The Empress of Tea

Empress Ming, Empress Xiaochunxian, of the Gu'erjia clan, from the Manchu Plain White Banner, younger brother is Grand Scholar Gu'erjia Jiahuan. When Shizong Yongzheng was a prince, she gav...

Chapter 264 The Maliciousness of the Princess Consort

That evening, Fourth Master came to Peach Courtyard for dinner, and Xiao Hongxuan seized the opportunity to talk to his father.

"Father, Xuan'er has something to tell you." The little guy trotted up to Fourth Master, tilted his head up, and looked at Fourth Master with a serious expression.

Her little face was tense; it looked serious, but it was actually quite cute.

Fourth Master felt uneasy looking at the little guy's "cute" expression on his face, which was so similar to his own. He couldn't help but cough twice, thinking to himself: It would be better if he just kept smiling; that wouldn't feel so awkward.

"What is it?" His tone seemed quite serious.

Xiao Hongxuan said in his childish voice, "Father, the medicinal food is good. If you have someone make it for Big Brother, then Big Brother will be even healthier."

Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince also found it reasonable. During his southern tour, he had used the medicinal cuisine prepared by Ming'er for a period of time, and it had proven quite effective.

So he nodded, "Good idea," then changed the subject and asked, "Is this what you thought of?"

The little guy nodded without hesitation, "Yes," but then his face turned a little gloomy, "I originally wanted Mother to make it, but Mother said she wasn't suitable."

The Fourth Master immediately understood why this supposed incompatibility was all about—it was all about those things in the backyard. So, he didn't ask any further questions.

After having dinner, he stayed at Taoyuan for a while before leaving, still not staying overnight.

Back in the study in the front yard, he immediately arranged for Su Peisheng to find someone who could cook medicinal cuisine for Honghui. Of course, if he couldn't find one, he would train someone to do so.

After Su Peisheng left and the door was closed, the light in the study dimmed considerably, just like the Fourth Master's mood.

This medicinal diet does have an effect, but its use is limited. He had previously pinned his hopes on the Shangqing Scripture, but unfortunately, after teaching Honghui for a long time, he still couldn't get the hang of it.

In other words, Honghui was not destined to learn the Shangqing Sutra; he lacked the talent to study it.

If Honghui can study, his health will definitely improve.

However, alas! Fourth Master sighed helplessly once again.

Su Peisheng is quite capable. No, it should be said that the Fourth Master's subordinates are quite capable. The Fourth Master only gave the order two days ago, and under Su Peisheng's leadership, his subordinates quickly found him an old nanny with a respectable family background who could make medicinal cuisine.

The old nanny's background was thoroughly investigated by the Fourth Master's men, and everything indicated that she was a useful person.

In that case, the Fourth Prince led the old nanny towards the Princess Consort's courtyard.

Upon arriving at the Duan Courtyard, the Fujin immediately went to greet the Fourth Prince and bowed, "Your Highness, may you be well!"

Fourth Master waved his hand, indicating that there was no need for such formalities.

After the maidservants served tea to the Fourth Prince, the Princess Consort looked at the unfamiliar old nanny below and asked, "Your Highness, who is this old nanny?"

Is it because of Hongxuan's matter that the master's anger hasn't subsided, and he wants to place someone by her side to keep an eye on her, in case she does something wrong again?

The thought of this possibility caused the anger that had been suppressed by Honghui's words to resurface in the Fujin's heart, and her malice towards Jiaming and her son Hongxuan rekindled.

In an instant, many of Jiaming and Hongxuan's thoughts raced through the mind. The Fourth Prince paid no attention to them and had no idea what his wife was thinking.

After taking a couple of sips of tea, he put down his teacup and looked at the old nanny below, saying, "This is for Honghui."

The Princess Consort: Is the person you found for Honghui trustworthy?! Alarm bells rang in her mind, fearing that this old nanny might have ulterior motives.

The Fourth Prince did not notice the Princess Consort's alarmed attitude, which showed that she was good at hiding it. He continued, "Honghui is not in good health. She can make medicinal cuisine. I had Su Peisheng investigate her. Her family background is clean and she is a useful person. Have someone settle her in."

Upon hearing the Fourth Prince's words, the Princess Consort's vigilance immediately decreased by more than half, but she still retained some caution.

We still need to have someone keep an eye on this person. After a while, if this person is really okay, then we can give Honghui the medicinal food she made. It's definitely not okay to do it in a short time.

The Fourth Prince was completely unaware that his wife was so cautious. Even if he had known, he would have just frowned slightly because she didn't believe his investigation results, and then let it go. After all, it was always good to be cautious.

The Fujin asked Liu Hong to take the old nanny to be settled. Only the Fujin, the Fourth Prince, and some servants remained in the room.

With so many people in the room, for a moment, the only sound was breathing; it was very quiet.

After a while, the Fourth Prince felt uncomfortable with the coldness between himself and his wife, so he got up and said, "I'll go see Honghui."

"Your Highness, wait a moment," the Princess Consort immediately stopped the Fourth Prince. When the Fourth Prince looked at her, she said, "I suddenly remembered something."

"What is it?" Fourth Master asked, sitting down again.

“Your Highness, the Third Prince is now three years old, it’s time for him to move to the front courtyard,” the Princess Consort said with an air of fairness and magnanimity.

Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince calculated Hongshi's age and realized it was indeed the case, so he immediately nodded in agreement.

"What the Fujin (Prince Consort) reminded me is that Hongshi should move to the front courtyard. Fujin, please send someone to tell Li Shi about this, and have Hongshi move there tomorrow. Tell Li Shi not to pack much; the Master will have everything arranged in the front courtyard. Just have her pack some of Hongshi's personal belongings. Also, regarding the servants who accompany Hongshi, the Master has made arrangements; at most, he can only send two over..."

After rambling on and on about his strict requirements, Fourth Master finally stopped, then took a sip of tea from the teacup beside him to moisten his dry lips.

The princess listened attentively and nodded, but the malice she had felt earlier vanished from her mind, and a hint of hesitation appeared on her face.

"Is there anything else?" Fourth Master asked upon seeing this.

The princess hesitated for a moment before nodding, finding it rather difficult to speak: "My lord, how about that Guarjia sister's son, Hongxuan, also move to the front courtyard?"

"Oh?" Fourth Master lowered his eyes, his gaze somewhat deep, and he kept toying with the teacup in his hand.

The Princess Consort couldn't see what the Fourth Prince's lowered eyes looked like, nor did she dare to openly look at his face. Seeing that the Fourth Prince's movements as he played with the teacup were very smooth, she felt that he was not displeased, but she still said tactfully, "Your Majesty, I know that the Fourth Prince Hongxuan is not yet three years old, but he is almost, only a little over a month younger than Hongshi."

At this point, the Fujin (principal wife) stole a glance at the Fourth Prince, who calmly drank his tea.

The princess felt that the fourth prince must not have thought much of it, and her heart skipped a beat. She composed herself and continued, "Besides, Hongshi is still very young. He will definitely not adapt well to leaving familiar places and people."

My gaze inadvertently swept over Fourth Master, and I saw that he was calm and listening attentively, his movements of playing with the teacup were very smooth. I figured that he was not very emotional.

If that's the case, then what is she worried about? The Fujin also became bolder and smiled, "That's why I made this suggestion. Hongshi and Hongxuan are about the same age. They can move to the front courtyard together and keep each other company. This is definitely better than a little child moving there all alone."

The Fourth Prince stopped playing with his teacup, looked up at his wife, and stared at her intently.

The princess's smiling face froze instantly. For a moment, her mouth moved, but she couldn't utter any words of explanation.