Li Chenjiao turned her back for a short while, but then turned back again. However, she ignored Fourth Master and simply picked up her chopsticks to eat.
The little girl looked left and right again, and finally imitated her mother's stern face, holding her chopsticks properly and eating her food.
The table immediately fell silent.
After the meal, the little girl yawned and ran into her mother's arms, rubbing her eyes and saying she was sleepy. Li Chenjiao then helped the little girl up.
"Second Princess is sleepy, I will take her to rest first," Li Chenjiao said to the Fourth Prince, her tone more polite than usual.
In the entire backyard, only Consort Li dared to show her displeasure to her master.
Su Peisheng, who was standing to the side, bowed and waited for his master to get angry. Unexpectedly, his master stared at Consort Li for a moment, then waved his hand lightly and let Consort Li go.
Su Peisheng lowered his head. Well, so the master didn't seem to mind Master Li's cold attitude earlier.
However, it looks more like an argument, but the master doesn't seem angry at all, so it's unlikely to escalate into a fight.
Master Li wasn't the kind of person who would be so foolish as to take advantage of someone's kindness.
That's why Master Li is so favored. The master brought back milk tea, and it's no wonder that the master isn't angry anymore, given Master Li's delighted and attentive attitude.
It's not about the value of the item, but about the thought or care it evokes.
With a master like Li, and a well-behaved and intelligent second princess by his side, anyone would feel incredibly comfortable.
Before her afternoon nap, the second princess pulled her mother's hand and counted on her fingers what she had learned that day. As she spoke, her voice grew weaker and her eyes almost closed.
Li Chenjiao spent a little over fifteen minutes coaxing the little girl to take a nap. When she returned to the room, the Fourth Master was sitting cross-legged on a soft couch with a latticed window, playing chess.
Li Chenjiao held her breath and walked closer. She first placed the hand stove next to the small table, then naturally took off her shoes and climbed onto the soft couch, squeezing in with Fourth Master.
Fourth Master moved closer and remained silent.
Li Chenjiao didn't say anything. After getting on the kang, she hugged the hand stove to her chest again, tugged at the large pillow behind Fourth Master, and then leaned back comfortably.
Li Chenjiao remained silent. After waiting for a while, Fourth Master finally spoke, pursing his lips: "Has Aman fallen asleep?"
Li Chenjiao closed her eyes. The weather wasn't so cold anymore, but it was still neither too hot nor too cold, which was just right for sleeping.
"Yes, she's already asleep." Her voice was languid.
Fourth Master remained silent for a while.
Li Chenjiao closed her eyes and vaguely heard the sound of chess pieces falling. She suddenly sat up.
Suddenly, she raised her hand and cupped Fourth Master's face, her small face touching his large face.
The contrast between the skin tone of her hands and that of the Fourth Prince's face was still quite striking.
"Is it wrong for me to care about you?"
Li Chenjiao, with her teeth bared and claws outstretched, looked exceptionally spoiled and arrogant. The Fourth Master's tightly pressed lips finally betrayed him: "When did I say you were wrong?"
Li Chenjiao released her grip, and with a single word, perfectly mimicked the tone the Fourth Master had used at the dining table: "Disregarding the rules!"
The tone of his voice sounded extremely fierce.
Fourth Master retorted, "Are you saying I'm wrong?"
Those in positions of power never believe they are wrong.
At the very least, they absolutely do not want to be accused of being wrong.
Li Chenjiao didn't look at Fourth Master, but looked down at the hand warmer cover: "You are naturally not wrong, but... you are too fierce, I was frightened."
Li Chenjiao has always been adept at switching relationships through words. Since the Fourth Master wouldn't back down, Li Chenjiao simply took a step back as well.
Li Chenjiao naturally understood the principle of not taking advantage of someone's kindness.
The Fourth Prince turned his head to look at her, only raising his hand to press the bridge of his nose: "I'm tired."
Li Chenjiao was also sleepy. She yawned and said, "Then... let's go to sleep."
She only needed to express her concern for the Fourth Prince and test his bottom line for her, so she naturally didn't want to go any further at this moment.
She propped herself up, slipped on her shoes, and headed towards the inner room. Oh, she stopped a few seconds later, waiting for Fourth Master to catch up.
Fourth Master could tell that Li Chenjiao cared about him, but his subconscious reprimand always slipped out of his mouth.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Fourth Master regretted it. Li Chenjiao's words were a joke, but the first thing he thought of when he heard about sending food to the front yard was breaking the rules.
But the Fourth Master couldn't bring himself to do it.
Fourth Master's pace slowed down, which Li Chenjiao naturally noticed. She leaned closer and hooked her hand on Fourth Master's hand, not with any intention of seduction, but more as a reminder that Fourth Master was distracted.
"Didn't you say you were tired? Then let's rest for a while."
Fourth Master lowered his head and hummed in agreement.
Once on the bed, Li Chenjiao nestled under the brocade quilt and looked up at the Fourth Master: "You've lost so much weight, Master."
He was so thin it was almost frightening. Ever since the Fourth Prince was promoted to a county prince, he seemed to have never had a day of leisure. On the few days he did have some free time, he seemed to be sleeping soundly.
Tonight, let's order some delicious food for Fourth Master.
Fourth Master hummed in agreement again, and then said, "Prepare more ginseng soup, I'll come here to drink it."
That's quite a tactful way of putting it.
Li Chenjiao chuckled: "Alright, I'll prepare it every day. If Master doesn't come, I'll drink it myself."
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince replied very seriously, "Nourishment should not be excessive."
Li Chenjiao readily agreed, "Yes, it would be great if you could come often."
The Fourth Prince turned his head, and this time he didn't say anything reprimanding: "Sleep peacefully."
If she kept talking, Li Chenjiao probably wouldn't be sleepy anymore.
After finishing his business with the Crown Prince, Fourth Master had no other duties for a while, so coming to the East Courtyard meant he could finally get a good night's sleep.
Not knowing how long she could sleep, Li Chenjiao thought about what to order for dinner before going to bed.
When Li Chenjiao woke up, it was already quite dark outside. As soon as she woke up, she hurriedly called Qiu Hu in to order food.
Some dishes take a lot of time to make.
"Silver Needle Chicken Broth Fish Slices, that dish is well made by Qiaoniang. Go to the kitchen and ask if they have any fresh mandarin fish, winter bamboo shoot slices, and Jinhua ham. The kitchen has them all. Master doesn't like the taste of Junshan Silver Needle tea, so brew something else."
This is a local dish from southern Hunan. Li Chenjiao had never heard of it before, but after Qiaoniang made it once, she fell in love with its taste.
"It's been a while since I've had pearl rice balls, let's make some too. I remember there was mutton for lunch? Let's ask the kitchen to make mutton soup. And a vegetarian radish soup, please, it's so sweet and refreshing."
Most nourishing dishes are oily, so it's natural to add a few vegetarian dishes and soups to balance it out.
After Li Chenjiao ordered the food, the Fourth Prince got up and went out to see the Fourth Prince.
The Fourth Prince was very well-behaved today; he's been thinking about persimmons these past few days.
When the Second Princess was little, she loved to play with persimmons and frozen pears, and she still does now, except she's still asleep.
The Fourth Prince then played with his son outside. The Fourth Prince would only be two years old in a few days, but he could already speak fluently in many ways.
The sound of the Fourth Prince calling for his father could be heard throughout the courtyard.
Although Li Chenjiao taught him a few times, the child was indeed smart, and Li Chenjiao guessed that he learned from his older sister, the Second Princess.
Li Chenjiao had long noticed that every time they spoke, the Fourth Prince would still stare at the person who was speaking.
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