Li Chenjiao, who had been lying in bed for a while, soon heard Qiu Ci talking about how the Fourth Master had come out of the main courtyard yesterday.
Li Chenjiao sat in front of the bronze mirror, while Qiu Ci was tying her hair up: "I heard that the Fujin summoned Miss Hu, and as a result, the Fourth Prince was very unhappy."
Li Chenjiao picked through the jewelry on the table, and upon hearing this, she lifted her eyelids slightly: "Fourth Master probably doesn't like this."
Qiu Ci nodded: "What Princess says is true."
Li Chen chuckled, her eyes sparkling: "Do you think this pendant is pretty?"
It's understandable that young girls at this age, who love beauty, would like pretty jewelry.
Qiu Ci glanced at the white jade pendant in the shape of a begonia flower and replied, "It looks lovely; the princess would surely look beautiful wearing it."
Li Chenjiao smiled and continued picking.
"Many more flowers have bloomed in the garden. Shall we go take a look, Princess? The weather is lovely today." Qiu Ci tucked a velvet flower into Li Chenjiao's hair.
Li Chenjiao thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
Nowadays, not many people in the manor go out for a stroll. The Fujin (wife) is disdainful of it. Song Shi is taking care of her pregnancy, and Bai Jia Shi hasn't been seen coming out for some time either. If she can go out without running into anyone, then let her go out.
After having breakfast, the little girl Li Chenjiao, dressed like a butterfly, went to the garden, waving her round fan.
Many new chrysanthemums have been brought to the garden, in various colors, and they look quite nice at first glance.
Li Chenjiao walked slowly with Qiu Ci in her arms.
I thought I wouldn't run into anyone else, but I did. It was Miss Hu and her maid flying a kite.
There was no wind at the moment, so the kite was swaying precariously, and by sheer coincidence, it landed right at Li Chenjiao's feet.
"Greetings to Lady Li, Lady Li." Madam Hu curtsied, her graceful figure captivating even in a simple gesture.
Li Chen cried out, a smile playing on her lips.
Madam Hu told the maid to pick up the kite, but for a moment she showed no intention of leaving, standing aside as if she had something to say.
Li Chenjiao didn't want to start this, so she glanced at Hu Shi and, seeing that Hu Shi still didn't speak, turned around and prepared to leave.
Madam Hu quickly spoke up: "Princess, please wait. This servant has something to say."
Li Chenjiao said "Oh" and slowly turned around.
Madam Hu bit her lip, feigning composure: "At least the Princess entered the manor through a proper selection process, which is better than someone like me who has never been to school. But... the Princess should be more virtuous. Have pity on me, this servant. What kind of logic is it to occupy Fourth Master's space all day long? Yesterday I even intercepted Fourth Master..."
Upon hearing this, Li Chenjiao's eyes widened, and it took her a while to recover before she chuckled lightly, "Miss Hu, what you're saying is so unreasonable! Are you telling me to be virtuous? As a concubine, who am I supposed to be virtuous for? Miss Hu, can you teach me how to be virtuous? And where did you hear that I intercepted Fourth Master yesterday? What does Fourth Master's coming out of the main courtyard yesterday have to do with Miss Hu? Could it be that Miss Hu was in the main courtyard yesterday?" With that, Li Chenjiao promptly revealed a look of horror.
Qiu Ci, standing to the side, was alternating between anger and joy.
This Miss Hu is disgusting. Who is she trying to fool with her pitiful act? She's just being obnoxious and speaking so tactlessly, fabricating stories to slander the princess.
Mrs. Hu was stunned for a moment, and the next second she covered her face with her handkerchief and began to weep, looking extremely aggrieved.
Li Chenjiao waved her hand and smiled sweetly, "Seeing that the flowers in this garden are about to wither, Miss Hu is feeling sentimental. Miss Hu is so kind. But why don't you feel sentimental about yourself?"
Hu stopped crying, looking at Li Chenjiao with tears in her eyes. She didn't react for a while, until Hu's maid pulled her back to her senses. Then she ran away crying again.
Qiu Ci, supporting Li Chenjiao, was furious: "Miss Hu's words are absolutely disgusting..."
Li Chenjiao thought for a moment and shook her head: "I think I can do it too, but when Madam Hu cries, her makeup is all ruined, and she looks even older than the Fujin."
Qiu Ci's eyes lit up when she heard this: "Your Highness, you may not know this, but Miss Hu is said to be from that kind of place, and she's supposedly already twenty."
Li Chenjiao glanced at Qiu Ci again. This girl knew more about the gossip and secrets of the manor than anyone else did. She wondered where she got all that information.
When Li Chenjiao returned from the garden, she was unaware that she had become famous once again.
(I've heard that Princess Li has a sharp tongue.)
With this incident, Li Chenjiao lost interest in strolling around the garden and spent the day lazily. In the evening, she sat and waited for the Fourth Master to arrive.
Fourth Master said he would come tonight when he left this morning.
Unfortunately, Li Chenjiao waited until late at night, but the Fourth Master still hadn't come. It was Fulu from the front courtyard who came to inform him.
It was said that the Emperor was ill in the palace, and the Fourth Prince and the other princes had to attend to him, so they wouldn't be coming back today. Li Chenjiao was told to rest early.
Li Chenjiao was stunned for a moment, not expecting such a change, but she didn't think too much about it, quickly finished her meal, and went to rest.
I did worry for a couple of seconds before going to sleep.
...
Inside the palace.
The Fourth Prince, the Third Prince, the Fifth Prince, the Prince of Zhi, the Eighth Prince, and the other princes were all kneeling outside the Qianqing Palace.
The one kneeling at the very front is the Crown Prince.
The Fourth Prince knelt behind him, with the Fourteenth Prince beside him. The Fourteenth Prince was already sleepy and had yawned countless times.
Taking advantage of the darkness of the night, and with the fourteenth prince kneeling at the back, the fourth prince reached out and gently supported him, lest the fourteenth prince actually fall asleep.
On the other side was the Thirteenth Prince, who was clearly distracted. He quietly asked, "Fourth Brother, when will Father wake up?"
The Fourth Prince frowned, his face not looking good: "The imperial physician said it was a sudden attack of anger on the heart, but Fourth Brother didn't know..."
The Thirteenth Prince was thinking about Lady Zhangjia, and upon hearing this, he lowered his head slightly and remained silent.
The Fourth Prince helped the Fourteenth Prince up, his mind filled with thoughts of today's farce.
This morning, after entering the palace, Father Emperor fainted after the court session. Fortunately, it was just due to overwork and catching a cold.
After the princes had waited for the emperor for a while, they returned to their respective palaces at lunchtime to have lunch with their mothers.
In the afternoon... something bad happened.
The Crown Prince was attending to his ailing father inside, feeding him medicine and helping him rest. Suddenly, he took a liking to the palace maid who was bringing the medicine.
He harassed a young palace maid in the Qianqing Palace. The young maid was a strong-willed woman, and she ran out and smashed her head against the palace wall, committing suicide.
Just then, the Emperor was thirsty and wanted to drink water. When he opened his eyes, he was so startled that he fainted again and hasn't woken up yet.
The Fourth Prince sighed inwardly. This incident might not have made his father faint, but if such unpleasant things kept happening, anyone would eventually reach their breaking point.
The Crown Prince has become increasingly reckless in the past two years.
"Fourth Brother, do you have anything to eat? I'm hungry." The Fourteenth Prince woke up a bit and asked quietly.
Fourth Master tossed the purse from his waist over expressionlessly.
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