His Majesty's imperial carriage arrived in the capital on July 14th.
The Fourth Prince and other princes, including the Prince of Zhi, were naturally waiting outside the Forbidden City to welcome them.
As the Emperor's procession approached the Forbidden City, the Fourth Prince was still lost in thought; standing under the scorching July sun was truly unbearable.
When the Fourth Prince came to his senses, he was still frightened by the Prince Zhi.
For some unknown reason, Prince Zhi, who was standing at the front, burst into tears with a "waaaaa," followed by uncontrollable sobs, muttering things like "sixteen years of bitter fate."
Fourth Master lowered his head, but couldn't help twitching his lips where no one could see.
It's been almost two months since Sixteen left, and the way my older brother is crying in front of others is so fake. Now he's trying to pretend to be a brother.
Fourth Master felt disgusted just thinking about the sixteenth prince who had passed away.
Even though the sun was blocked by the imperial carriage above, the emperor still squinted, trying to see his sons in front of him.
The eldest son—His Majesty—was skipped over.
The fourth brother kept his head down, as if he was somewhat reminiscing about the sixteenth brother, but even with his head down, his back did not hunch over.
This is the spirit that men of the Qing Dynasty should have.
The eldest brother is crying and sobbing like a baby.
As for the eighth prince behind him, His Majesty didn't see him at all.
His Majesty waved his hand, and Liang Jiugong, who was below him, immediately stepped forward, saying, "Your Majesty must be tired from your journey and needs to rest. Gentlemen, please disperse for now."
The Fourth Prince cupped his hands and said, "Please convey a message to Father Emperor, telling him to take care of his health."
The Fourth Prince was stunned for a moment after he finished speaking. He had often heard the Little Princess say such things lately, and now it just slipped out of his mouth.
However, when Fourth Master said this, he was really just saying it to appease the audience.
Saying a few words of concern won't hurt you.
The Prince of Zhi's cries turned into sobs, and he quickly echoed Liang Jiugong's words.
When Liang Jiugong relayed the truth back to His Majesty, the Emperor smiled with satisfaction: "Did Fourth Prince catch a cold a few days ago? That child, he's not fully recovered yet—"
The Emperor only learned about these things because Consort De wrote a letter to the Fourteenth Prince, telling him to take care of his health and not to go out and play recklessly, and also using the Fourth Prince's illness as a lesson for her youngest son.
The Fourteenth Prince, with his boisterous and loud nature, learned from His Majesty the very next day that the Fourth Prince in the capital was ill.
Now I remember.
After seeing the Emperor's carriage enter the Forbidden City, the Fourth Prince ignored the Prince of Zhi's expression and rode directly to the Ministry of Revenue.
It's too hot. Let's go to the Ministry of Revenue to cool off.
——
Li Chenjiao naturally used ice as well, since she has always been the one who is afraid of heat.
However, Li Chenjiao had no time to pay attention to the scorching sun at the moment; she was staring blankly at her abdomen.
She was stunned for a moment, and then tentatively touched her abdomen.
The image of her with a rosy complexion, holding a small baby, flashed into her mind again. She couldn't see the baby's face clearly, but she could make out the joy in the image.
She'd only stopped taking the medication a short time ago? And she's already pregnant?
However, Li Chenjiao has not felt any discomfort or reaction recently.
The scene before her was similar to the last time she learned that Princess Wu had just become pregnant; all she could see was that she was holding a baby, and she couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl.
That means the month is still small, at least less than a month.
The last time Li Chenjiao had sex with the Fourth Master was the day before she returned to the manor on the seventh day of the lunar new year. Li Chenjiao was really exhausted that day.
Since returning to the manor, the Fourth Master has been busy these past few days and hasn't been able to go into the backyard much.
The only two times I went into the backyard were to visit Song Gege and see the eldest princess, then to have dinner at Li Chenjiao's place, and then back to the front yard.
When Qiu Hu came in to serve tea, he noticed that his mistress was lost in thought, so he moved quietly. However, he still startled his mistress when he put down the teacup.
"What kind of tea is served?" Li Chenjiao asked.
"It's a Lu'an melon seed tea that Fourth Master gave me the other day. Didn't the Princess say it smelled good? So I brewed this."
Li Chenjiao remembered that women shouldn't drink tea after becoming pregnant. She raised her hand and touched the cup, but felt a sharp pain in her head, as if she were being pricked by needles.
She hissed softly, released her hand, and pressed her temples.
Strangely enough, as soon as she loosened her grip on the cup, her head seemed to stop hurting.
"What's wrong with the princess?" Qiu Hu was terrified when she saw her princess's face turn pale all of a sudden.
Qiu Ci, who was playing with persimmons in the outer room, heard the commotion and rushed in: "What's wrong, Princess?"
Li Chenjiao waved her hand: "It's nothing, I just suddenly have a bit of a headache."
She stared at the teacup for a while, and then her lips curled up slightly.
Knowing you're pregnant means you have to take precautions, but knowing what might harm the baby in your womb is the true guarantee.
"Don't serve tea these days, it's too cloying in the summer. Serve some white fungus soup or plum soup instead, but don't put ice in, it won't be refreshing."
Li Chenjiao is not planning to tell the two girls about Yuxi for the time being.
Firstly, even the imperial physician might not be able to diagnose her pulse right now, so Li Chenjiao really couldn't explain this matter. Secondly, the two maids are observant, and they will naturally notice when her period doesn't come at the end of the month.
If we alert them now, it could easily cause trouble.
In the evening, the Fourth Prince was finally able to take a break from his busy schedule these past few days because His Majesty had returned to the capital. After returning to his residence, he went straight to the East Courtyard.
Unexpectedly, as soon as they entered the backyard, they heard the melodious voice of a woman singing sweetly, and not far away, a graceful figure was standing with his back to the Fourth Master.
The night was hazy, which created a rather atmospheric scene.
"Then who is it?" Fourth Master knew at a glance that it couldn't be the little princess.
“It was Consort Xie, chosen by the young Consort De, who brought her into the manor,” Su Peisheng replied, adding the phrase “chosen by the young Consort De” before his reply, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
The Fourth Prince frowned deeply: "Sixteen has only been gone a short time, and everyone in the palace is on edge. Yet someone in my backyard is singing songs. Tell her to go back to her own courtyard."
However, Xie Gege heard the noise and turned around.
The Fourth Master did not lower his head when he spoke, but when he caught a glimpse of Xie's face, he was stunned.
Su Peisheng noticed the pause in his master's voice and also looked up to steal a glance.
He almost thought he was hallucinating, but when he came to his senses and lowered his head, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly at how clever Xie Gege was.
This whole thing happened today—
Who can remain unmoved?
He almost mistook Xie Gege in front for Li Gege in the East Courtyard behind, but he vaguely remembered the singing voice and realized it wasn't Li Gege's voice.
While Su Peisheng was distracted, Fourth Master had already strode forward. As he passed Xie Shi, Fourth Master coldly rebuked, "What are you doing wandering around outside in the middle of the night?"
The smile on Xie's face froze.
She silently bowed, her slender figure gracefully curtsying, exuding a unique charm under the gentle moonlight.
Every move they made seemed to have been meticulously planned.
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