Longkodo went inside and listened to Li Si'er's words as if he had heard them countless times before. He was not surprised at all, and in the end, he even laughed.
Whether the matter has been successfully completed or not can only be determined after the official has seen and heard it.
Li Si'er lifted the red curtain and came out: "Oh, if the master wants to see and hear, then look now."
She walked out, her figure graceful, her forearm rising gently as she turned beautifully, revealing a section of her fair and delicate arm.
Longkodo did as he was told and looked at it for a while before slowly nodding: "It's acceptable."
Li Si'er chuckled, her eyes alluring. She followed Longkodo's lead and slowly approached, but when she got close to him, she suddenly turned and walked to the other side, picked up the white jade wine cup on the table and poured half a cup.
"Then I'll have to ask you, sir, to explain it clearly. Is there any problem with that?"
Longkodo lifted his robe and quickly sat down.
"I sent you to Fourth Master's residence to inquire, and you offended someone again?"
Li Si'er parted her pearly teeth slightly: "Master, don't talk nonsense. I'm just doing what you tell me. I'll do whatever you want me to do."
As she spoke, she poured wine for Longkodo. With such a beautiful woman by his side, and with such tenderness and affection, even though he had seen her countless times, Longkodo still couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh.
Moreover, Li Si'er's flamboyant behavior outside was indeed tacitly approved or even hinted at by him.
As a close advisor to the emperor, his every word and action was being watched by countless eyes. Li Si'er was not a shield, but Longkodo needed to build a reputation.
After all, no one is perfect, and having a bad reputation isn't necessarily a bad thing.
If it's all just a good reputation, then nobody really knows what's really going on inside.
Furthermore, Li Si'er was shrewish and rarely uttered a kind word, offending most of the female relatives of princes and ministers.
But what Longkodo wanted was to avoid too much involvement with princes and ministers.
Longkodo knew perfectly well that serving a ruler was like serving a tiger.
Longkodo listened to Li Si'er's spoiled voice and just smiled casually: "Today you went to the palace to play chess with His Majesty, and His Majesty rewarded you with some things. Tomorrow you can take your maid to the storeroom and pick some out."
Li Si'er's smile widened, and she didn't stand up: "I've already accepted the money, how could I accept gifts from you, sir? But I'm going to pay a visit to Grand Secretary Ma Qi's residence tomorrow, so I'll go to the storeroom the day after tomorrow when I have some free time. I'm tired of wearing all the jewelry I have here."
In Li Si'er's mind, silver comes first, jewelry second.
She never pretended or hid anything in front of Longkodo. It was a lie to say that she wasn't greedy. She just liked worldly things, and she especially liked the way the ladies looked at her with gritted teeth but helpless expressions.
As Li Si'er spoke, she laughed, and the next second she pretended to accidentally knock over a white jade wine cup, instantly filling the room with fragrance and creating an enchanting atmosphere.
While Longkodo was enjoying the warmth and fragrance of the women in his mansion, the Fourth Prince, upon returning home and before even entering the backyard, heard Fulu's report and his face darkened.
"What did you say?"
In the darkness, Su Peisheng, standing to the side, noticed that Fourth Master's face was so dark it could practically drip ink.
Only Fulu, that daring fellow, dared to say: "Reporting to Your Majesty, this morning someone came to Lord Longkodo's house and stayed in the main courtyard until nearly noon. Later, the Princess Consort said she was unwell, so—"
As the conversation progressed, even Fulu, who was slower to react, quickly sensed something was wrong, and his voice weakened.
"Then, Master Li stayed in the main courtyard to talk with that person, and Master Li did not leave the main courtyard until noon."
Fourth Master was clearly unhappy. He looked like he was about to get angry, but he managed to restrain himself and only managed to utter the curse, "You bastard."
I don't know if they're cursing Fulu or Li Si'er.
Su Peisheng quickly waved for Fulu to step back behind him: "Master, shall we go back to the front yard now or..."
Fourth Master said coldly, "Go to the East Courtyard."
Su Peisheng had anticipated this, and hurriedly agreed. He then gestured to the servant carrying the palace lantern to turn towards the east courtyard.
The Fourth Master took a few steps, then suddenly gave an order, seemingly remembering something.
“During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Your Majesty remembers that Father Emperor bestowed upon you a set of ebony and osmanthus makeup boxes. Later, you will personally lead people to the storeroom to find them and deliver them to the East Courtyard.”
Oh, Su Peisheng has a very deep impression of that set of cases.
That was no ordinary box. Even though Su Peisheng had served the Fourth Master for so many years, he had never seen such an exquisite and ingenious box before.
She originally thought that the box would either end up gathering dust in the storeroom or eventually fall into the hands of the main wife.
After all, that thing was really rare. It was said that it took hundreds of skilled craftsmen from the previous dynasty many years to make it.
It was only because of the Fourth Master's noble status and meticulous handling that he was able to obtain it. Others, unlike the Third Master, had been envious of it several times before.
It was said that the Third Prince was greedy, but in reality, it was the Third Prince's wife who was envious. Because of this, on the day of the First Prince's first birthday on the Double Ninth Festival, the Third Prince's wife, Lady Dong'e, still remembered this and made jealous of the First Prince's wife several times.
It was clear that they believed the makeup box would end up with the Fujin (princess).
Even the Fujin herself thought so; ever since she gave birth to the Second Prince, she had been secretly looking forward to it.
The items were equally valuable, but the Fourth Master's emphasis and regard for them were equally profound.
I never expected that it would end up with Master Li of the East Courtyard.
However, Su Peisheng then thought about the recent favor shown to Master Li, and suddenly he didn't find it strange at all.
Besides, how many things has the master been sending to the East Courtyard lately? The endless stream of jewelry and gifts has left Su Peisheng speechless.
It just so happens that I gave away a lot of jewelry, so now it's a good place for it to go, which is quite fitting.
And sure enough, Su Peisheng's thinking was spot on; that's exactly what the Fourth Master was thinking.
However, while Su Peisheng was distracted, Fourth Master had already walked far away.
Su Peisheng slapped his forehead and quickly followed.
Fourth Master has never liked unruly women, and Master Li is an exception. However, Su Peisheng has never seen Master Li behave improperly.
However, Su Peisheng didn't need to think twice before deciding that someone as famous as Li Si'er would be disliked by the Fourth Master.
The Fourth Prince did not like Li Si'er. He knew that Longkodo was smart and never made mistakes in his work. He was always a reliable person in front of the Emperor. However, Longkodo was indeed muddle-headed when it came to matters in the inner court.
How did Li Si'er end up in Longkodo's backyard? It caused quite a stir in the capital back then, and even now it's still a topic of conversation.
Compared to Li Si'er, Li Shi in their own backyard was far more sensible.
However, given Li Si'er's status, even the thought of Longkodo sending Li Si'er to pay a visit disgusted the Fourth Master.
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