After all, it concerns the legitimate son of the household, and Li Chenjiao is now a concubine, pregnant with a child. As for the Fourth Prince's question, what kind of answer would satisfy him is something Li Chenjiao needs to consider.
Li Chenjiao smiled weakly: "I also raised the Second Princess, and it is heartbreaking to see me suffering from illness."
She didn't say much. Firstly, she knew that too much talk could lead to mistakes, and secondly, given her current position, whatever she said wouldn't sound like the truth. However, she simply couldn't bring herself to express her sadness and heartache to the Fourth Prince with tears streaming down her face.
Li Chenjiao felt a pang of pity for the Second Prince, but she genuinely felt sorry for him; to be honest, she didn't feel much pity.
After all, it wasn't her own child, and any reluctance she felt was entirely due to Li Chenjiao being a mother herself.
Li Chenjiao couldn't feign sincerity; her brief words were heartfelt.
Fourth Master closed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought, before speaking again after a moment: "Is that all?"
Li Chenjiao was already a little sleepy at this moment. Listening to the Fourth Master's words, she put on a proper smile. She didn't care whether the Fourth Master could see it or not; smiling always made her feel better.
"I'll speak frankly from my own heart, and I hope Your Highness won't take offense. I'm just an ordinary person, and my heart is now torn apart. I hope Your Highness is well, that the Second Princess grows up safely, and that the child in her womb is born safely. I also hope that the Second Prince will recover soon, so that Your Highness can be at ease. I really can't think of anything else."
As she spoke, she raised her hand again, making a gesture as if to touch the Fourth Master's slightly furrowed brow.
Fourth Master suddenly opened his eyes, and Li Chenjiao's hand was right in front of him, still trembling slightly.
The Fourth Prince's furrowed brows did not relax, but his tightly pursed lips were slightly pursed. After a while, a very soft "hmm" could be heard from the Fourth Prince.
However, it was impossible to explain what the Fourth Master was really thinking.
Li Chenjiao can finally sleep peacefully now.
She let out a soft breath, feeling a sense of relief.
Is Fourth Master testing us...?
Is the Fourth Prince a suspicious person? Not really, it's just that he's someone who doesn't show his emotions, which inevitably makes people wonder about him.
The Fourth Master wasn't necessarily suspicious of her; she herself knew perfectly well that her hands were clean.
Fourth Master could only inquire about Li Chenjiao's attitude.
After the Second Prince... Li Chenjiao's attitude.
Clearly, the Second Prince held a significant place in the Fourth Prince's heart, as did his principal wife.
This is also why Li Chenjiao has always been too lazy to confront the Fujin (the primary wife of the Ulanara clan). That would not be a wise choice. As long as the Fujin does not suffer any major mishaps, then no matter what, the position of the primary Fujin of the Ulanara clan will remain unshakable.
Li Chenjiao only needs to protect herself and maintain the balance in the backyard, and that will be enough.
Regardless of what the Second Prince does, the position of the Fujin (Prince Consort) is unshakeable, and Li Chenjiao would never have any other thoughts.
Faced with the Fourth Master's probing, Li Chenjiao needed to avoid being too confident, but still make her stance clear to him.
The delicate balance that Li Chenjiao needs to consider is what matters.
I wonder what the Fourth Prince thought after hearing her words. Anyway, Li Chenjiao can finally get a good night's sleep tonight.
What was Fourth Master thinking?
At this moment, the Fourth Prince wasn't actually thinking about Li Chenjiao's words. What was he thinking about? He was thinking about the Second Prince.
Fourth Master heard what Li Chenjiao said, and he knew that Li Chenjiao was sincere. After all, Li Chenjiao's usual behavior was a testament to her words today.
Inside the east courtyard, Fourth Master couldn't hear Li Chenjiao talking about other places in the backyard.
But the Fourth Prince couldn't help but wonder, how many of the women in the backyard had actually seen him bear his children?
The Second Prince is ill, but what about the First Princess, the Second Princess, and the First Prince?
Did Fourth Master truly treat everyone equally?
When the eldest princess was born prematurely and was weak, he did take good care of her and even took her to live in the front yard for a while. But what happened later?
This refers to the Second Princess, whom the Fourth Prince sees and spends time with frequently. However, he doesn't know the true state of her health—whether she has been sick a few times or been exposed to wind and cold.
Fourth Master suddenly realized that he was completely unaware.
However, when the Second Prince fell ill, he would still visit him every day, no matter how busy he was.
Is it because the Second Prince is his legitimate son?
The Fourth Prince suddenly felt a pang of regret. He had clearly—clearly—had once felt envious of his father's affection for the Crown Prince.
He was clearly a son born out of wedlock, so why does he seem to treat his offspring the same way his father, the Emperor?
In a daze, Fourth Master seemed to have suddenly realized something.
He admitted that he valued his eldest son, but it was undeniable that he never showed favoritism to the children in the mansion. At least within the rules, they were all provided for. However, the affection he secretly felt was indeed biased.
The Fourth Prince's preference for the women in his harem may have stemmed from his own heart, but the children hadn't done anything wrong.
The reason why Fourth Master suddenly thought of these things was because of what Li Chenjiao said earlier, what she called her selfish thoughts.
Li Chenjiao spoke of her own selfish motives, but it reminded the Fourth Master of himself.
Fourth Master suddenly felt somewhat relieved.
The next day, after getting up and dressed, the Fourth Prince went to check on the Second Princess. She was still sleeping peacefully. After checking on her, the Fourth Prince went outside and asked the wet nurse how the Second Princess was feeling lately.
The Fourth Prince paid a lot of attention to the Second Princess's health, since he visited the East Courtyard frequently.
Mr. Chen answered in a very formal and methodical manner.
Li Chenjiao took great care of the Second Princess's health. Since birth, she had rarely been sick, and even the number of times she had caught a cold was pitifully small.
The Fourth Prince hummed in agreement, knowing that it was the nanny who had taken good care of him, but he also knew in his heart that Li Chenjiao's personal efforts played a significant role.
After leaving the East Courtyard, the Fourth Prince instructed, "Later, take my nameplate and ask the imperial physician to examine the children in the manor. Also, inform Madam Xu that after returning to the manor, I will go and see the Third Prince."
The Fourth Prince had his own reasons for not visiting the First Prince first.
Su Peisheng replied, "Yes, Your Majesty," but he still felt somewhat puzzled. He hadn't seen the Fourth Prince pay much attention to the Third Prince these days. Could it be that he only remembered the Third Prince because the Second Prince was ill?
That makes sense.
But after giving this instruction, the Fourth Prince added, "Have Fulu keep an eye on the Second Prince. While I'm away from the mansion, have Fulu keep a close eye on the Second Prince."
Sure enough, the Fourth Prince still had the Second Prince on his mind.
This was unavoidable.
Su Peisheng knew perfectly well what was going on, and quickly agreed.
After giving his instructions, the Fourth Prince left the mansion. There was an early morning court session today, and it was already quite late.
It was still dark, but the princess consort in the main courtyard had already woken up.
"Has the master left the manor?" The Fujin asked Yu Ru beside her, her expression not too pleasant.
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