Li Chenjiao was indeed watching a show, but it wasn't a drama of lovesick men and women; what she was watching was more like—acrobatics?
There's also a performance of Fan Lihua in the acrobatics, how can that not be considered watching a play? Li Chenjiao is watching everything.
It's like a love triangle drama; watching it occasionally is fine, but for Li Chenjiao, it's just watching a show.
Days passed by like this, and Li Chenjiao didn't like to go outside the mansion. However, she could come up with all sorts of creative ideas while inside the mansion.
She would occasionally listen to opera, but when the weather got hot, she lost her interest in fishing. If all else failed, she could watch the maids fly kites in the garden, though she would mostly choose days without sunshine so she could fly her own kite.
Anyway, her life is getting more and more comfortable.
However, compared to Li Chenjiao, Fourth Master was clearly not as happy.
This time, the Emperor brought the Crown Prince along on his southern tour. The two of them really acted like a father and son in the countryside, observing the people's conditions along the way and punishing a group of corrupt officials.
Oh, the matter of punishing corrupt officials ultimately falls to the princes like the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince.
The Fourth Prince probably only had a few days of relaxation in Yangzhou and Suzhou. That was because the Emperor had dealt with a group of corrupt officials in Hexi and Gaoyou, and many officials in Yangzhou and Suzhou had filled in the loopholes.
His Majesty was probably aware of the situation, but he still let it go on the surface.
This is the importance of a ruler's sense of proportion; too much is as bad as too little.
The fact that officials in Suzhou and Yangzhou were let off the hook gave officials in Hangzhou a chance to catch their breath and allowed them to run rampant.
Especially Han Chinese officials.
However, His Majesty would not tolerate such behavior repeatedly. During his stay in Hangzhou, he once again dealt with a group of officials with great decisiveness.
As a result, the Fourth Master became even busier, and his reputation for being cold and unapproachable spread even further.
It wasn't that there weren't any who wanted to bribe the Fourth Master, but no matter how hard they tried, not only did the goods not get into the Fourth Master's mansion, they didn't even get to see the Fourth Master once.
When the Fourth Prince got busy, he returned to his residence less often, spending most of his time in the prison cell at the prefectural governor's mansion.
During this southern tour, the Han Chinese forces in the south were somewhat suppressed, and the forces secretly opposing the Qing and restoring the Ming were completely eliminated. On the surface, the waterways were also repaired, and the father-son relationship between the Emperor and the Crown Prince deepened. For the Emperor, this trip was a complete success.
When the Emperor is happy, everyone must put on a smile, regardless of what they think in their hearts.
At least on the surface, the Emperor's southern tour was a testament to his understanding of the people's sentiments, a popular and well-received event, and a cause for celebration for all.
The return trip was scheduled for August 17th, just after the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Li Chenjiao only received the news on August 12th; a letter was sent by someone from Fourth Master.
Time was running out, so that evening Li Chenjiao watched the maids packing their trunks and luggage. However, she couldn't stay awake any longer; she fell asleep on the carved sandalwood table after the maids had only packed two trunks.
The maids exchanged glances, then tiptoed around before draping a thin blanket over their mistress's knees and quietly went to the outer room to continue tidying up.
Granny Zhong didn't get involved in this matter. After all, she was an outsider and it wasn't appropriate for her to comment. However, she still came to deliver some sweet osmanthus water.
Green Chrysanthemum, being a sweet-talking girl, pulled the old nanny aside and said many nice things. Old nanny Zhong, though cold-faced, was soft-hearted and said many things to reassure the girls.
Basically, it means that Li Chenjiao's pregnancy is going very well, and the return journey should be fine as long as it's not too bumpy. They also prepared two medicinal pillows for Li Chenjiao to use in the carriage, which will be beneficial to her health.
Qiu Hu and the maids quickly thanked them.
Granny Zhong was getting old, and her energy wasn't as good at night. In the end, she didn't stay with the maids to tidy up the trunks and soon went to rest.
These days she has been very respectful to Li Chenjiao and the others. She had met many noble people when she was in the palace, and in her opinion, this concubine looked like someone who would have great fortune in the future. It would be good to cultivate a good relationship with her now.
The next day, when Li Chenjiao woke up, most of the trunks and baskets had already been packed. She had once again become a hands-off manager.
In August, when the sun is at its strongest and the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, Li Chenjiao took the opportunity to try some mooncakes from Suzhou. The traditional Suzhou-style mooncakes had thin crusts and generous fillings, with distinct layers of flaky pastry. Whether it was red bean paste or black sesame, the flavors were excellent.
Of course, I've also tried some mooncakes with a rich and creamy jujube paste filling, and the crust is thicker.
The taste was similar to the mooncakes Li Chenjiao ate in the capital, but the texture was still quite different from the ones from her hometown.
Li Chenjiao ate well and even asked Qiu Hu to have the kitchen prepare a warm box of food on the day of departure, so that when she saw the Fourth Master, although it wouldn't be warm, it would still be edible.
The return journey was also half by water and half by land. The journey to Suzhou was entirely by water. Li Chenjiao only needed to board the boat when the imperial carriage stopped to rest, taking advantage of the darkness of dusk.
This time, Li Chenjiao didn't vomit so badly as soon as she got on the ship.
Before leaving, Granny Zhong knew that Li Chenjiao was prone to motion sickness, so she made some refreshing sachets. After Li Chenjiao boarded the ship, she didn't have time to care about Liu Shi and Bai Jia Shi, let alone pay her respects to the Fourth Master.
Fortunately, the Fourth Prince was not on the ship at the moment, but on the Emperor's ship.
Li Chenjiao went straight to bed after settling in, without even having dinner. However, the only thing she remembered before going to sleep was to ask Qiu Hu to deliver the mooncakes she had prepared that morning to the Fourth Master.
We finally got someone to make it, so we definitely have to let the Fourth Prince see this thoughtful gesture.
Li Chenjiao doesn't easily send things to the Fourth Master, but once she does, she makes sure to deliver them directly to him so that he knows about them.
Although she didn't make it herself, she figured out the Fourth Prince's tastes and thought he would like it, so she put in a lot of effort.
Li Chenjiao opened her mouth, still talking about mooncakes before falling asleep.
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