Fourth Master couldn't quite describe the feeling in his heart.
He naturally dared not have any objection to his father's decision, and he understood his father's intentions.
The Dzungar and Khorchin tribes of Mongolia have not been very peaceful lately. It is necessary for the Emperor to deal with external threats and internal strife, as he is considering the entire Qing Dynasty.
However, it inevitably caused hardship and expense for the people along the way.
The Fourth Prince wasn't exactly angry, but he was somewhat annoyed by his elder brother, the Prince Zhi's, unwavering support.
He had already been coaxed by Li Chenjiao by now, and he looked at her and said, "Sit down. You can make the decisions about these things next time."
Since the Fourth Master couldn't interfere too much in matters of the backyard, and since he happened to be here today, Li Chenjiao naturally had to report the whole story to him first.
However, the Fourth Prince couldn't make all the decisions for Li Chenjiao, otherwise it would make Li Chenjiao, the concubine, seem incompetent.
Li Chenjiao sat down again and pushed the teacup in front of her: "The kitchen has made some pork rib soup. It's a cool autumn night, so please have some pork rib soup to warm your stomach."
In reality, Li Chenjiao had big eyes but a small appetite, and suddenly craved a bowl of pork rib soup during dinner.
However, Li Chenjiao naturally couldn't eat much after dinner, so she could only have it as a late-night snack. Now that Fourth Master had arrived, he could help her with some of the food.
However, she originally intended to give some to the maids and servants in the East Courtyard as well.
The Fourth Prince ate his dinner at the Ministry of Revenue. At that time, the Ministry of Revenue was very busy, so the Fourth Prince ate hastily and carelessly.
Upon hearing Li Chenjiao's question, he merely nodded reservedly, indicating that he could.
After Madam He and Lvlan served the pork rib soup, Li Chenjiao stood up and personally ladled half a bowl for the Fourth Master. She rarely did such a thing, but it didn't seem out of place.
Seeing a beautiful woman under the lamplight is naturally even more pleasing to the eye.
Then Li Chenjiao served herself, turning her head to the autumn pot and whispering something.
"Although Dongsheng didn't suffer any serious injuries today, he was still wronged. It's commendable that he's so loyal. I'll give him some extra pork rib soup later, but I'll also tell him to be careful not to overeat."
In Li Chenjiao's heart, Dongsheng was like a little child, and she usually instructed the maids to teach Dongsheng more.
However, when Fourth Master heard Li Chenjiao's gentle and concerned words, his gaze became somewhat deep.
Li Qi was really sleepy at night and his mood wasn't very good. He only called out to Li Chenjiao once before he was so tired that he could barely keep his eyes open.
In truth, when it comes to her intimate relations with the Fourth Master, Li Chenjiao considers them to be quite harmonious.
After all, the Fourth Prince didn't have any bad habits in bed, so he wouldn't treat Li Chenjiao like she wasn't human.
Over time, Li Chenjiao has indeed become quite delicate, and she was already panting heavily after only calling for water once.
However, she dared not beg for mercy. In the past, Li Chenjiao would pitifully hope that the Fourth Master would take pity on her, but now she has learned to be smart and will not utter a sound no matter how tired she is.
Only when emotions run deep can a soft murmur escape her lips. Fourth Master leaned down and caught a glimpse of the glistening tears in the corner of the soft, delicate eye in his arms. He was taken aback.
She raised her hand as if to comfort him, but her movements were clumsy as she tried to wipe away the glistening substance.
However, it's not surprising that Fourth Master, who has been holding a pen for many years, has rough fingertips, and when he reaches out, a red mark appears at the corner of his eye.
The soft hiss of pain from Li Chenjiao only made her seem even more alluring.
The next day, the Fourth Master did not take a break and naturally got up before dawn again.
There was no need to alarm anyone, as the Fourth Master never liked being served closely and usually only let servants like Su Peisheng and Fulu handle things.
Fourth Master never ate breakfast in the East Courtyard, and rarely did he eat it elsewhere either.
When he left the East Courtyard, Li Chenjiao was still asleep. The Fourth Prince heard the Second Princess's laughter first. Since it was still early, the Fourth Prince went over to check on her.
As usual, he gave the servants instructions to serve him carefully, and then the Fourth Master glanced at the meek Dongsheng and said, "You have done a good job in following the master's orders. You should continue to be just as diligent in the future."
Dong Sheng readily agreed.
The Fourth Master grunted in response, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger: "It's not just him; everyone in your East Courtyard must serve your master with utmost care."
Everyone responded quietly, smiles on their faces.
Upon hearing this, they knew that their master was thinking of their master, which was naturally a cause for celebration.
After a night of passion, Li Chenjiao woke up to find herself surrounded by a milky scent and hearing Qiu Hu's helpless voice.
"Master, the Second Princess started fussing to see you as soon as she woke up. Granny Chen only stopped fussing after she was brought to you, but now—"
Li Chenjiao waved her hand: "It's alright, I'll just hold Aman and sleep for a while. Has the nanny fed her yet?"
Qiu Hu nodded: "I just fed him."
Li Chenjiao then let the second princess hug her neck.
"Aman came to wake Mother up? What a good child! Lie with Mother a little longer, okay?"
Seeing this, Qiu Hu covered her mouth and chuckled, then quietly slipped out.
The second princess, nestled in Li Chenjiao's arms, naturally couldn't understand anything; she simply opened her mouth and giggled.
The little girl couldn't stop smiling whenever she saw her mother.
The mother and daughter embraced, and the room quickly quieted down, with only their soft, steady breathing audible.
——
Li Chenjiao was woken up by hunger. When she woke up, the Second Princess was still sleeping soundly. Li Chenjiao carefully propped herself up.
She looked outside, but there was no one in the room. She could see a figure behind the screen, but she couldn't tell if it was Qiu Hu or Qiu Ci.
Li Chenjiao gently shook the silver bell hanging on the tent flap, letting out a very soft sound before quickly stopping.
The figure of the folding screen monkey outside also stirred: "Master is awake?"
Her voice was also lowered, and Li Chenjiao almost didn't recognize that it was Qiu Ci's voice.
Li Chenjiao waited until Qiu Ci approached before pointing at the Second Princess; she was truly hungry at that moment.
Qiu Ci understood and stood by the bed to look after the Second Princess, then helped Li Chenjiao off the bed.
At this moment, Li Chenjiao straightened up and got out of bed. She looked back at the Second Princess and then left the inner room with peace of mind.
However, after she came out of the inner room, she first invited Madam Chen to go in and take care of the Second Princess.
Breakfast had been prepared all along, and when Qiu Hu saw Li Chenjiao come out, she hurriedly went to the small kitchen and asked He Shi to bring up the breakfast that had been kept warm.
After Li Chenjiao finished her breakfast, she finally had a chance to ask, "How's the matter I asked Xiao Luzi to investigate yesterday?"
Qiu Hu nodded: "We've already made progress."
"Where did the marbles come from?"
"They said they found out about Miss Xu's courtyard."
Xu family?
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