Since they are setting off tomorrow, Fourth Master naturally won't bother Li Chenjiao today.
He snorted but let Li Chenjiao go, after all, he would have to get up early again tomorrow.
The luggage had been prepared in advance. The next day, Li Chenjiao woke up exceptionally early, almost as soon as the Fourth Master turned over in bed.
Fourth Master pressed her down, gesturing for her not to get up immediately: "Have your people move your luggage to the carriage first. You rest for now. I'll have Fulu come and invite you when we set off. It's hot today, so you should sleep."
Li Chenjiao blinked, and for once she hesitated, wondering whether she should agree or not.
After all, she was already awake.
The Fourth Master grunted in affirmation, his tone leaving no room for argument: "I've already made all the arrangements. Go and rest."
Well, since Fourth Master has said so, Li Chenjiao felt at ease and lay back down, but she still hesitated a little as she lay down: "Wouldn't this... be a little inappropriate?"
Fourth Master glanced at Li Chenjiao sideways, his eyes seeming to say, "You still have times when you feel something is wrong?"
I don't know who said such outrageous things yesterday.
Li Chenjiao skillfully feigned weakness at this moment: "This concubine is timid."
Fourth Master looked unconvinced, turned around to change his clothes, and after dressing properly, he left with the words: "If anything happens, I'll take responsibility for you."
Well, with Fourth Master's words, Li Chenjiao is truly fearless.
However, Li Chenjiao didn't sleep for too long. After all, she didn't know when Fourth Master would send Fulu to invite her. It would take her some time to get up and wash.
Su Peisheng had not yet returned to the imperial palace after returning to the capital, so he could only wait for the emperor to arrive.
Li Chenjiao dozed off on the bed for a while, then slowly got up to wash up, then slowly ate breakfast, and then checked with Qiu Hu to make sure everything was brought. She then sat leisurely on the veranda, fanning herself.
Even though it's already September, the weather is still a bit hot. However, it hasn't felt that hot while I'm in the imperial palace. I expect the weather will gradually cool down as we travel south.
That's great, you won't get sunburned all year round, isn't that wonderful?
Oh, she wasn't talking about herself.
It was already noon when Fu Lu came to invite Li Chenjiao. Li Chenjiao had ordered a little extra breakfast and was just about to ask Xiao Luzi to order some more food to take on the road when Fu Lu arrived.
Li Chenjiao felt a pang of regret, but since it wasn't too hot yet, she simply waved her fan and took a shortcut towards the tail of the carriages that could be seen from afar amidst the throngs of people.
When they were halfway there, Li Chenjiao put on the veil.
Otherwise, walking past like that would still be incredibly conspicuous; wearing a veil would at least help to conceal it to some extent.
However, at this moment, no one seemed to be paying attention to the people walking outside the carriage. After all, it was still quite hot outside the palace, not to mention that everyone had been waiting in the carriage all morning.
Li Chenjiao quickly boarded the carriage. After getting in, she hurriedly took off the curtain. It was hot, and wearing the curtain made it even more stuffy.
As usual, ice basins were placed inside the carriage, finally bringing a refreshing coolness.
Li Chenjiao was a little unaccustomed to the sweltering heat. She wiped her sweat and said, "It's so hot today."
Fortunately, the sweltering heat didn't last long; the imperial procession set off shortly after Li Chenjiao boarded the carriage.
Once you set off, you're bound to experience some rough and bumpy rides. In the summer, it's quite stuffy if you have a soft cushion on, but if you don't, it's definitely going to be a hassle.
Li Chenjiao has never liked to mistreat herself. She closed her eyes and fanned herself: "When we get back, I'll have Xiao Luzi find some bamboo and see if we can weave a bamboo ball. It'll be cool to sit on."
Green Bamboo blurted out, "I'm afraid it might prick the owner..."
That's true. Li Chenjiao herself is afraid of pain, but she's also afraid of hurting Fourth Master; she can't afford to suffer that.
Green Plum listened quietly, occasionally fanning the ice basin to send out a cool breeze: "Why don't we make it into a cooling mat? Just make it smaller, otherwise it won't fit in the carriage."
Li Chenjiao closed her eyes and said slowly, "The mat is too thin. It's cool, but it's still very bumpy. If it really doesn't work, we can make two cushions and put the mat underneath them. You can leave this to Lümei. You're good with your hands. Just ask Xiaoluzi for whatever you need. We're not in a hurry to use it this year, so just prepare it."
Green Plum readily agreed, her eyes brimming with undisguised joy. Being given a task meant that her master valued her, so she was naturally delighted.
So every time the carriage jolted, Li Chenjiao would take out a soft and cool cushion to sit on to soothe herself.
The carriage traveled for two days straight, only stopping briefly at night, and only at night could Li Chenjiao lift the carriage curtain to catch her breath.
These past two days, the Fourth Prince has not been in his carriage often; he has mostly been accompanying the emperor. Here, the Prince Zhi and the Fourth Prince accompany the emperor on either side.
If the Crown Prince hadn't been still recovering, it's likely that the Fourth Prince wouldn't have gotten his turn.
However, this kind of weather might not be a good thing for a driver.
When Fourth Master returned to rest at noon, Li Chenjiao noticed that his exposed neck was bright red, and that area seemed darker than the rest of his body.
However, Li Chenjiao didn't have a chance to speak with the Fourth Prince at that time. The Fourth Prince seemed to be in a hurry. He originally said he was going back to rest, but he only stayed for a quarter of an hour before riding back to the Emperor's side.
Li Chenjiao had prepared ointment, but Fourth Master did not return to the carriage by nightfall.
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