Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 104

Chapter 104: Fourth and Eighth

When An Zhi heard the footsteps, it was too late for her to avoid them because she had already seen the crimson color. She had no choice but to stand up and bow like Princess Huiping.

Although Princess Huiping was a bit willful and capricious, she was not one to mess around with her reputation. She stood in front of An Zhi and bowed to the Fourth Prince with a smile, “Fourth Cousin, how come you have time to come see me today?”

Li Yu gave Huiping a faint smile. He was ten years older than Huiping and had a reserved and steady personality. He only glanced at An Zhi, who was standing against the wall, and then said to Huiping, “I was originally here to pay my respects to my aunt. I was passing by and heard you talking, so I came up to say hello. But I didn’t expect you to have a guest.”

He just said she had a guest, but didn’t ask whether it was convenient or not.

Huiping saw the Fourth Prince glance at An Zhi from time to time, and felt a little uncomfortable. She turned around and said to An Zhi, “Alright, Sister An, we’ve finished talking. You can go back first.”

An Zhi was waiting for these words from Princess Huiping. She lowered her head and bowed, saying, “Then I will take my leave.”

But when she walked to the Fourth Prince, she heard him tut, “That’s not good. Asking your friend to leave right away. I’m not a monster.”

As he said that, he turned to look at An Zhi, his eyes showing a hint of surprise, “Young Lady An, your brother and I are old friends. I heard Cousin Xuan’s tea here is good. Would you like to have a cup with us before leaving?”

Princess Huiping’s real name was Yuan Xuan, and the princes who were on good terms with her all call her Cousin Xuan.

At this point, even the most obtuse Huiping could discern the meaning behind the Fourth Prince’s words: he was clearly trying to seduce An Zhi.

Although she couldn’t imagine that the Fourth Prince was drawn to An Zhi’s Bai family, surely no man would dislike An Zhi’s beauty? But what puzzled her was why the Fourth Prince, usually uninterested in women and so calm, would now say such suggestive words.

An Zhi’s heart pounded even more.

She thought of the kidnapping two days ago, and when she heard the Fourth Prince’s words, she was so nervous that her palms were sweating. “I’d better not disturb the Fourth Prince and the Princess from reminiscing about the past…”

“You won’t be disturbing.” Li Yu saw that An Zhi wanted to leave, but didn’t want to give her the chance, so he interrupted An Zhi directly.

He trembled slightly as he looked at the beauty. Even though he was not usually obsessed with beauty, he thought of what the palace staff said and thought that it would not be a loss to keep her as a beautiful lady by his side.

There was no other way, so An Zhi had to turn around and go back.

Meanwhile, the Grand Princess was trimming her nails in her bedroom.

Xuezhu, the senior palace maid serving her, was kneeling in front of her, holding a pair of small scissors and helping her trim her nail bit by bit.

“Just now, people outside said that the Fourth Prince didn’t leave, but went to the loft to find Xuan’er. The young lady from the An family was also there. What do you think, Xuezhu?” The Grand Princess spoke lazily, but the person who heard the question did not dare speak casually, because she was just listening lazily, but in fact her pair of crystal eyes were already staring at Xuezhu.

“I dare not speculate on the Fourth Prince’s thoughts, but there are differences between men and women. Young Lady An hasn’t come out of the loft yet, and it would be a bit unpleasant if the news got out.” Xuezhu did not stop working while speaking.

“Then what do you think. Should I spread this?” If anyone learned about what happened in the Princess’s Mansion without her hint, the consequences of being discovered would be more painful than death.

“The Fourth and Eighth Princes are having a stellar fight right now. They’re both favorites of the Emperor. My Lady, you could just let them fight on their own. There’s no need to bother spreading such rumors.” Xuezhu had been with the Grand Princess for five years and understood her temperament perfectly. She preferred to be oblique, so she would do the same. But to appear less clever, she had to be a bit more direct, a balance that was difficult to strike.

When the Grand Princess heard this, she chuckled softly, “Yes, I don’t need to spread this.”

Although the Grand Princess was already an extremely noble status, it was only for now.

She knew how poor the Emperor’s health was. He could only hold out for two or three years at best. If someone helped him, he probably wouldn’t even last a year.

After the Emperor passes away, if the Grand Princess did not stand on the right side, she would not be able to live a peaceful life and may even be imprisoned.

So for now, she was still waiting and watching, and she was not sure who had the most chance.

If information about the Fourth Prince and An Zhi meeting were to come out of her mansion today, people would misunderstand that she was already on the Fourth Prince’s side.

“The Fourth Prince is a clever fellow. He seems steady and reliable on weekdays, but when it comes to scheming against others, he’s really quick and decisive. He even dared to scheme against me.” The Grand Princess chuckled. “Today’s incident really can’t be spread, but if I don’t spread it, do you think the Fourth Prince will let go of such a good opportunity?”

Xue Zhu had never thought of this. “I am a stupid servant and don’t understand what the master means.”

“Don’t bother with it. Nails aren’t important right now.” The princess withdrew her hand and snorted. “Fourth Prince dared to plot against me, so I have to fight him back. Otherwise, he’ll really think I’m a pushover. Get up and go to Eighth Prince’s residence. Even if Xuan’er invites him over for tea.”

After receiving the order, Xuezhu went out to do her job.

It was not enough to have only the Fourth Prince. The Princess must invite the Eighth Prince as well, so that the protagonists can come on stage and she can watch the show from afar.

“Your servant greets the master.” At this time, another young eunuch came in.

“Get up. Have you found out about Pei Que leaving the city that day?” asked the Grand Princess.

The young eunuch didn’t dare stand up and remained kneeling. He shook his head and said, “I am incompetent. We followed Fourth Master Pei all the way, but as soon as we left the city, Fourth Master Pei threw us off. We haven’t heard from him since. But I found bloodstains in a farm outside the capital. Near the farm, I dug up more than a dozen bodies. They were all castrated people.”

“Oh, that’s interesting.” The eldest princess narrowed her eyes slightly, “Can you recognize which prince’s person this is?”

The young eunuch still shook his head. “They are all unfamiliar faces. They are probably hired secret guards. How can we investigate this matter, My Lady?”

Since Pei Que and the prince were involved, it sounded very confusing.

“Send two groups to investigate, but be careful, especially the one investigating Pei Que. He’s the most cunning fox in the capital. Don’t let him be discovered.” Speaking of Pei Que, the Grand Princess was also a little apprehensive. “If you can find out the truth, that would be the best. If you can’t, don’t force it. Protect your head well. I still have many uses for you.”

When the young eunuch heard that his master had not punished him, he felt greatly relieved and kowtowed, saying, “My Lady, rest assured. I will be very cautious and careful and will definitely not let anyone catch me.”