However, Li Chenjiao, who was far away on her southern tour, was unaware of the bloody turmoil happening in the mansion.
Everything on the southern tour passed quickly. In the days following the Dragon Boat Festival, the imperial procession passed through Qingxian, Dongguang, and Sangyuan, but did not stay for long.
Upon reaching Gaoyou, the imperial procession switched from land to water, as the next destination was Yangzhou.
Li Chenjiao rarely had the opportunity to ride a boat, so she found it quite novel.
The Emperor's carriage was a separate vessel, but it was also the largest.
The Crown Prince and other members of the imperial harem who were accompanying the Emperor on this trip were also on board.
This time, Fourth Master was on another ship, just like the other masters.
There were two or three more ships behind them, all quite large, carrying the ministers and nobles who had accompanied them on this trip.
In the distance, there were quite a few small boats lined up neatly behind them, making for a rather spectacular sight.
However, Li Chenjiao didn't have much interest in looking at it; she found it too much trouble even to lie on the outside of the boat.
There was no other reason than that Li Chenjiao only realized she was seasick after boarding the ship.
Bai Jia also felt unwell on the first day she boarded the ship, but those symptoms disappeared after two days.
Li Chenjiao, on the other hand, experienced a more severe case of seasickness after two days.
He was constantly vomiting and having diarrhea, and his appetite was also not very good.
It was that girl, Green Bamboo, who went to great lengths, managing to get a basket of oranges and a jar of preserved fruit to whet Li Chenjiao's appetite.
After all, Li Chenjiao had taken the medicine prescribed by the imperial physician. However, her reaction was somewhat better after taking the medicine, but less than half a day later, she vomited even more violently.
Li Chenjiao was naturally no longer able to serve the Fourth Master.
Li Chenjiao didn't dare ask Fourth Master to come and see her. It was inconvenient to deal with filth on the ship. Li Chenjiao loved cleanliness and would wash herself every day even if she couldn't bathe.
However, she had been vomiting a lot these past few days. Even though Li Chenjiao washed herself clean every day, she still felt that she smelled bad and did not want the Fourth Master to see her.
However, Fourth Master did not go to Bai Jia's place because of this.
The Fourth Master seems to have been busy with something lately. He came to see Li Chenjiao twice, but was refused by Li Chenjiao because she was already asleep. After that, the Fourth Master has not come again.
The next day, Su Peisheng would personally deliver the meals.
It was either Li Chenjiao's favorite food these days, or local specialties from Gaoyou, Sangyuan, and other places, as well as the dishes that Li Chenjiao used to order more often in the East Courtyard.
However, Li Chenjiao didn't use much of it in the end.
In just a few days, Li Chenjiao lost a lot of weight, and she herself really didn't know that she had seasickness.
I've been secretly groaning in my heart countless times these past few days.
The sour fruit preserves that Green Bamboo painstakingly found later came in handy, as Li Chenjiao wasn't vomiting as badly as she had a few days ago.
However, her appetite is still not very good.
She was also afraid that she would continue to vomit like this, after all, the maids had been serving her with great anxiety and apprehension these past few days.
Li Chenjiao had lost a lot of weight, and the maids serving her were no exception.
Even the little paths outside where people run up and down have become thinner.
Li Chenjiao simply stopped caring about so much. She ate light meals every day, only eating until she was about half full. After eating, she didn't do any entertainment or read books, but went straight to bed and lay down.
The rooms on the ship were not large, after all, there were quite a few princes accompanying the emperor on his southern tour. The younger princes who were not yet married were fine, as they only needed to be accommodated with their servants.
Once a man gets married, he inevitably brings his female relatives with him. It's considered good that the Fourth Prince only brought a concubine and a princess. The Third Prince, on the other hand, brought four princesses and a concubine, Lady Zhaojia.
If there are many female relatives, then naturally there will be many servants accompanying them, which takes up space.
Li Chenjiao's accommodations were considered quite good, but on this ship, she always felt cramped and uncomfortable. Every night, she had to ask her maid to open some windows before she could sleep peacefully.
By mid-May, as they followed the river, they finally began to see glimpses of Yangzhou, and Li Chenjiao's seasickness finally subsided.
After this ordeal, Li Chenjiao looked quite haggard, her face deathly pale.
When Fourth Master arrived, he saw Qiu Hu and frowned deeply. He coldly reprimanded Qiu Hu, who was standing next to Li Chenjiao.
"How do you serve your master?"
The Fourth Master's question was perfectly reasonable. If a servant fails to take good care of his master, then it is naturally the servant's fault. No matter how you look at it, that's the truth.
Li Chenjiao didn't say anything nice about Qiu Hu: "Qiu Hu, go check if my medicine is ready."
As soon as Li Chenjiao spoke, Fourth Master's already furrowed brows tightened even more.
Li's voice was very pleasant, which Fourth Master also liked; it was melodious and cheerful, and listening to it made people feel comfortable.
However, Li's voice sounded noticeably weak, and she could even hear faint breathing sounds. She looked as if a gust of wind could blow her over.
Fourth Prince waved his hand to dismiss Li Chenjiao's formalities, then turned and asked, "Didn't the imperial physician say your seasickness has improved a lot?"
Su Peisheng said the same thing every time he returned to report.
Su Peisheng silently lowered his head.
Li Chenjiao lay half-reclined and smiled: "The imperial physician did not lie to me. It's just that I've been feeling unwell and have a poor appetite lately."
Li Chenjiao herself found it strange, but she couldn't sense anything from her own body, only that her body was indeed weaker than before.
Fourth Master sat down in front of the bed: "When we get to Yangzhou, I'll have Physician Zhou examine you."
The Fourth Master felt uneasy seeing Li Chenjiao's current listless appearance. It wasn't that he disliked her, but rather that he felt somewhat apprehensive.
It's quite rare for this word to appear in his context.
However, that is indeed the case.
The Fourth Prince had grown accustomed to his wife's weakness over the past year or two, and had personally witnessed her health deteriorate little by little.
Looking at Li's face, which was as pale as paper, I felt a pang of pain in my heart.
He raised his hand and grasped Li's slender wrist. She seemed to have lost a lot of weight since the last time he had held her wrist; the Fourth Master could even feel the bones with his touch.
The Fourth Prince's heart seemed to be jolted as well.
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