The next day, the Fourth Prince got up in his room, and Su Peisheng helped him dress and wash up. Soon after, his wife arrived.
The wife didn't offer any help, only offering the Fourth Prince a cup of warm tea after he finished dressing, but he waved it off.
Her expression stiffened: "I have thought about what you said last night, Your Majesty. It will indeed take a lot of time to go back and forth. Your Majesty cannot be without people to serve you."
The wife's words were very considerate.
The warm fragrance wafted from the small incense burner in Ruijin into the room, and the thin curtains, bathed in the morning light, seemed to exude a delicate fragrance.
The princess stood there, but for a moment she couldn't quite make out the fourth prince's face.
The Fourth Prince looked at his wife, his voice cold again: "I have official business to attend to this time. Did you think I was going out to have fun?"
The Fourth Prince has already been chosen to accompany the Emperor, after all, he had previously served as an inspector of river works, and he did it very well.
The Fourth Prince had never considered bringing female relatives with him on this trip, so the Princess Consort's words were wrong and naturally displeased him.
This wasn't the first time that the Fourth Prince's wife had suggested that he bring his female relatives to serve him while he was away, but each time the Fourth Prince had rejected her suggestion.
As for the Fujin, she felt puzzled, but also aggrieved.
Which wise and magnanimous wife doesn't take the initiative to suggest that her husband bring his female relatives and concubines when he goes out? Even someone as shrewd and capable as her mother has to compromise on these matters, right?
The Fujin (principal wife) had witnessed her mother doing this since she was a child, so when she herself became the Fujin's legal mother, she naturally took the initiative to bring up the same thing.
She used to think that the Fourth Prince was just pretending to refuse, but only now did the Princess Consort realize that the Fourth Prince really didn't want to bring his concubines with him when he went out on business.
But the princess still felt wronged...
In the end, the princess could only see the fourth prince off with a deathly pale face.
It ended in the same unpleasant way again. The Fujin sat blankly in the chair like a puppet, letting out a long sigh of stale air. After a long while, she gently raised her hand and said, "Never mind. Ask Granny Yun in the front courtyard how the Second Prince is feeling. I want to go see him."
Yu Ru asked cautiously, "What about Princess Liu..."
The princess seemed a little tired: "If it doesn't work this time, so be it. There will always be another chance."
Yu Ru lowered her eyes and replied, "Yes."
The Fujin glanced at her again. Yu Ru had been by her side for many years, and her appearance was actually not bad...
However... the Fujin dismissed the idea after thinking about the Fourth Prince's previous attitude.
Forget it, let's wait until Yu Ru reaches the right age and find her a good marriage. We should also ask Mother to find some suitable guards or something. If it were Haha Zhuzi, who serves the Fourth Prince, that would be even more suitable.
...
The Fourth Prince left the mansion the day before Qingming Festival. He was in a bit of a hurry before leaving, and only had time to send Su Peisheng to the East Courtyard to deliver a message. The gist of the message was that Li Chenjiao should rest assured and take care of herself. During the days he was away from the mansion, Li Chenjiao should just focus on her postpartum confinement and did not need to go to the main courtyard to pay her respects.
As for Li Chenjiao's offense against the Fujin on the first day of the lunar month, the Fourth Prince seemed not to care at all, as if the matter had never happened.
Su Peisheng did not mention this matter at all when he came.
Having received Fourth Master's words, Li Chenjiao felt reassured and even more at ease.
At least during festivals like Qingming and the Lantern Festival, she no longer needed to go to the main courtyard to pay her respects or enter the palace.
This is something she should be thankful for.
Overjoyed, Li Chenjiao hugged the little girl and kissed her several more times.
The second princess has grown up a bit and has become more talkative than when she was little. The fourth prince, who is still an infant, is quiet and doesn't cry much, making him very easy to take care of.
The little girl is becoming increasingly clingy, but Li Chenjiao can quickly guess some of the reasons. She doesn't ask the little girl directly, but when the little girl clings to her, she puts down what she's doing and focuses on playing with her.
There wasn't much excitement at Li Chenjiao's place during the Qingming Festival. The Fourth Prince said he was going out with the Emperor to inspect the Yongding River, but in reality, he was still paying respects to his ancestors in the suburbs of Beijing on Qingming Day.
However, since the Crown Prince was still recovering from his illness, the person accompanying the Emperor to worship the ancestors this time was none other than his elder brother, Prince Zhi.
This was an unprecedented event for Prince Zhi, and for someone who was not born of the legitimate wife, it was an unparalleled honor.
When Prince Zhi ascended the altar with his father, the Emperor, the gloom on his face vanished.
He stood behind his father, the Emperor, with the imposing Emperor in front of him and a group of courtiers and princes prostrating themselves before him. He himself was like the moon surrounded by stars.
A surge of pride welled up within him, and Prince Zhi straightened his back, wishing that time would stand still.
Below, the Third Prince, probably disapproving of this rebellious Heavenly General, stood beside the Fourth Prince, constantly muttering about how it was against etiquette. It was unclear whether he was standing up for the Crown Prince, who hadn't even shown his face today, or because he couldn't stand the Prince Zhi standing there.
The Fourth Master remained calm, his mind solely focused on how to handle the breach of the Yongding River's banks...
Furthermore, the river freezes over in winter, and when spring arrives, the frozen water is forced out and washes away the riverbanks. In summer, it becomes even more troublesome.
The Fourth Prince may have taken the matter of ancestor worship to heart, but since it had already happened, there was nothing he could do except watch his elder brother stand in the place where the Crown Prince used to stand.
It would be better to do something practical that benefits the country and its people. Whether or not the Emperor will see it is another matter, but for the Fourth Prince, it will certainly broaden his horizons and provide him with valuable experience.
Fourth Prince didn't want to be a leisurely prince; he was a restless person who always had to do something.
Seeing that Fourth Master remained silent, Third Master pouted in boredom and went off to sulk.
After the ancestral worship ceremony, the imperial procession set off for the Yongding River at noon, with Prince Zhi accompanying him throughout the journey.
The other princes only saw the Emperor once before being left aside, only able to follow behind the imperial procession on horseback.
For a time, no one could overshadow Prince Zhi.
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