The palace was rife with undercurrents due to the morning court session, and the mansion was also bustling with activity as it was the fifteenth of the month.
However, this lively scene had nothing to do with Li Chenjiao, who was still in her postpartum period.
Li Chenjiao counted on her fingers; she hadn't gone to the main courtyard to pay her respects for several days now, which had saved her a lot of trouble.
The main courtyard was indeed quite lively today. Whether it was the moving-like commotion in the main courtyard yesterday, or the Second Prince being carried to the front courtyard, or Madam Wu handing over her management power in the South Courtyard, these few things alone were enough to make it lively.
These incidents had nothing to do with Madam Song. This time, Madam Song really didn't hold back at all. Before the Fujin (the wife of the emperor) even arrived, there was already a tense atmosphere between Madam Wu and Madam Song in the main courtyard.
When the Fujin arrived, Song Shi was inside watching the spectacle and stirring up trouble. Liu Shi said a few words in support of the Fujin, but Song Shi gave her a sarcastic laugh in return. Then Song Shi's witty remarks were all directed at Liu Shi.
No sooner had the Fujin opened her mouth to take charge than Song turned her attention to her, saying things like, "She was willing to sacrifice the Second Prince, but in the end, the Fujin is the most magnanimous," which were like stabbing the Fujin in the heart.
The entire main courtyard was in complete chaos today.
Finally, the Fujin could no longer tolerate it and punished Song Shi for her disrespectful words by making her copy "Women's Instructions" fifty times and sending her to the main courtyard within three days.
I heard that Wu almost got into a fight with Song after leaving the main courtyard.
If even someone as cautious and respectful as Wu Shi couldn't resist taking action, one can guess how much Song Shi had said about Wu Shi being stripped of her power as head of the household.
Song had harbored resentment towards Wu, who had risen to power, for quite some time, and her hatred for the Fujin was even more intense. Today, she had truly spoken her mind, and even though she was punished by the Fujin, she felt relieved and happy.
Despite Wu's two years of planning and scheming as the assistant steward, it all came to nothing in the end. Even the Fujin (princess's wife) has now incurred the Fourth Prince's displeasure.
God knows how long she'd been holding this in.
She wasn't afraid at all. She had only said a few words, which made her feel much more at ease than Bai Jia, Niu Hulu, and Xu, who had a lot of thoughts in their minds but didn't dare to utter a single word.
Pah, that's vulgar, what nonsense!
Mrs. Song returned to her courtyard in a good mood.
When Li Chenjiao woke up and heard the farce unfolding in the main courtyard, she was utterly dumbfounded.
Although Song Shi seemed to have lost her mind today, she was not speaking without reason. Now that both the Fujin and Wu Shi had been reprimanded by the Fourth Prince, they naturally had to keep a low profile. That's why she dared to be so bold and unrestrained today.
Li Chenjiao stroked her chin. Opportunities like this, where you can catch someone and berate them while they are powerless to do anything about it, are rare.
What a pity.
However, she only just learned that the Fourth Prince had taken away Wu Shi as his assistant steward and brought the Second Prince from the main courtyard to the front courtyard.
Li Chenjiao couldn't help but mutter, "Fourth Master seems to be in a bad mood these past two days..."
She silently prayed that Fourth Master wouldn't come to her place these next two days. When a person is really annoyed, everything seems unpleasant, and even a careless word of comfort can turn into adding fuel to the fire.
Li Chenjiao wasn't confident she could make the Fourth Master happy.
However, today is the fifteenth, so at least Li Chenjiao doesn't have to worry about this today.
Although Li Chenjiao had a lot of free time during her postpartum period, she still felt a bit bored after a while.
She wasn't someone who could stay idle for long. Even in winter, when she was too cold to go out to the garden, she could still wander around her own house.
Now that spring has arrived and the winter snow is gone, Li Chenjiao finds even the birdsong outside tempting, and she truly wishes she could transform into a bird and fly out the window.
However, she also understood the importance of taking good care of her body during the postpartum period. If she didn't take good care of herself during this time, she would only end up harming herself.
So, although Li Chenjiao longed for the bright spring sunshine outside, she only longed for it. Every day, her good daughter, the Second Princess, would pick various flowers from the garden for her.
The flowers, once placed in a vase, were pleasing to the eye, and Li Chenjiao's mood improved considerably.
As expected, on the night of the fifteenth, the Fourth Prince did not go to the main courtyard of his wife as usual. After returning to the mansion, he rested in the front courtyard.
With the Second Prince in the front courtyard, the Fourth Prince did indeed spend more time with him.
This time, the cat named Tanzhu was also taken to the front yard. The Second Prince clearly liked Tanzhu very much, and would cry and shout if he couldn't see her.
After the Fourth Master checked on the cat and confirmed that it wouldn't hurt anyone, he didn't say anything.
For the next two days, Fourth Master also rested in the front yard and did not go into the back yard.
Firstly, the Fourth Prince was in a bad mood, and secondly, he was busy with many affairs outside, and he and Dai Duo discussed things until late at night every day.
Dai Duo was indeed a man of genuine talent and learning, and he was also very quick-witted. When he spoke with the Fourth Master, he was respectful but not obsequious, and he often got straight to the point.
On the eighteenth, Su Peisheng had received the news the day before. After instructing his apprentice to serve the Fourth Prince at the cost of his life, he followed the Fourth Prince out of the mansion and headed in the opposite direction from the Forbidden City.
Before long, a carriage slowly drove up to the Fourth Master's residence. The gatekeeper noticed that the coachman was none other than the master's chief eunuch, Eunuch Su.
As soon as Su Peisheng alighted from the carriage, the gatekeeper, sensing his presence, brought out a stool for the distinguished guest to dismount, and Su Peisheng personally led him down.
"Prepare the sedan chair." This was said to the gatekeeper.
Soon, however, the person who stepped down from the carriage refused Su Peisheng's offer: "How can a common woman do such a thing? It is only respectful to walk to pay respects to the Princess Consort."
She was helped down from the carriage by a maid. The fine lines at the corners of her eyes showed that she was an older woman. When she spoke to Su Peisheng, she nodded politely and spoke without being obsequious, which made people feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze.
Seeing this, Su Peisheng smiled and said, "Madam is very kind," and did not insist. He then led the woman dressed as a married woman toward the side gate.
In the main courtyard, the princess consort examined the account books of the sewing room for the past two years, her delicate brows furrowed slightly.
She had to admit that Wu had managed the sewing room and other places very well over the past two years. However, after checking the accounts these past two days, she did not find any mistakes. All kinds of rewards from the Imperial Household Department and materials sent from various places were clearly recorded. In fact, under Wu's arrangement, some people were laid off from the sewing room, but the work was still done just as well.
Naturally, those who were dismissed were all former wives of the Fujin.
The Fujin turned to another page of the account book, feeling annoyed and disgruntled, when she heard Yu Ru come in to report.
"Madam. Eunuch Su has brought Madam Shen, the mother of Consort Li, to pay her respects. Eunuch Su said that Madam Shen was granted permission by the master to accompany Consort Li."
According to custom, family members are indeed allowed to visit after the primary wife and secondary primary wife give birth. However, the primary wife remembers that the Li family of the East Courtyard is not from the capital...
The princess closed the account book, her furrowed brows slowly relaxing: "Please come in."
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