Li Man’er glanced at her and couldn’t help but say, “Why are you hesitating? If you have something to say, just say it.”
A Si hesitated for a moment, then leaned closer and whispered, “They sent a message, saying, saying you should be wary of Third Master Li, that he…”
Li Man’er, however, smiled, “Saying he’s one of His Majesty’s people?”
“How did you know?” A Si’s eyes widened, she could hardly believe Li Man’er already knew. How did she guess? Could it be that her lady’s intelligence network was more powerful than the prince’s?
“There were already signs of this. If you think about it carefully, you can figure it out. Think about it, wasn't his timing for returning to the capital too coincidental?” Li Man’er’s voice was also low, as if speaking to A Si or perhaps to herself. “The news of Marquis’s poisoning had just returned, and as if by chance, he returned to the capital to report for duty. But what month was it then? It was still quite a ways from his scheduled report.”
A Si didn't dare to breathe, only listened quietly.
“This is just the first point.” Li Man’er fiddled with her throwing darts, occasionally sharpening them on a stone to make their tips even sharper.
“After arriving in Mobei, I stayed in the prefectural office for how long, and Third Uncle stayed outside for how long. Logically speaking, no matter how cautious the people he brought were, there would be some mistakes! The Xiao family had such great influence in Mobei, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they could cover the sky with one hand. If they wanted to deal with Li Nian, it would be incredibly easy. But they remained safe and sound, without even a minor conflict. None of the Xiao family members are simple people. Why didn’t they move against Li Nian? Could it be they were wary of the Iron Gallant Marquis’s mansion?”
The last sentence was spoken lightly, clearly treating the name ‘Iron Gallant Marquis’ as a joke. She no longer even called him Third Uncle, but addressed him by name, indicating her resentment.
A Si had nothing to say. She could feel Li Man’er’s anger, but her anger was subtle and restrained, seemingly not wanting to erupt.
This was unlike Li Man’er’s character; she always settled scores within the same day and reported any issues immediately. But this time, she seemed to be holding back, rather than taking action.
Perhaps it was for Li Qingyan?
As A Si was thinking, she heard Li Man’er continue, “And this time he went to the old city, he didn’t even inform me. You could say the situation was special then, and he couldn’t find me, but how far apart are the new city and the old city? Why couldn’t he return before the snow?”
Li Man’er sighed, “Was he blocked by the heavy snow, or did he not want his son?”
How could Li Nian not want his son? He only had Li Qingyan as his son, how could he bear to abandon him? It was just that imperial orders were difficult to disobey, and there was no other way.
Moreover, Li Nian understood her to some extent, knowing that she would not abandon Li Qingyan and would provide him with a chance for survival if there was any danger. Thus, he was at ease.
“Now that the Li family and the Xiao family are in such a bad state, he went to the old city…”
Li Man’er put away her throwing dart, “It leaves me with no choice but to overthink.”
“My lady, His Majesty’s intentions… what are they?”
Li Man’er smiled faintly, “The emperor’s heart is unfathomable. Both the thunder and the rain are bestowed by the emperor; how can we presume to comment?”
“Yes, this servant knows her mistake. My lady, what should we do now?”
“Naturally, we pretend we don’t know,” Li Man’er said. “What else can we do?”
The current emperor was suspicious and had long been dissatisfied with the Xiao family. Although Li Shu had some talent, he was shrewd in minor matters but foolish in important ones, making him even more useless.
It was rumored that His Majesty’s health was not good, and it was likely that he wished to eliminate these factors he was uneasy about within his lifetime, leaving a peaceful world for the next ruler of Zun Nation.
However, it was heard that Master Du E had once divined for the successor, stating that it was not advisable to establish a crown prince too early, as the foundation would be unstable and the empire would change hands. Therefore, His Majesty waited until the First Prince was fifteen years old before naming him Crown Prince, to solidify the national foundation.
The Crown Prince was now twenty and had been married for over three years. Besides the Crown Princess, there were two secondary consorts and several concubines, yet not one of them had delivered news of pregnancy. The Empress, who was already in poor health, was consumed with worry over the Crown Prince’s descendants, and her health deteriorated day by day.
The Empress had two sons. The Crown Prince was purely filial and the legitimate eldest son of the royal family, thus he should inherit the throne.
The Second Prince was naturally intelligent and sharp, and was the most favored prince among all. Unfortunately, even as a prince, he could not escape the clutches of illness. He died of illness at the age of nine, taking half the Empress’s life and causing His Majesty deep grief over the loss of his beloved son.
If the Second Prince had not died, the Crown Prince, despite his advantages of being the legitimate eldest son, might not have been able to secure his position as Crown Prince.
A rival to the Empress, who was on par with her, was Consort Chen in the palace. She had one son and one daughter. The Third Prince was not yet married, but he was already nineteen, only a year younger than the Crown Prince.
It was said that a mother’s status depended on her son’s, but Consort Chen’s favor was not due to the Third Prince. When she gave birth to the Third Prince, she was merely a low-ranking Jieyu. It was only after giving birth to the Eldest Princess Qi Shu that she was promoted.
The Eldest Princess Qi Shu was fourteen years old. She was His Majesty’s first princess. She was not as delicate as ordinary women; instead, she strongly resembled her father, with a heroic spirit, and was thus even more favored.
Consort Chen relied on the Eldest Princess to contend with the Empress. Unfortunately, in His Majesty’s heart, there was the sorrow of losing his son, and the most favored Second Prince was gone. Therefore, Consort Chen could never surpass the Empress.
It was a pity that Consort Chen did not think so. She believed she would eventually overthrow the Empress and the Crown Prince, so she had not been quiet in recent years. In order to find a wife for the Third Prince who could become his strong support, she had been searching until now, but had not yet found a suitable candidate.
Other concubines either had no children or no sons.
The Fourth Princess born to Li Qingshu was gone, and Concubine Jiang’s daughter was only two years old. Neither could compete with these two, so they remained quiet.
Li Man’er thought so deeply that A Si quietly retreated to the side, not daring to disturb her.
A moment later, someone brought food, two plates of pastries.
Li Man’er didn’t think much of it and took a bite of the topmost pastry. To her surprise, she found a note inside. She pulled it out and saw two lines of small text:
Cast a long line to catch a big fish. Wait patiently for it to bite.
What nonsense.
Li Man’er threw the note into the charcoal brazier and watched it turn to ash.
A Si asked, “My lady, what should we arrange?”
Li Man’er only said four words, “Wait patiently for it to bite.”
At night, Qian Xiaofu and Qi Yihan climbed onto the city wall together.
“You’ll have to work hard tonight. If you smell anything, you must alert everyone immediately.”
Qian Xiaofu nodded vigorously, “General, rest assured, your subordinate will be careful and will not let down the general’s expectations.”
Qi Yihan nodded slightly, then turned and went inside to rest.
Ding Yan glanced at Qian Xiaofu and signaled to the person beside him before following Qi Yihan away.
In the latter half of the night, shouts of fighting could be heard from the city wall again. Ding Yan was overjoyed, “General, it seems you were right.”