The next day, when the princess got up, she felt a severe headache again. After the imperial physician came to examine her and she took another dose of medicine, she felt that her headache was getting better and she had some energy to think about other things.

Granny Qian had already coordinated her story with Yu Ru and the others, keeping last night's events completely secret and not letting a word out to the Fujin.

However, the Princess Consort was clearly unaware of what had happened the previous night. Now that she was feeling better, she asked about other things first: "Nothing happened last night, right? I vaguely remember hearing the Second Prince crying?"

Seeing that both Granny Qian and Yu Ru silently shook their heads, the Fujin pressed her temples. Even though she felt something was strange, she was too exhausted to think about it too much and just assumed that the Second Prince had cried and made a fuss again yesterday.

It was common for the Second Prince to cry at night, sometimes even waking up his wife in the middle of the night and giving her a headache. But now she just assumed that the maids and nannies didn't want her to worry about the Second Prince, so she didn't ask.

At this moment, the Fujin (principal wife) had only one thing on her mind: "Yesterday I asked the Fourth Prince, but he was vague in his answer, and I can't figure out what he meant for the time being. I don't know—"

Hearing this, Granny Qian sighed, "Judging from what the Fujin (Madam) said, it seems she's going to take that girl from the East Courtyard north. If they keep going like this, then..."

At that time, the blessings bestowed upon the one in the East Courtyard will be even greater, and the bond between her and the Fourth Prince will be even harder to sever.

Who knows—maybe another child will be born in that courtyard, then it will be even harder to control.

Right now, the bodies of the Fujin and the Second Prince are right in front of her, and Granny Qian can see that the mother and son are as fragile as if a gust of wind could blow them away.

Granny Qian also had a headache: "This matter—it still depends on Fourth Master's intentions. Last time, the one in the East Courtyard was lucky; his dog was as slippery as an eel. Now, the one in the East Courtyard might be on guard, making it even more difficult to make a move."

The princess took a sip of hot tea, and as the tea warmed her, she managed to suppress her anger and let out a cold snort.

“Since the Fourth Master wants her to go, I naturally can’t stop him. But Li Shi has left the manor, but she can’t take the Second Princess with her to the north, can she? The child is still young, and it’s not surprising that he could die from an illness.”

Whether it's Lady Wu or Lady Li, they are currently a major concern for the Fujin (the wife of the deceased).

Granny Qian lowered her head: "This matter has not yet been decided. Madam, please don't be impatient. Let that person be arrogant for a while longer."

The princess wiped her mouth, and a smile appeared on her cheeks: "Of course I'm not in a hurry. She's just a princess after all, so there's no need to rush into anything. I just want to use the second princess to hurt Li Shi's feelings and make her understand that she should know the rules and be sensible."

The Fujin was very hard-hearted. In her eyes, the children in the harem were just opportunities to compete for favor and be noticed and remembered by the Fourth Prince.

The princess took another sip of hot tea, and for reasons unknown, sighed softly, "At this moment, I cannot bear to see blood..."

She slowly smoothed out the shallow wrinkles at the hem of her dress before placing her slender hands back on her lap: "Right now, let's think about the Fourth Prince's birthday gift. The Golden Banquet Festival is also coming soon, and we'll have to think about what to present to the Empress when we go to the palace."

As for the second princess in the East Courtyard, let's leave her for now.

There's no rush.

While the Fujin (principal wife) was pondering the Fourth Prince's birthday in the main courtyard, Li Chenjiao was also thinking about it. However, she wasn't thinking about what to give as a gift; Li Chenjiao already had an idea in mind.

The gift that Li Chenjiao was thinking about was proving to be much more difficult than she had imagined or anticipated.

Li Chenjiao was unaware that the Fourth Prince was going to accompany His Majesty northward.

Everything in the manor was relatively peaceful. After all, those with children were thinking about raising them, and those without children had to solve their daily food and clothing problems first. No one had the mind to cause trouble.

Outside, Fourth Master wasn't so carefree.

On the last day of September, during court, the Fourth Prince heard from his father, the Emperor, that the date for their journey north had been set a few days after the Golden Festival, and the princes were among those the Fourth Prince had anticipated.

The eldest prince, Prince Zhi, the third prince, the fifth prince, the eighth prince, the tenth prince, the thirteenth prince, and the fourteenth prince.

As before, the Crown Prince was left in the capital to oversee the country.

Such a thing was naturally considered extremely prestigious by Prince Zhi and others, and Prince Zhi was even more eager to stay and oversee the country.

However, upon further reflection, while leaving the regent to win over the ministers was a good idea, going north would allow him to communicate with the Mongol tribes such as the Dzungar and Khorchin. Furthermore, Prince Zhi's horsemanship and archery skills were outstanding among all the princes, and he could demonstrate the might of the Qing Dynasty's warriors to the various Mongol tribes.

Prince Zhi was somewhat satisfied with this.

After court, the Fourth Prince went to the Ministry of Revenue as usual, but he ran into Guo Xiu on the way. Guo Xiu looked more energetic than before.

Guo Xiu did not make a point of striking up a conversation; she simply stood a short distance away and bowed to the Fourth Master.

Fourth Master was also very polite. When he saw Guo Xiu bow, he raised his hand and nodded slightly in return.

"Is Fourth Master well? Is he feeling much better?" Guo Xiu asked first.

The Fourth Prince understood the meaning behind Guo Xiu's words. He raised his hand and coughed lightly twice: "With the Emperor's great favor and protection, Yinzhen is naturally safe and sound."

Guo Xiu was not fond of smiling, and she spoke to the Fourth Master in a very formal and serious manner.

The two were standing at a distance that was neither too close nor too far, and no matter how you looked at it, they didn't seem to be having a pleasant conversation.

Occasionally, palace servants or servants would pass by, but even if they saw it, no one would think much of it.

Guo Xiu was not one for pleasantries and quickly got to the point.

"Lord Nian was very worried when he learned that the Fourth Master was ill. Now that he heard the Fourth Master say that he is well, he should be somewhat relieved. As for the matter of sending gifts, he was very remorseful afterward. He had implicated the Fourth Master in his life and originally wanted to send his second son, Nian Gengyao, to apologize to the Fourth Master on his behalf, but Nian Gengyao suffered the consequences..."

Despite his advanced age and being far away in Hubei and Hunan, he still has sharp hearing and keen eyesight.

The Fourth Prince remained silent for two seconds before saying, "Lord Guo, you are too kind. It was Yinzhen who was cowardly, but fortunately, he did not implicate the Governor-General."

Fourth Master's words were much more polite and distant.

Guo Xiu naturally understood the Fourth Prince's meaning. He bowed and left, saying, "This humble official understands the Fourth Prince's meaning and will convey it to him."

As the Fourth Prince left the palace gates, he touched the back of his neck, which had become slightly hot from talking to Guo Xiu in the sun.

Fourth Master knew perfectly well whose side Guo Xiu was on.

Regardless of whether Guo Xiu's words are true or false, he will not leave any bad reputation for "forming cliques for personal gain" for others.

But what a coincidence! He had just exchanged witty remarks with Guo Xiu, and now, not long after leaving the palace, he had run into Longkodo.