The matter was settled in a few days before the Mid-Autumn Festival, and Li Chenjiao had already prepared mooncakes.
Oh, that means she paid in advance to tell the kitchen what flavor of mooncakes she wanted, since the kitchen would probably be extremely busy on Mid-Autumn Festival.
Fortunately, apart from Prince Zhi, the Fourth Prince, and the other princes, there was only one concubine, Li Chenjiao, among the female relatives. The kitchen staff did not dare to neglect her and sent over warm mooncakes before noon.
Li Chenjiao picked out a few that weren't too sweet and had Xiao Luzi deliver them to the front yard. She tried two more, but she herself would get tired of eating too much.
She had just sent Xiao Luzi with mooncakes to the Fourth Master's front yard when, unexpectedly, the Fourth Master came to the east yard a short while later.
It's estimated that Xiao Luzi ran into Fourth Master halfway there. He followed behind Su Peisheng, carrying a food box that had contained mooncakes.
Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. His Majesty summoned the Crown Prince to dine with him, but did not invite any other princes.
Fourth Master had anticipated this, so he went directly to the East Courtyard.
With the Fourth Prince around, this Mid-Autumn Festival seems a bit more interesting.
Li Chenjiao hadn't had time to write a reply in the past few days, as she had been disturbed by the noise. Now that the Fourth Master was here, she could write the letter and send it directly through him, which would save her trouble.
While Li Chenjiao was writing the letter, the Fourth Prince was sitting opposite her, battling wits with a game of chess.
After Li Chenjiao finished writing the letter, she eagerly handed the sealed letter to the Fourth Master, who hesitated slightly before accepting it.
His hesitation was not due to the letter itself; he didn't think there was anything wrong with writing letters to the mansion. He just suddenly thought of something else.
After a moment, the Fourth Prince finally spoke up: "I was originally planning to return to the palace at the end of September..."
Li Chenjiao grasped the key point: So... does that mean there's been a change in circumstances?
Fourth Master didn't hide anything from Li Chenjiao: "The Emperor won't return directly to the capital; he'll travel south for a month or two. Have you prepared the clothes?"
Li Chenjiao silently opened her mouth wide. Huh? They're going to go south on a southern tour? Doesn't that mean they'll have to take a huge detour?
After realizing what she had just said, she silently shook her head. This time, she had prepared mostly autumn clothes. Thinking that the weather would gradually turn cooler in September, Li Chenjiao only brought two or three cheongsams for autumn, but not many, since her trunk couldn't hold that many.
Fourth Master had guessed something, but it wasn't a big deal: "Are you used to wearing clothes from outside? I'll have someone send some over in a few days, and tell your maids there to prepare them in advance."
Fourth Master's words were quite strange. Just a moment ago, he was asking Li Chenjiao if she was used to wearing clothes from outside, implying that she wanted to buy some clothes from outside. But his next words seemed to suggest that he wanted some clothes sent from the manor.
However, Li Chenjiao was still used to wearing the clothes outside. But since Fourth Master had said so, she would just go along with what he said.
She smiled and said yes, then thanked the Fourth Master sweetly, and asked if he had all the clothes he brought, as she could make him two undergarments when she had some free time.
Upon hearing this, Fourth Master gave Li Chenjiao a half-smile and asked, "Isn't it itchy to wear?"
Well, it seems Fourth Master doesn't trust her cooking skills.
However, if that's the case, then it will be quite a while before I can see the Second Princess in the manor.
Li Chenjiao hesitated for a while, but this was indeed not something she could decide. All she could do was bring along some new little trinkets that the Second Princess would like.
Oh right, we should also bring some for the Fourth Prince. That kid is even more forgetful; if we haven't seen each other for a few months, he might have completely forgotten about his mother.
However, by the time she returned, the Fourth Prince had already learned to walk, which was a pity, as she would never see Wanwan stumble and fall as he walked.
It hadn't been long, but Li Chenjiao realized that she still missed Aman and Wanwan in the manor very much.
It's the Mid-Autumn Festival, which makes me miss home even more. I wonder if my mother and father are doing well back home.
However, enjoying crab and mooncakes under the moon and flowers during the Mid-Autumn Festival, along with a couple of cups of fruit wine, is truly delightful.
The consequence of drinking alcohol is that people become dizzy. Fourth Master didn't drink much, but under the influence of alcohol, he still dragged Li Chenjiao into a wild night.
After all, the Fourth Prince had been vegetarian for several days in a row.
...
Even with two more concubines in the backyard, it did not diminish Consort Li's favor at all.
The two concubines were practically confined to their quarters, unable to leave their own courtyards at all.
Su Peisheng also personally made it clear that if they behaved themselves, they would be freed and given money to settle down once they returned to the capital.
The young lady, surnamed Cheng, was quickly persuaded to settle down. She simply ate and rested peacefully each day, only playing the konghou (a type of Chinese harp) when she had free time.
However, the other Miss Lu was not so willing. She was used to being served by others. Even if she received money, she would just sit and eat it all up. It was not as comfortable as being in the Fourth Master's mansion. Even if she was a concubine, at least she would still have someone to serve her.
But she didn't dare to cause trouble. Originally, she might have wanted to find some opportunities to make a scene, but after hearing about the turmoil in the Prince Zhi's harem, she didn't dare to do so.
She's afraid of pain! She doesn't want to be punished!
She could only wait, hoping that things would take a turn for the better. Surely the Fourth Prince wouldn't stay with Consort Li forever.
I wonder what kind of beauty Consort Li is; I heard that the Fourth Prince only goes to Consort Li's place...
Miss Lu's original surname was Zhu, and her given name was not pleasant to hear, so she did not want others to know it. In fact, she chose the name Miss Lu herself.
Madam Zhu was filled with curiosity, a touch of jealousy, and a sense of relief. She had heard that Consort Li had been in the household for five or six years, so she must be quite old by then…
Zhu waited and waited, and it was already September, more than half a month had passed, but the Fourth Prince hadn't gone anywhere except to Consort Li's East Courtyard.
She was both angry and helpless. Who were those Niohuru Princess and Baijia Princess anyway... they hadn't accomplished a single thing...
Unfortunately, she couldn't and dared not do so, and in the end, she could only stomp her feet in anger in her own yard.
In September, the clothes that the Fourth Master had sent from the manor arrived, filling an entire trunk.
Li Chenjiao then realized she had forgotten about Bai Jiashi and Niu Hulushi, so she asked Qiu Hu and Lü Mei to remind them of their names.
She also asked if there were any clothing shops outside.
Xiao Luzi, who was better informed, said, "There is one near the imperial palace, but it's quite far away, and it's a bit troublesome to travel back and forth."
Li Chenjiao nodded and said, "It must have been hard for you to lead the way yourself. Explain the route clearly. If Bai Jia is short of money, take two months' worth from my monthly allowance."
Bai Jia and others couldn't receive their monthly allowance from the manor while they were outside. Bai Jia herself relied on her monthly allowance to make a living.
However, when Qiu Hu and the others were packing the trunks, they discovered several sets of clothes that were not suitable for Li Chenjiao's size.
Qiu Ci really put her heart into it.
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