Chapter 146
Li Xia understood the gravity of the situation. A prince had died. Regardless of whether this prince was favored or not, he was a member of the royal family who had been killed. The Emperor would surely conduct a rigorous investigation.
As expected, the capital city was placed under martial law the next day, and news of the Fourth Prince's death spread. The Emperor was furious and strictly ordered the Supreme Court and Shuntian Prefecture to solve the case within three days, or else they would lose their official positions.
Pressure breeds motivation. Three days later, the culprit was caught. But it was someone no one had expected: the brother of an inconspicuous concubine in the Fourth Prince's harem.
This concubine was named Feng Xiuer. Orphaned at a young age, she had been raised by her older brother, Feng Liang. The siblings were exceptionally close, having only each other to rely on.
To support himself and his sister, Feng Liang had fallen in with street gangs, collecting protection money. During one incident, he offended someone he shouldn't have and was thrown into prison.
To release Feng Liang, they needed a hundred taels of silver. Feng Xiuer scraped together what she could and even sold their ancestral home, but only managed to collect sixty taels. Unwilling to let her brother suffer in prison, Feng Xiuer gritted her teeth and sold herself, obtaining the remaining forty taels to secure her brother's release.
Feng Xiuer was beautiful, and she caught someone's eye. She was purchased and sent to the Fourth Prince, who took her as a concubine.
When Feng Liang was released, he learned of everything his sister had done for him. He vowed to change his ways and, through Feng Xiuer's introduction, began working for the Fourth Prince.
Initially, Feng Xiuer was favored by the Fourth Prince and lived a decent life in his mansion. However, a life built on beauty is rarely long-lasting. The Fourth Prince quickly grew tired of her and moved on to new favorites. No longer in favor and of humble birth, Feng Xiuer was severely bullied by the other women in the harem. Eventually, unable to bear it any longer, she committed suicide by throwing herself into a well.
Feng Liang couldn't believe his sister would take her own life so easily. He felt there was more to the story. After extensive inquiries, he finally found a young maid who had served Feng Xiuer. He learned that his sister had been tormented to death by the Fourth Prince's other concubines, simply because the prince had once favored her.
Feng Liang hated himself for being powerless and resented the Fourth Prince for his callousness. When the opportunity presented itself, he assassinated the Fourth Prince. Being a single man with nothing to lose, he wasn't afraid of death. Upon capture, he confessed that he had acted alone.
Despite any displeasure with the Fourth Prince, he was still the Emperor's son. Enraged that his young son had been murdered, the Emperor sentenced Feng Liang to immediate execution. And so, the case was closed.
That night, Zhou Heng came to see Li Xia, bringing a dossier. Li Xia leafed through it, finding records of the case's aftermath.
The young maid who had served Feng Xiuer was actually a spy from the Third Prince's household. Fourth Miss Lu was in the Third Prince's mansion. It was highly likely that Fourth Miss Lu was behind this. If Fourth Miss Lu were implicated, it would involve the Lu family and, by extension, affect the Li family.
"Let this matter end here," Li Xia said, setting aside the documents.
"If I could uncover this, others surely can as well," Zhou Heng's words made Li Xia understand. This matter would certainly come to light, and the Lu family would inevitably be implicated. Now it was up to the Li family to decide how to proceed.
Seeing Li Xia's silence, Zhou Heng said, "I'll make this decision for you," and left the Orchid Courtyard.
Li Hui, who was preparing to rest after bathing, found a dossier on his table. After reading it, he placed it in a brazier and watched it turn to ashes.
While dining with Mrs. Lu, he asked, "Mother, you go to the temple to burn incense every February. When are you going this year? I can take leave to accompany you."
Hearing Li Hui's words, Mrs. Lu exclaimed, "Oh my! I had almost forgotten. The days just fly by." She thought for a moment and said, "Let's go on the sixteenth of February. You'll have the day off then. Nanny, remember to send invitations to the Lu Mansion in advance. We'll all go together." She added, addressing Chunlu Granny. The elderly woman nodded, committing it to memory.
On February sixteenth, the Li and Lu families went to offer incense together. The women from the Xu Mansion were also invited. Due to Li Xia's previous incident, Mrs. Lu had extended an invitation to Xu Xinyue to join them for the temple visit.
Xu Xinyue brought Madam Jiang and Xu Yiyou along. On the way, Li Xia joined Xu Xinyue's carriage, immediately leaning against her upon entering.
"Mother, how long has it been since you last visited me?" Li Xia's first words were a complaint.
Hearing Li Xia's familiar voice, Xu Xinyue's earlier concerns instantly vanished. She reached out to feel Li Xia's hands, checking their temperature, then patted her arm. "You're all grown up now, yet still acting spoiled," she chided gently.
"No matter how old I get, I'll always be your daughter," Li Xia mumbled, nestling against Xu Xinyue.
Madam Jiang and Xu Yiyou watched with amusement, their own nervousness dissipating. Due to Xu Xinyue's circumstances, the Xu family didn't interact much with the Li Manor. They feared bringing up the past might affect Li Xia. However, it now seemed that Li Xia was unaffected, or perhaps simply didn't care about such matters.
Seeing Li Xia board the Xu family's carriage, Old Madam Lu asked Mrs. Lu, "How did you become so close with the Xu family?"
"She is the Second Miss's birth mother. They've lived together for so many years, I couldn't prevent her from being close to her birth mother even if I tried. Besides, the Xu family are decent people," Mrs. Lu replied. Although they hadn't met often, the Xu family's manners and conduct had always been impeccable.
"Aren't you worried about what people might say?" Old Madam Lu was still concerned, given that Xu Xinyue had once been Li Ming's concubine.
"Haven't I been the subject of gossip for the past two years? This is nothing in comparison," Mrs. Lu responded. While she couldn't say she was entirely unbothered, she had heard so much that she had become numb to it and no longer cared.
"We must pray earnestly to the Buddha today, asking for blessings and protection for all of us," Old Madam Lu said. After everything they had been through, she had come to realize that nothing else mattered as long as everyone was safe and well.
Mrs. Lu responded with a soft "Mm." Li Hui shared a carriage with Uncle Lu and his eldest cousin.
"Uncle, have you still not found Fourth Cousin?" Li Hui inquired.
"No," Uncle Lu replied. The mention of his daughter made him angry. Her actions were utterly unfilial. He thought about the recent string of misfortunes and looked at his son's confused face, then at Li Hui's somber expression. Uncle Lu sighed. Although he had never thought highly of Li Ming, he had to admit that the man knew how to raise children. Both his legitimate and illegitimate children were well-educated and mannered.
"Perhaps she met with an accident," Li Hui suggested. Uncle Lu, hearing this, wanted to ask if Li Hui knew something, but upon seeing his expression, he swallowed his questions.
He pondered the meaning behind Li Hui's words. Was he suggesting that Fourth Miss Lu should be presumed dead? But why would they need to do that? Had Fourth Miss Lu done something to threaten the Li family? No, it was more likely a threat to their own family.
If something were to happen to the Lu family, the Li family, as their in-laws, would naturally be implicated. He also remembered that this time it was the Li Manor that had sent the invitation. Uncle Lu wanted to ask for clarification, but seeing his son's disapproving face and Li Hui's unchanged expression, he sighed inwardly once again. Old Madam Lu was right; he had married the wrong woman. But regret was useless now, and he thought about personally guiding his eldest son when they returned home, to see if he could rectify things somewhat.
Observing Uncle Lu's changing expressions, Li Hui knew he had achieved the effect he wanted. Fourth Miss Lu must be separated from the Lu family. This way, if anything else were to come to light in the future, it would have less impact on both the Lu and Li families.
Upon arriving at the temple, Xu Xinyue remembered what had happened to Li Xia previously in Liuzhou. As soon as she got off the carriage, she held Li Xia's hand tightly and didn't let go for a moment. She was afraid of such a problem occurring again. She wouldn't let her go anywhere. Even when Li Xia needed to use the privy, Xu Xinyue wanted to accompany her.
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