When the Fourth Prince came out of Yonghe Palace, his expression was indifferent. When Su Peisheng came to greet him, he simply said, "Go to the Ministry of Revenue."
It was impossible for anyone to discern what the Fourth Master was thinking.
Having served the Fourth Master for so many years, Su Peisheng had long since learned to read people's expressions and was a shrewd and discreet man. At this moment, he followed along obediently without saying a word.
Well, to put it bluntly, Su Peisheng only needs to take good care of his own master, and as for other people's affairs, Su Peisheng doesn't need to ask too much.
Su Peisheng just had to be careful to keep an eye on his master to see if he would be displeased or angry, so he had to serve him more attentively. Oh, and right now he also had to keep an eye on the Third Prince in the front courtyard.
This year's Dragon Boat Festival was not particularly lively at the Fourth Prince's residence. However, while the residence was not lively, the Emperor in the palace had a grand celebration.
However, the ladies of the household, including the wife and Li Chenjiao, needed to recuperate, so they did not go to the palace.
Although Fourth Master didn't exactly give a cold shoulder at the banquet, he certainly didn't have a pleasant expression, which made others hesitant to approach him and try to get him to drink.
Even the two little brats in front of him ran to the Crown Prince. Before leaving, the Thirteenth Prince lingered for a while, probably wanting to say something comforting, but the Fourteenth Prince pulled him away first.
During the banquet, only the wife's daughter, Amaulanara Feiyangu, offered a toast.
He only talked about official business, such as His Majesty's trip north in the autumn, and his desire to have a friendly exchange with the Fourth Prince. He also said some polite things before finally mentioning that he only had one daughter, his wife.
Of course, she is the only biological daughter.
Fei Yanggu was certainly not so foolish as to say something like telling the Fourth Prince to be tolerant of his wife. He simply said that if his wife did anything wrong, the Fourth Prince should just point it out.
The news that a princess had disappeared from the Fourth Prince's residence did not cause much of a stir. In the princes' harems, it was quite common for a princess or concubine to die in childbirth or from illness.
Clearly, Fei Yanggu knew the Fujin's temperament, and his words might have been a test of the Fourth Prince's intentions.
The Fourth Prince put down his wine cup and casually deflected the question: "The Second Prince is ill and weak, and the Princess Consort has been taking good care of him lately. This has saved you a lot of trouble."
This sentence, while saving a lot of trouble, is quite profound.
Whether it saved them trouble or created trouble, both Fourth Master and Fei Yanggu were well aware of the truth.
Although Fei Yanggu was quite popular with the Emperor and had made contributions during the last campaign when he accompanied His Majesty on a personal expedition, he was still weak in front of the Fourth Prince. Upon hearing this, he gave an embarrassed smile and quickly took his wine cup and went elsewhere.
Su Peisheng stood behind him, his eyes downcast and his mind at ease.
This was indeed due to the fact that Consort Xie drank the contraceptive soup that day. The fact that the Third Princess was born today was an accident. It was just that the Third Prince's head was too big, which injured Consort Xie's body and caused her to have a difficult childbirth.
When the imperial physician and midwife arrived, they clearly told the Fourth Prince that the midwife had corrected the baby's position, and that with Xie Gege's strength, this pregnancy, although it would be more difficult, still had a chance of being safe and sound.
But how did it end up with Xie Gege dying from severe bleeding during childbirth?
Su Peisheng, who served by the Fourth Prince's side, knew perfectly well how much the Fujin had done behind his back, and how much the Fourth Prince had uncovered.
Madam, can't you just take good care of your health?
Besides, even if Xie Gege gave birth to a child, it was Xie Shi who concealed the matter first. Wouldn't it be better to use this as an excuse to deal with the matter later?
Now things have turned out much better, it will only make Fourth Master hate them even more.
It's just that the Fourth Prince won't punish him openly.
After all, if this matter were to be investigated, it was Xie who concealed Yuxi's pregnancy first. Xie has already passed away, but the Third Prince is still alive. When the Third Prince grows up, he can't let others say that his birth mother was a woman of bad character.
Take the Eighth Prince as an example. Because his birth mother was a lowly maid in the Imperial Household Department, even now, the important officials in the court don't treat him like anyone.
Even though the Eighth Prince did many good jobs while serving under Prince Zhi, didn't the important officials in the court still respect Prince Zhi the most?
In addition, the Fujin (Prince Consort) did indeed damage her health after giving birth to the Second Prince, and she is currently being kept completely in the dark about the fact that she will not be able to have children in the future.
However, the Fourth Prince was naturally dissatisfied with his wife's behavior, and could even be described as angry.
So the first time he came out of the banquet, the Fourth Prince wasn't drunk.
However, when the Fourth Prince returned to the backyard, people from the main courtyard and Song Gege's courtyard brought him hangover soup one after the other.
Fourth Master leaned against the couch, gave a perfunctory "hmm," and then raised his hand in annoyance: "Have someone send the things back. Ask if Madam Li in the east courtyard is asleep yet?"
At this moment, when Fourth Master wanted to talk to someone, he could only think of Li Chenjiao.
Su Peisheng then instructed Fulu to go and see for himself. During this time, the Fourth Master drank the hangover soup sent from the front kitchen.
The Fourth Prince mustered his strength to read some of the official documents brought back from the Ministry of Revenue. When Su Peisheng came in to report that the candlelight in the east courtyard had not yet been extinguished, the Fourth Prince stood up.
"Go to the East Wing."
Li Chenjiao in the east courtyard was indeed not asleep yet, or rather, the young girl was not asleep yet.
The little girl was very sleepy just two days ago. After the third-day celebration, although she was still a little sleepy, she slept more during the day and was full of energy at night.
Li Chenjiao was happy to play with the little girl a little longer, so she had two maids place the small bed in front of her bed and play with the little girl.
When Fourth Master arrived, Li Chenjiao was surprised for a moment. She was still holding a rattle drum in her hand. She quickly instructed the two maids: "Go and prepare hot water first. There is no time to prepare a hangover soup, so go and brew a cup of hangover tea first."
Li Chenjiao has become quite picky lately, and the thought of smelling the alcohol on Fourth Master makes her feel uneasy.
After all, Fourth Master is the master, but the young lady shouldn't smell this alcohol.
When the Fourth Prince entered, Li Chenjiao smiled and said, "Your Highness is here? Second Princess hasn't gone to bed yet? Would you like to see her? Did Your Highness just return from the palace? You look travel-worn. Why don't you take a bath first to clear away the gloom?"
Li Chenjiao is now much more direct in her speech, almost saying, "Fourth Master, please stand further away, be careful not to smell the alcohol."
Fourth Master lifted his robes and sat down on the small couch with an air of authority, showing no intention of arguing with Li Chenjiao.
Or perhaps the Fourth Prince was preoccupied and didn't hear Li Chenjiao's words at all.
Li Chenjiao understood something even before hearing the Fourth Master's reply, and stopped shaking the rattle drum.
She stopped what she was doing, and the little girl opened her mouth and made two "ah ah" sounds. Li Chenjiao smiled and said, "Sweetie, your dad smells bad. Let dad play with you later, okay?"
Li Chenjiao's previous words were straightforward, but now she softened her tone, revealing a touch of childlike charm.
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