During his time in the Khorchin Mongols, the Fourth Prince observed many things with a cold eye. Perhaps because of the Fourth Prince's presence, Cangjin, the Prince of Duling of the Ongniud Mongols of the Borjigit clan whom Wenke married, behaved relatively well and respectfully.
Wen Ke also had personal guards left by the Fourth Prince. These guards were trained by the Zuo Ling (military units) assigned by the Fourth Prince when he was granted the title of Beile. They were not only outstanding in martial arts, but also extremely loyal.
The Thirteenth Prince naturally saw all of this and kept it in mind.
After the grand wedding of Wen Ke was completed, the Fourth Prince stayed for a few more days, spoke with Wen Ke, and drank with Prince Du Ling, Cang Jin, several times.
When they set off to leave, the Thirteenth Prince and Wen Ke naturally cried again. The swelling in the Thirteenth Prince's eyes gradually subsided halfway through the journey.
After a long and tiring journey, the Fourth Prince and the Thirteenth Prince went to the palace to see their father, the Emperor, and reported back. The Fourth Prince then asked Su Peisheng to send the Thirteenth Prince back to the Fourth Palace in Ganxi. The Fourth Prince then went to Yonghe Palace to pay his respects to Consort De.
When Consort De saw that the Fourth Prince had lost weight, she was naturally filled with heartache and hurriedly asked Granny Zhao to open the storeroom and find some nourishing medicinal herbs for the Fourth Prince to take back.
The Fourth Prince then stayed a while, said some things he could talk about, and then suddenly brought up Princess Wenxian, who was not yet married and whose marriage was being arranged.
Wen Ke, who was already married, was actually a little younger than Wen Xian.
Fourth Master was naturally worried when he suddenly brought this up.
Consort De smiled and relieved the fourth prince's worries: "Wenxian has always been favored by the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager couldn't bear to see her marry far away, and she has already given her word that Wenxian does not need to be sent to Mongolia for a marriage alliance."
Fourth Master breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Then we should be careful about her marriage and not let her be neglected."
Consort De rarely showed a worried expression: "Although it hasn't been decided yet, it's probably close to being finalized. Your father favors Tong Guowei's grandson, Shun'an Yan."
Tong Guowei was the father of the late Empress Xiaoyi Tongjia and a legitimate brother-in-law of the emperor.
Longkodo was Shun'an Yan's uncle.
Although the Tongjia clan did not have a prime minister like Suo or Ming in the court, they were all loyal and rarely got involved in the struggles between the princes, so they were known as "half of the court".
Such a family background is truly extraordinary and eye-catching.
Moreover, given that the Fourth Prince is the adopted son of Empress Xiaoyi, if Wen Xian were to marry Shun'an Yan now, it would seem as if the Fourth Prince were to become entangled with the Tongjia clan.
The Fourth Prince quickly understood what Consort De was worried about.
The Fourth Prince reassured him, "I will have someone investigate Shun An Yan's character. As for his family background, I will always only have the Wuya clan behind me."
Fourth Prince has never had any connection with Lady Tongjia. When he sees Longkodo on his daily duties, he is always indifferent, which is naturally to avoid suspicion.
If Shun'an Yan is truly a good man, then his birth from the Tongjia clan is not a problem.
Consort De understood the helplessness of being born into the imperial family, and agreed to the fourth prince's words. She quickly changed the subject: "I heard from the nanny that Li Shi has learned the rules well. I will take a look at her when she comes to the palace in a few days. Don't let the princess cause trouble during the year-end and New Year holidays. It's fine for her to come to the palace on the first and fifteenth of the month. Both she and Li Shi are pregnant. It's better not to ruin their health by causing trouble."
"Now that things are settled in your household, once the end of the year is over, I'll have Granny Xu come back to serve me. I heard that the eldest prince is in good health. If he's feeling well, I'd like to see him during the New Year. But the eldest princess is weak, so let's not bother with that. What do you think, Fourth Prince?"
The Fourth Prince should agree; naturally, he agrees with Consort De.
By the time Fourth Master returned to the mansion, it was already evening. Su Peisheng knew what was going on when he saw that Fourth Master didn't go to the front yard.
Sure enough, Fourth Master quickly spoke up: "Go to the East Courtyard."
In winter, it gets dark early; by evening, it's already pitch black outside.
Hexagonal lanterns hung under the eaves. After dinner, Li Chenjiao, feeling relaxed, went to play in the snow under the eaves.
The snow piled up on the eaves of the white sunset on the steps of the covered walkway was something Li Chenjiao had specially asked Xiao Luzi to sweep up.
On the snow, which was neither too thick nor too thin, Li Chenjiao could easily make a small pit with each step, and slowly leave a string of footprints. Then she broke off a sprig of water plum that the two maids had picked in the garden.
Taking a few steps and plucking off a plum petal adds a unique charm.
When Xiao Luzi came to tell her that when Fourth Master arrived, Li Chenjiao's green shoes were still on the soft snow under her skirt. Upon hearing this, she lightly stomped her feet twice, then shook her skirt to shake off the snowflakes that had somehow gotten on her.
When she turned around at the sound, her eyes were filled with tears, and she immediately came into the Fourth Prince's view.
Li Chenjiao then smiled sweetly, "Master is back?"
Like a traveler who has suddenly found his way home, Fourth Master's heart softened at Li Chenjiao's call.
The phrase that the Fourth Prince heard most often from Li Chenjiao was, "You're back, Master?" This one sentence made him feel that he was always being thought of.
"What are you doing standing outside at night if you're afraid of the cold?" Fourth Master touched Li Chenjiao's hand, thankfully it wasn't cold.
Li Chenjiao understood the concern in Fourth Master's words, so she also said, "You look thinner, Master. You must take good care of yourself when you return to the manor."
The two walked into the inner room.
After listening to Li Chenjiao speak, Fourth Master waited until he was seated before asking, "How have you been while I was away from home?"
Li Chenjiao touched her stomach and thought for a while before blurting out, "I've been eating more than usual, and the imperial physician said I'm in good health."
"Why are you still calling me a servant?" Fourth Master frowned.
After Li Chenjiao requested to be named a secondary consort, she became a proper mistress and could refer to herself as "your humble servant" or "your humble servant".
Li Chenjiao's refusal to change her address was naturally out of caution; the process of requesting the title of Consort De was not yet over until she had entered the palace and met her.
And indeed, I've gotten used to calling her Li Chenjiao.
Li Chenjiao smiled and said that the procedures had not been completed yet, so it was not appropriate to change her mind.
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Master gave her a half-smile and asked, "When did you become so well-behaved?"
Li Chenjiao didn't feel embarrassed at all: "This servant has always been very disciplined."
Fourth Master took a sip of hot tea, but was still amused by Li Chenjiao's cute expression as she said those words.
He looked at Li Chenjiao more closely and noticed that she was indeed a bit plump, and her complexion looked rosy.
"How is the courtyard?" Fourth Master asked again.
"There are also some minor details. This servant has asked the Imperial Household Department to connect the paths in that courtyard into a covered walkway, so that the child in my womb will also have its own place to live in the future."
As the two were talking, the two maids standing outside couldn't help but exchange a smile when they heard the laughter coming from inside.
As usual, Fourth Master went to his room after leaving the washroom at night, but Li Chenjiao called out from inside, "Master, won't you come in and rest?"
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince's Adam's apple bobbed, and it took him a long time to speak: "You are pregnant."
Li Chenjiao stood by the screen, slipping on her shoes, and covered her mouth with her hand, laughing out loud: "This servant knows, it's just sleeping, what are you thinking, Master?"
四爷心知想到别处去了，被调侃脸上也没什么恼色：“熄灯。”
不过这话听着还是带着点恼羞成怒的味道。
李沈娇再次笑出声。
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
