Meanwhile, after reviewing the local reports of greetings, Fourth Master opened the letters sent back by Thirteenth and Fourteenth Masters.
Both of my younger brothers wrote several thick pages.
The Fourth Prince first read the letter written to him by the Thirteenth Prince.
In the letter, Thirteen naturally wrote that they quickly caught up with the Emperor's carriage, and that they made several stops along the way, but everything went smoothly.
In the letter, Thirteenth Brother also subtly mentioned that his third brother had been spending a lot of time with the Emperor these days, mostly using vague phrases like "Third Brother often serves the Emperor."
The letter contained even more veiled references to how the Emperor frequently received letters delivered by fast horse from the capital, subtly reminding the Fourth Prince that the Emperor might have people in the capital watching the princes' movements.
The rest of the conversation revolved around the Fourteenth Prince, mentioning that he and the Tenth Prince, who had also accompanied the southern tour, had become quite close recently.
At the very end, Thirteenth Prince seemed a little flustered and added a sentence at the last minute, saying that Sixteenth Prince seemed to be suffering from some kind of acclimatization problem and had been ill these days.
The letter was probably written about 13 weeks ago; the last sentence likely indicates that something unexpected happened.
After reading it, the Fourth Prince lightly raised his hand and pressed his brow, indicating his irritation.
The Fourth Prince was not surprised that his father, the Emperor, would have someone keep an eye on the princes' movements in the capital.
I just felt vaguely uneasy and irritable.
He sighed softly and then opened the letter written by the Fourteenth Prince.
The Fourteenth Prince's letters were much more cheerful, mentioning which delicacies he ate that day, what gifts his father had bestowed upon him, and what interesting things he had seen on the road.
It seems more like he was the one who actually went sightseeing with the Southern Tour.
At the end of the letter, the Fourteenth Prince also said that he had kept all the things his father had given him and would distribute them to the Fourth Prince when he returned to the capital. He also said that he had bought some nice things along the way, but he didn't know if the Fourth Prince would like them.
The Fourth Prince suddenly laughed after reading it.
"Did Fourteen write a letter to Mother?" Fourth Master asked, gesturing for pen and ink.
Su Peisheng then looked at Qiu Ci, who was standing outside, and Qiu Ci quickly understood.
"The letter to Consort De has been sent. Oh, Consort De also sent some things, saying that Fourth Prince should rest well at the estate these days."
The Fourth Master remained silent for a while, his fingers slightly bent as he tapped the table from time to time.
"Tomorrow I'll send some fresh fruits and vegetables from the estate to Mother, and also have someone pick some lotus leaves from the pond. I'll tell Granny Zhao to use them to make lotus-scented rice for Mother to try."
He remembered that his mother was afraid of the heat and often had no appetite in the summer.
As for the lotus-scented rice, the Fourth Master remembered it when he saw the list that Granny Xu had brought earlier.
He didn't think there was anything wrong with the meals arranged by the little princess.
If it were the former Crown Prince, the Fourth Prince wouldn't dare to say whether the Crown Prince would have found the meal too meager.
But the current crown prince probably prefers this kind of simplicity the most.
The Fourth Prince wrote a reply to the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Princes, then glanced at the night outside: "Where is Madam Li?"
Su Peisheng glanced outside first: "Li Gege is outside."
The Fourth Prince noticed Su Peisheng's gaze, so he stood up and walked to the outer room, only then noticing the little princess who was eating without even looking up.
Hearing the noise, Li Chenjiao slowly raised her head: "Fourth Master, are you done with your work? Are you hungry? Would you like some wontons?"
Li Chenjiao ate with relish, and even the words that were about to come out of Fourth Master's mouth were interrupted. He silently sat down and then took the chopsticks that Li Chenjiao handed him.
The two enjoyed a delicious late-night snack, then took a relaxing bath, leisurely fanning themselves with round fans in May when the sun wasn't yet at its strongest.
This is extremely pleasant.
However, despite his satisfaction, he couldn't help but complain to the Fourth Master: "After arranging the meal, I was starving. Please don't assign me anything like this next time, Fourth Master."
Fourth Master laughed and scolded, "You're not happy doing anything—then what would you be happy doing?"
Li Chenjiao thought about it quite seriously: "They're happy when they're not doing anything, but when they're not doing anything, they're quite happy to think about these food servants."
Li Chenjiao's words were half true and half false, mainly to leave the Fourth Master with the impression that she really didn't like to get involved in things.
Li Chenjiao, probably influenced by her mother since childhood, never felt there was anything wrong with not doing anything; on the contrary, she especially liked the days when she didn't have to do anything.
Gaining the favor of the Fourth Prince was merely for survival; naturally, it would be best if one could also find happiness while surviving.
It's best to spend your time and energy on yourself.
Fourth Master seemed to pause for a moment in the darkness, then shook his head helplessly: "Just this once."
Li Chenjiao didn't care about the Fourth Master's promise; she just needed to make her stance clear.
The next morning, Li Chenjiao still didn't see the Fourth Master. Since it was the Dragon Boat Festival, Li Chenjiao got up early to take a bath in the orchid-scented water.
The soup refers to a decoction of Chinese herbal medicines, such as mugwort, calamus, and magnolia, which symbolizes repelling insects and preventing diseases.
After bathing, Qiu Ci watched as Qiu Hu put a hairpin on her princess.
Qiu Ci knew that this was also meant to ward off evil spirits, but she was still taken aback when she saw her princess with a Han Chinese woman's hairstyle.
Even though her own princess had been in the household for a year, she felt that her princess seemed to have become younger and more radiant.
Li Chenjiao didn't really like the smell on her body, but her mother had arranged it this way all these years, so she wasn't exactly disgusted by it.
"Later, after you've had breakfast, go to the kitchen and keep an eye on things, or go find Granny Xu first and ask the kitchen staff if they've bought the wine yet. I forgot to tell them yesterday to buy a few more from different vendors—once they bring it back, have them send it to me so I can take a look."
Qiu Hu left quickly, and before lunch, he personally had someone deliver some of the wine he had bought.
She also mentioned that it was Xu Mama who was very thoughtful, as she had instructed the purchasing department to buy extra yesterday, saying that it would be perfect for the noble ladies in the mansion to try.
Li Chenjiao wasn't a heavy drinker; she just smelled the alcohol and took a small sip.
Finally, she chose two wines that were sweet but also had a strong, alcoholic flavor.
Actually, the two flavors she finally chose were quite similar; she just wanted to choose one more and let Granny Xu make the final decision.
The estate was naturally quite lively today, but no small banquet was held in the backyard.
Wu Gege's morning sickness is still quite severe. A few days ago, Li Chenjiao saw Wu Gege from afar when she was strolling in the garden and had Xiao Luzi pick lotus leaves. She had lost a lot of weight and looked almost unrecognizable.
Another thing is that the eldest princess has started to sit up recently, and she needs someone by her side right now.
If a small banquet were to be held, probably only Li Chenjiao would have any appetite.
Li Chenjiao also disliked the formalities at the banquet; she felt more relaxed in her own courtyard.
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