The Crown Prince entered the courtyard and bowed to Li Ting as a disciple.
Li Ting said irritably:
"Your Highness, I am a rough man and do not know those formalities. Today's first lesson will teach you how to judge the loyalty and treachery of your servants. Please sit down and watch carefully."
As Li Ting was speaking, Ruan Ruan in his arms squirmed and twisted. Li Ting knew that she was looking for someone again.
"Oh dear, Daddy, why are you holding me so tight? I want to see what that cannon fodder prince looks like!"
Li Ting thought to himself: Why does this girl like to look at other people's faces?
However, Li Ting still lowered Li Xingran a little so that she could see the Crown Prince.
The prince was only six years old at the time, with a round head, big and bright eyes, jet-black hair, and a healthy wheat-colored skin.
[This crown prince doesn't seem stupid, so why can't he see through the treacherous nature of others? The emperor clearly doesn't like him, yet he always thinks the emperor values him highly!]
The Empress harbored deep hatred for the cannon fodder Crown Prince, wishing she could tear him to pieces, because he occupied the position of the eldest legitimate son. The royal family of Nanchen Kingdom adhered to the principle of primogeniture.
[The Crown Prince, he craves family affection too much. His own mother was persecuted and never held him; he must be heartbroken!]
The Crown Prince's inner thoughts: This little sister is so cute. I really want to pinch her cheeks and hug this pink and tender little person.
Overnight, it seemed as if a long period of time had taken root in the prince's heart. Although his face was still young, his mind was like that of a seventeen or eighteen-year-old young man, already thinking about his future.
Before he could think any further, the Crown Prince was led by a servant of the Li family to sit under the shade of a tree.
Li Ting spoke up: "Liu Fu, take the guards and search these people's houses to see if there is anything suspicious."
Xu Ningyou listened attentively to Li Ting handling matters in the courtyard from inside the house, a smile on her face.
Her husband had never disappointed or worried her, so much so that over the years she had never been exposed to the secrets of the inner quarters, almost making her forget that she had once been the most outstanding civilian spy in the Southern Chen Kingdom.
She's an expert at finding evidence of crimes.
[Sigh, there are several people from the Great Yue Kingdom in this courtyard alone. I remember in the book, when Xiao Ding ascended the throne and rewarded his subordinates who had helped him rise to power, Qiu Feng was taken into the harem.]
Li Xingran began "storytelling" again.
Li Ting looked at Qiu Feng, who was at least sixteen years old, while Xiao Ding was only a few years old. He was about the same age as Xiao Sheng. This...
Xiao Sheng couldn't sit still any longer. In the end, it was actually the second emperor, Xiao Ding, who became the emperor?
[The gardener Chen Tongyi also received a considerable official position, I think it was Minister of Rites? Don't underestimate Chen Tongyi just because he's currently only a gardener for the Li family; he's a very influential person in the Great Yue Kingdom, the younger brother of Zhao Yunwan's birth mother, and a member of a collateral branch of the Great Yue Kingdom's royal family.]
Li Ting was terrified, and the Crown Prince almost fell off his chair.
Even though the Crown Prince was flattered to death by Zhao Yunwan, he had long known about the relationship between the Great Yue Kingdom and Nan Chen.
Zhao Yunwan's birth mother, according to the Zhao family, was the daughter of an old friend who had done them a favor, and she was in love with Zhao Guangyun. However, because of her poor background, she was elevated to the status of a concubine.
So this Zhao family also has a lot of problems.
Xu Ningyou listened while writing a letter. She would ask Leng Feng to investigate later.
Although Qiu Shuang and her family are not from the Great Yue Kingdom, Qiu Shuang helped Xiao Yuyan frame her elder brother. Without Qiu Shuang's inside help, how could Xiao Yuyan's maid have entered her elder brother's room?
Li Ting looked at Qiu Shuang. She was fairly good-looking, but not particularly striking, with a dull complexion. Her face gave the impression of an honest person.
[The most despicable one is Qiu Shuang's younger brother, Qiu Feng, who has been collecting discarded papers from the Li family in the mansion. He takes any scrap paper with writing on it and copies the handwriting of everyone in the Li family every day.]
[Later, those letters accusing the Li family of treason were actually written by Qiu Feng. Because he had practiced copying their handwriting so much, even in his panic, his father didn't realize it wasn't his own.]
This Qiufeng is completely ignorant in academics, but his craftsmanship is superb! He can perfectly restore handwriting by seamlessly imitating handwriting and removing clay or wax seals without leaving a trace.
The five Li brothers were astonished to find such a skill in the world. They had only ever seen it in storybooks before, and never imagined that their own family had such a talent.
Now that Qiu Shuang's family has received benefits from Zhao Yunwan, Qiu Feng's room should have accumulated quite a bit of waste paper.
Li Ting summoned Liu Fu and instructed him to personally go to Qiu Shuang's family's courtyard to check carefully.
Qiu Shuang's mother always manages the Li family's kitchen; it's unknown whether she's done anything as despicable as poisoning them over the years.
【Qiu Shuang's mother, Aunt Mu, is an excellent cook, but she's most skilled at preparing medicinal cuisine. Thankfully, she hasn't started yet; in a few more days, our family will be poisoned.】
Just what I feared most came to pass. Luckily, we had Ruan Ruan, otherwise the Li family would have been wiped out.
Li Ting looked at Li Xingran with doting eyes and gave her a smile that could captivate anyone.
[Father, please don't smile like that anymore! Look at that maid kneeling near the Crown Prince, her eyes filled with infatuation. Aren't you afraid of hurting Mother's feelings? Waaah, from now on you can only smile at Mother, not even at me! You stinky father!]
Li Ting immediately stopped smiling and looked at the maid next to the Crown Prince.
Sure enough, the maid's gaze towards him was different. Li Ting knew that the emotions in those eyes were intense and frantic, and who knew what outrageous things she might do for her own selfish desires? It was best to get rid of her as soon as possible!
From now on, try not to use maids and servants in the courtyard.
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