Before the masters woke up, Qiu Ci first had Lü Mei and Lü Ju guard the makeup box.
The things bestowed by the Fourth Prince must not be compromised.
However, Qiu Ci was still happy. A few days ago, she told Qiu Hu that her mistress had acquired more and more jewelry lately, and there was not enough room to store it all. Some of the more valuable pieces ended up being stored away in the warehouse.
Now that Fourth Master has sent over the makeup box, isn't it just like someone bringing you a pillow when you're about to fall asleep?
Qiu Ci and the two maids were talking in hushed tones.
"Is the Second Princess still asleep? Are the nannies keeping an eye on her?"
Green Chrysanthemum replied, "She's still asleep. Granny Chen and Granny Zhong are both here, and Persimmon is here too."
Qiu Ci laughed upon hearing this: "That lazy cat."
After laughing, she looked at Green Plum: "Now that we have this makeup box, tomorrow I'll have Qiu Hu take you to check the master's jewelry in the storeroom when he has some free time. You don't need to keep watch tonight, so you won't be too tired tomorrow."
Green Plum nodded in agreement. At this moment, she also noticed that she did not see Green Orchid in the corridor. However, she was quick-witted and did not ask any questions when she saw that Autumn Porcelain's expression was normal.
Green Chrysanthemum had already overheard some of the commotion outside while in her room, and being more observant, she naturally wouldn't bring it up herself.
Everyone in the East Courtyard was performing their duties in an orderly manner.
When the sound of the Second Princess crying came from the side room, Green Chrysanthemum stopped talking, said a few words casually, and went in to see the Second Princess.
Immediately afterwards, the voice of Granny Chen coaxing the Second Princess could be heard, and after a while, Li Chenjiao's voice could be heard from inside.
"What time is it?"
This time it was Qiu Ci's turn to stand up. As she stood up, she didn't forget to instruct, "Go and see if the hot water in the washroom is ready. I reckon the masters won't use the hot water until after their midnight snack."
Qiu Ci had just gone in to serve when Qiu Hu soon followed. The two maids exchanged a glance, and after helping Li Chenjiao to her feet and serving her hot tea, they withdrew.
"How did it go? What did that girl say?"
Qiu Hu glanced inside first: "She said she saw the small kitchen was too busy, and she was just about to help when you went there."
Qiu Ci snorted: "Who is she trying to fool?"
Qiu Hu patted her shoulder: "Don't rush. There's no definite charge yet, so don't be anxious and alert the enemy."
Qiu Ci hummed in agreement.
Li Chenjiao dozed off for a while and then woke up feeling quite hungry. After having a late-night snack with the Fourth Master, she went to the side room to check on the Second Princess.
The little girl had just been groomed by the nannies and smelled wonderful; her whole body was fragrant.
Li Chenjiao held the little girl for a while, and she soon became sleepy again.
Fourth Master had already gone to the clean room to take a bath. Li Chenjiao and the others took their own baths after coaxing Second Princess to sleep, but Fourth Master had already bathed by the time she did.
Li Chenjiao smelled wonderful after her bath; she thought it smelled good too. However, when she entered the inner room, she noticed Qiu Ci winking at her first.
Li Chenjiao looked puzzled: "What's wrong with you?"
Qiu Ci chuckled to herself: "Master, the master sent Eunuch Su to deliver some things."
Upon hearing this, Li Chenjiao responded with an "Oh," and then asked, "It's not some kind of jewelry again, is it?"
Her tone was neither high nor low, but the Fourth Master, who was reading a book on the soft couch in the inner room, suddenly looked away.
Qiu Ci silently shook her head: "Master, you should go in and take a look yourself."
Li Chenjiao followed his instructions and went inside. She soon saw the enormous object placed next to the dressing table.
"Did Master send this?" Li Chenjiao asked first.
The Fourth Prince was sitting on the small couch reading a book when he heard the voice and looked up: "Go and see for yourself."
Fourth Master's words sounded rather cold.
Li Chenjiao touched her nose guiltily, after all, she had just heard that Fourth Master had given her jewelry again.
However, she was still a little curious, so after hearing what the Fourth Master said, she went closer to take a look.
The osmanthus pattern on the outside of the box-like object was clearly visible. She touched it and found that the craftsman had carved it very finely. It had probably been weathered by time, and the carved patterns now felt warm to the touch, rather than rough.
Inside the large dressing box, there were actually six smaller boxes. Although they were called small boxes, the six boxes were of different sizes. The largest box could be pulled open to be half a foot high and had several hidden compartments. The smallest box was only an inch long. The layers of nesting were truly ingenious.
The most exquisite detail is that each box is equipped with an orchid-shaped lock.
Without even looking, it's obvious that the locks inside the boxes and the boxes themselves are perfectly matched, so there's no need to worry about someone stealing the contents of the boxes.
What an exquisite object.
Even though Li Chenjiao had seen many fine things after entering the Fourth Master's mansion and had received many rare and precious gifts from the Fourth Master, this was truly the first time she had ever seen such an item.
Li Chenjiao squatted down, her mouth slightly open as she turned around: "Master, you really are something. Do you know that I've recently received so many pieces of jewelry from you that I can't fit them all here?"
Upon hearing this, Fourth Master did not take his eyes off the book in his hands for even a moment, and his tone was indifferent: "Is there something wrong?"
His private treasury was indeed full of all sorts of rare and precious treasures. When the Fourth Prince bestowed gifts upon various parts of the inner courtyard, he would simply give whatever came to mind, and only very rarely would he consider who should be given what.
As for Li Chenjiao, he knew that she didn't like playing the zither or chess, but was more skilled in calligraphy and painting. He rarely sent her calligraphy or similar items, and mostly sent her jewelry and silks to the East Courtyard, which were also things that Li Chenjiao liked.
However, Fourth Master certainly didn't know what Li Chenjiao liked or disliked from the very beginning.
Fourth Master didn't have that much free time to pay attention to the preferences of the women in his harem.
However, when others received his gifts, they would either display them in a conspicuous place or carefully put them away.
Li Chenjiao was different. She could see the things that the Fourth Prince liked often when he came. If the Fourth Prince gave her something she didn't like, she would only see it when the maids took the items out of the storeroom to clean them. Fortunately, it hadn't been put in the storeroom to collect dust.
Over time, the Fourth Master learned what Li Chenjiao liked and disliked.
As for why he thought of giving this makeup box today, the Fourth Prince looked down at the book, but when he turned to the next page, he couldn't remember anything from the previous page.
Since he gave you jewelry, giving you a makeup box as well would be just right.
So the Fourth Master ordered Su Peisheng to go to the storeroom to look for it.
Look, this is the difference between how the Fourth Prince and Longkodo treated their favorite concubines.
One casually lets others choose from a selection of gifts, while the other carefully considers what is suitable and what she would like, and then sends it to them.
Whether it's genuine favor or just empty praise, there's no need to elaborate.
However, Li Chenjiao was unaware of those things at the moment.
She really liked this exquisite makeup box. If the Fourth Master hadn't been there, she probably would have already started tinkering with it and studying it with her two maids.
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