Indeed, among all those present, it was the Fujin who spoke the most. As soon as Niohuru said those words, even if she didn't mean it, it sounded like she was paying attention.
The princess forced a smile, suppressing her cold laugh.
She disliked Niohuru from the moment she arrived at the mansion. She was aloof yet not aloof, sickly yet not entirely so, and her mouth was always annoying.
Looking at that face, the Fujin felt even more disgust than she did for the deceased Xie.
She only thought that having Niohuru would allow her to share some of Li's favor, and since the Fourth Prince had traveled a long way and was exhausted, she naturally had to be extremely considerate, which is why she was a little more lenient with Niohuru.
Unexpectedly, Niohuru's mouth was still like that.
The princess consort showed a slight annoyance, her brows furrowing: "It was my fault. I was worried about you all, whether you had just entered the manor or just returned, or you were taking care of the princes and princesses... I talked too much, please don't blame me, sir."
She said this to the Fourth Master, but her expression gradually turned cold.
Such indifference was certainly not directed at the Fourth Prince.
The Fourth Prince seemed to glance at Niohuru, who had said those words and then remained silent. His expression became even more indifferent and unfathomable.
"It's alright. Your wife is kind and has taken much of the burden off me. I should reward you. Su Peisheng, I remember there's a coral red screen in the storeroom. I'll send it to the main courtyard later."
Su Peisheng added at the opportune moment: "Oh my, that coral was a tribute sent from Southeast Asia. Coral is not rare, but what is rare is that the coral was soaked in calming incense, and the fragrance lasts for a long time. The envoy from Southeast Asia said that the fragrance will only become stronger, which is very rare."
The princess smiled and said softly, "Thank you for your concern, sir."
Since the birth of the second prince, the wife had been having trouble sleeping, so this gift from the fourth prince was indeed the perfect one.
Li Chenjiao had almost finished the bowl of lotus root soup in front of her, and she really wanted to laugh.
This Princess Niohuru seems to be a little dim-witted.
Niohuru's words were indeed unconventional and unique, and perhaps they made the Fourth Prince remember her.
However, she shouldn't have said those words in front of everyone, blatantly slapping the Fujin in the face.
At least on the surface, everything the Fujin said was in accordance with her status as a Fujin.
The Fourth Prince always valued rules and regulations, and he would never allow anyone to openly disrespect his wife.
Niohuru made a mistake in this step.
Li Chenjiao stirred the remaining lotus root in the bowl and remained silent for a moment.
Niohuru, who was sitting at the lowest seat, seemed to raise her head slightly after hearing the Fourth Prince's words, but quickly lowered her eyes again.
Her snow-white cheeks flushed slightly, a sign of embarrassment and annoyance.
Seeing that Niohuru was at a loss for words, Madam Song chuckled and chimed in, "On this joyous occasion of the whole household gathering, what's the point of the banquet if everyone keeps quiet? It's better to be lively. If Sister Niohuru doesn't want to talk, then just stay quiet and let's have some fun."
Wu Shi, upon hearing Song Shi's words, surprisingly did not utter a word of rebuttal.
Niohuru's words just now certainly offended everyone in the room.
The Princess Consort smiled and said, "You... If the eldest princess were half as clever as you, that would be wonderful. Go and have some tea to rest your mouth."
The Fujin (principal wife) has now become the one in charge of the overall situation.
Everyone had different intentions at the dinner party, and in the end, the question that everyone was most curious about was where Fourth Master would be staying tonight.
After all, today is not the first or fifteenth of the month, so the Fourth Master doesn't necessarily have to stay in the main courtyard.
After several months, the Fourth Prince finally returned to the manor, and everyone eagerly awaited to see whose courtyard he would stay in.
Was it the concubine whom the Fourth Prince rewarded with the coral-red screen today? Or was it Concubine Li, who was unwell due to pregnancy? Or perhaps it was Concubine Liu and Concubine Bai, who accompanied the Fourth Prince on his southern tour?
Or perhaps it was Princess Song or Princess Wu, who gave birth to princes and princesses?
As for the Xu family, they were completely unexpected.
However, it was indeed impossible for Fourth Master to go to Madam Xu's place on the first day of his return.
After a few rounds of drinks, the rain outside seemed to have stopped.
Madam Song had also drunk too much. With new brides arriving one after another, she had managed to keep up her spirits and say a lot of things, but she couldn't help feeling a little sour inside, and in the end, she couldn't help but drink too much.
"It sounds like the rain has stopped—" She put down her wine cup, her eyes taking on a slightly dreamy look as she spoke.
"Oh dear, it's getting so late?" Upon hearing this, Wu Shi glanced outside before standing up and saying, "When I came out, the First Prince was coughing a bit, and I was worried about him—"
Upon hearing this, the Fujin (principal wife) was also very concerned: "Is it alright? I still have some Sichuan fritillary and loquat syrup here. I'll have Yuru from my place send some to you later. Why didn't you say so sooner? In that case, you should go back early."
Wu Shi has voluntarily withdrawn from the lively discussion about where the Fourth Prince is going tonight.
Wu was well aware of her own limitations. The Fourth Prince's visits to her South Courtyard were mostly due to the First Prince. She was not favored, so why should she stay?
When night falls, we'll eventually find out where Fourth Master went.
Wu Shi left, but Song Shi wouldn't; she was already making plans in her mind.
No matter how beautiful or celestial Niohuru is, she is currently under house arrest, so the Fourth Prince will not go to her courtyard.
As for the rest, who knows if Fourth Master will go to her courtyard today?
Song refused to leave and silently drank another half cup of wine.
The smell of alcohol was almost reaching Li Chenjiao, who was sitting opposite her. She frowned and looked up to meet the Fourth Master's gaze.
Li Chenjiao's furrowed brows hadn't relaxed when she happened to meet the Fourth Prince's gaze. Her pupils widened, and she forced a submissive smile at him.
The Fourth Master's fingers, gripping the glass cup, clenched slightly. These few cups of wine wouldn't make him drunk, but he felt inexplicably thirsty.
Fourth Master gets thirsty when he gets drunk.
Fourth Master raised his hand to his temple: "It's getting late, everyone go your separate ways."
The princess stood up, and everyone else stood up as well.
Everyone in the room fell on Fourth Master.
Fourth Master turned slightly to the side and looked to the left.
On the left, there were only Li Chenjiao, Bai Jiashi, and Liu Shi.
The moment Fourth Master glanced in this direction, his meaning was practically self-evident.
"You're feeling unwell right now, and the rain has just stopped outside. Come with me, I'll go see the Second Princess."
This was blatantly directed at Li Chenjiao.
Li Chenjiao gave a slight curtsy, her face showing no joy: "Yes."
The Fujin forced a smile and replied, "Yes. You really need to be very careful now that you're pregnant. Jinzhong, go and light the lanterns for me and escort the concubine back."
The Princess Consort does seem much more magnanimous now, which sometimes makes her quite unpredictable.
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