Overjoyed at receiving confirmation from Fourth Master, Li Chenjiao sent Xiao Luzi home to deliver the message.
Xiao Luzi returned overjoyed after delivering the message, saying that the lady had given him a reward because she was pleased.
Seeing his joyful expression, Li Chenjiao waved her hand, naturally not letting Xiao Luzi take it out. The roads were slippery and difficult to walk on in the snow. Li Chenjiao had seen Xiao Luzi busy with the family's arrangements these past few days.
Even if her mother gave her a reward, she would still reward Xiao Lu later.
Not only is Mother happy, but she herself is also happy right now.
The last time Mother came to the mansion was when she was in confinement after giving birth to the Fourth Prince. At that time, the Second Princess was still young and had no memory of anything, not to mention the Fourth Prince, who was still breastfeeding.
The two children were naturally delighted to hear that their grandmother was coming.
However, this time only Li Chenjiao's mother was allowed to enter the mansion. Although her sister-in-law, Madam Yin, had also come to the capital, she was still not allowed to enter the mansion.
This is the same reason why Father sent a visiting card to see Fourth Master yesterday, but did not come with his brother. Although it is the New Year, it looks like Father and Brother came together, but it looks like they came to beg for alms.
And it happened at this sensitive time, when he was returning to Beijing to report on his work.
However, Li Chenjiao still prepared New Year's gifts for her nephew. Last year, her sister-in-law, Madam Yin, gave birth to a big, healthy boy. The eldest nephew is about the same age as the second princess, while the youngest nephew is a year younger than the fourth prince.
However, the children naturally couldn't come into the mansion either, otherwise Li Chenjiao would probably be laughing in her sleep for the next few days just imagining how lively it would be.
It felt like the New Year when the whole family was gathered together. Li Chenjiao had been looking forward to it for several days, and finally the day of Fourth Master's leave of absence arrived.
Although the weather was cool in the first month of the lunar calendar, after the Lantern Festival, the Princess Consort took the initiative to mention to the Fourth Prince that the children should return to the front courtyard to study, and the Fourth Prince nodded in agreement.
But after waiting for three or four days, the second princess returned to the front courtyard to continue her studies.
That day, the second princess got up and went to the front yard to study, but she was quite unhappy. Only after confirming that her maternal grandmother would stay until lunchtime did the little girl leave the east yard with Green Chrysanthemum.
Li Chenjiao found it quite amusing to watch the little girl's retreating figure. In fact, she had already asked Lüju to go to the front yard and tell Granny Zhong yesterday that her mother would stay until after lunch before leaving. However, she had Lüju tell Granny Zhong to have Aman return from the front yard half an hour earlier.
Granny Zhong readily agreed; everyone has their emergencies, and she wasn't the kind of strict person who wouldn't show any leniency.
Fourth Prince also got up early today. Li Chenjiao had just watched Second Princess go to school when she turned around and saw Fourth Prince standing by the inner door at the end of the room, rubbing his eyes. He was a small boy. When she looked over, Wanwan was still yawning.
"Oh, Wanwan's awake? Is breakfast ready? I'm afraid Mother got up very early, and I guess it's not ready like last time. Mother likes to drink sweet porridge for breakfast..."
Qiu Hu said that everything was ready at this moment.
"Why aren't we there yet..." Li Chenjiao glanced at the courtyard gate twice, then led the still somewhat drowsy Wanwan into the inner room to wash up.
The Fourth Prince sat obediently in front of the small dressing table as his mother braided his hair. Li Chenjiao didn't mention to Wanwan that he would also be going to the front courtyard to study in a while. Since she didn't say anything, Wanwan was even more eager to go to school with his sister.
Li Chenjiao calculated the time, and when the Fourth Prince finished washing up and was led to the flower hall for breakfast, Qiu Hu happily came in from outside and said that the Madam had arrived.
Li Chenjiao exclaimed "Ah!" and quickly walked outside.
...
The reunion of mother and daughter was naturally a rare joy. However, for the Fujin, seeing her mother was just a matter of saying a word. She had the gatekeeper prepare a carriage, and she could see her mother in less than an hour.
There's really nothing surprising about it.
However, the Fujin valued propriety and did not want outsiders to say anything about missing her maternal family too much. She would only have someone invite her mother to the mansion once a month, but on ordinary days and holidays, she would have her maid Yuru or Granny Qian personally go back to the mansion.
When the Fujin learned that someone from the Li family in the East Courtyard had arrived, she had already gotten up and eaten breakfast. She wiped her hands and asked, "Her family...her family has come to the capital?"
The princess consort remembered that Lady Li was not from the capital.
Yu Ru said "Eh" and took the handkerchief: "Wang Jinzhong has inquired and said that the Li family has come to the capital to report on their duties. They came to pay their respects to the Princess Consort during the first month of the lunar year."
The princess rose gracefully and walked toward the small Buddhist hall, with Yu Ru supporting her.
"They come from humble backgrounds...they have no manners..." The princess was clearly not happy about the Li family's visit.
The reason is simple: she simply disliked the Li family of the East Courtyard, so the wife naturally found the Li family's visitors annoying and disliked them.
Yu Ru first replied, "Yes, but today is the master's day off. I heard that Madam Li came, so I met with her..."
Since the Fourth Prince had seen them, he knew that someone from the Li family had come, so the Fujin (princess's wife) naturally couldn't do anything more.
Upon hearing this, the Princess Consort paused slightly. After a long while, she waved her hand and said, "I am too busy during the New Year's festival to see him. Tell Wang Jinzhong to bring him to the East Courtyard."
"What a clever scheme!" the Princess Consort couldn't help but say after giving her instructions.
Did they deliberately choose a day when the Fourth Master was on leave and visiting the mansion?
This mother and daughter probably picked a date a long time ago.
The princess consort was even less inclined to see him.
We've already met with both Fourth Master and Fourth Master, so we might as well go with the flow.
The Fourth Prince had actually planned the date well in advance.
...
In the east courtyard, the mother and daughter sat facing each other. When Li Chenjiao heard her mother say that the Fujin (princess) had not seen her mother, her mother showed an expression of expectation.
"No wonder it was earlier than I calculated... Aman has gone to school in the front yard. Mother, please have your breakfast first; you must be tired from your journey."
Madam Shen touched the Fourth Prince's face, her expression somewhat complicated, as if she were exceptionally kind yet secretly harboring some wicked thoughts.
“Mother…” Li Chenjiao called out.
When Madam Shen came to her senses, she still had a smile on her face: "I heard that His Majesty has already bestowed a name upon this child?"
Li Chenjiao said, "His name is Hongli. Our fourth prince is called Hongli. But I still prefer to call him Wanwan."
Madam Shen got the answer from her daughter, and then gave an ambiguous "oh" before touching the Fourth Prince's little face again.
“Sigh…” Madam Shen withdrew her hand.
Hongli, Shen had heard of this great name long ago, but in her previous life she had only seen it in history books.
Now that the person had appeared before her, still looking like a tiny bean curd, Shen found it both amusing and worrying...
The son-in-law is the emperor, the grandson is the emperor—this isn't the script I expected, where the daughter falls out of favor…
However, the Crown Prince was deposed several years earlier than in history, and everything was already in chaos. Who knows if her own daughter's son, Hongli, her grandson, will become emperor...
Shen concealed all her emotions well, and the faint worry was quickly masked by the joy of mother and daughter reuniting.
Who can say for sure whether things will turn out the way she knew they would?
It's nothing but a rumor.
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