After returning to the East Courtyard, Li Chenjiao ate a bowl of hot eight-treasure porridge before finally feeling a bit better.
When the scallion oil noodles from the kitchen arrived, Li Chenjiao ate without even lifting her head. Only after she was drenched in sweat did she finally lie down on the couch and relax.
Hot water was also prepared in the clean room during this break.
After taking a bath, Li Chenjiao rolled into the quilt: "It's freezing cold in winter. You and Qiuci can each keep watch for the night. Take the quilt to the outer room and spread it out. Use the hot water bottle too."
Qiu Hu looked at his princess, who was only peeking out from behind the tent flap, and smiled in agreement. Then he hesitated for a moment: "Princess, shouldn't you wait? What if the Fourth Prince comes?"
Li Chenjiao answered decisively: "No."
She didn't even know when Fourth Master had returned to the manor. Having spent so much time with him, Li Chenjiao at least knew him.
It's so late; unless Fourth Master is drunk, he won't go into the backyard.
However, since he got into trouble after getting drunk last time, Fourth Master probably won't let himself get drunk today.
Fourth Master wasn't the kind of master who liked to cause trouble; if it got too late, he probably would just rest in the front yard.
——
Li Chenjiao's calculations are sometimes quite accurate.
It was indeed very late when the Fourth Prince and his wife returned to the mansion. The wife suggested in the carriage that they rest in the main courtyard, but the Fourth Prince, with his eyes closed, coldly refused.
He was clearly still angry about the matter with the eldest princess.
The princess gritted her teeth, but in the end, she still knelt down and gave in inside the carriage.
The feeling of losing control of the household was unbearable; the wife was fed up with the days when she had no say in the household affairs.
She tearfully apologized again, and finally gritted her teeth and promised that she would no longer interfere in the affairs of the family's offspring. Only then did the Fourth Prince finally open his eyes to look at her.
"With the New Year approaching, there are many things that will require your attention, Madam. We can discuss other matters after the New Year. As for matters in the coming days, the Master will have Granny Xu come and inform you. If there are any mistakes, Madam, please have Granny Xu come and find the Master."
The Fourth Prince's heart was too hard; he didn't budge an inch even when his wife tried to soften her stance again.
But this also taught the Princess Consort a real lesson and made her remember it.
The Princess Consort will remember this lesson for a long time to come, and she will also keep in mind what the Fourth Prince's bottom line is.
In the end, the Princess Consort did not invite the Fourth Prince to stay overnight in the main courtyard, but the Fourth Prince relented and said that he would come to see her when he had time.
The princess still felt very uneasy when she got off the carriage.
The Fourth Prince's heart is truly hard; sometimes she even doubts whether she, as his wife, was his subordinate when he was in the Ministry of Revenue.
His indifferent attitude was no different from that of a superior and subordinate.
The Fujin watched the Fourth Prince's retreating figure as he headed towards the front courtyard, then helplessly turned her gaze away.
That's enough, she wasn't asking for marital bliss anyway.
Fourth Master looked after the two little rascals, Thirteenth and Fourteenth, today, and surprisingly, he didn't get drunk.
On the way back to the front courtyard, the Fourth Prince asked about the small banquet tonight.
Su Peisheng went to the palace today, and Fulu, who was already waiting at the gate of the mansion, was the one who gave the reply.
Fulu first told the story of the eldest princess spitting up milk. As soon as he finished speaking, the Fourth Prince asked sternly what had happened.
Fu Lu then recounted what the imperial physician had said about the eldest princess's weak spleen and stomach, and added that Princess Song had rushed to the front courtyard upon receiving the news.
Although Fourth Master didn't say anything, he was less resistant to it.
However, the Fourth Prince would never forget the Song family's past attitude towards the eldest princess.
Then Fulu spoke a few more words about the thoughtfulness with which Granny Xu and Princess Wu arranged today's small banquet.
The Fourth Prince's expression remained indifferent.
Su Peisheng secretly nudged his muddle-headed apprentice, wondering if he was truly oblivious or just plain stupid, unable to even read the room.
After going around in circles and receiving a signal from his master, Fu Lu finally got to the point.
"The palace bestowed Laba porridge, but according to the maids who served in the courtyard at the time, Princess Li only ate two mouthfuls of Laba porridge and then stopped eating."
Su Peisheng really wanted to scold his foolish apprentice for saying this. What was he saying? Was he implying that Consort Li was disrespectful to the food bestowed upon her by the palace?
Unexpectedly, this one sentence made the Fourth Master chuckle.
Fulu paused, then understood what to say: "However, I heard that Princess Wu and Princess Song don't use it much either—"
This can be considered as a way to find the food that Li Chenjiao only ate two mouthfuls of eight-treasure porridge for.
Fu Lu quickly added, "However, I heard that after Princess Li returned to the East Courtyard, she ordered eight-treasure porridge and scallion oil noodles from the kitchen—"
Fourth Master smiled again and said loudly, "Tell the kitchen to bring a bowl of scallion oil noodles."
Su Peisheng was the first to react, and bowed as he went to the kitchen in the front yard.
Fourth Master returned to the front yard in a good mood.
Last time, I told the little princess that the Laba porridge in the palace had no taste, and the little princess's expression clearly showed disbelief. This time, the little princess tasted it herself and knew whether it was true or not.
The next morning, before leaving the mansion for the Ministry of Revenue, the Fourth Prince suddenly instructed, "Tell the kitchen to send a bowl of Laba porridge to Madam Li for breakfast."
It's rare for Fourth Master to have such a wicked side.
So when Li Chenjiao woke up and saw a bowl of Laba porridge, she thought of the cold Laba porridge she had eaten the night before and rolled her eyes without hesitation.
Qiu Hu and Qiu Ci were unaware of the intricacies of the situation, and were especially happy for their princess because of the Fourth Master's extra instructions.
Only Li Chenjiao knew the story behind this bowl of Laba porridge.
What did it matter what the Fourth Master sent? Li Chenjiao simply refused to eat it, pushing it away and picking up a fried dumpling with her chopsticks.
Although Qiu Hu was puzzled, she didn't want to send it back to the kitchen because the kitchen staff would scold her. So, Qiu Hu thoughtfully ate the bowl of Laba porridge that her own princess hadn't touched and Qiu Ci finished it together.
When the Fourth Master came for dinner and asked how Li Chenjiao had eaten the Laba porridge from breakfast, both the maids Qiu Hu and Qiu Ci silently lowered their heads.
Li Chenjiao showed no guilt whatsoever, saying only, "Since it was bestowed by the master, this servant will naturally use it cleanly."
The Fourth Prince glanced at the little princess again, and he could easily tell that she emphasized the words "clean and tidy".
He gave a rare, slightly guilty smile, but he didn't back down: "In the entire manor, you're the most unruly."
Li Chenjiao thought to herself, "Your father just happens to like her the most unruly of all."
The Fourth Prince, unusually perceptive, understood the little princess's gaze and asked, "Who was it that looked so disbelieving when I said the Laba porridge in the palace wasn't as good as the one in the manor?"
Li Chenjiao had no rebuttal, so she simply picked up a sketchbook from the table and started reading.
The dinner dishes were as usual; every meal Li Chenjiao served here satisfied the Fourth Master.
There weren't many fancy dishes, but there were famous local dishes and home-style dishes from various regions.
The bowl of Laba porridge on the table today seems a bit out of place.
When Xiao Luzi went to the kitchen to order food, Master Guo was still muttering to himself, saying that Princess Li had been ordering Laba porridge frequently these past few days.
Master Guo wasn't complaining about the trouble; making a pot of porridge was a piece of cake. It was just that Master Guo was worried that Princess Li would get tired of eating it every day.
Or perhaps it was because the Fourth Prince was afraid that he would get tired of the food he ate at Li Gege's courtyard.
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