However, before the Dragon Boat Festival, something happened in the imperial clan: Prince Xian, Danzhen, passed away, and his sixth son, Yanhuang, inherited the title of Prince Xian of the First Rank.
However, Yanhuang, who inherited the title, was not born to Danzhen's primary consort, Lady Lijia, but to his secondary consort, Lady Fucha.
Danzhen's primary consort, Lady Lijia, did not give birth to a prince, and it is said that her only daughter is about to be married to a Mongolian Taiji, and the marriage was only recently arranged.
The relationship between this Prince Xian and the Fourth Prince was not close. He was also one of the idle princes in the imperial clan. He inherited the title of prince when he was a few years old and then spent decades enjoying a life of pleasure.
After marrying, the number of concubines and secondary wives in his harem far exceeded that of the Fourth Prince, making him a man who favored his concubines over his wife.
Danzhen indulged in sensual pleasures, and I heard he didn't die a very dignified death; he wasn't even forty yet this year...
However, the women in the inner quarters naturally took these things as a joke. But when the Fujin went to the palace during the Dragon Boat Festival and heard Consort Cheng talking about these things, she suddenly looked leisurely at Lady Li, who was sitting at the lower end of the table.
Fortunately, her second son was in good health for the past two days, and Li's fourth son was still too young.
However, it is not necessarily only the children of the concubines who can inherit the title. Wasn't the eldest prince, born to that lowly Wu, often outstanding in front of the teacher?
The princess lowered her eyes, turned her wrist, and a sharp glint flashed across her face.
After the Dragon Boat Festival, the once leisurely Fourth Master became busy again.
The rebellion of the Yao people in Lianshan, Lianzhou Prefecture, was, in truth, just a minor disturbance. However, His Majesty was furious and immediately issued an imperial edict to send Prince Zhi with troops to quell the rebellion.
When soldiers march, provisions are essential, and the Ministry of Revenue must prepare them in advance.
However, this time it was just a minor disturbance among the common people. Every year, if there is a natural disaster or man-made calamity, there will always be someone who is instigated by someone with ulterior motives to cause trouble. His Majesty has sent Prince Zhi to deal with it...
It's somewhat like Guan Yu slicing tofu with his big knife... a waste of talent.
However, the emperor's intentions were unpredictable, and no one dared to speculate wildly; they could only mutter to themselves.
Three days after the imperial edict was issued, Prince Zhi set off with his personal guards.
After several busy days at the Ministry of Revenue, the Fourth Prince finally had some free time, but before he could catch his breath, trouble broke out in the palace again.
That day was May 11th. The sun had been shining brightly for only a few days, but a heavy rain fell the night before.
Li Chenjiao was awakened by the sound of thunder in the middle of the night. She sat up and another rumble of thunder sounded outside.
She casually picked up the round fan that was about to fall off the side of the bed and slowly fanned herself to cool off.
Hearing the noise, Green Plum, who was keeping watch outside, called out, "Master, are you awake? It's raining now, shall I put a blanket on you?"
Li Chenjiao fanned herself, and with the rain and thunder, she could barely make out Green Plum's voice: "I'm feeling stuffy, do you have any herbal tea? Bring me in a cup of herbal tea to quench my thirst."
Green Plum said "Eh," and quickly came in with a teacup: "This weather is rather strange..."
Li Chenjiao took the teacup and drank it all in a low voice: "Is Aman sleeping soundly? And Wanwan? He'll probably start crying again when the thunder comes down now."
Green Plum glanced outside: "I seemed to hear crying coming from the Fourth Prince's room just now, but I can't hear it anymore. Shall I go and check?"
Li Chenjiao waved her hand and handed the empty teacup to Lümei: "With Lüju and the others here, I'm at ease. You should rest outside for a while too. It's windy outside, and catching a cold in May is the worst thing. Go ahead."
Yes, even as we are talking, we can hear gusts of wind and rain hitting the windowpanes.
Green Plum knew it was her mistress's consideration, so she helped tuck the blanket in a little longer before taking the empty teacup and leaving. But after leaving, she went to check on the Second Princess and the Fourth Prince's room.
The lights were still on in the Second Princess's room. Green Chrysanthemum came out from inside and greeted her, "Weren't you on night watch tonight? Why are you out? The Second Princess woke up and said she was hungry. I was just about to go to the small kitchen to get some sweet soup."
Green Plum nodded: "Then you should go quickly. The master has also woken up and is worried about the Second Princess and the Fourth Prince."
Green Chrysanthemum responded with an "Eh!" without delay: "Well, Second Princess wasn't scared."
As the two were talking, the Second Princess's laughter came from inside. The two maids smiled at each other and then went about their own business.
Before even reaching the Fourth Prince's room, she heard him crying. Green Plum didn't go in to cause trouble, but waited in the outer room until the Fourth Prince's crying subsided before heading back in the wind.
The next morning, when the maids got up, they saw that the courtyard was indeed covered with withered leaves, and the wind was still blowing, making it seem as if it had cooled down again.
Xiao Luzi and Dong Sheng were sweeping the fallen leaves from the front gate to the covered walkway, while Dong Sheng was sweeping the row of back houses, otherwise the frozen pears would make a mess of things later.
When Li Chenjiao woke up, the courtyard had been almost completely cleaned. Meanwhile, the Fourth Prince had already been in the palace for a while.
The palace road had been swept by palace servants before dawn. When the Fourth Prince entered the palace, it was still raining. After a while, the rain seemed to be getting lighter, but then it started to get heavier again.
When the Fourth Prince arrived at the Qianqing Palace, the Third Prince, the Fifth Prince, and others had already arrived. The umbrellas blocked their view, and the Fourth Prince bowed to the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince after he got close.
Third Master smiled and returned the gesture of cupping his hands in return: "This time, however..."
Fourth Master glanced at him but didn't say anything.
News from the palace this morning says that the Crown Prince offended his father, the Emperor, last night...
Fourth Master didn't respond to Third Master's words, but instead focused his gaze ahead.
Even just standing outside the Qianqing Palace with umbrellas, they could feel the sweltering heat and humidity; one can only imagine how much more stifling it must have been for the Crown Prince, who was kneeling in the rain.
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