After Fourth Prince settled in Suzhou, he did not return to his residence immediately, but continued to follow the Emperor. Naturally, he had many things to attend to upon arriving in Suzhou.
It was raining outside again, and as the Fourth Master walked outside, his robes inevitably got some rain and mud on them.
Fourth Master has always been a clean person. After he had some free time, he couldn't help but frown before he even lowered his head. However, before he could sit down, Su Peisheng came in looking hurried.
"Master, a down-on-his-luck scholar has come to pay his respects. I heard that he went to see the Crown Prince but was turned away, and he didn't seem to see the Third Master either."
The Fourth Master frowned, and tapped the table lightly with his slightly bent fingers, one tap after another, clearly indicating that he was deep in thought.
If he were just an ordinary candidate, he wouldn't be worth the Fourth Prince's attention, and Su Peisheng wouldn't even need to report to the Fourth Prince. Clearly, this person is no ordinary person.
After a moment, Fourth Master continued tapping on the table: "Who is it?"
Su Peisheng bowed: "The man here is Dai Duo. He was one of the candidates who were wronged in the last imperial examination case, but he still failed after His Majesty held the re-examination. He even wrote a congratulatory letter to His Majesty during the New Year last year."
Fourth Master frowned, clearly unfamiliar with the name.
"Speaking of which, this failed scholar has some connection with you. He used to be a teacher in the Tongjia clan, but we heard that he was a muddle-headed person, so the Tongjia clan dismissed him. In the past few years, he has made a living by copying books and painting, but he has failed the imperial examinations several times."
Clearly, Su Peisheng had already thoroughly investigated the current situation of Dai Duo, the failed scholar who had come to his door, before reporting to him.
Fourth Master continued tapping on the table for a long time before saying, "I won't see him. Send someone to give him twenty taels of silver. If he has real talent, tell him to use this silver to focus on the imperial examinations."
Su Peisheng responded with an "Eh," but he wasn't particularly surprised.
After all, the Crown Prince and the Third Prince hadn't met yet, so if the Fourth Prince did, he would inevitably be accused of trying to win them over.
Fourth Master's front yard has always been clean, and the master has always been the most incorruptible. Even if Dai Duo were truly a talented and learned person, Fourth Master would still not want him.
Giving some silver would be a way of acknowledging Fourth Master's kindness.
Su Peisheng turned around to instruct the guards to handle the matter, but suddenly heard his master call him back: "Come back."
Su Peisheng quickly turned around: "Does Master have any other instructions?"
Fourth Master grunted in agreement: "Go and find out about Dai Duo. It would be best to know every detail of his experiences over the years."
Su Peisheng was stunned. Was his master having second thoughts?
He agreed, then took the silver out and gave the guard some instructions.
The guard returned quickly, and Su Peisheng's eyes flashed with surprise upon hearing the guard's report.
He quickly went back to report to the Fourth Master.
"Did he really say that?" Fourth Master finally looked up at Su Peisheng.
"Yes, after the scholar accepted the silver, he cupped his hands and said, 'It is easy to befriend a widow or orphan, but difficult to befriend a large family.' He also said that his family was in dire straits and thanked the master for his timely help. He said that he was not yet successful, but he would never forget the master's kindness."
Fourth Master tapped the table: "Send someone to deliver a message to him in a few days, and we'll discuss it again after his family's difficulties have passed."
Fourth Master's words had a hidden meaning.
Su Peisheng was a little slow to react. He exclaimed "Ah!" and when he met his master's gaze, he quickly snapped to attention and hurriedly agreed.
It is easy to be with a lonely or widowed sibling, but difficult to be with a large group of siblings.
That's a very insightful summary.
After Su Peisheng left, only Fourth Master remained in the room, and he quickly fell into deep thought.
The Fourth Prince pondered for a while. Around noon, he heard Su Peisheng outside say that His Majesty had summoned the Crown Prince to serve him a meal, and that the princes could return home early after their meal.
The Fourth Prince had a hasty lunch, nothing else to do, and after paying his respects to his father, the Emperor, he returned to his residence.
His Majesty had just finished lunch and was feeling rather lazy. One of the young attendants accompanying him knelt beside him, meekly massaging his legs.
The fourth prince was outside paying his respects, but His Majesty was feeling lethargic and did not see him.
"The fourth prince is honest. His illness has only just improved, so these days I've told him he doesn't need to come to me every day to pay his respects."
To be honest, the Fourth Prince's illness had been fully cured for who knows how long. However, whatever His Majesty said, his subordinates had no choice but to obey. Whether His Majesty wanted the Fourth Prince to serve in front of the Emperor or exempted him from paying his respects, it was a great favor to the Fourth Prince.
Whether or not it is a real blessing or not, as long as it comes from the Emperor's mouth, it must be regarded as a blessing by everyone.
It wasn't just Consort Li who needed her pulse checked by Imperial Physician Zhou; there were two other noble ladies from other places waiting behind. By the time they finished checking each pulse, it was already noon.
The two behind them were just suffering from headaches and fevers from traveling, nothing serious, but their status was what it was. However, if we really had to report something, it was the news that the concubine of the Fourth Prince's mansion was pregnant.
He went to find the Fourth Prince without even having lunch, but to his surprise, the Fourth Prince was not in front of the Emperor, and he came up empty-handed.
Physician Zhou stroked his white beard and muttered, "Now we've lost the reward again. Let's go, let's go—this rain is terribly stifling."
That's right. Running back and forth in the rain, how could it not be tiring?
His old bones can't withstand any more hardship.
When Fourth Master returned to the mansion, he also felt somewhat weary.
To be honest, the imperial physicians were relatively better off, since they always traveled back and forth by carriage, unlike the Fourth Prince, who was constantly exposed to the wind and sun.
When Fourth Master returned to the mansion, he inevitably felt somewhat unfamiliar with it.
Over the past month or two, he has changed residences quite a few times. He spent more time in the mansion in Yangzhou City, and now that he has suddenly changed residences again, even the Fourth Master is finding it a bit difficult to adapt.
"Has the Li family been settled?"
Su Peisheng had been so busy following the Fourth Master all day that he hadn't had a moment to spare, and had only arranged for someone to help move the luggage. He didn't dare to answer carelessly at the moment, and only said, "This servant has failed in his duty."
Fourth Master didn't mind: "Go to Li's place."
Right now, all Fourth Master wants is to get a good night's sleep.
After several days of traveling, Fourth Master had less than half the chance to close his eyes compared to Li Chenjiao.
Previously, she had been putting on a brave face in front of the emperor, but now that Hui'er was on her own turf, she inevitably became more willful.
Su Peisheng gave a wink to the servant standing at the gate, who quickly led the way.
This time, Li Chenjiao chose a courtyard that looked similar to those in Yangzhou City. It was surrounded by lush trees and bamboo groves, making it a perfect place to escape the summer heat. Although there was no winding stream or floating wine cups in the courtyard, there was a small lake not far away, which was already full of lotus flowers and leaves at this time of year. It was truly beautiful.
Now, in the drizzle, the raindrops patter on the lotus leaves, causing them to sway gently, creating a different kind of hazy and serene atmosphere.
It's like the kind of courtyard that Li Chenjiao would choose.
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