Left with no other choice, Cui Ning had to lie, replying with a smile, "Fourth Master didn't go to Huatang Pavilion. He's staying in his own bedroom tonight! I guess he's too busy to go out."

Upon learning that the person wasn't there, Gao Xiuwen felt temporarily relieved, but secretly sighed at herself for starting to be so calculating. Even if Hongli really went to Huatang Pavilion, what could she do?

Asking these questions only adds to your troubles!

Sighing to herself, Gao Xiuwen pulled the covers over herself and went to bed, asking no more questions.

Su Yushan thought that Hongli might not come over tonight because he hadn't eaten last night, but to her surprise, he came to have dinner with her again in the evening.

After dinner, as she entered her tent, Su Yushan trembled with fear, afraid that he would make the same request again as the night before. Therefore, she spoke first.

"My hands are still sore, how about I take a break tonight?"

Hongli feigned surprise and made a "hmm" sound. "If you hadn't brought it up, I wouldn't have thought about it in that way. But now that you've mentioned it, I've started to miss it."

"Really?" Su Yushan secretly cursed herself for being so talkative. She shouldn't have said anything! "Then pretend I didn't say anything."

"But I've already heard it, and I've already started thinking about it. What should I do?"

Su Yushan was filled with remorse, and with a pitiful look on her face, she begged him for forgiveness, "I was wrong, okay? I won't say anything out of line again."

Her fear was evident in his eyes, which made Hongli's eyes crinkle slightly and a smile bloom in them. "Just kidding! I understand the principle of strengthening the body's foundation. You need to rest and recuperate these few days. When it's convenient for you, I'll take good care of you."

She was overthinking it! He had no such intention at all, and she worried for nothing.

With a sigh of relief, Su Yushan was no longer worried and asked him with a smile if anything interesting had happened recently.

Hongli then told her about some people and things in the court that were not confidential. Su Yushan listened very carefully and occasionally expressed her own opinions.

Laughter could be heard from inside the room from time to time. The north wind seemed to have heard the noise, and it gently tapped on the window and howled, as if it wanted to hear the whispers inside the tent.

The two chatted for half an hour until Su Yushan yawned. Hongli then stopped talking, gently patted her shoulder, and embraced her as she drifted off to sleep.

She wasn't particularly interested in those things in the past, but this time, perhaps because he had teased her for too long, she actually started to look forward to it, hoping that her period would end soon so that she could share pleasure with him.

Three days later, her period had ended. In the warm, windless afternoon, Changyue specially ordered someone to prepare hot water for her master to bathe and change clothes.

Bathing was inconvenient in ancient times, especially in winter. Even the people in the prince's mansion could not bathe every day. They usually only bathed once every six or seven days. Su Yushan could not bear it any longer and wanted to bathe after three days.

If anyone else had made such a request, the kitchen staff would certainly not have been happy to oblige. Fortunately, Su Yushan was Hongli's most favored maid, and the kitchen staff always granted her requests.

However, she had recently started her period, and Changyue forbade her from taking a bath, saying that she was afraid of catching a cold and harming her health. She endured it for five days, and today she could finally wash herself to her heart's content. Soaking in hot water filled with flower petals, she felt exceptionally comfortable and pleasant.

After a bath, one feels relaxed and easily becomes drowsy. After changing into new clothes, Su Yushan was about to go back to her room for a midday rest when she suddenly heard someone outside announce that Miss Yuchan was requesting an audience.

The maid's family members were not allowed to enter or leave the prince's residence at will, but because Hongli was still concerned about Xin'er's matter, he made a special exception and allowed the Su family members to enter the residence.

Since Hongli was not in the mansion at the moment, Su Yushan took it upon herself to let her younger sister come into the backyard.

Yu Chan beamed as soon as she entered the room, "Sister, what a joyous occasion!"

What's the good news? Su Yushan couldn't help but wonder, "Could it be that Jiafeng has set a wedding date? But Xin'er's father just passed away, and she has to observe mourning, so she can't get married for the time being. Besides, even if she were to get married, it wouldn't be a happy occasion."

Yu Chan knew that her sister did not want Su Jiafeng to marry Xin'er. She smiled mysteriously, saying that there was a chance for things to change.