Li Chenjiao slept for a little over an hour. There was an ice basin in the inner room. She didn't sweat during her nap, but she was hungry and thirsty.
She ate a bowl of plum juice and then lazily played with origami on the soft couch in the outer room.
To be precise, it wasn't origami, but rather something else.
With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, Li Chenjiao was preparing to make a rabbit lantern for the Second Princess. She had originally asked Xiao Luzi to make an extra one, but that was no longer necessary.
Li Chenjiao also skipped the mud doll that was originally mentioned.
Everyone has their own destiny and circumstances.
This is why Li Chenjiao is unwilling to be too friendly with anyone in this backyard.
As relationships deepen, so do the entanglements between people.
Even Bai Jiashi and Li Chenjiao weren't exactly on good terms. In an unequal relationship, there was no such thing as being on good terms, only trying to please.
Li Chenjiao didn't care about the eldest princess's concerns or hesitations; she only cared about her own daughter.
Today is the first day of the lunar month, so Li Chenjiao doesn't need to worry about whether Fourth Master will come to her place today. She can just wait for the little girl to wake up and have a good meal with her.
The little girl slept for a while, and when she woke up, she made no sound; she just sat on the bed rubbing her eyes.
About fifteen minutes later, the little girl must have been thirsty. She quickly got off the bed and went to the outer room to look for someone. When she saw someone, she called out for her mother.
The little girl looked much more energetic after waking up.
Li Chenjiao stroked the little girl's chin and asked, "What's wrong with our Aman today?"
Upon hearing this, the little girl shook her head and said, "Sister, I don't want to play anymore. I don't want to play anymore, sister."
Li Chenjiao quickly understood: "What our Aman is saying is that big sister doesn't play with you anymore, so you don't play with her anymore either, right?"
She lowered her head slightly to look the Second Princess in the eye.
The little girl nodded after several seconds: "Yes, yes..."
Li Chenjiao's feelings were somewhat complicated. This child was even more carefree than her, his mother.
For a moment she didn't know whether to cry or laugh, and finally she pressed her forehead against the little girl's and slowly laughed.
"Okay, Aman can play with whoever he's happy with... Are you hungry?"
Aman nodded obediently.
Li Chenjiao probably had to be more cautious in this backyard, as she was only a concubine, with the primary wife and the fourth prince in front of her...
However, her children were different. The Second Princess was a royal princess, and she also had a Fujin and the Fourth Prince before her. However, she did not have to be obsequious to the Fourth Prince, and she only needed to be respectful to the Fujin.
The main reason Li Chenjiao dared not fall out of favor in her current position was that she did not want the Second Princess to be unable to make decisions about her future marriage. She did not believe that the Fujin would arrange any good jobs for her.
However, that would be more than ten years later. By then, Li Chenjiao would be in her twenties, and it would be uncertain whether she would still be favored by the emperor.
...
After returning to the mansion in the evening, the Fourth Prince went to the front courtyard first, and only went to the main courtyard when it was time for dinner.
The Fujin had been preparing for a long time, but when she heard that the Fourth Prince had arrived, a smile still appeared on her face.
However, Fourth Master did not have dinner in the main courtyard. Su Peisheng said in a low voice, "Master has already had dinner in the front courtyard."
Seeing this, the princess waved her hand, signaling for the dinner to be taken away.
After taking a seat, the Fourth Prince took a sip of tea and got straight to the point: "Last time I talked to the Princess about the First Prince and the Second Prince going to school. The Princess knows about the Second Prince's health, so the Second Prince doesn't need to come back to the main courtyard every day anymore. It's too much trouble for him to go back and forth every day."
Upon hearing this, the Princess Consort hesitated immediately: "Does Your Highness mean that the First Prince doesn't need to..."
The Fourth Prince glanced at his wife after hearing this, his meaning clear without a word.
The Fourth Prince's eyes had already said it all; the Fujin and Wu were naturally different.
The princess was stung by that look. Her hands twitched slightly in her sleeves. After a moment, she smiled and said, "It's warm now, but it will be cold in winter. We'll have to pick the best people to take care of the eldest prince every day."
The Fourth Prince nodded in agreement, saying, "The Princess Consort is very thoughtful. I have already arranged for the servants in the front courtyard to handle this matter."
As he spoke, he raised his hand to gesture to his wife, who was still standing and talking.
The Princess Consort slowly sat down, and upon hearing the Fourth Prince's words, she said, "How could I possibly be as thoughtful as Your Highness?"
The Fourth Prince didn't respond, but after a moment, his wife couldn't stand the silence and reached out to refill his teacup.
At this moment, the Fourth Prince still accepted the teacup out of courtesy. He suddenly said, "Besides the First Prince and the Second Prince, I also prefer that the First Princess and the Second Princess go to the front courtyard to study together."
Upon hearing this, the princess frowned instinctively: "This..."
The Fourth Prince put down his teacup: "It just so happens that Granny Zhong is here as well. What does the Princess Consort think?"
What could the Princess Consort say at this moment? Neither the eldest nor the second princess were her children; she was merely somewhat surprised.
She caught the attention of the Fourth Prince again and finally agreed, "Alright, since our Great Qing entered the pass, we have advocated the unity of Manchu and Han people. It's good for a girl to have some knowledge."
Fourth Master naturally thought the same thing.
"Oh, by the way, when everyone came to pay their respects today, I remembered something. The eldest princess and the second princess are now at the age where they should be looking for Tarawen Pillars..."
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince looked at his wife across from him. In the candlelight of the night, his wife's expression softened.
However, the Fourth Prince remained unmoved.
"Where is the Second Prince's Haha Bead?"
Fourth Master has not forgotten this matter.
The princess consort looked slightly embarrassed: "My brother Xinghui's eldest son is two years older than the second prince, so the age is just right."
Upon hearing this, Fourth Master sneered, "You're willing to part with Xinghui?"
Xinghui was naturally reluctant to part with it... but he himself was a disappointment, and now he was only able to avoid falling too far in status because his wife was the wife of a prince. Xinghui naturally had no other choice.
Seeing that the Princess Consort remained silent for two seconds, the Fourth Prince actually smiled slightly.
However, the smile was very faint and not genuine.
After a long pause, the princess tentatively asked, "Then what does Your Highness mean?"
The smile on the Fourth Prince's lips barely faded: "Since the Princess Consort has already chosen someone, then so be it. However, before these few Haha Zhuzi enter the mansion, let them come to the front courtyard for a few days of instruction."
This ups and downs made the princess overjoyed.
She quickly stood up and thanked him.
Although she had doubts, she naturally assumed that the master still cared about her and Ulanara.
The day the boys were to begin their studies was set for the ninth day of the eighth lunar month, which was said to be an auspicious day.
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