As she stepped into the inner room, she caught a glimpse of Shizi lounging behind the screen by the door, looking rather lazy.
Li Chenjiao stopped and squatted down to pick up the fluffy snowball, her slender fingers gently smoothing through its snow-white fur, her brows and eyes lowered in gloom.
She deliberately paused, entering a little later, and her eyes met the Fourth Prince's the moment he looked up as she went around the screen into the inner room.
Fourth Master spoke first, his tone not very friendly: "Where did you go?"
Li Chenjiao, who adopted Shizi Beili, said, "I had some indigestion after dinner, so I thought I'd go for a walk in the garden. Unfortunately, I didn't run into you, Master, which delayed my service. Please forgive me. I'll go pray to the Bodhisattva tomorrow, and maybe I'll run into you next time."
Li Chenjiao's voice was clear and melodious, and she spoke with a gentle smile. She showed no fear in the face of the Fourth Master's less-than-friendly tone, which inexplicably made people feel at ease.
Adding to that, Li Chenjiao's subsequent flattering remark made them seem even closer.
The Fourth Prince maintained a taut smile: "No need for formalities."
Li Chenjiao stood steadily while speaking, without any disorder, but when the Fourth Prince looked at her and saw her slender waist when she curtsied, he was still worried that she might sway and fall.
Although Li Chenjiao never ever broke the rules.
Li Chenjiao stood up, holding the persimmons, and sat down: "The sun has just set. I'll open the window a bit, so you can take a look at those two pots of green chrysanthemums outside."
Persimmon probably felt too hot in Li Chenjiao's arms, so it quickly crawled to Li Chenjiao's feet and lay down.
The Fourth Master neither said yes nor no, and Li Chenjiao waited for two seconds before consciously opening the window.
The lights were already on in the room. When Li Chenjiao opened the window, she could glimpse the silver moon rising in the sky, and a cool breeze blew by from time to time.
The candlelight inside the house flickered in the wind and eventually went out. The only way to see the shadowy figures inside was by the candlelight from the lanterns under the eaves outside.
Li Chenjiao let out a soft "Ah": "Can you see me, my lord?"
Fourth Master's voice was somewhat muffled: "Hmm."
Li Chenjiao rested her chin on her hand: "Your face was so dark just now, I almost couldn't see it. Now that it's dark, you don't need to keep your face dark anymore."
In the dim light, Li Chenjiao and Fourth Master sat facing each other.
Fourth Master was taken aback when he heard Li Chenjiao's voice; those words were rather presumptuous.
But if you listen carefully, you can tell that Li Chenjiao is trying to make him happy.
That really is a unique way of coaxing people.
Fourth Master finally realized that Li Chenjiao had been setting a trap for him ever since she came in and said, "Did you see those two pots of green chrysanthemums outside, Master? They look like they've sprouted new buds."
When she came in, she started by talking about Green Chrysanthemum. When the Fourth Prince asked her about it, she first used jokes to ease the tense atmosphere in the room. Then she talked about opening the window to look at Green Chrysanthemum. Just then, she opened the window and let the wind blow out the candle. Finally, she coaxed the Fourth Prince.
Even Su Peisheng, who was standing behind the screen outside, couldn't help but admire it in his heart.
However, Su Peisheng wondered, what if there was no wind when the window was opened?
Su Peisheng turned sideways to look outside, and sure enough, one of the two pots of green chrysanthemums had sprouted new flower buds.
To be honest, the maids and nannies in the East Courtyard take better care of things. I heard that one of the pots of green chrysanthemums in the Main Courtyard is already about to wither.
However, when Su Peisheng came to his senses and tried to listen to the sounds inside the room, he could no longer hear anything.
Inside, Li Chenjiao propped herself up and smiled in the darkness: "Master, this servant is afraid of the dark."
Li Chenjiao rarely spoke in a high-pitched voice. After she finished speaking, she felt a little uncomfortable and subconsciously cleared her throat. She then picked up the teacup on the table by the candlelight in the corridor outside and took a sip.
Li Chenjiao only realized after drinking it that it was probably the tea that Qiu Ci had just served to the Fourth Master.
She calmly put down her teacup and turned her body towards the outside: "Qiu Ci, come in and add some candles. Be careful, it's dark inside."
As she spoke, Li Chenjiao bent down again to pick up the persimmon, afraid that the little thing might trip her in the dark.
Even on clear days, little girls would sometimes be startled by persimmons that appeared out of nowhere.
Qiu Ci responded from outside and quickly came in.
With light coming into the room, Li Chenjiao rubbed her arms and said, "It's chilly at night. In the future, when you leave and return to the manor, please have Eunuch Su and the others prepare cloaks to prevent you from catching a cold and suffering."
Li Chenjiao managed to appease the Fourth Prince, but she wouldn't deliberately bring up or ask him why he was unhappy.
Li Chenjiao waited for Qiu Ci to serve tea and pastries. When she saw Qiu Hu carrying pastries in, she didn't hide it from the Fourth Master and asked him directly.
"What did the imperial physician say?"
Qiu Hu glanced at Fourth Master, then put down the pastries and replied meekly, "The physician said it's nothing serious. Just let the frozen pears get as wet as possible these next few days, and be careful with the shed skin. But Dong Sheng, his arms and calves are covered in bruises, that—"
Granny Cheng showed no mercy when she struck.
Li Chenjiao gave a soft "Mmm": "Go and invite Granny Cheng over."
Qiu Hu glanced at Fourth Master again, and seeing that he didn't say anything more, he withdrew.
Li Chenjiao turned around, and under the night light, her shallow dimples on her lips were full of tenderness when she smiled, and her eyes sparkled with a crystal light when she spoke.
"Just now, when I went to the garden to digest my food, I ran into the South Courtyard's wet nurse taking the First Prince out for a walk. The First Prince likes frozen pears, but the frozen pears haven't seen the First Prince many times and aren't close to him. Fortunately, nothing bad happened. Although the First Prince seemed to be in good spirits at the time, I'm still worried that he might have been frightened. I also gave birth to the Second Princess, and I understand how much Mother values the child she carries for ten months. I can't help but feel anxious."
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
