When the Fourth Prince returned, the Fourth Prince's mansion was still quiet, with the sounds of morning bells and evening drums. The gate had just opened when the sweeping eunuch at the gatehouse came out with a large broom. The sound of a carriage approached amidst the chirping of birds in the early morning. When the sweeping eunuch saw the man on horseback, he froze, immediately putting down his broom and kneeling. The gatekeeper, hearing the commotion, quickly opened the gate. Those who were up and those who weren't rushed out in a flurry, some to greet him, others to announce his arrival.

The Fourth Prince was wearing a dark blue thin robe, and his face was obviously tired. When he stepped into the gate of the Fourth Prince's mansion, there were people kneeling from His Majesty to the two rows of people at the entrance.

"Welcome back to the Fourth Prince's residence!" Fatty Wang shouted loudly, and the others followed suit.

Main courtyard.

The Fujin was chanting her daily morning prayers in the small Buddhist hall. Ever since the eldest prince was moved to the front courtyard by the fourth prince, the Fujin had been getting up at the same time as the fourth prince. After washing up, she would usually go to the small Buddhist hall to chant sutras and pray for Honghui before having breakfast.

"Madam, the gatekeeper has come to announce that the Fourth Master has returned!" Granny Li said, walking up behind Madam with a joyful expression and bending over.

The princess consort, who had her eyes closed, immediately opened them upon hearing this and casually remarked, "Why didn't he return on the expected date!"

Granny Li's expression froze for a moment, but she continued, "Perhaps she was worried about Madam Yin's miscarriage and rushed back. Madam, the sooner you deal with Madam Niu, the sooner you can put your mind at ease."

Upon hearing this, the Princess Consort said nothing more. She slightly raised her head, looked at the white porcelain Guanyin Bodhisattva enshrined on the altar, and then slowly closed her eyes.

But she didn't forget to instruct Li Mama: "Go and send someone to keep an eye on things, and then send someone to the kitchen to tell them that if the master comes, they should bring breakfast over immediately."

Looking at the princess's straight back, Li Mama took a few steps back, acknowledged, and left.

When the Fourth Master returned to his room, the head nanny had already instructed people to wait and serve him. Zhao Quan, accompanied by two maids, brought a basin and towel for washing his face. Ice was immediately placed in the room, and the bed was tidied up. This was in case the Fourth Master wanted to sleep after returning.

"Su Peisheng, go and settle the things I brought back first. I'm going to take a nap." Sure enough, after washing his face, Fourth Master couldn't help but stretch.

"Yes, this servant will take care of it right away." In fact, Su Peisheng had barely slept all night. Now that he saw that the Fourth Master was going to rest, he quickly went down to give instructions so that he could catch up on some sleep while his master was resting. It must be said that the servants who serve others do have a hard life. Whether their master is asleep or asleep, they cannot rest in peace.

It's true that Zhao Quan was well-liked by Su Peisheng because he was indeed clever. He noticed Su Peisheng's tired appearance early on, and after quietly following Su Peisheng out of Fourth Master's room, he immediately said to Su Peisheng, "Master, look at your face. You should go and rest for a while. Your disciple is here to watch over you."

Su Peisheng glanced at Zhao Quan, then at the boxes carried in by the servants, and shook his head. He said to Zhao Quan, "You little brat, at least you have some conscience. I'll keep an eye on things that the master personally instructed me to do. Go and get your master some breakfast. Eat it early so you can serve the master later."

Zhao Quan cursed inwardly, but immediately put on an expression of admiration and said ingratiatingly, "Master, you serve the master day and night. Your disciple is truly impressed. I'll go get your breakfast now."

Watching Zhao Quan's departing figure, Su Peisheng chuckled and then mustered his strength to direct the guards to carry the things that the Fourth Master had brought back into the Fourth Master's study.

After the Fujin finished her morning prayers, she sent Qiu Chan to fetch breakfast. Seeing that the Fourth Prince hadn't come over, she knew that he was probably resting or had something else to do, and in any case, he wouldn't come over to have breakfast with her.

"Madam, we heard that the master went back to his room to rest as soon as he returned and didn't go to anyone's place," said Granny Li, looking at Madam's calm face.

"Granny, go to the west courtyard and tell Madam Geng and Madam Wang to come see me immediately," the Fujin said.

"This old servant will go right away. They should have come to pay their respects to you, Madam." Granny Li took a few steps back before turning and leaving.

"Chunliu, how is Madam Yin doing these days?" The Fujin asked, taking a sip of a cup of mare's milk.

"Reporting to Your Highness, Consort Yin doesn't leave her room all day. She either lies down or sits, and she doesn't speak to anyone. In my opinion, Consort Yin is worrying too much all day, and she seems to be going a little crazy," Chunliu replied cautiously.

The Fujin's expression softened somewhat, but she then said to Chunliu, "Did she hear what I asked you to tell her?"

Chunliu immediately said, "This servant has relayed Madam Fujin's words to Consort Yin without missing a single one."

At this moment, Qiu Chan returned with breakfast. After she set the breakfast for the Fujin on the table, Li Mama, along with Wang Shi and Geng Shi, came to pay their respects to her.

"This servant greets the Princess Consort!" Madam Wang and Madam Geng together performed a proper half-squatting salute to the Princess Consort.

"They're all here, get up quickly. Have Sister Wang and Sister Geng had breakfast yet? Why don't you come and have some with me?" The Fujin's warm face showed her usual smile, as if she hadn't asked Li Mama to pass on the message to the two girls.

"I've already eaten some, so please forgive me, Madam, for not being able to have breakfast with you." Madam Wang thought to herself, she had just gotten off work in the morning and was called over, so it really was just to have breakfast with us.

"This servant is also guilty, please forgive me, Madam." Geng was as silent and cautious as she had been before she left.

The Fujin (principal wife) took in the expressions of the two women and asked about the Fourth Prince's journey. Then, she subtly inquired about the number of days and times the two women had served him. Unexpectedly, this question made Wang Shi wish she could disappear into a hole in the ground.

After sending Wang back and taking Geng, Fourth Master almost always called for Geng whenever he needed something for his body. At first, Wang thought Fourth Master was just looking for something new, but as the days went by, it seemed she hadn't made him think of her at all. Actually, Fourth Master didn't call Geng for anything intimate; he was just too tired during the day and wanted Geng to help him relax and massage his stiff areas at night.

Thus, Wang, who considered herself beautiful, could never have guessed how Geng, with her mediocre looks, had managed to win the Fourth Prince's favor. From that moment on, Wang harbored a deep hatred for Geng, so whenever the Fujin (Prince's wife) inquired about it, she felt so ashamed she wished she could die immediately.

When the Fujin learned that the one who had been serving the Fourth Prince for the most days was actually the usually quiet Geng, she was quite surprised, but she still maintained her composure and smiled gently, saying, "My two sisters have really worked hard, especially Geng. Alright, I don't have anything to do here. You've been running around all night, go back and rest."