The Fujin was on tenterhooks the whole way, but unfortunately the Fourth Prince let the Second Prince and the Third Prince ride in his carriage. Naturally, the Fujin couldn't ask the Second Prince what had happened in the Baohe Hall ahead. She could only worry anxiously in the carriage.
She was naturally annoyed. Before she married the Fourth Prince and became his primary wife, she had heard her father say that His Majesty loved to test the princes' knowledge. At that time, she thought that the Fourth Prince was well-versed in ancient and modern knowledge, and that he was probably very strict with the rules.
At that time, I had only heard about it, and I never expected that His Majesty would now be testing the knowledge of his grandson.
She was well aware that the Second Prince had indeed become quite lax lately, but given the First Prince's example, the Fujin knew that this was not her doing, and naturally remained extremely cautious.
In addition, the weather was getting colder day by day in winter, so she naturally did not want to see the Second Prince catch a cold and develop a high fever, having to take medicine all day long.
Although the Second Prince hadn't been going to the front courtyard lately, his wife had his maid, Haha Zhuzi, write down what the teacher said every day, and she herself would test the Second Prince's knowledge every few days.
Although her second prince occasionally slacked off, he hadn't really wasted those two months. The princess was anxious, naturally afraid that the fourth prince would think that her second prince was lazy. In addition, after hearing that the third prince was doing well in Yonghe Palace, she was even more afraid that the fourth prince would make a comparison and think that her second prince was not as good as the third prince.
The princess was anxious and worried all the way. When she finally arrived at the mansion, she got off the carriage and before she could even speak to the fourth prince, she saw the second prince's wet nurse carrying the second prince towards her.
The roads are slippery in snowy weather, and the Princess Consort rarely lets the Second Prince walk on them, after all, she herself learned her lesson last year.
The second prince was young and frail, so she was naturally even more worried.
The Princess Consort went to check on the Second Prince herself; he was already fast asleep in the wet nurse's arms.
She felt slightly relieved, then lowered her voice and asked, "What happened in the Hall of Supreme Harmony today?"
The Third Prince, led by his wet nurse, also walked this way. The Princess Consort didn't even glance at him. It was Granny Qian who called for someone to hold an umbrella for him to come forward.
"Originally, the imperial grandsons were tested on their knowledge one by one, but when it came to our Second Prince... the Second Prince suddenly cried in front of the palace, as if he was frightened. Afterwards, His Majesty took him away and comforted him, and His Majesty did not continue to test his knowledge."
The wet nurse stammered as she spoke.
The princess consort had a headache from listening to this. She waved her hand impatiently and said, "It's one thing for the second prince to be young and ignorant, but are you all ignorant too?"
Seeing that the Princess Consort was about to blame everything on the wet nurse, and with the Fourth Prince having already gotten off the carriage and Consort Li about to arrive, the wet nurse stepped forward to support the Princess Consort, saying politely, "The wind and snow are heavy outside, Princess Consort, please take care of yourself. You should take the Second Prince back first. Wang Jinzhong, you stay with him carefully."
Wang Jinzhong bowed and said yes.
Seeing that Granny Qian had made arrangements for her, the Princess Consort did not scold her. She took a few steps forward to greet the Fourth Prince: "It's been cold these past few days. Before I went out today, I asked the kitchen to make chicken soup. Why don't you go to the main courtyard and have some chicken soup to warm yourself up?"
The Second Prince was embarrassed in front of the Emperor. Even though his wife wasn't there at the time, he felt ashamed when the servants reported it. It would be even more embarrassing for the Fourth Prince, who was in the palace at the time.
At this moment, the princess's tone was incredibly gentle and considerate.
At this moment, the princess still felt guilty.
Fourth Master was wearing a dark cloak, while Su Peisheng carefully held an umbrella beside him.
"No need, Madam, please spend more time with Honghui. I'll go see Madam Li." The Fourth Prince's voice was cold, but Madam didn't detect anything unusual.
The Fujin's smile froze slightly; she dared not put on airs at this moment. She paused, but ultimately said nothing more to refute the Fourth Prince: "Very well, Madam Li has always been considerate..."
Just as Li Chenjiao approached, she heard the Fujin say this. Li Chenjiao subconsciously pulled her cloak tighter, and felt goosebumps rise on the back of her hands.
The way the princess spoke was quite different from usual, but it wasn't exactly gentle; it was more like an eerie gentleness.
Fourth Master seemed to grunt in response, and then strode inside.
When the Fujin saw Li Chenjiao standing there, the smile on her face had already disappeared when the Fourth Prince turned around: "Li Shi, what are you still standing there for? Why don't you come forward and serve her properly?"
Li Chenjiao didn't say anything, but after giving a slight curtsy, she took the Second Princess and followed the Fourth Prince.
It was so cold at night that even on the road to the east courtyard, Li Chenjiao felt the snowflakes drifting onto her face, making her shiver from the cold.
When I returned to the East Courtyard, it was already brightly lit. Xiao Luzi had already rushed back to inform us. Charcoal and hot water had been prepared in advance in the house.
After the mother and daughter returned to the east courtyard, the maid took off their cloaks. Their faces were covered in snowflakes, and they couldn't help but smile.
Fourth Master was walking a little behind when he heard the mother and daughter laughing. He stopped in his tracks, seemingly puzzled. He asked, "What are you doing standing here outside?"
Li Chenjiao said with a smile, "Isn't this what we've been waiting for, Master? After you've had your wine, go and have a bowl of hangover soup. Hot water is already prepared in the clean room."
Upon hearing this, Fourth Master retorted, "You haven't drunk any wine?"
Li Chenjiao, holding the Second Princess's hand, scolded the Fourth Prince upon hearing his words, "The Second Princess is still here."
Fourth Master had indeed drunk quite a bit today. He hummed in response to Li Chenjiao's words and then, supported by Su Peisheng, swayed and staggered towards the clean room.
Li Chenjiao first took the little girl to wipe her face and wash up. She wasn't worried about the Fourth Prince anymore; once the child fell into a deep sleep, even if the wet nurse wiped his face, the child wouldn't react.
After coaxing the Second Princess to sleep, the Fourth Prince had not yet come out of the washroom. Li Chenjiao also removed her hairpins and washed up. She also listened to Lin Mama's report on everything that happened in Baohe Hall today.
It wouldn't be about every single detail, just a general overview.
After all, the incident occurred inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, where princes and ministers were present. It was rare for His Majesty to be in the mood to test the princes and grandsons, so their performance could not be kept secret.
However, the fact that Granny Lin was able to find out about the news so quickly was clearly due to her well-connected and resourceful nature.
After listening to what Granny Lin said, Li Chenjiao understood why the Fujin's attitude had been so strange earlier.
After listening to what Granny Lin said, Li Chenjiao yawned and sighed, "Am I also at the age where I need to take care of children now?"
That's right. When they're young, they compete for favor; after having children, they judge their children's achievements and fates, and these achievements, good or bad, are linked to their own...
Li Chenjiao clicked her tongue twice, seeing things very clearly.
She clenched her fists: "Let the Fourth Prince go for the next two years. Once Wanwan goes to study in the front courtyard, let him play for another two years. After that, he really won't have any more fun."
Just look at the Fourth Prince now, and you'll know.
However, raising a child to adulthood is extremely difficult.
Well, it's not so bad to just sit around and live off your savings.
Li Chenjiao was resting her chin on her hand, smiling foolishly and daydreaming, when suddenly a tall and imposing figure appeared in the bronze mirror.
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