As for Li Chenjiao, when she woke up the next day, she heard from the maid that someone from the front yard had sent over milk and bird's nest. She quietly yawned and said, "It's fine to eat this during postpartum confinement, but it's a bit too extravagant now."
Milk from cows at this time of year is always a rare find, and it's not easy to transport it properly to the capital. Bird's nest is another well-known and precious item.
Li Chenjiao's fondness for that stuff during her postpartum period was simply because there were so many things she could eat during that time, and the milk and bird's nest were among the few that had a slightly sweet taste.
However, to be honest, Li Chenjiao really doesn't like eating bird's nest.
When asked about the origin of bird's nest, Li Chenjiao lost her appetite for it.
Li Chenjiao stirred the bowl of milk and bird's nest soup, but she was well aware that this was a sign of the Fourth Master's importance. She yawned again and suddenly remembered something.
"Did the Princess Consort send someone to say that we don't need to pay our respects?"
It's long past the time for paying respects. If the main wife wanted everyone in the inner courtyard to pay their respects, Qiu Hu would have already woken Li Chenjiao up.
It's already high in the sky; the day for paying respects to the emperor has surely passed.
Qiu Hu shook her head: "Before dawn today, I had Eunuch Su go to various places in the backyard to instruct the main wife to take good care of her health, and to waive all the monthly greetings for the next month."
Of course, it wasn't just the Fujin (princess's wife) who needed to take care of her health.
Upon hearing this, Li Chenjiao went over her words in her mind again, and unusually, she spoke frankly: "Is Master confining you to your quarters?"
Qiu Hu was taken aback; he hadn't expected this.
Everyone knew about the commotion yesterday when the imperial physician was summoned to the main courtyard. However, when the Fourth Prince said today that the Princess Consort needed to recuperate, everyone assumed that she was genuinely unwell and needed to rest.
Upon hearing his master's words, Qiu Hu thought about it carefully and realized that it did indeed seem like the implication of forbidding the Fujin from walking. At that time, Su Peisheng had also told the people in the backyard not to disturb her.
Qiu Hu glanced at her master again.
Li Chenjiao was drinking milk and bird's nest soup when she noticed Qiu Hu's gaze, but she just smiled and said, "I was just kidding."
Qiu Hu didn't believe it.
But he was increasingly alarmed.
You wouldn't think of this without careful consideration, but this kind of behavior is very much like the Fourth Master's style.
Furthermore, the main courtyard did not send anyone to inform everyone yesterday at 2 PM that there was no need to pay respects today.
Last night, the two maids were still on night watch when they discussed it. They said that the Princess Consort hadn't called for everyone in the inner courtyard to pay their respects for a long time, and who knows what she might be planning tomorrow.
Unexpectedly, someone from the front courtyard came first today and said that there was no need to go to the main courtyard to pay respects.
Yesterday, the Princess Consort didn't say that we didn't need to pay our respects, which meant she wanted everyone to do so. However, this morning, Su Peisheng sent someone to tell us that the Princess Consort was feeling unwell, which might be true.
However, the Fourth Prince nipped the Fujin's idea of going to the main courtyard today in the bud.
Qiu Hu lowered her eyes and said in a low voice, "He really is Fourth Master."
Li Chenjiao ate her milk and bird's nest soup, frowning as she replied, "Indeed, Fourth Master is so considerate."
A double entendre.
It's unclear whether Li Chenjiao was referring to the thoughtful gesture of the Fourth Prince sending a bowl of milk and bird's nest soup, or whether the Fourth Prince had excused everyone from paying their respects for nearly a month due to the Fujin's illness.
Summer has arrived, and the weather has become hot and humid in June.
Li Chenjiao no longer liked going to the garden, and things calmed down in the mansion. It was just unknown how long the storm would last.
As July approached, Li Chenjiao found it too hot to even lie in the room.
Li Chenjiao liked gold and jade, but she mostly appreciated them and didn't usually wear them on her head. The most extravagant thing in the East Courtyard throughout the year was probably the use of ice in the early summer.
However, the Fourth Prince rarely said anything or expressed any dissatisfaction.
Li Chenjiao didn't think there was anything wrong with it. When the two maids cautiously asked if it was inappropriate, Li Chenjiao laughed very happily.
“Oh, my silly girls, it would be meaningless if I really had no other desires or no sentimentality.”
Li Chenjiao wanted to make the Fourth Master think that she was spoiled and arrogant, so that if she really became spoiled in the future, the Fourth Master wouldn't think she was going too far.
Besides, it's just ice. If Fourth Master really wanted to say something, then he wouldn't be Fourth Master.
Fourth Master is the kind of person who doesn't consider it outrageous for his women to be extravagant outside the home.
Besides, Fourth Master works hard outside all day long, so he must be feeling quite hot.
With nothing else to do, Li Chenjiao asked again, "Have those little clothes been dried yet?"
Whether it was for Li Chenjiao's health or something else, Li Chenjiao had already completed a month of her postpartum confinement, while the woman in the main courtyard had completed her double confinement period. These days, the Fourth Master had only shared a bed with her.
Even Qiu Hu, who was usually cautious, blushed for once when she heard her master's words: "I washed it last night and hung it up to dry, and it was dry this morning. I didn't let the nannies see it."
The wet nurse introduced by Madam Chen, the second princess's wet nurse, was named Lin. She came to serve Li Chenjiao in the east courtyard in June. She was meticulous in everything she did, and although she was a bit sharp-tongued, every word she said hit the nail on the head.
Li Chenjiao found it quite appropriate, so she kept Lin Mama as the head nanny of the East Courtyard, along with Qiu Hu.
However, the Fourth Master has been busy lately and didn't really notice that Li Chenjiao had a new nanny. It wasn't until he had some free time one evening in early July when he came to the East Courtyard and saw her that he realized she looked familiar.
The maids skillfully served tea, and Li Chenjiao and the Fourth Master went into the inner room together and took their seats.
The Fourth Prince took a sip of cold tea and said in a normal tone, "You do have too few servants here. In a couple of days, I will have the Imperial Household Department select some capable servants and maids for you to choose from."
Li Chenjiao was unaware that the topic had veered to this point, but her smile remained unchanged: "I hadn't even thought of that. In that case, thank you in advance, sir."
Li Chenjiao had naturally thought of this matter long ago, but she knew that Fourth Master was busy with things outside recently, so she didn't mention it to avoid causing trouble. Now that Fourth Master brought it up, she just agreed.
Fourth Master put down his teacup and glanced outside: "The cicadas chirp noisily in the summer, but they will eventually quiet down."
Li Chenjiao pondered, this must be about things happening outside.
Li Chenjiao pretended not to understand: "Second Princess, you don't seem to mind the noise. When I asked Xiao Luzi to kill the cicadas in that tree, you were still peeking out from in Granny Chen's arms."
The Fourth Prince's mind stirred slightly: "It's just the chirping of cicadas; it's annoying, so let's just get rid of them all."
Hearing Fourth Master's words, it seemed like he was unhappy.
Li Chenjiao chuckled: "Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? After the hottest days of summer, the cicadas will no longer be chirping noisily."
Fourth Master stared intently at Li Chenjiao: "That's right."
Li Chenjiao poked her head out and said, "I was just talking nonsense."
She never speaks her mind explicitly.
The Fourth Prince looked at her and said, "I know."
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