The princess said some more trivial things, and then dismissed the party.
After everyone left the main courtyard, Li Chenjiao left a little later, while Bai Jiashi walked ahead of her.
Li Chenjiao walked a little behind Bai Jiashi, but much slower than when she came, talking to Qiu Hu as she walked.
Bai Jia and her maid walked ahead, talking as well. Listening to their conversation, it seemed that Bai Jia's courtyard was too far away, which was why they were late today.
Upon hearing this, Li Chenjiao blinked and casually asked, "Where does Bai Jia live?"
Qiu Hu obediently replied, "It seems to be in the westernmost courtyard."
Tsk tsk, the east and west sides are quite far away.
Li Chenjiao understood a bit. Bai Jiashi arrived late today. Was there something fishy going on? Was it a show of force from the Fujin?
Li Chenjiao and Song Shi were both from the Han Banner Army. Their fathers were not high-ranking officials. She didn't know about Song Shi, but her father was just the prefect of Jiaozhou, Shandong.
Actually, Bai Jia's family background wasn't anything special, but because they had a Manchu surname, they were different.
Overall, this first meeting went very well.
...
Back in the courtyard, breakfast had already been laid out in the house, presumably Qiu Ci had gone to the kitchen to fetch it.
The princess was attended by two maids and one servant.
The Autumn Pot was brought from home, while the Autumn Porcelain came from the manor.
"Princess." Qiu Ci quickly bowed when she saw Li Chenjiao enter.
Li Chenjiao woke up, sat down to eat, and was extremely hungry.
Breakfast was quite substantial, with thick millet porridge, golden steamed shrimp dumplings, two small and cute sugar buns, and a plate of cucumber slices—refreshing and perfect with rice.
The taste is also very good, especially the shrimp dumplings, which are very fresh and tender.
After the meal, Li Chenjiao took a sip of tea, looked at Qiu Hu and said, "The clothes you brought are probably not packed yet. Go and pack them first."
Qiu Hu gave an "Eh" and turned to leave. She knew that the princess wanted to ask about the situation in Qiu Ci's residence, since she and the princess had only recently entered the residence and knew nothing about it yet.
Li Chenjiao asked a simple question and listened to Qiu Ci's answer.
Song entered the household last year, and the Fujin married the Fourth Prince after the first month of the lunar calendar. Now, in April, she and Baijia entered the household.
Oh, there's another concubine in the mansion, the one I met today, Xu Shi. It seems she was originally a palace maid serving Consort De, and served the Fourth Prince before Song Shi.
Overall, the Fourth Prince's residence has a small population and no children yet, which is good.
"Where does Fourth Master usually like to go?" Li Chenjiao took another sip of tea, yes, it was her favorite Pu'er.
"Well... Fourth Master doesn't often go into the inner courtyard. He mostly goes to his wife's place, but he stays at Consort Song's place more often. He also occasionally goes to visit Miss Xu."
No exclusive favor, right? That's good, then you don't have to worry about being bullied by a favored concubine.
Li Chenjiao continued, resting her chin on her hand, "Alright, there's nothing else to do, let's go help Qiu Hu pack her clothes."
With that, she got up and went outside. Qiu Ci was stunned for a moment, then quickly followed.
By the time everything was ready, it was almost noon. Qiu Hu went to fetch the meal, which was a good opportunity for her to familiarize herself with the route.
Li Chenjiao then thought of another question: "Where are the eunuchs in our courtyard?"
Qiu Ci twitched her lips: "Yes, but Xiao Lu is young. He offended the garden manager before Gege came and was punished. He is currently recuperating in the back."
Li Chenjiao frowned, pursed her lips, and asked, "You were punished with a beating? Didn't the Princess Consort handle this?"
Qiu Ci sighed softly: "Back then, my son's wife hadn't entered the manor yet, and Song Gege wasn't in charge of anything. During the days of the wife's wedding, everyone in the manor was busy. Steward He wanted Xiao Luzi to help, but Xiao Luzi refused, and that's why he was beaten."
Li Chenjiao looked up at Qiu Ci and said, "I understand. Tell him to take good care of himself. Now that I'm here, I'll protect you all."
Qiu Ci felt a warmth in her heart and replied, "Yes, Xiao Luzi understands, and so does this servant."
Li Chenjiao smiled, and her smile made her appear even more beautiful.
Qiu Ci couldn't help but blush, and murmured to herself that her princess was really beautiful, even more beautiful than Song Gege.
Li Chenjiao ate first while waiting for Qiu Hu to return with lunch. There were six dishes, a soup, and two plates of pastries, all of which were quite good.
After finishing her meal, Li Chenjiao said she was going to rest when she heard that the main courtyard had delivered some supplies, which she then met.
The maid who delivered the fabric was the same one who had lifted the curtain outside the main courtyard earlier that day, but Li Chenjiao didn't recognize her.
It was Qiu Ci who stepped forward and said, "Sister Yu Ru."
Yu Ru smiled and responded, bowing respectfully to Li Chenjiao: "Greetings to Princess Li. The Princess Consort has asked me to bring the fabric."
Li Chenjiao smiled and said, "Thank you for making this trip. The materials look like the finest. Please thank the Princess for the gift."
Yu Ru placed the material in Qiu Hu's hand, and upon hearing Li Chenjiao's words, she hurriedly replied, "This is all a servant's duty."
After exchanging pleasantries, Li Chenjiao blinked lightly, and Qiu Hu understood. He picked up a purse and, while talking to Yu Ru, gave it to her.
Seeing Yu Ru leave, Li Chenjiao rested her chin on her hand and said, "Send it to the sewing room later."
It was about three bolts of cloth, one of which was light blue with a bamboo-green pattern, and it felt very comfortable to the touch.
One is apricot-colored. At first glance, you can't tell anything special about it, except that the material is better, it doesn't feel rough to the touch, and the color is more vibrant.
One of them is lilac-colored with auspicious cloud patterns, and it doesn't feel as good to the touch, at least not as good as the other two.
Overall, they are all good products.
After giving her instructions, Li Chenjiao was already feeling a bit sleepy, so she got up and went to her inner room to rest.
...
In the main courtyard, after listening to Yu Ru finish speaking, the Fujin smiled slightly: "Good manners are good, nothing is better than being well-behaved."
After a while, the princess asked again, "Has the Fourth Prince left the manor?"
Yu Ru nodded: "Fourth Master sent Su Peisheng to say that he went to Fifth Master's place and will have dinner there as well. He won't be back until later."
The princess hummed in agreement and said, "Have someone keep an eye on things at the gatehouse and see where Fourth Master goes today when he returns."
Yu Ru bowed and replied, "This servant understands."
The princess was also a little tired and was just about to go rest when she suddenly remembered something: "Has the physician gone to see Madam Song? How is she?" Madam Song has been looking rather listless these past few days.
Yu Ru paused for a moment: "I've already been there. The physician said... she looks like she's about to have a baby, but he couldn't be sure."
The smile on the princess's lips froze for a moment, and she turned her head sharply: "What did you say?" Her tone was full of disbelief.
"The physician said it's probably pregnancy, but it's still early in the pregnancy, so he doesn't dare to make a definitive conclusion," Yu Ru said carefully, afraid of angering the Fujin (principal wife).
The princess frowned: "Go, invite the imperial physician to examine Song Shi. There's no need to hide it." This meant that everyone should know.
Yu Ru hurriedly agreed and left.
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