"Madam, the sun is very strong here. You should go back inside and wait." Granny Li took a round fan and fanned Madam's back.

From the moment she learned that the Fourth Prince was returning to the manor, the Fujin (principal wife) began instructing the kitchen to prepare the meals he would need upon his return. She knew that the Fourth Prince would definitely go to the main courtyard first. After eight years of marriage, she understood each other's personalities and temperaments.

"Granny, why don't you go to the kitchen and check if Honghui's favorite dishes have been made?" The Fujin's back was damp with sweat; the weather in June was already extremely hot. The cicadas in the trees were chirping incessantly, a truly irritating sound.

"Granny, quickly go and have someone catch these noisy cicadas. Fourth Master and Honghui might rest here for a while when they return later," the Fujin said, turning her head to the side.

Granny Li had no choice but to agree, handing the fan to Xia He behind her before going to find someone to catch cicadas.

Meanwhile, there was another person who was also secretly hoping that the Fourth Master would come to his courtyard first.

She also missed her son, whom she hadn't seen for over a month. Naturally, this was Consort Li, the mother of the Third Prince.

"Xiangqiao, put on the phoenix-shaped hairpin with a pearl in its bead, which Master gave me, and bring me that fuchsia qipao." Madam Li was sitting upright in front of the bronze mirror, letting Mingyan style her hair. Her slender eyebrows slanted upwards towards her temples, and her large, almond-shaped eyes were adorned with delicate eyeliner, with crystal drops at the corners that shimmered and were exceptionally eye-catching. A half-smile played on her cherry-red lips.

"Has Que'er returned?" Li asked suddenly, staring at her reflection in the bronze mirror.

"They haven't come back yet." Xiangqiao took the exquisitely beautiful hairpin and handed it to Li Shi while looking out the window.

Just then, the sparrow walked into the courtyard.

"Master, she's back." Xiangqiao winked at Mingyan. They were already used to it; whenever Madam Li spoke to Que'er, she would ask the two of them to leave. At this moment, without Madam Li speaking, Mingyan automatically stopped what she was doing and with Xiangqiao withdrew.

Que'er walked straight into the main room and saw Xiangqiao and Mingyan come out. Que'er walked past them with a smug look on her face and went into the inner room.

"My lady, I've made all the arrangements. As soon as you return, you'll be the first to know," Que'er said fluently, bowing to Madam Li.

“Very good, Que’er, you are very capable. Here, this is a reward for you.” Li Shi took out a pair of jade earrings from the jewelry box and handed them to Que’er.

The jade was a vibrant, translucent green, clearly made of top-quality jade. Upon seeing it, Que'er naturally desired it, but said, "It is my duty to share my master's burdens; how could I accept a reward from you?"

Madam Li slowly stood up, a smile playing on her lips. She walked to Que'er's side, circled her once, and stood directly in front of her. She held up the earrings to Que'er's ears and said in a soft, sweet voice, "This is what you deserve. Just do your job well for me, and the rewards you will receive in the future will be beyond your imagination."

Que'er dared not refuse any longer, and immediately accepted the pair of jade earrings, curtsied, and said, "Thank you for the reward, Master!"

Madam Li quickly helped Que'er up, smiled sweetly, then turned behind her and said in a sinister tone, "If anyone is disloyal to me, I will punish them, and I will punish them so that they can never escape it for the rest of their lives."

Just now, Que'er looked flattered, but upon hearing this, her expression changed slightly, and she bowed again, saying tremblingly, "This servant will certainly share the burdens of the concubine and dare not have the slightest disloyalty."

A series of silvery laughs rang out from behind her. Sparrow couldn't help but break out in a sweat on her forehead. She knew very well how Li was cunning, suspicious, and ruthless. She had to be extremely careful in serving her.

...

The journey was arduous, but as soon as Lanqin returned to the South Courtyard, she kept insisting on taking a bath. Niu Baoquan was taken to the gatehouse to be settled with Granny Wang. Li Shubao and Ziran had already cleaned the courtyard inside and out, even pruning every flower and tree neatly. The princess had been gone for over a month, and he, Granny Wang, and Ziran hadn't dared to slack off for a moment, keeping the courtyard gates tightly closed every day, living their own lives in this small world. Although some people often came to curry favor, they dared not easily accept their offer of allegiance in their master's absence.

"Princess, let me help you take a bath. Your three elder sisters must be tired from their journey." As soon as Zi Ran saw Lan Qin enter the main room, she immediately went to greet her.

Lanqin hadn't seen Ziran for over a month, and upon seeing her again, she noticed she had grown taller. She said, "That's good. Nianxue, you guys should go and wash up too."

The wooden tub had been prepared long ago, and Granny Wang had already instructed the eunuch to bring back the hot water.

As Lanqin sat naked in the wooden tub, Zi Ran began to pour warm, humid hot water over her body, ladle by ladle.

"During the days I was away, did anyone come?" Lanqin closed her eyes, letting the warm water pour over her.

“Gege Geng has come a few times, and Eunuch Huang from the kitchen has also come, as has Eunuch Wang from the gatehouse. They’ve all been kept by Granny Wang.” Zi Ran began sprinkling rose petals into the wooden tub.

"Oh, Sister Geng even wrote me a letter. I'll go see her later." Lanqin closed her eyes, and warm steam began to rise from them.

As soon as the Fourth Prince returned to the manor, he rested for a while in the front courtyard. The First Prince went straight back to his room, while the Third Prince sent him to the East Courtyard.

After receiving the news, the princess returned to her room somewhat absentmindedly, staring blankly at the table full of food.

"Madam, the master is probably thinking about the invitations that have piled up in the manor over the past month. He will definitely come to dine with you tonight," Granny Li comforted her.

"Then why not let the eldest prince come and see his mother? Even the third prince can go back to the East Courtyard." The princess sat on the couch, propping her head up with her hand and said quietly.

"Madam, please don't overthink it. Take a rest and save your energy. The master will definitely come over tonight," said Granny Li.

"Have the birth dates and times of Da and Ahe Haifu been sent over?" the Fujin asked, rubbing her temples.

"It has already been delivered. This old servant thinks it would be better for you to wait until the master speaks up before bringing it up." After all, Granny Li was older, and she felt that if the princess rashly approached the master about the selection of the eldest prince's haha ​​pearl, it would only cause the naturally suspicious fourth prince to develop preconceived notions.

“Alright, Granny, have the eldest and second princesses come over for dinner as well. They haven’t seen their father in a long time,” the Fujin said.