Li Chenjiao wasn't surprised to hear this, but she said with annoyance, "I really asked that question for nothing. I forgot that this is just Xu's personality."
Neither of the two girls responded.
Seeing that the second princess in her arms had started to yawn, Li Chenjiao skillfully beckoned to the two maids to invite Madam Chen over.
Just as Chen was carrying the second princess away, she heard Dongsheng's voice outside.
"Consort, Miss Xu requests an audience."
Li Chenjiao exclaimed "Oh!" and looked at the two maids: "That's true, speak of the devil and he appears?"
After she finished speaking, she smiled and said to Dongsheng outside, "Quickly invite Miss Xu in. Qiuhu, serve tea."
Qiu Hu should have gone down to prepare tea, but I was still a little surprised.
I've always known that Miss Xu lives a secluded life, so why would she come to see my master out of the blue?
Li Chenjiao naturally had the same thought in her mind, but she would only know after Madam Xu came in.
Xu was invited in by Dongsheng, and she bowed with her eyes lowered.
Xu was not particularly beautiful, and she was mostly quiet.
Li Chenjiao dispensed with the formalities and, unusually, started the conversation with a smile: "You've come at the perfect time. The Second Princess has just fallen asleep, otherwise I would have had to listen to her crying and fussing again. How are things on your end? Are you alright?"
Li Chenjiao asked her question very tactfully, and it sounded like casual conversation, without any intention of probing.
Xu sat very properly. When Qiu Hu served her warm tea, she first nodded slightly. After hearing Li Chenjiao's words, she did not rush to drink the tea, but simply held the cup and gently rubbed it.
"You're too kind, Consort. What child doesn't cry and fuss? The Third Prince is always crying and fussing too. But judging from the Third Prince's voice, the courtyard seems to be more lively than usual."
Li Chen listened with a smile, her eyes seemingly filled with tenderness: "That makes sense."
Li Chenjiao could tell that Xu Shi was being sincere when she said those words.
Xu then lowered her head and drank her tea before getting to the point: "The reason I came here today is because the children of the manor went to the palace to pay their respects to the Empress. At that time, we were very grateful to the wet nurse by the Second Princess's side for her help in supporting the Third Prince's inexperienced wet nurse."
So that's what it was about. Li Chenjiao opened her lips and said "Oh" very lightly: "It's a trivial matter. Outside the mansion, the children all represent the Fourth Master's face. They are all one family."
Madam Xu responded gratefully, "But without that help, the Third Prince might have fallen flat on his face, and who knows what kind of trouble that would have caused."
The smile on Li Chenjiao's lips had faded at some point: "You're just too cautious. You could have just sent a maid to handle such a small matter. Why did you have to go yourself in the scorching sun?"
Xu lowered her head slightly involuntarily: "Because it concerns the Third Prince, although I am his foster mother, I naturally have to do my best. These are all insignificant matters."
Li Chenjiao smiled and said, "Indeed, I did my best."
Xu did not stay long; she left after finishing her tea.
When Qiu Hu returned after seeing Xu Shi off, Li Chenjiao was leaning against the couch with her eyes closed, taking a nap.
Hearing the noise, Li Chenjiao didn't even open her eyes: "Have you sent Xu Shi away?"
Qiu Hu, with practiced ease, changed the water for her princess.
Li Chenjiao paused for a moment before speaking, "What do you think of today's performance?"
Li Chenjiao did not open her eyes, so after a moment of waiting, she heard Qiu Hu's voice: "This servant presumptuously speculates that it seems Miss Xu is taking advantage of the situation."
Li Chenjiao finally opened her eyes and looked at Qiu Hu with a gentle gaze: "When she came, I thought she had something to ask for advice, but after hearing what she said, regardless of whether it's true or not, is it really worth her coming all this way?"
The Third Prince was eventually taken to Madam Xu's place. There were already rumors in the backyard that Li Chenjiao had instigated this, since the Fourth Prince had visited Li Chenjiao's courtyard the day before.
Although Su Peisheng personally dealt with the gossiping maids and servants in the backyard, while the public didn't say anything, the private criticisms didn't diminish at all.
Li Chenjiao has always been too lazy to pay attention to the gossip outside. Those words won't fall on her and turn into knives, so why bother to take them to heart?
However, at this critical juncture, the fact that Madam Xu personally came to pay a visit for such a trivial matter was interpreted differently by the people in the backyard.
That is, Xu Shi, who usually lives a secluded life, rarely goes out, yet she still came to the East Courtyard to visit the concubine. It seems very strange.
Also, today is the fourteenth, and tomorrow will be the fifteenth.
If the Fujin (principal wife) were to say she wanted to pay her respects tomorrow, then Xu Shi, who was adopted by the Third Prince as a concubine, would inevitably be targeted during her own greetings.
Moreover, even now, the principal wife hasn't sent anyone to explain that there's no need for her to pay her respects.
Qiu Hu was absolutely right when he said that Xu was here today to take advantage of the situation.
At least after Madam Xu left the East Courtyard today, some people will speculate whether Madam Xu and Li Chenjiao are currently on the same side.
Therefore, Li Chenjiao stopped laughing when she spoke to Madam Xu later.
Xu was clever enough to use the Third Prince as a pretext in the end, saying that she had done her best for him. Perhaps that was indeed the case, but this kind of leveraging was not what Li Chenjiao liked.
Li Chenjiao leaned against the soft couch, remaining silent, seemingly lost in thought.
Qiu Hu then stood quietly to one side.
Li Chenjiao lowered her eyes after a long while: "Go to Wu Gege's courtyard yourself and ask if any of Wu Gege's wet nurses have seen the silk flowers that the Empress gave to the Second Princess when she left the palace. Yes, those were given by the Empress. Now a pair has gone missing. After asking, complain that when Miss Xu came earlier, she found one flower, but there was still one missing."
If Madam Xu wants to take advantage of this situation, it depends on whether Li Chenjiao is willing.
Li Chenjiao flicked her finger and tapped the table lightly: "No, first go find Wang Shi, who serves the eldest princess, and talk to her. Send her one of the silk flowers that the Empress bestowed upon her. Make this a big deal out of it, and it would be best to cover up the fact that Xu Shi came to pay her respects."
This means they want Wang's help.
Li Chenjiao would rather owe Wang a favor than get involved with Xu.
Xu's move was certainly not wrong; she wanted to do this to protect herself.
However, Li Chenjiao is not one to form cliques in this backyard; she's practically nothing here.
Moreover, Li Chenjiao finds it tiring to even exchange sisterhoods with the people in the backyard, let alone form alliances or get involved in anything like that.
Qiu Hu quickly understood his master's meaning, agreed, and went about his business.
However, this matter still caused chaos in the backyard. The east courtyard and the route from the gatehouse to the east courtyard were in chaos. However, Li Chenjiao waited for a long time but did not receive any inquiries from the main wife.
However, it would be even easier for the Fujin (wife of the emperor) if she didn't interfere with Li Chenjiao.
Once things calmed down, Li Chenjiao realized that, oh, the main courtyard was also in chaos.
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