It's likely that Qiu Ci and the others asked the servants of Niohuru and Baijia to count the clothes they brought, and she said, "How come there's a whole chest full of autumn clothes?"

Although I am going south in September, I will return to the capital by November at the latest.

It was estimated that it would only get cold in October, and that some clothes could be bought along the way at that time. So Li Chenjiao added a sentence to the letter telling Qiu Ci not to prepare too many clothes.

Heading south, it became less inconvenient to enter and exit the palace. They could stop and go as they pleased along the way, based on Li Chenjiao's experience from traveling there once.

She asked Qiu Hu to bring out her clothes first, and then asked Lü Mei to invite Niu Hulu and Bai Jia over. Although the two women were different in build, she was still afraid of making a mistake, so she decided to have them come and sort them out.

However, Li Chenjiao shook her fan and changed her mind: "Let's invite them over when it's not so hot in the evening. It'll be too hot going back and forth."

It wasn't very hot inside the palace courtyard, but if you walked outside for a long time, it was still quite sunny.

In the evening, Bai Jia and Niu Hulu arrived one after the other. Li Chenjiao did not hide it from them. Bai Jia's eyes were full of gratitude, which seemed genuine. However, Niu Hulu bowed and thanked her once, but her eyes were thoughtful.

Bai Jia said one last time, "You are the kindest person imaginable, but that person doesn't seem like... someone without any ulterior motives."

Li Chenjiao smiled slightly: "It was just a side thing. I'm not a kind person; everyone has their own agenda."

Just as Bai Jia wanted to rely on her, she didn't need any help, but she was willing to lend a hand, in case it came in handy someday. However, she would not have any direct contact with Bai Jia on the surface.

At least she wouldn't be as conspicuous as the Fujin and Liu.

Li Chenjiao was never someone who asked for nothing in return, but she did feel a pang of conscience.

Now we can finally speak frankly and openly.

After pondering Li Chenjiao's words for a moment, Bai Jia replied, "It's best if you know the answer, and this servant also hopes that things can continue like this."

Li Chenjiao smiled at her, "Thank you anyway. Go back now, it's terribly hot outside. I'll have Lümei take you. Do you need anything?"

Bai Jia stood up, a genuine smile on her face: "Everything is fine at the palace. Then this servant will take her leave."

She didn't want to stay any longer; it wouldn't be good if she ran into the Fourth Prince and upset the concubine.

Li Chenjiao and Bai Jiashi cannot be considered to be on the same page, because so far it has been Li Chenjiao who has taken care of Bai Jiashi, while Bai Jiashi has not had many opportunities to contribute.

Therefore, Bai Jiashi is often uneasy nowadays, as people naturally want to prove their worth through some means.

That's why Bai Jia was staring so intently at Niu Hulu across from her.

Li Chenjiao rested her chin on her hand, watching Bai Jiashi's figure disappear into the distance. She was not unaware of these things.

That's why she said "Everyone naturally has their own agenda" to appease Bai Jia.

One should never be impatient. When one is impatient, one is prone to confusion, which can easily lead to mistakes.

Bai Jia had only been gone a short while when the Fourth Master arrived. Seeing the wrist guard on the Fourth Master's arm, Li Chenjiao stepped forward to help him remove it: "Did you go horseback riding, Master?"

Fourth Master shook his head: "I went to the horse farm to check on the foals."

The fourteen men didn't care about anything inside or outside the confinement area; what they cared about most was the colt they had ridden this time. They thought about it like their own hearts every day and had the servants around them watch over it.

Li Chenjiao fell silent after hearing this, as she really didn't know anything about foals.

She remembered something else: "Before leaving, Aman reminded me to remember to give the embroidered pony to the eldest prince."

Fourth Master looked at her: "What's going on now?"

Li Chenjiao didn't elaborate, and put the wristband she had taken off aside: "Didn't the First Prince fall ill a while ago? Aman thought of using her favorite little horse to cheer him up."

Fourth Master hummed in agreement, and just as he was about to speak, Li Chenjiao handed him another cup of cool tea.

He took it, drank the herbal tea, and then said, "I'll give it to you when I get back to the manor, and you can send it to the eldest prince."

This was exactly what Li Chenjiao wanted, and she smiled somewhat shyly: "I'm just afraid the stitching is rough, I hope you won't laugh at me later."

Although it was handled by the Fourth Master, we still need to have him investigate.

After hearing this, the Fourth Master glanced at her sideways and said, "I'll have to take a good look at her then."

The matter of sending the pony to the eldest prince is finally settled, and Li Chenjiao can now give Aman an explanation.

As soon as the Fourteenth Prince was released from confinement, he went to the Horse Testing Terrace and rode his favorite horse for a good time.

I heard that the horse was personally chosen by the Fourth Prince and given to the Fourteenth Prince. No wonder the Fourteenth Prince treasured it so much.

However, Li Chenjiao really didn't react to foals or anything like that. Compared to those, she was more concerned about how to order food in a less conspicuous way every day.

The days passed peacefully and uneventfully. Li Chenjiao looked forward to the Fourth Master's meal every day, so that she could order food as a matter of course. Occasionally, Bai Jia would come over to sit for a while. Knowing that Li Chenjiao got up a little late, she would usually come around dusk and go back before the Fourth Master returned.

There was no movement from Niohuru's side; she simply spent her days looking at the chrysanthemums in full bloom in the garden, and occasionally she would secretly pick a couple to take home.

There is no trouble on either side.

There were still various minor conflicts outside, but it was said that the Crown Prince was not fully recovered. Although His Majesty was very concerned, the Prince Zhi was more often by His Majesty's side.

Fourth Master spends most of his time with Thirteenth and Fourteenth Princes, as his two younger brothers are still quite young, so he naturally has to take extra care of them.

Besides, the Fourth Prince wasn't stupid. Knowing that Prince Zhi was right next to the Emperor, why would he bother to join in the fun?

The weather was still quite hot in September. Li Chenjiao realized that she hadn't received any letters from the manor for a while, and she had been worried about it.

However, since the Fourth Master always seemed calm and collected, Li Chenjiao figured that there was probably nothing wrong with him.

There was indeed nothing wrong in the manor, at least the Second Princess and the Fourth Prince were fine.

On the sixth day of the ninth month, news finally came from the manor. Li Chenjiao opened the letter and was slightly taken aback when she saw the first sentence.

The letter was written by Granny Lin, and the first sentence read, "The Second Prince is unwell and has been exempted from attending classes in the front courtyard for several days. The imperial physician has been staying at the residence for a while, but the situation is unclear."

It was a short sentence, but you could still hear the anxiety in it.

Li Chenjiao frowned, the situation unclear; it was likely that the Princess Consort was intentionally keeping it from her…

By now, Fourth Master has probably already received the news.

The Second Prince's health... sigh.