But this was ancient times, and there weren't many things to pass the time. After thinking for a long time, Li Tiao picked up a pen and started writing.
Li Tiao thought that writing calligraphy, such an elegant activity, would surely calm her mind. However, after writing a few words, she caught a glimpse of Hongye's expression and hesitated for a moment before crumpling up the still-wet calligraphy and throwing it away.
She was determined to improve her handwriting; she would fight for her honor even if it meant fighting for nothing. With this spirit, she gradually forgot about whether the Fourth Prince was in danger.
Around noon, the young princes were chattering outside, looking for Li Tiao, but due to the so-called rules of the palace, they dared not go into the house to look for her directly, after all, they were princes and Li Tiao was a woman.
"Let them in," Li Tiao said to Hongye after hearing the voices outside.
The young princes came to find Li Tiao for some delicious food, but they didn't expect that Li Tiao was practicing calligraphy.
Upon closer inspection of Li Tiao's handwriting, the Fifteenth Prince spoke first: "Princess Li, did Fourth Brother ask you to write this?"
Li Tiao looked at the Fifteenth Prince with a puzzled expression.
"The Fourth Prince saw that my handwriting was not good before, so he ordered me to practice. Your handwriting is not even as good as mine, but the Fourth Prince doesn't care about you?"
Li Tiao sensed a strong sense of contempt, but she didn't want to argue with a child, because she understood something from the Fifteenth Prince's words: "The Fourth Prince even ordered you to practice calligraphy?"
I thought to myself, "They're really meddling in other people's business."
"Yes, I was raised by Consort De's side. I would run into her when my fourth brother went to pay his respects to her."
Because of what the Fifteenth Prince said, Li Tiao put down her pen, glanced at Hongye, and Hongye nodded, meaning that what the Fifteenth Prince said was true. He was indeed raised by Consort De because his own mother's status was too low to raise children.
"Is Consort De strict?" Li Tiao asked.
"Fortunately, she was supposed to make me memorize my lessons today as Father Emperor instructed, but she seemed to be talking to someone about Fourth Brother, so she didn't pay any attention to me."
Li Tiao glanced at Hongye, who understood and dismissed the young princes.
Li Tiao, whose heart had been gradually calming down, became uneasy again because of a few words from the Fifteenth Prince. The Crown Prince said that he would have people try to push the blame onto Consort De. Could it be that Consort De really had the intention to kill her son?
Thinking of this, Li Tiao couldn't stay any longer. "Let's go, let's go to the palace gate to greet the prince."
Before she even reached the palace gate, she saw the Fourth Prince return. Li Tiao quickened her pace, intending to greet him, but the Fourth Prince simply walked away.
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