"Back then, my father would get up around 3:30 AM every day, and after court, he would always come to Wuyi Studio to test our knowledge. At that time, my third brother was always the one who received the most praise from my father." The fourth prince's voice seemed to be lost in memories.

Li Chenjiao was silently calculating in her mind. She had a Western clock that the Fourth Master had given her. She had seen it before when she was in her boudoir, but she didn't like to hear the sound of the clock. She only let the maids put it in the flower hall and glance at it every day when they had their meals.

The hour of Yin, that's three or four o'clock? That's when Li Chenjiao sleeps the best every day.

Moreover, that was when the Fourth Prince was five years old. Now, the Second Princess only goes to school in the front courtyard after 7:30 AM every day, and only for half a day...

“I remember that when I was eight years old, my eldest and second eldest brothers started to compete in Wuyizhai every day, and then they would compete in the shooting range outside Wuyizhai.”

Li Chenjiao understood that the eldest and second eldest brothers were referring to the Prince Zhi and the Crown Prince.

"I think the princes are still young, so these past two years have only been for their early education, not for them to work too hard..."

Li Chenjiao then understood what the Fourth Prince meant; the Fourth Prince was missing the First Prince.

Whether Fourth Master was a good father or not, Li Chenjiao couldn't say; with so many children, one's heart would inevitably become biased.

Li Chenjiao herself had to admit that among all the children in the mansion, the Fourth Prince saw the Second Princess the most. However, as a mother, she naturally hoped that her child could have her father's company in addition to her love.

She tilted her head slightly: "You've done very well."

Yes, the Fourth Prince himself worked hard in the Imperial Study in the palace, so he didn't want his children to work hard. It's already quite remarkable that he could put himself in his children's shoes and think what they thought.

The Fourth Master originally intended to protect the children by having them attend school in the front yard.

The eldest prince's accident might be blamed on the servants' inadequate care or on someone's deliberate plot, but the fourth prince, as his father, couldn't keep the eldest prince by his side every moment.

Li Chenjiao's words did not comfort the Fourth Master much. He had opened up today because he was also reminiscing about the time when he studied at Wuyizhai.

But everything has changed now; all that's left is suspicion between fathers and sons, and wariness between brothers.

Fourth Master originally only sought to protect himself, but now he finds that even self-preservation seems difficult in this deep pool.

Li Chenjiao lay flat on her back again, looking at the canopy above her head, her voice gentle: "On the day I gave birth to the Fourth Prince, I almost thought I wouldn't make it through. But I didn't want to die. At that time, I vaguely heard Aman crying. Sometimes, just do your best."

The Fourth Prince understood perfectly well that the current situation in the court was unpredictable. He had always been the one to protect himself, but he had a vague premonition that his father, the Emperor, was going to take drastic measures against Suo'etu, and that the next target would probably be the Crown Prince, who was far away in Dezhou.

Right now, the faction led by Prince Zhi is probably sparing no effort to find all sorts of mistakes the Crown Prince has made over the past few years.

With the saying "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold," the Fourth Master dared not make any big moves.

In the darkness, the Fourth Prince held Li Chenjiao's hand and suddenly said, "Over the years, the family has shown us great kindness and affection, and I feel sorry for you."

Perhaps it was the phrase "I feel sorry for you" that was more likely to bring tears to Li Chenjiao's eyes than words of protection.

The phrase "deep gratitude and profound affection" carries considerable weight, directly reflecting the difficulties Li Chenjiao faced in giving birth to the Fourth Prince. For the Fourth Prince, he did not take Li Chenjiao's bearing of his offspring for granted, but rather used the phrase "deep gratitude" to express his feelings.

The Fourth Prince always remembered the hardships Li Chenjiao endured during childbirth and never forgot them.

Li Chenjiao held back her tears and leaned gently on Fourth Master's shoulder: "Why did you bring this up out of the blue, Master? You must take good care of yourself while you're out there."

Li Chenjiao couldn't say she felt sorry for Fourth Master; all she could do was sincerely hope that he was well and that nothing bad would happen to him.

Fourth Master held Li Chenjiao's hand, gave a soft "hmm," and said nothing more.

No matter what, the dust will eventually settle. The Fourth Prince has no way out. He has enjoyed everything the imperial family has given him since birth, and the hardships he has faced are naturally unavoidable.

In the entire mansion, there was only one person to whom the Fourth Master could confide his true feelings.

With the changing of the guard, the Fourth Prince may or may not fight for power, but in any case, it is all for self-preservation and to protect those he wants to protect.

The struggle between Prince Zhi and the Grand Princess is in the open, but the death of the Grand Princess seems like yesterday. Throughout history, the victor is always king and the loser is always villain. How can the loser ever have a good ending?

Fourth Master wants Li Chenjiao to be well, and only wishes that she can have such a comfortable and carefree life every day when she returns to the manor.

If everything goes as usual, the Crown Prince will still be the Crown Prince, and the Fourth Prince will still not compete.

But what if something unexpected happens...?

Fourth Master will have to think it over.

Fourth Master finally slept soundly. The next day, when Fourth Master got up, Li Chenjiao woke up shortly afterward.

She propped herself up; the Fourth Master was already dressed and ready to leave.

Li Chenjiao called out to Master, "Please don't overwork yourself." She could actually sense that something was wrong with Fourth Master last night.

She only knew that there was a reason for the First Prince's accident. But considering that the Fourth Prince hadn't entered the inner courtyard recently, and that the incident involving the Prime Minister who was bestowing the gold seal that day, she was afraid that things outside were even more turbulent, and that the Fourth Prince was probably in deep trouble these days.

Fourth Master turned around and raised his hand in mid-air, as if to push Li Chenjiao, who had straightened up, back down.

Li Chenjiao cooperated and lay back down as the Fourth Master raised his hand.

Fourth Master turned around, a hint of a smile in his eyes.

"Prepare dinner in advance," Fourth Master said.

Since Father Emperor told them to reflect on their mistakes yesterday, Fourth Prince naturally wouldn't cause trouble for himself. He went to the Ministry of Revenue to report for duty and returned home at noon. There wouldn't be any other matters to attend to.

Tonight's dinner will be held in the East Courtyard.

When Li Chenjiao responded, the Fourth Master had already left. Well, as long as the Fourth Master is happy.

As for Fourth Master saying he's coming for dinner? Then let's get ready.

...

His Majesty ordered the princes to reflect on their mistakes. Although the Fourth Prince did not understand the reason, he still cut off his correspondence with the Thirteenth Prince of Dezhou. Apart from attending court and going to the Ministry of Revenue every day, the Fourth Prince stayed at home. Only on days when the weather was nice would he go to pay his respects to his mother after court.

The situation was similar at Prince Zhi's residence. Although Prince Zhi rarely left his residence, people still kept going there.

The Third Prince followed the Fourth Prince's example, and he even stopped going to the Ministry of Rites. He spent his days composing poems in his mansion. If he was satisfied with his work, he would send it to His Majesty. However, it was unknown whether His Majesty read it or not, as it was like throwing a stone into the sea without receiving any reply.

The other gentlemen were all pretty much the same, but they all kept a much lower profile.

Naturally, the Fourth Master's birthday on October 30th was also celebrated in a low-key manner. None of his brothers were invited; he only had two tables set up at his own residence.