Knowing there was an archery and horsemanship class today, Li Ying made a point to arrive at Chongwen Hall early.

He sat alone in a corner, a book in his hands, but his eyes kept glancing toward the entrance.

The other princes and princesses arrived one after another.

The Fifth Prince, Li Yan, provoked Li Ying as usual, but Li Ying completely ignored him. He didn’t make a single sound, standing as still as a wooden post, devoid of all feeling.

Li Yan found it dull. Besides, this was Chongwen Hall; he couldn’t take things too far. He gave up, his interest having waned.

The others had no interest in Li Ying, treating him as if he were invisible.

Prince Zhao was the last to arrive at Chongwen Hall.

The moment he stepped through the door, Li Ying set his book down.

Li Ying stood up. His gaze traveled past Prince Zhao to look behind him, as if searching for someone.

But Li Ying was disappointed.

There was no one behind Prince Zhao.

Ever since Li Ying learned that the person he was looking for was likely Hua Manman, he had been in a daze. His mind was in turmoil, constantly turning over his thoughts.

Unfortunately, he had been under confinement and was unable to find Hua Manman to ask her about it.

He was only released from confinement yesterday.

He knew Hua Manman often disguised herself as an Attendant Student to follow Prince Zhao into the palace. That was why he had deliberately waited in Chongwen Hall, hoping for a chance to speak with her in person.

Today, however, only Prince Zhao had come.

Li Ying was incredibly disheartened at not seeing the person he’d hoped for, so much so that he was distracted throughout the class.

Li Ji, of course, noticed the Fourth Prince’s odd behavior, but he couldn’t be bothered with it. He pretended not to see a thing, planning to head home to his wife as soon as the class was over.

Seeing Prince Zhao leave Chongwen Hall, Li Ying couldn’t hold back any longer and ran after him.

"Prince Zhao, please wait a moment."

Li Ji stopped and turned to look at him. "What is it?"

Li Ying lowered his voice. "I have something I wish to discuss with you, but it’s not convenient here. Might we speak in detail at your Prince Mansion?"

Li Ji arched an eyebrow. "And what might that be?"

Li Ying hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"It’s about Princess Consort Zhao."

Li Ji stared at him, clearly hearing the thoughts in his mind—

’As long as I can get into the Prince Zhao Mansion, I’ll have a chance to see her. I have to ask her about that matter in person.’

Li Ji’s eyes narrowed, his gaze probing. "What about my Princess Consort?"

Li Ying replied, "It concerns the time Princess Consort Zhao went missing. I know some of the inside details."

Some time ago, Hua Manman had collapsed by the roadside, writhing in agony, her mind hazy with pain.

He had happened to pass by her then and had seen her unbearable suffering with his own eyes. He’d guessed she might have some kind of heart ailment, but at the time, he hadn’t given it a second thought and had walked away indifferently after a single glance.

’I wonder if Prince Zhao knows about Hua Manman’s heart ailment.’

’Perhaps I can use this to get another chance to see her.’

Li Ji heard every detail of the other man’s scheming thoughts.

’So the "her" Li Ying wanted to see was Hua Manman.’

Li Ji was thoroughly displeased, and his gaze turned cold.

"How my Princess Consort is doing is none of your concern. You should worry about yourself."

With that, he broke his gaze and walked away without a backward glance.

Li Ying stood rooted to the spot, watching Prince Zhao’s retreating figure as his own gaze darkened.

’They say Prince Zhao is mercurial, and it’s certainly true.’

’Prince Zhao had seemed quite interested when I mentioned his Princess Consort.’

’Then, in the blink of an eye, his attitude completely changed.’

’The shift was so abrupt, and for no apparent reason.’

Although he had been rebuffed by Prince Zhao, Li Ying refused to give up.

He lay in wait near Moon Viewing Pavilion and finally, after a long while, caught sight of Hua Jieyu.

"Hua Jieyu, I have something I wish to discuss with you. May we speak privately?"

Hua Qingqing frowned. She was clearly displeased by the Fourth Prince’s brazen interruption, but given his royal status, she said nothing. Instead, she simply waved a hand at the palace maids and nannies accompanying her.

They immediately fell back, putting some distance between themselves and Hua Jieyu.

The distance was perfectly judged. They could still see Hua Jieyu but couldn’t overhear her conversation with the Fourth Prince. It also allowed them to keep watch, preventing anyone from seeing Hua Jieyu meeting privately with the Fourth Prince and starting unnecessary rumors.

Hua Qingqing’s expression remained gentle and serene, but her tone was distant.

"I have an appointment to stroll through the gardens and cannot be late. I hope you will be brief, Your Highness."

Li Ying was in no mood for pleasantries and got straight to the point.

"Eleven years ago, did your sister go missing?"

Hua Qingqing’s heart skipped a beat.

’Only our family knows that my sister went missing. How could the Fourth Prince possibly know?’

She replied, her expression unreadable, "No, she did not. Why do you ask?"

"Don’t lie to me," Li Ying said, staring at her intently.

Hua Qingqing retorted, "Why would I lie to you? There would be no benefit for me in doing so."

Li Ying took a step forward, his voice low.

"This matter is very important to me. If you dare to deceive me, I will make you wish you were dead."

His sinister gaze sent a chill down her spine.

But she quickly composed herself. Anger flared in her eyes, and her tone grew even harder.

"I have told you the truth. Believe it or not!"

With that, she refused to look at the Fourth Prince again, turning away with a cold snort and a flick of her sleeve.

The palace maids and nannies, who had been watching from a distance, hurried to catch up.

Li Ying walked away in the opposite direction.

He returned to his residence.

As the least favored prince, his courtyard was overgrown with weeds, and his residence looked particularly dilapidated from years of neglect.

The little eunuch, Liang Yong, was in the courtyard drawing water to wash clothes. When he saw the Fourth Prince return, he hastily dropped the wet laundry.

"I’ll go to the Imperial Kitchen at once to fetch your lunch, Your Highness."

The other princes had all three of their daily meals delivered to them by dedicated staff; they never had to worry about it.

But it was different for the Fourth Prince. The Imperial Kitchen never sent anyone to deliver his food. If he wanted to eat, he had to send someone to fetch it.

He had only one eunuch to command: Liang Yong. Whether it was washing clothes, cleaning, or fetching meals from the Imperial Kitchen, Liang Yong had to do it all himself.

Liang Yong was small and unassuming in appearance, but he was actually an expert. His Qinggong was especially formidable, and he was also excellent at household chores.

His only flaw was that he was a bit of a chatterbox, prone to rambling when idle.

Li Ying said, his expression blank.

"I’m not hungry. We’ll skip lunch for now. I need you to leave the palace and run an errand for me."

Liang Yong wiped his soaking hands dry. "What are your orders, Your Highness?"

Li Ying said, "Investigate the Lantern Festival from eleven years ago. Find out if anyone from the Zhong’an Bo Mansion went missing."

The moment Liang Yong heard the words "Lantern Festival," he knew this was related to the person the Fourth Prince was searching for.

His talkative nature took over, and he couldn’t help but ask.

"Could it be, Your Highness? Have you found her? Is she from the Zhong’an Bo Mansion?"

Li Ying didn’t answer, walking straight into the house.