Li Chenjiao paused for a moment, then subconsciously touched the jade hairpin in her hair again: "When did Father learn about this? Didn't he say that things made by girls are the most boring?" As she spoke, Li Chenjiao couldn't help but laugh.
Qiu Hu laughed and said, "It was ordered by the master from outside. The master also had me bring a lot of donkey-hide gelatin so that the princess can eat more and take good care of her health."
Donkey-hide gelatin from Shandong was a tribute item every year, and his father was the prefect of Jiaozhou, so he kept quite a lot of it.
Don't get me wrong, her father didn't embezzle anything. Those were leftovers from the tribute, which her father bought back at a low price for her to use to nourish her body.
Her family was simple: her father was a prefect, her mother was from the Gioro clan, and she had an older brother who was now married to a Han Chinese bannerwoman surnamed Yin, whom she did not know. Her brother's marriage took place after she went to the capital.
Li Chenjiao's brother is currently a clerk in the Ministry of Revenue, a rather low-ranking official position, and he's still young.
"Father, you've been eating donkey-hide gelatin for so many years, aren't you afraid I'll get tired of it?" Li Chen complained playfully.
Qiu Hu laughed again: "Princess, you're not being honest. Breakfast has been brought, and it'll get cold soon. Princess, why don't you eat your breakfast first?"
...
"Shall we take a stroll in the garden? To aid digestion?" After finishing her meal, Li Chenjiao turned to Qiu Hu and said.
Qiu Hu smiled and agreed.
Li Chenjiao smiled and said, "Just follow along, there's nothing else to do."
"It's so convenient to be close to the garden," Li Chenjiao thought to herself, holding her fan.
It was the height of spring, full of life, with flowers in full bloom and butterflies occasionally fluttering by. It was quite beautiful.
Li Chenjiao turned around a little and saw the Fujin leading a group of people toward Song Shi.
After a slight flinch, Li Chenjiao waved her fan and asked, "Are you going to visit someone?"
Qiu Hu helped Li Chenjiao up: "I think so. This is the second time today. Looking at the people following them, there are two who look like nannies."
Qiu Ci said from the other side, "The Princess Consort also rewarded Song Gege with quite a few things. It's quite lively over there now."
Li Chenjiao blinked: "They really are praising Song Shi so highly... and yet they can't find fault with her. I wonder if the Fujin (wife of the princess) will be able to tolerate the child in Song Gege's belly."
After a while, Li Chenjiao shook her head inexplicably and said, "Then let's go back. It wouldn't be good if we ran into each other later." All that polite talk was rather boring.
The two maids agreed.
The day passed just like that, and the main courtyard sent quite a few things to the Song family one after another.
After a day, Li Chenjiao came to a conclusion: the food in the Fourth Prince's kitchen was really delicious!
In the evening, Li Chenjiao went out to digest her food after dinner, a habit she had since she was a young lady.
Halfway there, I saw bright lights ahead.
Li Chenjiao waved her fan, stared at it for a while, and asked, "Why does it look like someone is walking this way?"
Qiu Ci quickly tugged at Li Chenjiao: "Princess, it's Fourth Master!"
Li Chenjiao exclaimed "Eh!" and then "Ah?" Without thinking about anything else, she quickly walked to the side of the path and bowed respectfully.
The Fourth Master saw the person ahead, but didn't know who it was. As he got closer, he heard a voice: "This servant greets the Fourth Master." The voice was quite nice, not that it was particularly pleasant, but the pronunciation was clear and the pace was gentle, making it easy to listen to.
The Fourth Prince glanced down at him and said, "Get up."
Li Chenjiao obediently got up.
"Is that Li Shi? Why is she out wandering around at this hour?" Fourth Master asked.
Li Chenjiao answered respectfully, "Yes, this servant Li. I ate too many pastries at dinner, so I came out for a walk to digest."
Fourth Master, do you think she came here by chance to meet him?
Fourth Master sized up Li Chenjiao and said, "It's chilly at night, so don't go out too much." He clearly thought Li Chenjiao had come out on purpose.
However, Fourth Master continued walking forward with long strides, clearly heading towards Li Chenjiao's courtyard.
Fourth Master didn't really mind this. Whether it was intentional or not, he was here to see Madam Li anyway.
Ah, this is really a mess, even if I jumped into the Yellow River, I couldn't clear my name. Li Chenjiao patted her head with her fan and then quickly followed.
The two girls were secretly laughing behind them.
Once inside the courtyard, Li Chenjiao followed Fourth Master inside.
Only then did Fourth Master get a clear look at Li Chenjiao's appearance. This morning, he could only see her black hair. Earlier, when she was outside, it was dark and Li Chenjiao had her head down, so he could only tell that she was slender.
Li Chenjiao is the kind of person who is stunning at first glance and becomes more beautiful the more you look at her. She has long, narrow phoenix eyes with slightly upturned corners, and her skin is incredibly white—yes, it's from eating donkey-hide gelatin.
Her lips are very pink and delicate, and the shape of her lips is the kind that gives the impression of a smile even when she's not smiling. When she does smile, she's even more stunning.
Face is really important. The Fourth Prince stared at Li Chenjiao for a few moments and said, "Are you getting used to the manor? If you need anything, just tell me in the main courtyard."
Li Chenjiao replied with a smile, "Everything in the manor is fine, there has been no shortage of anything, and the Fujin has made excellent arrangements."
Fourth Master gave a soft "hmm" and then fell silent.
Li Chenjiao glanced at the Fourth Master out of the corner of her eye. Hmm, he's quite handsome. His temperament is really good. No, no, I mean his aura.
She's much better looking than her brother, though her aura is a bit intimidating. But she's still pretty good-looking, mainly because she's attractive.
Li Chenjiao thought to herself without a care in the world.
The room was quiet when Qiu Hu quietly entered and respectfully said, "The hot water is ready."
"That's pretty fast," Li Chenjiao thought to herself.
Fourth Master grunted in agreement again, then got up and went to the west wing to bathe, while Li Chenjiao bathed in the east wing.
After bathing and washing up, Li Chenjiao changed her clothes before going to the west wing.
Fourth Master was reading a book, but it wasn't one from Li Chenjiao's place; it was probably one he brought himself, since Li Chenjiao had never seen it before.
Glancing at the title, it seemed to be a military treatise. Li Chenjiao wasn't surprised, so she quietly poured tea to the side, not daring to disturb Fourth Master.
Fourth Master glanced at Li Chenjiao, waited for her to pour the tea, took a sip, and then continued reading.
Li Chenjiao wasn't worried. She obediently drank her tea and occasionally ate a snack. The mung bean cakes in the kitchen seemed to be a little inferior to those in the main courtyard.
After the Fourth Master looked at it once, most of the mung bean cakes in front of Li Chenjiao were gone.
The Fourth Prince put down his military treatise and, upon seeing this, couldn't help but smile, though it was only a slight upturn of his lips.
However, Li Chenjiao didn't notice that Fourth Master put down the military book, stopped what he was doing, and sat obediently.
Fourth Master stood up, turned his head and glanced at Li Chenjiao: "Alright, rest now."
Li Chenjiao didn't dare to say much, so she just replied, "Yes, it's my first time, I'm a little nervous."
But what was bound to happen would happen eventually. The night passed just like that, with only one request for water. Fourth Master was quite lenient with his touch.
I slept well all night.
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