Free Web NovelChapter 365: Chapter 366: Jealousy
The full moon banquet was drawing to a close.
The Emperor and the Empress Dowager took their leave.
Having had a few too many, Li Hao was already a little tipsy.
Just then, a eunuch hurried over, stopped beside him, and spoke in a low voice.
"Your Highness, this servant just went to get you some sobering tea and accidentally ran into Liang Yong on the way."
Li Hao’s mind was a bit fuzzy, and for a moment, he couldn’t remember who Liang Yong was.
The eunuch reminded him, "He’s the eunuch who serves the Fourth Prince—the skinny, small one."
Li Hao finally remembered.
"Oh, him. What about him?"
The eunuch glanced around, and only after confirming no one was paying them any attention did he quietly repeat what he had overheard.
"Liang Yong ordered someone to find Zijuan’s family, arrange an ’accident,’ and kill them all. This is to prevent them from spreading the word about Zijuan and causing trouble for the Fourth Prince."
Upon learning that Zijuan was actually connected to the Fourth Prince, Li Hao sobered up instantly.
The eunuch continued.
"This servant managed to ask around a moment ago. It turns out Zijuan was a Chief Palace Maid who served Consort Liu. I heard she was highly valued by the consort. After Consort Liu died, Zijuan died as well."
Even though Li Hao wasn’t one for thinking, he now sensed something was amiss.
He muttered, "Could Consort Liu’s death be related to the Fourth Prince?"
The eunuch didn’t dare speak, but it was clear from his expression that he agreed with the Second Prince’s speculation.
Li Hao clenched his fists and said angrily.
"So it was the Fourth Prince!
And Fifth Brother still had the nerve to pin the blame on me!
Just you wait. Once I get to the bottom of this, let’s see how mortified Fifth Brother will be!"
In his fury, he completely forgot the instructions his mother-consort had given him.
Liang Yong had already returned to the Fourth Prince’s side.
He said in a low voice, "Your Highness, everything has been taken care of."
Li Ying didn’t respond. His gaze remained fixed in one direction.
Liang Yong followed his gaze and, not surprisingly, saw Princess Consort Zhao.
At that moment, the Princess Consort was busy eating, with Prince Zhao sitting beside her, watching. He would even place food on her plate from time to time. It was obvious at a glance that the young couple shared a deep affection.
This was the first time Li Ying had seen her since Manman was kidnapped.
She didn’t seem to have changed at all, still as charming and lovely as ever.
When Li Ying saw her turn her head and flash a smile at Prince Zhao, he felt that smile was like a gut-wrenching poison that caused him extreme anguish.
He had thought that as long as he could see Manman was safe and sound, he would be at ease.
However, the reality proved that he had been far too naive.
When he saw Manman smiling like a blossoming flower at another man, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of jealousy.
He wished he could rush over and take that man’s place.
Yet he could do nothing but watch helplessly.
Liang Yong urged quietly.
"Your Highness, you shouldn’t look."
Li Ying paid him no mind.
Even knowing how much it would hurt, he continued to gaze at Manman, almost greedily.
This almost self-torturous act was his punishment for himself.
...
After the full moon banquet ended, Li Hao returned to the Second Prince Mansion and immediately ordered the merchant from out of town to be brought in for a personal interrogation.
Only then did he learn that Zijuan’s family was poor. To support them, her parents had sold her to a human trafficker.
The human trafficker then sold her to a brothel.
Once a woman entered a brothel, her reputation was inevitably ruined, leaving no hope for the rest of her life.
However, Zijuan was lucky. Somehow, she was rescued by a noble.
Later, she even entered the palace and became a Chief Palace Maid, deeply trusted by Consort Liu.
Based on the information provided by the out-of-town merchant, Li Hao had his men find the brothel that had bought Zijuan.
They learned from the Madam that Zijuan had been bought by a noble from the capital.
As for who that noble was, the Madam claimed to know nothing.
Li Hao felt the Madam was deliberately playing dumb. He found a random excuse to shut down the brothel, telling her it would never reopen for business unless she told the truth.
Only then did the Madam have no choice but to confess.
It turned out that the noble who bought Zijuan was none other than a guard who served the Fourth Prince.
Li Hao’s suspicions were confirmed.
Consort Liu’s death really was connected to the Fourth Prince!
Perhaps even the Fifth Prince being crippled was the Fourth Prince’s handiwork.
The more Li Hao thought about it, the more alarmed he became. He immediately went to the palace to seek an audience with the Emperor.
He told his Imperial Father everything he had found out.
After hearing his account, the Emperor’s reaction was very calm.
"We are aware. You may return for now. We will send people to investigate this thoroughly."
Seeing this, Li Hao couldn’t help but say with added emphasis.
"Imperial Father, Fourth Brother may seem honest and dull, but he is actually insidious and cunning. You must be careful!"
The Emperor, however, looked at him with a very strange expression.
Li Hao felt very uncomfortable under his gaze and asked cautiously.
"Why are you looking at your son like that, Imperial Father? Did I say something wrong?"
The Emperor replied, "The truth is not yet clear. How can you be so certain it was the Fourth Prince’s doing? Besides, even if he did do it, he is still your own brother."
He wasn’t particularly fond of the Fourth Prince and hadn’t paid him much attention over the years.
But Li Hao’s attitude toward the Fourth Prince made him very uncomfortable.
It was as if they weren’t blood brothers, but enemies.
Li Hao pursed his lips, unconcerned. ’He’d never thought of the Fourth Prince as his brother.’
Fortunately, he wasn’t a complete idiot and knew that such things could only be thought, not said aloud.
He obediently admitted his mistake, "Your son misspoke. I will be more careful in the future."
The Emperor gestured for the Second Prince to leave.
After Li Hao left, the Emperor leaned back, a hint of weariness showing on his face.
He called Wu Wang in and ordered.
"Have someone investigate that brothel, and also that out-of-town merchant who claims to be Zijuan’s brother. See if what they said is true."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Wu Wang turned and walked out of the Imperial Study Room.
He looked at the clear, boundless sky outside and a smile touched his lips.
’Everything is going according to plan.’
...
Originally, Li Ji had planned to send Lan Xuan away after the matter with the Liu Family was settled.
Unexpectedly, this plan was thwarted by Hua Manman.
Because Hua Manman had discovered one of Lan Xuan’s special talents—
The girl was extremely skilled at arithmetic, especially mental math.
Accounts that would take others a day or two to sort out, she could finish in just one or two hours.
She alone was worth three accountants.
’A skilled talent like this must be kept!’
Hua Manman took Lan Xuan’s hand and said enthusiastically.
"It’s so unsafe for a young lady like you to be all alone out in the world.
Why don’t you stay here at our Prince Mansion? freewёbnoνel.com
I’ll give you double... no, triple the monthly salary, with room and board included.
You’ll get two new sets of clothes each season, an ice basin allowance in the summer, and a charcoal allowance in the winter.
On top of that, you’ll get seven days of paid annual leave each year, and there’s an extra bonus at the end of the year.
If you find someone you like in the future, I can even prepare a dowry for you.
What do you think?"
Gao Shan and Si Yun, who were standing nearby: "..."
They were silently overcome with jealousy.
It left a sour taste in their mouths.
It wasn’t just the two of them; even Prince Zhao was a little jealous.
’She’s just a blind girl. Why does Manman think so highly of her?’
’Manman has never paid this much attention even to me.’
