The Fourth Prince didn't sleep long, only half an hour. The commotion outside gradually subsided, and those who came to visit and offer condolences didn't stay long. After all, the incident happened suddenly, and the Prince Gong's residence was not well prepared at the moment.
Fourth Master was even more tired after waking up, and his hunger was even stronger and more obvious. The food that Li Chenjiao had sent over had long since gone cold.
The Fourth Prince was still somewhat dazed, but the decor he saw was different from what he was used to in the mansion, and he quickly came to his senses.
The mung bean soup that Li Chenjiao brought was originally chilled, but now it was just cool. Li Chenjiao didn't prepare much food, and most of the side dishes were cold. The main dish was easy-to-carry sesame seed cakes. Li Chenjiao's kitchen skills were naturally excellent.
The refreshing side dishes can be eaten together with the sesame flatbread, which is quite convenient. Finally, a bowl of refreshing mung bean soup completes the meal in less than 15 minutes.
Clearly, Master Li had considered that his master might not have time to sit down and have a proper meal. He hadn't prepared the main dishes that his master usually liked, so his thoughtfulness was evident.
There's nothing at Prince Gong's residence that requires the Fourth Prince and his men to make decisions. These days, all they need to do is visit Prince Gong's residence every day to show that they value it.
By the time the Fourth Prince and his wife returned to the mansion, it was already late at night. The wife was still recovering from the ordeal in the carriage. The day and night of hard work had exhausted her; she hadn't closed her eyes for a whole day and night.
She was fast asleep when the carriage arrived at the mansion.
The princess was waiting for someone from the Fourth Prince's side to call her. She slowly woke up, but still pretended to be fast asleep.
After a while, upon hearing Yu Ru's voice, she straightened up slightly, but still pretended to be indifferent: "What is it?"
Yu Ru stumbled for a moment: "Fujin...Fujin, the master has dismounted and returned to the front courtyard. He said that Fujin had worked hard today and asked Fujin to go back and settle down as soon as possible."
The princess was visibly taken aback, and she asked again uncertainly, "Did Fourth Master go back to the front courtyard?"
Yu Ru nodded and said yes.
The weariness on the princess's face vanished instantly, and she lowered her voice, saying, "Going back to the front courtyard is better than going anywhere else. Let's go back to the main courtyard."
Although the princess said this, a faint sense of disappointment could be clearly heard in her voice.
After returning to the East Courtyard, Fourth Master did not rush to bathe and settle down. Su Peisheng, holding a palace lantern, said, "Mr. Dai is already waiting in the study."
The Fourth Master grunted in acknowledgment, his steps unwavering, and asked again, "Has your Master Li fallen asleep?"
Su Peisheng exclaimed and glanced back: "The candles in the east courtyard have all gone out by now, so they must have already retired for the night."
Fourth Master turned around and glanced at Su Peisheng. His indifferent glance almost made Su Peisheng think that he had said something wrong, but Fourth Master quickly turned around and went to the study.
Su Peisheng stood there pondering for a moment, but he still couldn't understand what the Fourth Master's look meant.
The Fourth Master is staying in the study tonight.
However, the candles in the front yard were extinguished very late.
Li Chenjiao woke up around midnight. She remembered that when she was drinking water, Qiu Hu said that the candles in the front yard were still lit.
Li Chenjiao could only have a couple of days of leisure. Once the funeral arrangements were finalized, the ladies of the various noble families would naturally have to go several more times, and Li Chenjiao, as a concubine, would be no exception. Fortunately, it wasn't the hottest time of the year yet.
However, she had also heard about Prince Gong's matter during the day, and for no reason, she thought of the Fourth Prince. Judging from the fact that the Fourth Prince was still not resting at the second watch of the night, his health was probably about to deteriorate...
Li Chenjiao shivered and gave another order to the kitchen to prepare ginseng soup every day.
Fourth Master's temper is such that you can't be persuaded otherwise.
All we can do is help Fourth Master improve his health through his diet.
After drinking the water, Li Chenjiao fell into a sweet sleep again.
With several princes in charge, even though some of Prince Gong's sons were muddle-headed, they were generally not confused when it came to important matters, and the final funeral was still handled beautifully.
Li Chenjiao made a few appearances in the following days, but naturally there was nothing that required her help. She only needed to suppress her smile and go to worship cautiously and respectfully.
Lady Guarjia of the Fifth Prince's residence is pregnant again, so she was unable to come to Prince Gong's residence to pay her respects this time. However, Lady Zhaojia and Lady Cao are both there, and with these two around, Li Chenjiao has been hearing this non-stop these past few days.
Just as Prince Gong's funeral was nearing its end, His Majesty, on his southern tour, finally sent back a message. The gist of it was that Prince Zhi should lead the way in handling Prince Gong's funeral, but that was all.
The emperor's entourage has already embarked on his southern tour, so it's impossible for him to give up halfway.
Soon the funeral of Prince Gong was over, and the capital returned to peace and tranquility.
As His Majesty returned with his reply, the Fourth Prince also received a letter from the Thirteenth Prince, who had traveled a great distance to deliver it.
Thirteen's letters contained the usual greetings, but some of the coded messages were only understood by the two brothers.
"Since leaving the capital, the Crown Prince has been ill and has not been able to go out. My younger brother has not been able to see him for many days. Father Emperor's southern tour went smoothly and won the hearts of the people. He was very pleased."
As usual, Fourth Master burned the letter and quickly wrote a reply.
The weather was even hotter at the end of June. This time, in addition to sending back a letter, Thirteen also had someone bring back a lot of fresh fruit from the south. I wonder how much extra money he spent on bribes.
The Fourth Prince selected some of the best items and sent them to his mother and fourteenth brother in the palace. Without a second thought, he waved his hand and ordered Su Peisheng to send the rest to the East Courtyard, leaving none for himself.
Fourth Master might have access to fruit from the south; it's just a matter of time. Later, the children in the manor will naturally have access to it as well.
Su Peisheng was already used to it, and he accepted the order and left.
Heading towards the east courtyard, one would naturally pass by the courtyard of Miss Lu. Madam Zhu was walking around in the courtyard when she suddenly smelled something and her nose started to twitch.
"It tastes like lychee... but if I eat too much, I'm afraid I'll get fat..." Madam Zhu lowered her head and touched her flat stomach.
She's only been in the household for a short time, but she's already gained a lot of weight.
She touched her face with a troubled expression. In the end, one had to be favored to be able to eat lychees. Back when she was in the music hall, she didn't know how many years it would take before she could eat lychees.
Zhu sighed, her worries returning.
I should walk a few more steps; I can't afford to get any fatter.
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