Li Chenjiao naturally didn't think it was Wang Shi who taught the eldest princess. She also saw the astonished expression on Wang Shi's face after the eldest princess finished speaking.
Li Chenjiao raised her hand to stop Wang Shi from apologizing, then leaned down slightly to touch the eldest princess's cheek, her expression incredibly gentle.
"Alright, if Mother Li can't carry her anymore, then let the eldest princess carry her younger sister."
Lady Wang lowered her head silently, not daring to think too deeply about how much of what the concubine said was true or false.
There was still a distance between the mansion and the palace. The two girls, including Li Chenjiao, had gotten up quite early today, and after talking for a long time, they were still a little sleepy.
When the carriage was halfway there, Li Chenjiao and the two little girls all fell asleep.
When they were almost at the palace, Lin Mama woke Li Chenjiao up. Her expression was serious, unlike Qiu Hu's helpless look every time she woke Li Chenjiao up.
Li Chenjiao was waiting to hear Lin Mama's scolding words, but Lin Mama just skillfully tidied Li Chenjiao's hair, which had become a little messy from her nap.
"Next time, I will help Consort remove her hair ornaments in advance to avoid leaving marks."
When the time comes, everyone will know that Li Chenjiao has just woken up.
Li Chenjiao was taken aback for a moment, but quickly laughed: "Next time, I'll have to remind you, Granny."
Lin Mama had a grumpy face that made her look unapproachable, but when it came to Li Chenjiao, she still understood that Li Chenjiao was the mistress and wouldn't talk nonsense to her.
This is also why Li Chenjiao chose to keep Granny Lin around.
When Li Chenjiao got off the carriage, Lin Mama had already helped her get ready, even the freckles on her face were gone, and the lilac-colored cheongsam made her look even more dignified and wealthy.
With Chen Shi holding the Second Princess, Li Chenjiao also reached out to help Wang Shi as she helped the First Princess down from the carriage. Seeing that Li Chenjiao had personally helped her, the First Princess sweetly said, "Thank you, Mother Li."
That one sound made Li Chenjiao feel as sweet as if she had eaten honey.
Li Chenjiao turned her head to look at the Second Princess in Chen's arms, and in her heart she also looked forward to the day when the Second Princess would grow up and call her "Mother" in a soft voice.
Once inside the Forbidden City, thankfully, one could still walk with an umbrella in the Yongxiang Palace passageway; otherwise, it would have been unbearable under such intense sunlight.
Li Chenjiao was preceded by the Fujin and her entourage. When the Fujin got off the carriage, she turned around and glanced at Li Chenjiao. Li Chenjiao felt a little uneasy looking at the smile on the Fujin's face.
The Fourth Prince and the First Prince went to the Qianqing Palace, but Li Chenjiao heard that this year's Mid-Autumn Festival banquet would be held in the Baohe Hall.
The palace has always held its outer court banquets in the Hall of Preserving Harmony, where officials are entertained. The Palace of Imperial Purity, on the other hand, has always been a place for family banquets.
Since the death of Empress Xiaoyi Tongjia, there have been very few banquets in the imperial harem where the concubines participate together.
Today, being able to pay our respects to Empress Dowager Borjigit at Cining Palace is a rare and grand opportunity.
However, people like Li Chenjiao naturally did not have the opportunity to serve and pay their respects to the Empress Dowager.
According to the rules, those serving the Empress Dowager today are all consorts of the rank of concubine or above, as well as the Crown Princess Guarjia, and then Princess Wenxian, who is not yet married.
These are all people who hold proper positions within the Cining Palace. For example, the principal wives of the emperors all have to stand behind Consort De.
Logically, concubines like Li Chenjiao should be out in the sun, but the Empress Dowager was kind and considerate, so she only allowed the concubines from each household to wait and serve in the side hall.
However, even in the side hall, one could still hear laughter coming from the main hall. Li Chenjiao vaguely heard a clear female voice speaking Manchu.
Li Chenjiao could vaguely make out a few Manchu words and could tell that the clear female voice was telling jokes to amuse the Empress Dowager.
She figured that, apart from the empresses, the only young women in the main hall of Cining Palace at this moment were the wives of the princes from various households and a few princesses who had not yet married.
Besides the concubines from various households, the side hall also housed some favored noblewomen from the palace, such as Consort Wang, who had been pregnant for over a month.
Neither the eldest nor the second princess were with Li Chenjiao at the moment; they had been carried to the main hall of Cining Palace by two wet nurses. The main hall of Cining Palace was quite lively at the moment.
Li Chenjiao sat in an inconspicuous spot in the hall, but even though she sat in an inconspicuous spot, people still came to her.
When the young woman, dressed in an orange-yellow cheongsam and sporting a large headdress, approached, Li Chenjiao noticed her appearance first, which was unusual for her.
Even in the Fourth Master's mansion, she was considered a rare beauty, and even Li Chenjiao wouldn't dare to say she was on par with him.
The woman who approached was just as beautiful as the late Xie, but her beauty did not appear vulgar; any hint of vulgarity in her appearance was suppressed by her dignified composure.
Li Chenjiao looked directly into the newcomer's eyes and guessed that she was probably a concubine of a member of the royal family, but judging from her attire, she was unlikely to be a concubine in the palace.
Li Chenjiao and the others approached, and only after confirming that the person was coming for her did they slowly stand up.
She didn't come to the palace often, and most of the time she was in Consort De's Yonghe Palace. She had only seen Consort Cheng and the Seventh Prince's wife most of the time, and had no impression of anyone else.
At this moment, Li Chenjiao couldn't very well turn back and ask Lin Mama. However, once she left the mansion, Li Chenjiao represented more than just herself, so she had to be careful about what she said.
It's important to distinguish clearly who can be associated with whom and who cannot.
When the person walked up to her, Li Chenjiao stood up and simply nodded slightly as a greeting.
The woman dressed in an orange-red qipao was none other than Li Jia, the concubine in the Crown Prince's harem.
Li Jia smiled and said, "I noticed this young lady looked unfamiliar, so I came to recognize her. I hope I haven't offended you. I am a concubine of Yuqing Palace. Please greet me."
Li Jia was very good at speaking; she introduced herself right away, saving people from having to guess.
She only mentioned that she was a concubine of Yuqing Palace, which naturally made Li Chenjiao quickly realize that the person in front of her was Li Jia from Yuqing Palace.
Li Chenjiao then performed the proper etiquette and said, "Greetings, Consort. I am Consort Li from the Fourth Prince's residence."
Li Jia gently patted Li Chenjiao's arm and said, "Sister, you're being too polite. Please sit down. We'll still have to stand today, so please sit for a while while you can."
Li Jia's words were so kind that Li Chenjiao smiled knowingly and sat down in response.
The two sat down facing each other.
Li Jia seemed to be a straightforward person, and she started complaining right away, which intimidated Li Chenjiao.
"The main hall is quite lively, but lately we haven't heard the Crown Princess wielding power in front of the Empress Dowager."
That's a rather blunt statement.
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