The Fourth Prince left with a gloomy face, and as the door closed, Tang Ning turned and asked, "Brother, do you think the Fourth Prince will believe our blatant provocation?"
Xiao Yan replied, "No."
Tang Ning frowned. "Then why did you say all that?" If you knew he wouldn't believe it, why stir up the relationship between the Queen and the Fourth Prince on purpose?
Xiao Yan smiled. "That's exactly why."
Tang Ning was confused by his answer.
Xiao Yan chuckled lightly. "Only if he doesn't believe, will he go to the palace."
Tang Ning tilted her head. "Brother, you want him to meet the Queen?"
"No, just to get him to the palace."
Upon hearing this, Tang Ning's confusion deepened. Seeing that Xiao Yan was smiling without offering further explanation, she could only ask, "Do you think he’ll agree to investigate the Lu family’s matter?"
"He will."
Tang Ning furrowed her brow. Although she cooperated with Xiao Yan to provoke the Fourth Prince, she knew he wasn’t a fool.
If someone else had said these things, the Fourth Prince might have believed them, but Xiao Yan had a long-standing feud with the Lu family, and so did she. If they suddenly approached the Fourth Prince, anyone would doubt they were trying to use him. How could the Fourth Prince believe them without any reservations?
Moreover, the Lu family was his maternal family, his greatest support in the court. How could he personally ruin them?
Seeing her troubled expression, Xiao Yan didn’t rush to explain. Instead, he casually picked up his teacup, flicking the foam off the surface, and smiled at her.
"How about we make a bet? I bet he’ll come back within half an hour."
Tang Ning immediately became wary. "No bet!"
She stared at Xiao Yan, her eyes wide as she clutched the cup in her hands. "I’m not a fool to bet with you."
Xiao Yan laughed. "So cautious?"
Tang Ning shot him a glance. Of course, she was cautious! This person in front of her was full of tricks, always thinking ten steps ahead. Everything she knew, she had learned from him. Trying to outsmart him was bound to backfire.
"Brother must have prepared a backup plan elsewhere, forcing the Fourth Prince to come back and find you. I’m not that stupid!"
Xiao Yan chuckled softly at her muttered words, shaking his head in amusement. "Little Haitang is hard to fool now."
Tang Ning gave him a glare.
Xiao Yan teased her further, "Do you want to know why the Fourth Prince will come back?"
"No!"
Tang Ning bit into a piece of white jade lotus cake, determined not to fall for his trick. Every time he spoke like this, she ended up getting teased.
"I’ll figure it out myself!"
...
After leaving the Hengting Pavilion, the Fourth Prince’s face darkened further, not just because of the Lu family's scandal, but also because of Xiao Yan.
"Your Highness, do you really think Xiao Yan will help you?" Cheng Ping, a personal attendant, asked softly.
"Help me?" The Fourth Prince sneered, "Do you even know who Xiao Yan is?"
A man who climbed to power by being ruthless and unscrupulous—how could he possibly interfere in matters between princes out of some supposed sense of duty?
"Xiao Yan might have really mentioned the Lu family to the Queen, but it wasn’t out of some favor for Song Tang Ning. It’s because he wants the Queen to take action against the Lu family so he can reap the benefits. He must have realized that for some reason, the Queen hasn’t acted yet, so he’s trying to use me."
The Fourth Prince's impulsive nature didn’t make him naive. While he didn’t understand why the Queen was keeping the Lu family's secret from him, he never doubted her love for him.
After all, he was her only son, her only reliance. No matter what her thoughts were, she would never harm him for the benefit of outsiders.
"So what did you do just now..."
"If I didn’t pretend to be at odds with the Queen and let Xiao Yan think his provocation worked, how could I have figured out his real intentions today?"
"And the Emperor... could it be Xiao Yan’s doing too?"
The Fourth Prince shook his head. "The Emperor’s reaction is probably real."
Xiao Yan was ruthless in his methods, but he was extremely loyal to the Emperor. Furthermore, fabricating an imperial decree was too easily exposed—Xiao Yan would never risk giving the Fourth Prince such a weapon.
The Lu family’s involvement with Cheng Yan was probably true, and Xie Yin was most likely indeed related to the Lu family by blood. The Emperor’s orders for the Fourth Prince to investigate weren’t just about exposing the Lu family’s shame, but also about severing the Fourth Prince’s ties with the Lu family, cutting off his biggest support in the court...
Cheng Ping showed a worried expression. "So, Your Highness, what should we do now? Should we go to the Lu family?"
"Not yet."
The Fourth Prince wasn’t sure how to handle the Lu family. Destroying them was something he didn’t want, but at the same time, he couldn’t disregard the Emperor’s wishes.
After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Let’s go to the palace first and meet with the Queen."
He needed to clarify the Queen’s intentions.
Cheng Ping nodded, saying nothing more, and hurriedly drove the carriage toward the palace.
The closest entrance to Hengting Pavilion was through Feng’an Street. As the carriage made its way through the bustling market, the crowds grew larger, with vendors occupying both sides. Occasionally, pedestrians blocked the road, slowing the carriage down.
"What’s going on?" The Fourth Prince lifted the curtain.
Cheng Ping whispered, "Ahead is the marketplace, and today is a market day, so there are more people than usual."
"Take another route."
"Yes."
The Fourth Prince was visibly irritated. Just as he was about to lower the curtain, his peripheral vision caught sight of two figures. He froze for a moment and quickly slapped the side of the carriage. "Wait!"
"Your Highness?"
Cheng Ping pulled on the reins and turned to ask when he saw the Fourth Prince staring intently at something in the distance. Following his gaze, he was immediately stunned.
"Second Prince..."
Earlier, the Second Prince had clashed with them and left after Xiao Yan had humiliated him. They had thought he had returned to his residence, but now they saw him here.
It wasn’t just the Second Prince—his companion...
Cheng Ping widened his eyes. "Your Highness, why is Lord Feng with the Second Prince?"
That was Lord Feng Qiuli, the head of the Feng family.
For years, the Feng family had supported the Fourth Prince. Even though the Lu family had fallen, other noble families still had his back. But now, Lord Feng was with the Second Prince. Cheng Ping couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. Was the Feng family betraying the Fourth Prince? Or was the Feng family shifting their allegiance?
The Fourth Prince watched as the Second Prince and Lord Feng entered the Treasure Pavilion on the opposite street. Cheng Ping quietly asked, "Your Highness, should I go and check?"
The Fourth Prince tightened his grip on the curtain, about to speak, when he suddenly saw a familiar figure appear outside the Treasure Pavilion.
It was a woman dressed as a servant, her loose gown failing to conceal her shapely figure. She lowered her head and surveyed the area before quickly entering.
The Fourth Prince's grip on the curtain tightened. He ripped it open with a sharp motion, veins popping on the back of his hand.
Cheng Ping gasped, "Lady Bai?!"
This was the beauty the Fourth Prince had recently taken into his household, known for her gentle nature, talents, and increasing favor with the prince. But now she was dressed as a servant, sneaking around and going into the Treasure Pavilion with the Second Prince and Lord Feng...
Cheng Ping’s face turned pale.
Lady Bai came out of the Treasure Pavilion not long after, her head lowered. She bypassed the bustling market and entered a small alley. With a faint smile on her face, she was holding a brocade box, clearly in a good mood. However, as she turned the corner and lifted her head, the smile on her face instantly froze.
Half a cup of tea later, Lady Bai was carried out of the alley, her body covered in blood, unconscious, and thrown into a carriage.
The Fourth Prince’s face darkened as he saw the bloodstains on the carriage, his expression growing colder and colder. He could hardly believe the truth.
The Lu family.
It was the Lu family!
He had originally thought Lady Bai was working for the Second Prince, that the Feng family had betrayed him. But he never imagined that she was actually one of Lu Chongyuan’s people—a woman from the Lu family who had changed her name and infiltrated his residence. She wasn’t there to spy or to please him; she was there to secure a child with the blood of the Lu family.
Lu Chongyuan was not only in contact with the Second Prince, trying to find a way out for the Lu family, but he had also arranged for Lady Bai to use drugs and keep a royal child with Lu blood. Once the child was born, he could use the child to further his own cause...
The Lu family had already abandoned him!
The Fourth Prince felt a deep chill, his body shivering despite the warm sunlight outside.
"Your Highness..." Cheng Ping’s face was full of concern.
The Fourth Prince’s eyes burned with killing intent. "Return to Hengting Pavilion. I need to see Xiao Yan!"
He had an appointment with Song Tang Ning and should still be there.
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You can read ahead to chapterr 400 (100+ extra chapters) here
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