Li Chenjiao only asked a couple of questions, which made it impossible for the Fourth Master to be sure whether she knew that he had been outside the whole time.
Fourth Master didn't speak for a moment. Li Chenjiao looked down and the first thing she saw was the little trinket in Fourth Master's hand, which looked like a small horse. She thought about it carefully and realized that Fourth Master was... taking something while eating it.
Well, as long as Fourth Master likes it, that's fine.
Li Chenjiao still touched her stomach: "Master, I'm hungry."
Fourth Master placed the little cloth horse beside the bed and asked, "What would you like to eat?"
Li Chenjiao thought for a moment and said, "I want to eat shrimp wontons, fried crispy pork, and it would be even better if there were shredded radish cakes. I also want to drink spicy soup."
She initially ordered milder flavors, but the more she ordered, the spicier they became. Fourth Master wanted to say something, but in the end he just grunted "Mmm," said "Wait," and got up to go to the outer room.
Li Chenjiao obediently lay down on her side and waited.
About fifteen minutes later, Fourth Master returned, carrying something in his hands.
Fourth Master first placed the food he was carrying on a small table in the outer room, then lit the candles in the outer room, and then asked the inner room, "Shall we eat in the outer room or on the bed?"
Li Chenjiao didn't hear clearly, and before she could answer Fourth Master, he had already made the decision for her: "You just stay there and don't move..."
Fourth Master simply picked up the small square table from the soft couch and walked into the inner room. The radish cakes on the table were perfectly still, without wobbling at all.
Li Chenjiao, like a chick eagerly awaiting its mother's arrival, had her eyes light up as soon as she smelled the aroma of shredded radish cakes from afar.
She moved a little further in, and the Fourth Master placed the small table sideways on the bed, checking again to make sure it wouldn't wobble.
"The wontons have just been cooked, and the other two dishes will take a while to prepare. Let's eat this to tide us over."
The small kitchen thoughtfully provided two pairs of chopsticks.
Li Chenjiao immediately told Fourth Master to sit down and eat.
Since it was Fourth Master who personally gave the order, the kitchen staff acted very quickly. Moreover, they could tell from the order that it was the master who wanted to eat, so the kitchen staff dared not delay. Green Bamboo and Winter Life were both helping out in the kitchen at the moment.
Li Chenjiao laughed as she ate, "If this continues, I'll have to raise their monthly allowance."
Fourth Master also ate a radish pancake. Li Chenjiao fed it to him, and he couldn't "refuse" it, so he ate one too.
The kitchen staff's cooking skills were not bad, but that was all. Fourth Master found it a bit too rich to eat at night, but seeing Li Chenjiao eating so deliciously, he felt that it wasn't so bad after all.
It's a good thing that Li Chenjiao can eat.
When Green Bamboo brought in the shrimp wontons, it was just in time to cut through the greasiness. Paired with crispy fried pork, Li Chenjiao rolled the crispy fried pork directly into the shrimp wonton soup. Surprisingly, it tasted pretty good. Finally, she drank a bowl of spicy soup, and her stomach felt completely comfortable.
Fourth Master only touched his chopsticks at first, and then just watched Li Chenjiao eat for the rest of the time.
Why did he feel that Li Chenjiao's appetite was better at night than during the day?
However, because of this incident, Fourth Master forgot to think about whether Li Chenjiao knew about his getting up in the middle of the night. Look, Li Chenjiao wasn't asleep either.
One woke up because of hunger, while the other was simply too excited to sleep.
After this, Li Chenjiao wiped her sweat with a handkerchief, while Fourth Master dutifully moved the small table out again.
After all that fuss, the two exchanged a smile and then went to sleep.
...
Li Chenjiao's pregnancy was so tumultuous that by the time she was due to give birth on the seventh day of the lunar new year, she couldn't even eat longevity noodles. Her appetite was poor for quite some time. Although she would eat something when she was hungry at night, she ate very little during the day. After half a month, Li Chenjiao looked even thinner.
Not only did Li Chenjiao lose weight, but the Fourth Prince was also so busy after returning to the capital that he didn't have time to eat, and naturally he also lost weight.
One night, when the Fourth Prince returned to the East Courtyard late at night, he happened to find Li Chenjiao hungry and eating a midnight snack. The two looked at each other in the outer room and blurted out, "Why have you lost weight? / Why have you lost so much weight, Master?"
Li Chenjiao's appetite only gradually improved after she had been in the main courtyard for three months in August, but it was only slightly better. She still looked thinner. When she came out of the main courtyard after paying her respects on the first day of the lunar new year, Bai Jiashi couldn't help but ask, "It's been so hot and humid lately. Has the concubine's appetite not been very good?"
Niohuru followed behind without saying a word, but after Baijia asked, she still cast a concerned glance at her.
After asking, Bai Jia couldn't help but mutter to herself, "However, even though it's the same hot summer, the Fujin's complexion looks as good as ever. I heard that it's because the imperial physician has been taking care of the Fujin's health lately, and it seems to be very effective. But I think the concubine should take better care of herself now."
Li Chenjiao touched her face and only said that her appetite hadn't been very good lately, without saying anything else.
It was hot in August, and Li Chenjiao really wished she could hold an ice basin on her body right now.
Seeing this, Bai Jia didn't press the matter further. Instead, she went back and began to think about what appetizing things to offer.
She had heard that Lady Niohuru often sent food to Consort Li, so she couldn't slack off.
Li Chenjiao was already unbearably hot inside the mansion, let alone the Fourth Master outside.
In July, the Fourth Prince finished the matter of recruiting A Bao to the government and also became familiar with the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice. Then he was busy with the tasks that had been left unfinished at the Ministry of Revenue. Oh, and he also took the opportunity to get revenge on his elder brother, Prince Zhi.
Specifically, he first treated his elder brother, Prince Zhi, to a feast of snake soup and meat, and then went shopping with Prince Zhi in Liulichang. Unfortunately, he accidentally discovered Prince Zhi's private property and private army in Liulichang.
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