However, the Fourth Prince always had a cold and aloof face. Although he stiffened noticeably when he heard the Crown Prince's question, it wasn't too obvious.
The Fourth Prince paused for two seconds: "My brother's residence is in the inner city, so I haven't heard anything about the commotion in the suburbs. How can the fireworks of the common people compare to those of the palace? Your Highness is joking."
The Crown Prince, pen in hand, listened to the Fourth Prince's words but did not press further: "That's true. When the weather clears up, I'd like to leave the palace and visit your residence for a drink."
The Fourth Prince neither directly accepted nor refused the Crown Prince's invitation: "The imperial physician said that my brother has just recovered from a serious illness and should not drink alcohol..."
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince could easily understand what the Fourth Prince meant. A look of regret appeared in his eyes, but he quickly smiled and said, "Fourth Brother, it's important for you to take care of your health. Let's talk about it after you've recovered."
This time, the Fourth Prince did not refuse. He bowed and said yes, then stood at a certain distance beside the Crown Prince and listened to the Crown Prince review the memorials.
The Crown Prince was not quiet when reviewing memorials; in fact, he talked much more than usual. The Fourth Prince, standing to the side, could hear many of the Crown Prince's opinions that he would not normally utter.
Perhaps the Crown Prince's views were not agreed upon by the Fourth Prince, but there were still many that made the Fourth Prince feel enlightened after hearing them.
The Crown Prince's actions could be described as a different kind of complete sharing of knowledge, which made the Fourth Prince, who had been suspicious and wary of the Crown Prince because of the previous secret note reminder, hesitate again.
The Fourth Prince, who had spent the entire day listening to the Crown Prince, undoubtedly benefited greatly.
However, the memorials reviewed by the Crown Prince were not directly returned to the Six Ministries. Before the Fourth Prince left, he heard the Crown Prince instruct Haha Zhuzi, who was by his side, to reseal these memorials and send them to the Emperor's father as quickly as possible.
Upon hearing this, Fourth Master couldn't help but feel a slight chill in his heart.
Has the Emperor's vigilance... really reached this level?
The Crown Prince did not invite the Fourth Prince to stay for dinner. Oh, or rather, the Crown Prince originally intended to invite the Fourth Prince to stay for dinner, but as soon as the Crown Prince said this, he heard a message from outside that Consort Li Jia had come to invite the Crown Prince to dinner.
The Crown Prince showed no sign of annoyance. He seemed to ponder for a couple of seconds before propping himself up with a smile and saying, "I almost forgot that today is Qixi Festival."
After saying this, he turned around and said loudly to the Fourth Master, "Fourth Brother, I won't keep you here today..."
The Fourth Master was slightly taken aback by these words.
Although the Manchus had been in the Central Plains for many years, they did not celebrate all the Han Chinese festivals. They would pay some attention to festivals like the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival, but the palace would not pay much attention to festivals like the Double Ninth Festival, let alone the Qixi Festival.
At least in the Fourth Prince's household, Qixi Festival wasn't celebrated much.
No wonder the Fourth Prince was so surprised when he heard the Crown Prince talk about Qixi Festival.
After leaving Yuqing Palace, the Fourth Prince was still somewhat dazed. After leaving Yuqing Palace, the Fourth Prince went to Yonghe Palace to pay his respects to his mother.
Upon arriving at Yonghe Palace, Consort De looked the Fourth Prince up and down, but did not invite him to stay for dinner. It was getting late, and the palace gates would be locked soon.
Now that His Majesty is not in the capital, it would be inappropriate for the Fourth Prince to stay overnight in the palace.
However, the Fourth Prince's journey out of the palace was not smooth, as he encountered several flustered imperial physicians along the way.
Su Peisheng glanced at his master's expression and, seeing the situation, left behind a young eunuch carrying a medicine box.
Only after asking did I learn that the First Consort of the Prince Zhijun's Mansion outside the palace had suffered a difficult childbirth.
Fourth Master didn't know much about the other families' backyards, and only looked at Su Peisheng after Su Peisheng released the little eunuch.
Su Peisheng shook his head inwardly and whispered, "The First Princess's due date is still a few months away..."
That means it was premature.
Fourth Master frowned, subconsciously recalling the difficult childbirth Li Shi experienced in the East Courtyard that day.
After that incident, whenever the Fourth Prince hears about pregnancy or childbirth, he subconsciously thinks of that anxious day and night of waiting.
Although his relationship with Prince Zhi was not particularly good on a regular basis, the Fourth Prince still gave the order after considering it.
"Is my horse still outside the palace gate? Take the imperial physicians and ride to Prince Zhi's residence. Also, have the imperial physicians I have left at my residence go to Prince Zhi's place first."
Riding a horse is naturally faster than riding in a carriage.
Su Peisheng paused for a second, then subconsciously looked back: "Yes, this servant will go right away."
The Fourth Prince's carriage was used to pick up the imperial physician, so he was in no hurry to leave. After he left the palace gate, his guards had already found a carriage for him.
The Fourth Prince then took a carriage back to his residence.
It's not surprising that the Fourth Master, who is currently recovering from a serious illness, would be returning to his residence by carriage.
When Fourth Master returned to the mansion, Su Peisheng had not yet returned. Fourth Master went to the front courtyard first and asked Fulu to summon Dai Duo.
When Dai Duo arrived, the Fourth Prince briefly recounted what the Crown Prince had said to him in Yuqing Palace that day. He glossed over it in a few words and then asked Dai Duo for his opinion.
After listening, Dai Duo pondered for a long time: "Now, His Majesty has asked you to assist the Crown Prince in overseeing the country. Just do as he says. In any case, the Crown Prince has no ill intentions towards you. You can't rush things now. Just wait and see."
Dai Duo is not wrong. If the Crown Prince harbors ill intentions towards the Fourth Prince, then the Fourth Prince may need to consider how to deal with it.
However, since the Crown Prince currently shows no ill will towards the Fourth Prince, at least on the surface, the Fourth Prince naturally has no reason to be anxious.
After discussing things with Dai Duo, it was already quite late. After all the work, Fourth Master finally felt a bit hungry.
Su Peisheng finally returned here in a hurry.
When Fourth Master saw him come in to change the tea, he remembered the earlier incident and asked, "How did it go?"
Su Peisheng wiped the fine sweat from his forehead: "The First Princess Consort hasn't given birth yet... but the imperial physician says this pregnancy might be difficult..."
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince frowned slightly, and after a long while, he said, "I understand."
And that was the end of it.
After all, this is not a family matter. Fourth Master saw it today and did what he could. The rest is not his business.
However, the Fourth Prince was still somewhat worried.
It wasn't that he was worried about the First Princess Consort, but rather that he suddenly felt a little worried about Li Chenjiao in the East Courtyard.
However, since the Fourth Master had just met Li Chenjiao yesterday, he originally planned not to enter the backyard today.
But now he was wavering.
Su Peisheng was about to leave after changing the tea, but unexpectedly, Fourth Master suddenly called him back.
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