The festivities of the Ban Jin Festival lasted all day. Although the Fourth Prince didn't drink much during the day, he inevitably got padded with alcohol at the night banquet.
The eldest prince had already been taken to the side hall. When the eldest prince was taken down by the wet nurse and was crying, he was taken to the side hall along with the third and fifth princes' younger princes.
However, the crying of the young princes had not stopped by the time they reached the side hall. Several young princes who could not yet walk heard the crying and one of them, whose son was unknown, let out a couple of loud howls.
Oh dear, that sound was like stirring up a hornet's nest.
Soon, the entire side hall was filled with the sounds of weeping, which could even be faintly heard inside the Hall of Preserving Harmony.
Prince Hongxi's face showed a rare look of helplessness, something only someone his age could muster.
His Majesty would naturally not blame them; how could he find the cries of the young princes annoying?
His Majesty laughed heartily and waved for Prince Hongxi to sit down.
Soon, each family received the Emperor's gifts for his grandsons.
The Emperor bestowed rewards and said a few words, but only Liang Jiugong and Prince Hongxi, who were close to the Emperor, could hear some of it.
"The children of the third son's family are quite energetic, and their voices are much louder than their father's."
That's true. When the Third Prince and his wife argue, you can always hear the Third Prince's voice but not his.
Prince Hongxi lowered his head, pretending not to hear.
Only Liang Jiugong, who was standing next to the Emperor, smiled.
The Emperor continued, "The fourth son's wife is a well-behaved child. The fifth son's wife, on the other hand, is a bit more mischievous than the fifth son."
Just now, the young master of the Fifth Prince's family almost raised his hand and knocked away the wine cup on His Majesty's table.
Heaven knows how terrified Fifth Master must have been when he caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye.
What he didn't dare to do when he was a child, his foolish son did before him with even greater boldness.
However, the eldest son of the Fourth Prince only received one comment from the Emperor: "He's a good boy."
It sounds like His Majesty is praising the young prince of the Fourth Prince's family, but anyone with eyes could see that the Fourth Prince's son was trembling like a leaf earlier.
It's natural for the young princes to fear the Emperor, given his imperial authority; however, the eldest prince is indeed a bit too afraid.
The princes naturally didn't have much to say to each other, but after the banquet, Prince Zhi did show some concern, though he only patted the Fourth Prince on the shoulder and said a few words, which was nothing special.
Once the young princes received their rewards, the women in the harem would naturally find out very quickly.
The Princess Consort was somewhat displeased that the eldest prince had received a reward, but since the second prince was still young, she couldn't force him to fawn over the Emperor.
The Fujin naturally heard from the wet nurse that only the eldest prince had entered the Baohe Hall, but even the fourth prince had no way of knowing what the emperor said inside the Baohe Hall, let alone the Fujin.
The princess was annoyed by the Emperor's gifts and impatiently told the servants to put them on the carriages that had carried the eldest and third princes when they left the palace.
However, the Fujin originally thought that the eldest prince had pleased the emperor and received a reward today, and that the fourth prince would probably rest at Wu's place in the south courtyard, or go to the east courtyard of Li, who was dressed up charmingly today.
Unexpectedly, after returning to the mansion, Fourth Master went to Madam Song's place.
The princess watched the fourth prince leave, and when she turned to Li Chenjiao, she had a faint smile on her face, but upon closer inspection, there was a deeper meaning behind it.
"Since Song entered the household earlier, her relationship with Fourth Master is also deeper. Li, please be more tolerant. It's getting late, and I'm tired too. Let's all go home."
The wet nurses and servants who were holding the eldest and third princes bowed respectfully and withdrew after hearing the princess's words.
The two young princes were almost asleep by now. Not only the eldest and third princes, but the second prince was also sleeping soundly.
Li Chenjiao ignored the words of the Fujin, letting them go in one ear and out the other, and didn't take them to heart at all.
"It's getting late, so I'll head back now."
After she finished speaking, she waited for two seconds, as if waiting to see if the Princess Consort had any other instructions.
The princess felt a pang of heartache under Li Chenjiao's gaze, and she slowly exhaled a breath of stale air: "It's over."
The two words were particularly meaningful.
Li Chenjiao nodded slightly and turned to leave. She then yawned; today had been quite an ordeal.
On the way back, Qiu Hu was unusually puzzled: "Why did you suddenly decide to go to Song Gege's place?"
They are indeed somewhat unrelated.
Li Chenjiao stretched, and the candlelight in the garden outlined her slender figure.
"It's time for Song Shi's turn. Let's prepare for tomorrow. Have the kitchen prepare the pots and pans in advance, and put all the dishes that Fourth Master likes to eat. Let's also coax Second Princess in advance. Let me coax Fourth Master tomorrow too."
Qiu Hu was still a little confused, but Lin Mama, who was supporting Li Chenjiao on the other side, smiled and obviously understood.
On the eleventh, it was the day of the principal wife.
Yesterday, the 12th, was Princess Wu of the South Courtyard.
Today is the 13th, and Song Gege is here.
When tomorrow is the fourteenth, won't it be Li Chenjiao's turn?
When the fifteenth prince arrives, he will follow His Majesty northward.
As for the remaining Xu family members?
To be frank, the Fourth Prince's attitude towards the Third Prince wasn't exactly good, and I wonder if it was because of the Fourth Prince's past dislike of Lady Xie.
The Third Prince was adopted by Madam Xu. The Fourth Prince visited Madam Xu only a handful of times. Most of the time, it was Su Peisheng or Fulu who visited him.
It's obvious that the Fourth Prince doesn't like the Third Prince.
Of course, people's hearts are biased. Even the Emperor's affection for his princes varies, let alone for the Fourth Prince.
The Fourth Prince has been quite good to the children in his household; at least he hasn't shown any favoritism towards the princes and princesses.
Although the Fourth Prince rarely visited the Third Prince, he still instructed Su Peisheng to frequently send people to warn the stewards in various places to ensure that the servants would not skimp on or mistreat the Third Prince.
In terms of favoritism, Xu Shi was just as favored as Bai Jia Shi, perhaps even slightly more.
The favoritism shown to her in the backyard was already limited, so Li Chenjiao didn't feel much sympathy for her. She didn't explain further and yawned again.
"Go back quickly, I really can't hold on any longer."
Li Chenjiao sometimes really admired the Fujin (wife of the emperor), who was very adept at social interactions, making no mistakes whatsoever.
When Li Chenjiao returned to the East Courtyard, she wasn't so sleepy anymore; instead, she was a little hungry.
However, Li Chenjiao came back quite late today, and the Second Princess was still awake.
Li Chenjiao had spent half a day in the palace wearing her official robes. Although she had been sitting for most of the time, the ornaments on her headdress and the necklace around her neck made her feel sore all over.
However, with a sweet and soft second princess in her arms, Li Chenjiao took a breath and felt more energetic.
"Tell the kitchen to make a bowl of shredded chicken noodles."
Li Chenjiao blurted out, then shook her head with a smile after a while: "I'm really confused. Tell the kitchen to make a light bowl of oil-splashed noodles."
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