Qiu Hu thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "Since Fourth Master returned to the manor, he hasn't been to the main courtyard for the past ten days or so."
Li Chenjiao said "Oh," understanding the gist of it.
The Fourth Prince is unhappy that his wife has harmed their offspring, which is why he's giving her the cold shoulder.
The people from the main courtyard also came to deliver the message: the lunch banquet and dinner will be held at the Taiqing Courtyard, and they should pay attention to the time.
As the time approached, Li Chenjiao chose a light ginger-colored cheongsam, made of brocade satin with gold embroidery, and delicate patterns embroidered on the cuffs and hem, in a rather plain color.
She picked out the kingfisher feather plum and bamboo hairpin that the Fourth Prince had given her last time, casually added two velvet flowers, and then paired it with two jade hairpins, and her headdress was complete.
She wore white jade begonia earrings, a mutton fat jade bracelet, and the orange-pink jade pendant that the Fourth Prince had given her.
Although it was autumn, the climate in the capital was still somewhat dry this year, so Li Chenjiao took out a round fan.
Carrying Qiu Hu and Xiao Luzi, they leisurely made their way to Taiqing Courtyard.
When we were almost at the Qingyuan Courtyard, we ran into Madam Song, which was quite a rare occurrence.
Upon seeing Pingli, Li Chenjiao, fanning herself, said, "It's been a while since I've seen Princess Song."
Madam Song looked well, though her eyes were a little dark: "Autumn has arrived and the weather is getting cold. I'm worried about the eldest princess, so I haven't had time to go out for a stroll, and naturally I haven't seen you." She even gave a forced smile as she spoke.
Li Chenjiao and Madam Song walked side by side, fanning themselves: "I heard that the eldest princess is feeling better now?"
Madam Song nodded slightly and said calmly, "Much better."
Li Chenjiao waved her fan, looking at Song Shi's expressionless face, and slightly tugged at the corners of her lips.
With such an attitude, it's no wonder the Fourth Master was unhappy; even she felt uncomfortable seeing it.
Upon entering the Qing Courtyard, Bai Jiashi was already there. Seeing Li Chenjiao and Song Shi enter together, her eyes flickered slightly: "I was wondering why I hadn't seen you two come before. It turns out you came together."
Song replied, "We bumped into each other on the way. You've come early today."
Bai Jia smiled and said, "Today is an auspicious day. I came early so I can share in some of the good fortune, can't I?"
Madam Song slowly sat down: "Your mouth is getting sharper and sharper these days."
Li Chenjiao sat on the other side, not saying a word, but gently waving her fan as she watched the two of them talk.
Song Shi now seems much more confident. After all, she is the Fourth Master's first child and the only heir in the mansion.
He spoke with confidence.
Li Chenjiao waved her fan, slightly covering her face: "Why haven't I seen Miss Zhang today?" She's always the first one to arrive.
"They said they caught a cold and can't come," Qiu Hu said softly, leaning slightly forward.
Li Chenjiao said "Oh": "I haven't heard of it?"
Qiu Hu lowered his head: "I've been sick for several days, and the Fujin (princess) hasn't taken any care of me."
Slightly taken aback, Li Chenjiao frowned: "Really? The Princess Consort isn't stupid. Why would she mistreat her like this?"
Qiu Hu shook her head and whispered, "These days, the people in the main courtyard are all mixed up. Ever since Granny Meng came to the mansion, Granny Meng and the others from the Imperial Household Department have been at odds with Yu Ru and the other wives who came from their families. I guess both sides have completely forgotten about this matter."
Li Chenjiao put down her fan and shook her head: "Then there's quite a show to see." If the Fourth Prince asks, the Fujin will lose face again.
This is really...
Later, around noon, most of the people had arrived. Actually, only Miss Xu came.
Miss Hu hasn't arrived yet.
The Song family and Baijia family over there have been discussing Hu family several times.
When the Fujin and the Fourth Prince arrived, there was also Lady Hu, following behind the Fujin.
This is really...
After exchanging greetings, the Fourth Master called for them to rise, glanced around, and frowned slightly: "Where is Zhang Shi?"
The Fujin (principal wife) was genuinely unaware that Zhang was ill. Upon hearing this, she paused for a moment, then asked, "Where is Zhang? I haven't heard her send anyone to the main courtyard to say anything bad has happened?"
At this moment, the old nanny beside the Fujin stepped forward: "Reporting to the two mistresses, Miss Zhang has been ill these past two days. She came to report early this morning that she cannot come."
The princess's face immediately turned ugly.
Just now, the Fujin said she hadn't heard Zhang send someone to the main courtyard to say something was wrong, but now Meng Mama has come out to speak.
This was the first time Li Chenjiao had met this Granny Meng. She had a round face and long eyebrows, and seemed to be a kind person.
The Fujin had recovered by now and smiled gently: "Why didn't you inform me? You kept me in the dark and almost wronged Zhang Shi." She then turned to look at the Fourth Prince: "In that case, after the luncheon, I will send someone to check on Zhang Shi."
The Fourth Prince fiddled with the jade thumb ring on his hand and gave a faint "hmm" upon hearing this.
Granny Meng had already left, and from Li Chenjiao's angle, she could see Granny Meng smiling.
His laughter was rather creepy.
The Fujin then began to greet everyone, starting with Song: "Are you feeling any better? You're weak, and you should take better care of yourself after giving birth to the eldest princess."
Madam Song thanked her with a look of fear: "Thank you for your concern, Madam. I understand."
The Fujin turned her head with a satisfied look and looked at Li Chenjiao: "How is Consort Li doing now? You are young, and the first thing you should think about is having children. The Fourth Prince also dotes on you..."
This is actually quite awkward. The people in the manor are all about the same age, between fifteen and seventeen. Saying it like this is quite irritating.
Li Chenjiao responded indifferently.
That's all the tricks the Fujin uses to talk. She'll try to disgust you, but if you really argue with her, she'll put on airs like a legitimate wife, which is even more disgusting.
After a series of questions, the banquet began.
But we haven't started eating yet. Today is the Fourth Prince's birthday, so we should offer our congratulations.
After the congratulations were over, Li Chenjiao was no longer hungry.
The meal was, as always, more for show than for taste. Li Chenjiao scooped up a bowl of chicken soup, picked up a piece of pastry, and ate it in small bites.
These were the two dishes that Li Chenjiao had pondered for a long time while listening to their congratulations, and they were the ones she thought were most palatable.
Li Chenjiao ate quite slowly, occasionally glancing at Song Shi and Bai Jia Shi across from her. When she thought it was almost time, she put down her chopsticks and drank tea.
Wow, it's amazing that there's tea on the table today, whereas usually there's just a small cup of wine.
Li Chenjiao was unaware that this tea was specially placed on the table because the Fourth Prince and the Crown Prince had developed a phobia of drinking together.
After the Fourth Prince put down his chopsticks, his wife followed suit, and then everyone moved to the pavilion behind the Qing Courtyard to watch the opera.
It was a famous opera troupe in the capital, but Li Chenjiao didn't recognize it.
The Fourth Prince casually selected one play, the Princess Consort selected two, and then Madam Song also selected one. Li Chenjiao wasn't very interested in this one, so she didn't select one.
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