The fourth brother did an excellent job in suppressing the bandits this time. From the moment he arrived in Fujian, he secretly sent people to infiltrate the pirates to gather information and find out their approximate number. After seeing the letter, he quickly realized something was amiss and decided to use a counter-strategy. He pretended to underestimate the enemy and suffer a defeat, but in reality, he directly stormed into the pirate den. Afterward, without alerting the local Fujian officials, he followed the clues overnight to find the merchants who were colluding with the pirates. This included not only local Fujian merchants, but also officials and merchants in the Thirteen Factories of Guangzhou, uprooting them all.
This is undoubtedly another major case.
Fourth Master handled everything extremely well, except for one minor flaw...
Consort De and Consort Cheng exchanged a glance, and in the end, Consort De sighed first.
"He only dealt with a minor official. The fourth brother's methods this time were indeed ruthless. I heard he died on the way here a few days ago..."
This is what worries Consort De. These officials and merchants involved, as well as the hundreds of pirates led by Abaowei, should all be brought back to the capital for trial by the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review.
Now, one of the men died on the way back with the fourth prince, and to make matters worse, the fourth prince wrote a memorial to apologize to His Majesty. Wouldn't that give others ammunition to criticize him, and his merits might even be affected?
Consort De spent most of last night unable to sleep, worrying about this very matter.
The fourth sister wasn't usually this reckless. She suspected something had happened to her on her way to Fujian, but for now, it was just speculation. She would have to ask her fourth sister after she returned to Beijing.
Consort Cheng comforted Consort De, saying, "The Fourth Prince has his own plans and won't act rashly. Your Highness, please put your mind at ease. If the Fourth Prince sees you like this when he returns, he'll probably be worried too..."
Consort De hummed in agreement, naturally understanding the reasoning behind it.
The two chatted for a while, then heard a message from outside that the Fourteenth Prince had arrived.
Originally, the Thirteenth Prince had also said he would come to congratulate Consort De on her birthday, but since his wedding was in two days, Consort De did not allow the child to come.
The Fourteenth Prince returned from his studies at the Imperial Study. A little while later, Princess Wenxian and her husband, Shun'an Yan, also arrived.
With the Fourth Prince absent, only Shun'an Yan and the Fourteenth Prince were outside. Knowing that the Fourth Prince had not yet returned to the capital, Shun'an Yan was noticeably more relaxed and at ease today.
More than three months after their wedding, the couple had lost some of their sweet infatuation. Princess Wenxian was still the same dignified and composed princess, just as she had been before the wedding.
The mother and daughter exchanged a few words, and then had lunch. The three princes, who had spent half the morning playing in the Imperial Garden, also returned a little early.
Aman skillfully took out a dark blue handkerchief from her bulging purse, and Li Chenjiao accepted the handkerchief from Aman without even turning her head.
As soon as she squatted down, Wanwan obediently looked up and let his mother wipe his sweat.
The mother and her two children performed a series of movements with fluid grace.
Li Chenjiao tied the tassels on Wanwan's braids again, and finally patted the two children on the shoulders, signaling them to sit down.
The Fujin and Nara clan, supporting Consort De on either side, emerged from the inner palace, oblivious to what was happening in the outer palace.
After the Second Prince entered, his wet nurse fed him a cup of warm tea. He drank half of it and then drank the rest himself. He saw something out of the corner of his eye. After finishing the tea, he just pursed his lips and didn't say anything.
The wet nurse beside the Third Prince was also wiping his face. He couldn't hide the emotions in his eyes. He was envious and thought to himself, "If only my mother could go to the palace with me..."
Li's mother was very good to her fourth brother, but his mother was also very good to him, so why couldn't his mother go to the palace with him...?
The Third Prince silently lowered his head, then suddenly glanced at the Second Prince...
But even after his mother entered the palace, his second brother didn't seem to get much attention... The third prince suddenly ran out of words and was so anxious that he almost scratched his head in frustration.
At lunchtime, Li Chenjiao had a bowl of ginseng soup in front of her. Li Chenjiao didn't really like the taste of ginseng soup at this moment, or rather, she never really liked the taste of ginseng soup. But since she was in Yonghe Palace, and faced with this thoughtful gift specially arranged for her by Consort De, Li Chenjiao had to drink it all up with gratitude, even if she had to hold her nose.
After drinking a bowl of ginseng soup, my stomach felt warm, but it was a little too warm.
Inside Yonghe Palace, Li Chenjiao had to conceal her condition. But after getting into the carriage and returning to the East Courtyard, she had barely sat down when her nose started bleeding…
The entire east courtyard was thrown into chaos.
Li Chenjiao herself was fine; after the pain subsided and she had washed herself, she felt even less of anything.
Something was definitely going on, she thought. Every time Fourth Master came to her place and drank ginseng soup, he never got a nosebleed or anything; his health was truly excellent…
Li Chenjiao comforted the two children, especially the second princess who was teary-eyed. The fourth prince was calmer, but the silver thread on his sleeves had been crumpled by the child at some point.
She wanted to talk to the two children, but they started talking first, not giving her a chance to speak.
Li Chenjiao lay flat on her back, listening to the voices of her two children beside her, and finally got a good night's sleep.
...
Upon learning from the Empress that the Fourth Prince would be returning to the capital soon, Li Chenjiao felt much more at ease.
The next day, Li Chenjiao felt that her appetite had improved.
June 28th is the wedding day of the Thirteenth Prince.
The wedding was held at the Fourth Palace in Ganxi. Everyone was happy that day. The Prince Zhi and the Crown Prince were all there, as were the brothers, except for the Fourth Prince, who had not yet returned to the capital.
The smiles on everyone's faces were brighter than the last. It was the thirteenth prince's wedding, and the fourteenth prince took the opportunity to take a look at the princes who had come today, but he did not find anything.
In the end, Shisi couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "They're all better at pretending than anyone else."
Fourteen was of marriageable age, and although he was usually unreliable, it didn't mean he was completely unaware of the princes' allegiance.
However, in Fourteen's heart, no one was as powerful as his own brother.
He was still waiting for his fourth brother to come back so he could talk to him about the bandit suppression.
These brothers with ulterior motives? To hell with them.
I wonder when Fourth Brother will be back. Didn't they say it would be in the next few days?
The Fourteenth Prince sighed inwardly, then picked up a large bowl he'd somehow produced and approached Prince Zhi: "Come, elder brother, on this auspicious day, let your younger brother offer you a toast..."
He handed the large bowl to Prince Zhi, while he picked up a small wine cup for himself.
"My younger brother is too young to drink too much alcohol..." The Fourteenth Prince smiled innocently.
Prince Zhi cursed inwardly without showing any expression.
This little fourteen!
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