After returning to the capital, the Fourth Prince neither went back to his residence nor to the estate closer to the capital.
Instead, he rode back to the Forbidden City first.
The Fourth Prince first went to Yuqing Palace to see the Crown Prince. Seeing that the Crown Prince's expression was unpredictable, he relaxed a bit and sat down to talk with the Crown Prince.
As the Fourth Prince was leaving, the Crown Prince asked with interest, "I heard that you've been staying at the estate lately, Fourth Prince?"
Fourth Master showed no embarrassment, instead cupping his hands in agreement: "My brother is taking a break; he's enjoying some leisure time."
With that said, if anything really happened in the capital, the Crown Prince wouldn't be able to approach the Fourth Prince again.
The Crown Prince laughed heartily and patted the Fourth Prince on the shoulder: "It's good to be free. If I have some free time in a while, I'll come to your estate to enjoy some leisure."
The Fourth Master naturally wanted to refuse: "The estate is managed by the servants below, and I'm afraid they won't be able to take good care of it."
The Crown Prince's smile vanished, and he feigned displeasure, flicking his sleeve: "So you don't welcome me anymore now that Father Emperor is gone?"
Fourth Master shook his head helplessly and said he dared not.
The Crown Prince seems to particularly enjoy teasing the current fourth prince: "It's settled then, I'll inform you when the time comes, Fourth Prince, you just need to prepare some fine wine."
When he came out of Yuqing Palace, the Fourth Prince still had a helpless look on his face. However, when he entered the inner palace and arrived at the gate of Yonghe Palace, the Fourth Prince became the same expressionless Fourth Prince again.
Zhao Mama had received the news early in the morning, and when she saw the Fourth Prince outside the palace, she hurriedly came forward to greet him: "Fourth Prince, you're back? Her Majesty knew you were coming back, so she had the Imperial Kitchen prepare the almond tea that you used to love."
Granny Zhao came forward and, after rambling on and on, couldn't help but sigh, "Master has only been at Mount Wutai for less than half a month, how come he looks so much thinner?"
Fourth Master has always respected those around Mother. Although his face remained cold, his voice had softened somewhat.
"Springtime is dry, and my appetite hasn't been very good lately."
Granny Zhao exclaimed, "Then Fourth Master must take good care of himself this time he comes back, as he is at the age when he is growing."
Fourth Master is already past the age of twenty for Han Chinese, but probably only in the eyes of his nanny is he still growing.
The Fourth Prince felt a little warmer, slowed his pace as he entered the hall, and his voice softened considerably when he paid his respects.
Consort De looked at the Fourth Prince with eyes full of heartache: "Get up and sit down. Try this almond tea made by the Imperial Kitchen. It still tastes the same as before. Did you run into the Fourteenth Prince on the way? It's his first time leaving the Forbidden City. These past few days, he's been like a wild horse that has broken free of its reins. Even I can hardly hold him back."
Consort De originally intended to use the reunion of the two brothers to bring up the matter of the seventh brother again.
But to the Fourth Prince, it sounded like his mother was thinking about the Fourteenth Prince, who had just left the capital, as soon as he returned.
Even Zhao, the old woman serving nearby, couldn't stand it anymore and forced herself to speak up: "This almond tea is getting a bit cold. I'll take it away and warm it up. It's best to avoid cold things in spring."
As Zhao Mama spoke, she winked at the servants in the hall, clearly wanting to give the mother and son some space to talk.
As Zhao Mama carried the bowl of almond tea downstairs, she didn't forget to vomit. She didn't know if the Fourth Prince liked almond tea, but the one who loved almond tea the most in the whole palace was clearly the Fourteenth Prince.
The Fourth Prince, sitting upright, spoke first: "Just now at the city gate, I saw that the Fourteenth Prince was quite obedient to the Thirteenth Prince. Mother, you don't need to worry."
Consort De realized that she had misspoke earlier, so she smiled and said, "With Thirteen looking after you, I am naturally at ease. But you, you have had a long journey and should have rested properly. Why did you have to come to the palace first? I see that you have lost weight."
The Fourth Prince forced a smile: "It's a son's duty. I heard that while I was away, the Empress took a concubine named Xie into the household."
The mere mention of "Your Majesty" was enough to make Consort De lose her smile.
If Consort De still doesn't understand her fourth son's attitude, then she has wasted half her life: "When your wife came to the palace, she said that Wu was pregnant, Song was weak, and Bai was of bad character. Only Li and Xu were left in the whole mansion, so your mother secretly took Xie as a concubine behind your back."
Consort De's attitude left the Fourth Prince speechless with further criticism.
The Fourth Prince placed his hands on his knees and slowly raised his head to look at Consort De: "But Mother did not ask for my opinion. On the morning of the 28th, less than half a day after I left, my wife came to the palace to pay her respects—Mother knew that I would not be pleased, but she still did it."
Consort De lost her voice, and the rosy color slowly faded from her gentle face, with wrinkles already appearing at the corners of her eyes.
She wasn't one to back down, and her fourth son inherited that trait—unyielding and stubborn.
The mother and son were alone in the empty hall, and no one spoke again.
It was as if the mother and son were secretly competing.
The silence lasted for a long time until Zhao Mama, who had been waiting outside, brought in a cup of warm almond tea, easing the tension.
"Fourth Master, have a sip of tea."
The Fourth Prince took a sip out of courtesy. It was as sweet and cloying as ever, a taste he didn't like, but it was the Fourteenth Prince's favorite at that age.
The Fourth Prince's hands, which had been hanging at his knees, slowly tightened. He stood up and bowed respectfully. "There are still many matters to attend to at the Ministry of Revenue. I will visit you again when I have time. I must take my leave now. However, I do not wish for the Xie family's matter to continue."
Fourth Master strode away.
Su Peisheng knew his master was in a bad mood, so he only dared to ask after they left the palace: "Does Master wish to return to the manor or go to—"
The Ministry of Revenue has no urgent matters at the moment.
Fourth Master mounted his horse and cracked his whip: "Back to the manor."
Consort De naturally deduced the news of the Fourth Prince's return to the estate from the fact that the Fourteenth Prince and the others were about to leave the capital.
Li Chenjiao, who lived on the estate, did not have such access to information, so she naturally had no way of knowing when Fourth Master would return.
These past few days, Li Chenjiao has suddenly taken a liking to painting. Xiao Luzi, being clever, somehow managed to find the paints used by people from Southeast Asia to paint.
The various bright colors of the paint allowed Li Chenjiao to find something amusing to do amidst the pattering spring rain.
As Li Chenjiao painted by the window, the continuous spring rain outside had stopped. When she put down her brush, she muttered to herself, "Qingming Festival is over. Didn't Fourth Master say he would be back before Qingming?"
Qiu Ci, with her sharp ears, overheard this and teased with a smile, "Is the princess thinking about the Fourth Prince? I've heard that people can't help but talk about others. If the princess talks about him a few more times every day, maybe she'll bring the Fourth Prince back with her thoughts?"
Li Chenjiao then used the water on the table to tease her. This girl's sharp tongue and courage have grown since she's been by her side.
Just as they were laughing and joking, Qiu Hu came in from the outer room in a flustered manner, but her face was full of joy: "Princess, the gatekeeper said that Fourth Master has returned and is on his way to our Xinlutang right now."
Qiu Ci exclaimed, "Your Highness, you see, isn't what I said right? People can't help but talk about things."
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