Two quarters of an hour had passed, and Fourth Master still wouldn't let anyone in. Li Yu was worried that something might happen, so she whispered a reminder: "Master, Consort Su is pregnant and her body is already unwell. It's freezing cold outside, and she might not be able to stand outside for long!"

Upon being reminded, Hongli sighed inwardly at his own foolishness, realizing that he had been so preoccupied with arguing with her that he had forgotten about her pregnancy.

Despite his regret, he didn't show it, and instead impatiently ordered, "Let her in."

Li Yu breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving the order and immediately went outside to fetch someone.

Su Yushan was shivering from the cold, her nose and ears were icy. Hongli didn't want to pay attention to her, but when he saw her clutching her hands tightly after entering the room, her knuckles turning red, he put the bronze stove he was holding on the table.

Seeing that her master didn't say anything, Li Yu understood and took two steps forward to pick up the hand warmer and hand it to Su Yushan, saying, "Princess, please warm yourself up first."

Su Yushan didn't dare to accept it, thinking to herself that Hongli hadn't given any instructions, so it wouldn't be appropriate for her to use his things directly like this. What if he scolded her again, wouldn't that be even more awkward?

The Fourth Prince didn't speak up, and the Princess didn't dare to respond. Li Yu was caught in the middle, feeling very awkward. She thought to herself, "Your Highness, please say something!"

Seeing this, Hongli still refused to soften his tone and remained silent for a long time before saying, "Take it! Don't let the child get cold."

She knew it! Hongli had only ignored her for a quarter of an hour, how could he possibly care about her? In the end, it was all for the sake of the child.

He spoke, and she dared not disobey. She took the food and expressed her gratitude politely, "Thank you for your concern, Fourth Master. You are busy with government affairs, so you should take a rest. I have made you some chicken soup, please enjoy it."

Would she really be so kind? Recalling the scene the day she returned, Hongli couldn't help but think of a certain possibility, "Why are you being so attentive for no reason? Is something wrong at your home?"

"..." No wonder he didn't want to see her; he must have thought she came here to ask him for a favor. Su Yushan felt embarrassed, but quickly composed herself and said gently.

"With nothing happening at home, I heard that Fourth Master rescued Jiafeng. I am extremely grateful and have specially made chicken soup to express my gratitude."

Hongli glanced at the food box, his face unmoved, and scoffed disdainfully, "Your so-called gratitude is just a bowl of soup?"

Sensing the somewhat tense atmosphere, Chang Yue interrupted, "This chicken soup was personally prepared by the princess and simmered for a full two hours! It's incredibly fresh and fragrant; you'll know once you taste it, Fourth Master."

Chang Yue placed the food box on the table, intending to serve her master a bowl, when she heard him sternly rebuke, "Su Yushan, you maid are so ill-mannered! How dare you interrupt your master?"

Su Yushan thought to herself: In the past, Chang Yue always liked to joke around in front of the two of them, and Hongli never scolded her. Now that he is being so calculating, he is obviously deliberately making trouble for Chang Yue and embarrassing her.

Seeing that things were not going well, Li Yu immediately gave Chang Yue a look, signaling her to come out with him and not get in his way.

Upon reaching the door, Li Yu closed it behind him, leaving only the two of them inside.

In the past, if Hongli had ridiculed her like this, Su Yushan would have been upset and turned to leave. But now she wouldn't act out of spite; she would stay and respectfully say:

"May I ask what Your Highness desires? I will do my utmost to fulfill your kindness."

Holding a book in his hand, Hongli idly tapped the edge of the table, "How did the women in those storybooks repay their benefactors?"

His gaze swept over her lazily, his deep, dark eyes seeming to hold a hidden meaning. Su Yushan, of course, understood his implication and readily replied...

"Most of them repay the debt with their bodies."

That's quite sensible. Hongli seized the opportunity to suggest, "Then shouldn't you also learn from them?"

She was originally his woman, and had no right to prevent him from touching her. However, given the current special circumstances, she still had some reservations. "I am pregnant, and I am afraid I will not be able to serve Fourth Master."

"You are four months pregnant. The doctor said that appropriate intimacy is not a problem."

"..." He knows quite a lot. Su Yushan was speechless and didn't know how to answer.

Without waiting for her response, Hongli asked with displeasure, "What? You don't want to?"

Noticing his apparent displeasure, Su Yushan immediately replied, "How could that be? It is my honor to serve Fourth Master."

Honored? He saw not a trace of joy on her face. With a cold laugh, Hongli ordered, "Then go back to bathe and change, and wait for me!"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Su Yushan replied softly, curtsied, and slowly turned around, taking light steps as she left the study.

She used to be bad at hiding her feelings. She would say she didn't care, but her face was still cold and she couldn't hide her thoughts. Now she seems to have learned to be smarter. Her smile is gentle and proper, she is respectful and docile, and there is not a single fault in her words and deeds.

But the more she acted this way, the more uneasy Hongli felt. He casually put down the book and couldn't be bothered to bother anymore.

In fact, even without Hongli's instruction, Su Yushan had planned to take a bath today. It had been snowing for the first few days after she returned, so it was not advisable to take a bath. Today, the weather was warm, so it was a good time to bathe and wash her hair.

Previously at Yunfang's house, taking a bath was very troublesome. Just boiling water required boiling two large pots. It was also very inconvenient to carry hot water from the kitchen to the bedroom. Therefore, they could only make do with bathing in the kitchen, which made it easier to add hot water.

Boiling, adding, and draining water all had to be done by herself. Yunfang felt sorry for her because she was pregnant and wouldn't let her carry water. A bath took about an hour, and by the time she finished, she was completely exhausted.

In comparison, it was indeed much more comfortable to have someone serve her, but enjoyment comes at a price. She had to watch Hongli's expression, and no matter how difficult Hongli made things for her, she had to endure it. When you're under someone's roof, how can you not bow your head?

After her bath, Chang Yue specially chose a scarlet belly-length dress for her, but Su Yushan didn't like it, saying it was too flashy and asked for another one. Chang Yue smiled and said:

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