Only then did Li Chenjiao belatedly realize something. No wonder the Fujin hadn't said anything after Yu Ru, who was by the Fujin's side, rushed in earlier, and had hastily dismissed everyone.
The Princess Consort received the news around that time.
Li Chenjiao had only been standing outside for a short while when she started to complain about the heat: "Just like before, have Qiu Hu take three hundred taels of silver from the account, and you take it yourself to buy some grain to distribute to the disaster victims outside the city."
Li Chenjiao sent a total of six hundred taels of silver to her parents. Including her monthly allowance, she was grateful to be able to save a few hundred taels of silver a year.
With the occasional subsidies from the Fourth Master, Li Chenjiao has managed to accumulate quite a few silver notes over the years.
This time, spending money was quite painful for Li Chenjiao, but she never lacked food in her household, and she always had money.
Given her current status, that's all Li Chenjiao can do.
In recent years, whenever disasters occurred in the capital, Li Chenjiao would often donate money, not for any good reputation, but simply to do her part.
Unable to bear the heat, Li Chenjiao was about to go into the inner room when she suddenly stopped: "It's hot. The disaster victims have come all the way from Shandong, and they must be suffering from both fire and water. Let's prepare some more mint water... Never mind, you can talk to Su Peisheng about this when you have time."
If we were to distribute mint water, we would need to set up a stall, which Xiao Lu couldn't possibly manage alone.
At that point, I'm afraid things will get messy again.
The disaster victims are pitiful, but people in dire straits always cling to the sliver of hope. Li Chenjiao is willing to do good deeds, but she doesn't dare to cause trouble for herself.
Xiao Luzi immediately understood his master's meaning. He smiled and said, "Yes, this servant thanks the master for his consideration." He then bowed again.
Li Chenjiao waved him away, saying, "Go on."
The second princess, who was inside, heard the voices and started calling out "Mother, Mother!" A little while later, the fourth prince also started calling out.
The sounds were even more lively than the cicadas chirping outside.
Li Chenjiao responded, "Have the kitchen bring in two cups of milk tea." Qiu Hu, who had been waiting nearby, quickly agreed.
The two children talked so much inside, and now that it's hot, they must be thirsty.
Su Peisheng was in the front yard sorting through Fourth Master's clothes. The disaster victims were now all settled outside the city. If Fourth Master were to run back and forth between the inner and outer city every day, it would naturally take up a lot of time.
This is similar to how, after Prince Yu's incident a while ago, the Fourth Prince simply moved to the Ministry of Revenue, which was nearby.
Just as Xiao Luzi was delivering the message to the gatekeeper, Su Peisheng arrived at the gatehouse with Fulu.
What a coincidence! Xiao Luzi was spared an extra trip. Since his master had never made a fuss about exchanging his own private money for food, Xiao Luzi kept quiet about it at this time.
All I said was that the weather was getting hot, and my master thought that drinking some mint water would be the most comfortable thing to do when it was hot.
They are all intelligent people, so some things don't need to be said to be understood.
Because it was the first day of the lunar month, and given the severity of the disaster in the capital, the Fourth Prince simply did not return to his residence that night.
The last time the Fourth Prince saw the Crown Prince was outside the Qianqing Palace. Today, he received the Emperor's decree and saw the Crown Prince again when he went from the Ministry of Revenue to the palace gate.
The Crown Prince looked much more energetic. He smiled when he saw the Fourth Prince from afar, and when he got closer, he patted the Fourth Prince's shoulder as usual.
The Fourth Prince was slightly taller than him, and the Crown Prince had a little difficulty patting the Fourth Prince's shoulder.
He laughed heartily: "Look how strong you've gotten, Fourth Brother. Alright, come ride horses with Second Brother. You lead the way, Second Brother isn't familiar with these places."
The Fourth Prince paused for a second, while the Crown Prince had already mounted his horse.
He was still feeling a bit embarrassed for not pleading for the Crown Prince outside the Qianqing Palace that day, but the Crown Prince's slap left him completely stunned.
Today, the Crown Prince was dressed in casual clothes. When he mounted his horse, he refused the help of his attendants. He even had a smile on his face, showing a rare and spirited demeanor.
Fourth Master then mounted his horse and followed, and it was at this moment that he instructed Su Peisheng to return to the mansion to pack his clothes.
After Su Peisheng returned and relayed the message, the Fourth Prince thought about it and then spoke to the Crown Prince.
He didn't mention Li Chenjiao at first, but waited for the Crown Prince to ask jokingly, "Fourth Prince, when did you become so thoughtful?"
The Fourth Prince then cupped his hands and said, "It was the women in the household who thought of it; she always manages to think of these things."
The Crown Prince had noticed the Fourth Prince's barely concealed smile long ago; otherwise, he wouldn't have asked that question.
He smiled and said, "When my second brother came out, Li Jia also had someone bring him mung bean soup."
As soon as the Crown Prince said this, a servant immediately went to serve it.
Fourth Master waved his hand: "Let's leave it for the disaster victims. My brother can just have some mint water."
Compared to mung bean soup, mint water is more convenient, but both are the most refreshing and heat-relieving in the summer.
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince pointed at the Fourth Prince and said, "If you don't drink your second brother's mung bean soup, your second brother will drink mint water."
The Fourth Prince might not drink the mung bean soup to avoid suspicion, or it might be because the mung bean soup was prepared by Lady Li Jia specifically for the Crown Prince, and regardless of whether it was enough, the Fourth Prince felt it inappropriate to share it.
However, Li Chenjiao only asked someone to prepare mint water today, and didn't send anything else...
Once the mint water was ready, Fourth Master silently drank two bowls of it.
With the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince in charge, the disaster victims in the capital were quickly settled. However, the Fourth Prince stayed at the nearby estate that night, even though he had originally intended to invite the Crown Prince to come along.
The Crown Prince glanced at the Fourth Prince with a particularly complex expression, and finally waved his hand, saying, "The food in Yuqing Palace has been reheated countless times, so I... will return first."
This time, the Crown Prince referred to himself as "I, the Lonely One," instead of "Second Brother."
The relationships between them instantly changed.
The Fourth Prince understood, so he didn't try to stop him any longer, but just watched as the Crown Prince mounted his horse.
As the Crown Prince's figure gradually disappeared into the distance, many small black dots slowly appeared in the darkness.
Those were all guards hiding in the shadows.
Fourth Master withdrew his gaze, while Fu Lu stood to the side, grinning somewhat foolishly, holding a food box in his hand.
Fourth Master asked knowingly, "What are you carrying?"
Fu Lu held the food box up a little higher: "Master Li sent someone to bring food, including ginseng soup and plum juice..."
Fourth Master's eyes were fixed on the food box: "At least they put a thought into it."
Fu Lu suppressed a laugh, wondering who hadn't even had lunch today, but had drunk quite a bit of mint water.
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