Previously, Fourth Master didn't talk much about outside affairs with Li Chenjiao, but it's unclear when it started, but he gradually began to talk about them with her.

However, Li Chenjiao would always be polite to her twice, no matter what.

These were all things that Fourth Master told her on his own initiative, not things that she begged him to tell her.

Fourth Master was well aware of Li Chenjiao's little schemes.

He gently stroked the bridge of the man's nose, as if to say, "Your temperament is a bit too soft."

Li Chenjiao was slightly taken aback by what the Fourth Master said. She was almost embarrassed to admit it.

"Do you think I'm the kind of person who would settle scores later?" Fourth Master withdrew his hand and said irritably.

Li Chenjiao paused for two seconds before finally nodding very cautiously.

When Fourth Master saw Li Chenjiao's little expression, he was both annoyed and amused.

Seeing this, Li Chenjiao raised her hand and wrapped it around Fourth Master's neck, which looked rather bewitching.

"I'm scared." Her small voice trembled.

Fourth Master couldn't see Li Chenjiao's expression, and he no longer believed that Li Chenjiao was afraid.

He raised his hand and patted Li Chenjiao again: "Then you should be afraid."

Li Chenjiao continued to lie on Fourth Master's chest, remaining silent and pretending to be afraid.

Fourth Master glanced at her twice, only managing to see half of Li Chenjiao's chin, which was pointed.

“Your brother did a good job. This time, he’s going to the capital to report on his work with a colleague named Nian Xiyao.”

Li Chenjiao didn't recognize him. She raised her head slightly, her expression now completely bewildered: "Why is Master telling me this?"

She could understand if I told her that her brother was going to be promoted because he did a good job, but why was I talking about Nian Xiyao?

Fourth Master continued, "Nian Xiyao is the Assistant Magistrate of Jingdong Prefecture in Yunnan, which makes him half your brother's superior. His younger brother, Nian Gengyao, is a capable man, but his father, Nian Xialing, is a cunning old fox..."

As he spoke, Fourth Master fell into deep thought again.

He had dealt with Nian Gengyao a few times, but in the past two years, Nian Gengyao had been working at the Hanlin Academy, so the Fourth Prince had less contact with him. Only during festivals would Nian Gengyao send some gifts.

The Nian family had a father and two sons, both of whom were outstanding and capable. Nian Gengyao was somewhat better, and nowadays he seemed to have fewer cunning schemes. However, Nian Xialing and Nian Xiyao, that father and son, were a pair of old foxes who could say whatever they wanted to people.

"I heard that when your brother was in office, Nian Xiyao took credit for many of your brother's achievements. Your brother suffered a lot because of this."

So that's what happened. She wondered why Fourth Master suddenly brought up the Nian family.

Li Chenjiao didn't speak up for her brother, who was far more worldly-wise in officialdom than their father.

Otherwise, the Fourth Master wouldn't have found out about these things.

"The Nian family is quite capable," Li Chenjiao remarked.

The Fourth Prince nodded slightly upon hearing this. Although Nian Xialing and his son Nian Xiyao were both cunning old foxes, they never allowed anyone to find fault with them in officialdom.

However, there were still some things about the Nian family that Fourth Master did not explain to Li Chenjiao.

When Nian Gengyao worked at the Hanlin Academy, he would accept half of the tributes sent to him during festivals, but would also return the other half intact.

Fourth Master wasn't stupid; he could see that the Nian family wanted to make friends, but neither side made it clear how far this friendship had gone.

Fourth Master didn't believe the Nian family was unaware of Li Chenjiao's brother's relationship with him. They were all smart people; no one needed to point out their little tricks and schemes.

It was simply that the Nian family was angry that he had refused them time and time again, so they used Li Chenjiao's brother to embarrass him.

Is this a case of not taking the Li family seriously, or not taking him seriously?

Whether the Nian family is a bunch of old foxes or just one old fox, Fourth Master doesn't really care. However, if they have too many ulterior motives, then Fourth Master won't like them.

Fourth Master still cares about the Nian family to some extent, but only to some extent; in reality, he doesn't care as much as he cares about Li Chenjiao's job.

“This time, Nian Xiyao is going to Zhili.” The Fourth Prince has been to the Ministry of Personnel several times in the past two days and has seen Nian Xiyao’s name more than once or twice. His performance evaluation is undoubtedly excellent, and with Nian Xialing pulling strings, he has come directly from Yunnan to Zhili.

When it came to changes in official positions, Li Chenjiao was completely clueless. She listened quietly, her quick-witted heart pounding: "You've worked hard, Master."

Perhaps the Fourth Master didn't inquire entirely for her sake; perhaps it was simply because of the abilities of the Nian family father and son. However, since the Fourth Master was able to find out about her brother's job, she naturally appreciated his efforts.

Fourth Master patted her.

Li Chenjiao stood up and pulled Fourth Master up as well, and the two of them walked into the inner room together.

“Your brother did a good job, he doesn’t need my help. Your father will be able to stay in the capital this time.”

What Fourth Master said was true, but the Li family had no backing. Even if Li Chenjiao's brother did a good job, he would probably still have to wait for seniority in Yunnan. Fourth Master put in a little effort and simply chose Li Chenjiao's hometown in Shandong, but not Jiaozhou, but another place.

There just happens to be a vacancy there. Once Li Chenjiao's brother finishes his report for duty, he will be able to take office around March when spring begins.

After meeting Li Wenye today, Fourth Master rejected the position he originally wanted. However, Fourth Master only mentioned these things briefly and did not explain them to Li Chenjiao in detail.

Fourth Master is always like this; he does a lot, but if he can only say half of it, he's already grateful.

However, the Fourth Master's willingness to promote the Li family was indeed due to Li Chenjiao's influence. But if the Li family father and son were incompetent, the Fourth Master would never have created trouble for himself.

To put it more clearly, it's not that the Fourth Prince didn't want to help his wife's brothers, but his eldest brother, Xinghui, was honest and upright, but he was unlikely to achieve great things. The others were either confused or scoundrels.

After the Fourth Master inquired about it twice, he naturally stopped caring.

If you can't help someone, you can't help them.

Fourth Master didn't say these words to Li Chenjiao. He had already said quite a bit, and it was late at night, so it was time to get down to business.

Fourth Master had been busy for most of the first month of the lunar year, and now that he had finally entered the backyard, he was naturally full of energy.

They spent the night together in passionate embrace.

The next day, Li Chenjiao woke up feeling unusually refreshed.

Naturally, it was rare to hear so much news from home, and all of it was good news. Even though she had been up until midnight last night, Li Chenjiao was still in high spirits.

The thought of seeing her mother again in a few days made Li Chenjiao even happier.