Not long after leaving the main courtyard, he instructed the people in the front courtyard to tidy up Xu's courtyard.
As a concubine, Xu's residence could hardly be called a courtyard; to put it more politely, it could barely be described as a pavilion. It was barely enough for one Xu, but it was definitely not enough for the Third Prince.
However, since the Third Prince is the young master, he naturally cannot be treated poorly.
After Su Peisheng returned to the front courtyard to report, the Fourth Prince quickly ordered that Xu Shi be given an additional courtyard, while the Third Prince would continue to be cared for in the front courtyard for the next few days.
Even Xu herself probably didn't expect this to happen to her. In the evening, when Li Chenjiao heard Qiu Ci say that Xu had personally gone to the front yard, she shook her head slightly.
Others who heard the news might have gone to express their gratitude, but Xu Shi, who rarely makes this trip, must be here to resign, right?
I heard that when he came out of the front yard, his eyes were still red. It couldn't have been because he was scolded by the Fourth Master, so it could only be because he was moved.
Li Chenjiao smiled again and said, "Tomorrow, I'll pick out a pair of good screens from the storeroom and send them to Miss Xu. Just say it's to celebrate her housewarming."
Li Chenjiao certainly wasn't trying to establish a good relationship with Madam Xu early on. Her actions, by making things clear, were a way of giving face to the Fourth Master.
The Fourth Master's instructions had already been finalized. On the surface, everyone might be praising the Fourth Master's wisdom with smiles, but behind the scenes, countless conspiracies and schemes were being plotted against Xu Shi.
Especially for Song and Baijia, who had been eager to make a move for this, even though Xu adopted the Third Prince, she was still just a concubine in terms of status, and it would be very easy for the princess to control Xu.
Li Chenjiao sent a screen to Madam Xu the next day. It wasn't to support Madam Xu, but it was enough to make everyone in the backyard think about it.
It was the Fourth Prince's idea to adopt the Third Prince to Lady Xu. Could it be that Lady Xu has always held a significant place in his heart? Even the concubine, who rarely interacts with others in the inner quarters, sent gifts first—not for the Third Prince, but for Lady Xu. Could it be—
Could it be that the concubine was the first to realize something and wanted to win over Lady Xu?
For Li Chenjiao, this was just a casual matter. She didn't need to think about what others thought; she only needed to know the Fourth Master's reaction after she did it.
The next morning, someone from Li Chenjiao’s east courtyard sent a screen to Xu Shi. Before noon, Wang Jinzhong from the main courtyard personally went to Xu Shi’s room to deliver a longevity lock prepared for the Third Prince in advance. He also brought a message from the Fujin (wife of the Third Prince), reminding Xu Shi to treat the Third Prince well in the future and not to betray her and the Fourth Prince’s trust.
The meanings behind giving it to Madam Xu and giving it to the Third Prince are vastly different.
Even Xu, who had long been out of the spotlight, understood this. However, she remained calm and said "I understand" and "thank you" in a nonchalant manner before giving the maid a look to shoo her away.
Her cold and aloof demeanor made her even more unyielding than Consort Li in the East Courtyard.
Later that evening, Wu sent a maid with gifts, jewelry, which were naturally for Xu's use.
While the maid was tidying up at night, she couldn't help but say, "Those jewelry pieces are very beautiful, but who in the backyard doesn't know that when Xie Gege was alive, her favorite flower in the courtyard was the azalea? Wu Gege said it was to add to the young lady's dowry, but all the jewelry she sent was adorned with azaleas. Who is she referring to?"
Then there's the matter of dowry. Xu was not particularly beautiful, nor did she possess the elegance of Xie. She could only be described as having delicate features and a refined, simple air about her, having lived a secluded life.
Madam Xu, on the other hand, was quite relaxed. She was sitting on the veranda embroidering a small garment, and even when she heard the sound, her stitches remained perfectly in place: "Once the Third Prince arrives, who knows how many more things like this will happen in the future? This is just the beginning."
Madam Wu is always cautious. Today she sent her jewelry full of azaleas to mock her; tomorrow she might send a maid to apologize, saying it was unintentional.
Madam Xu disliked getting involved in the affairs of the inner quarters, but that didn't mean she knew nothing about them.
Not wanting to dwell on these matters, Madam Xu quickly changed the subject: "I expect this little dress will be finished the day after tomorrow. The color is so fresh and delicate. You can personally go to the East Courtyard to present it to the concubine."
Xu was not the kind of person who didn't know how to repay kindness.
She chose to step into this mess in the backyard.
May passed amidst such undercurrents.
Towards the end of the month, Li Chenjiao couldn't resist choosing a hot, windless day to close the doors and windows and take a thorough bath, which was much more comfortable than a simple wipe-down.
Li Chenjiao then thought of the little clothes she had made in her spare time a few days ago, and even asked the two maids to bring them over for her to try on.
Li Chenjiao herself was completely unaware of anything, but the two maids blushed first.
The undergarments and panties were the usual style that Li Chenjiao wore, except that the material was so sheer that it perfectly complemented her skin tone. In addition, Li Chenjiao let her black hair hang down, making her look hazy and indistinct. The two maids almost couldn't take their eyes off her.
Li Chenjiao touched the fabric and still liked it very much.
A woman dresses up for the one she loves; putting aside everything else, she herself finds such clothes pleasing to the eye.
Li Chenjiao counted on her fingers how many more days of this hardship she had to endure. The summer heat was becoming increasingly oppressive, and Li Chenjiao felt suffocated without a cool mat.
"I heard from the imperial physician that the princess in the main courtyard is going to have a double confinement period."
This is not surprising, after all, the wife almost had a difficult childbirth when she gave birth to the second prince, so she naturally had to take good care of her health.
However, the Fourth Prince has been busy lately and hasn't been to the main courtyard very often.
Of course, these were said by the maids and servants of the main courtyard to comfort the Fujin.
Fourth Master has indeed been busy lately. He goes to the East Courtyard every few days, and even when he doesn't go, Fu Lu from the Front Courtyard will run over to deliver things.
My wife has only come to visit a few times, and those visits were always to see the Second Prince.
Because the imperial physician instructed the princess to rest and recuperate, the servants in the main courtyard, though aware of the princess's favor in the east courtyard, dared not show it in front of her.
The Fujin (principal wife) genuinely wanted to recover her health. Apart from asking a few questions about how Xu Shi (the wife) was taking care of the Third Prince after moving into the new courtyard, she didn't ask anything else.
Xu's new residence was just renovated a couple of days ago, and the Third Prince quickly carried it from the front yard to Xu's residence. He also went to check out various places in the mansion.
The Third Prince was indeed in good health. Although he was born later than the Second Prince, he was rarely seen by the imperial physicians. However, the imperial physicians would come to the main courtyard every few days.
The Fujin (principal wife) was unaware of all this and was still hoping that she would recover fully. She was not very willing to have a double postpartum period.
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