Li Chenjiao looked at Wang Shi and asked, "Has the eldest princess learned to walk yet? Is it hindering her?"
Lady Wang replied as instructed: "Replying to Consort, the eldest princess has been learning to walk for a while now. This servant can lead her, but I'm afraid she might catch a cold during the New Year holidays, which would be a hassle for the imperial physicians."
Li Chenjiao then personally lifted the curtain and calmly looked at Xiao Luzi outside, saying, "Go to the Fujin again and just say that I don't want to ride in the same carriage as the eldest princess. Then you can bring up what the fourth prince said."
Li Chenjiao clearly knew how to read and understand the Fujin's thoughts.
The carriage stopped for a while. Li Chenjiao closed the curtain. When Xiao Luzi returned, Li Chenjiao lifted the curtain and saw the smile on Xiao Luzi's face, so she guessed what was going on.
"Master, the Fujin has sent the eldest princess back, and—" Xiao Luzi started to say but then glanced into the carriage again, clearly concerned about the eldest princess and Wang Shi inside.
Li Chenjiao glanced at him lightly, and Xiao Luzi nodded slightly: "You also said that Song Gege really doesn't know the rules."
Li Chenjiao knew that Xiao Luzi had something else to say, so she lowered the curtain and turned to look at Wang Shi: "Wrap the cloak up tightly and send the eldest princess back. If you are afraid that your princesses will scold you, then take the eldest princess to the front yard first."
Wang Shi did not expect that things would take a turn for the better. Naturally, she did not want the eldest princess to suffer such a setback. At this moment, she could be said to be extremely grateful as she helped the eldest princess down from the carriage.
The eldest princess, being inexperienced in matters of the heart, was probably captivated by the warmth of the carriage. As Wang Shi helped her down from the carriage, she suddenly turned her head.
The little girl's smile was incredibly endearing.
Li Chenjiao couldn't help but smile.
The Princess Consort was probably delayed by something, because even after Wang and Yang carried the eldest princess away towards the mansion, the carriage did not start its journey.
Li Chenjiao lifted the curtain again and sighed: "What else did the Princess Consort say in front?"
Because the eldest princess and Madam Wang were present, Xiao Luzi was clearly hiding something.
Xiao Luzi then said what he hadn't said earlier: "When I arrived, I heard the head of the kitchen was also there, seemingly reporting something to the Princess Consort. A little while later, the Princess Consort suddenly became angry in the carriage. After the kitchen staff finished reporting and I relayed the master's message, the Princess Consort then cursed the eldest princess for being sickly and unlucky, and then also cursed the master a few times—"
Li Chenjiao doesn't really sympathize with the Fujin's difficult pregnancy right now.
Knowing that she was about to have a happy event, she still didn't let go of the power in her hands and wanted to hold onto everything. In the end, she didn't recover her health, but she still continued to manage the household affairs as usual.
What's the point?
The Fujin is currently berating the sickly eldest princess, but who knows—
Li Chenjiao didn't think about it further. Everyone has their own needs, and there's nothing to comment on.
Since she was only going to the palace to sit in Consort De's palace for half a day and then give her a smile, Li Chenjiao wore her usual shoes today.
After Li Chenjiao got off the carriage and followed the Fujin to Yonghe Palace, the residence of Consort De in the Forbidden City, she still did not see the Fourth Prince.
The Fujin's expression wasn't very good. She saw that Li Chenjiao seemed to have something to say, but she covered her mouth as if she wanted to vomit, and in the end, she didn't say anything to cause trouble for Li Chenjiao.
Li Chenjiao was happy to have some free time, so she lowered her eyes and followed behind the Fujin.
Upon arriving at Yonghe Palace, Consort Cheng, whom Li Chenjiao had met last time, was also present, as was the Seventh Prince's Consort, Lady Nara.
Nara looked much better than last time, and she had regained her bright and dignified appearance. She even smiled at Li Chenjiao when she saw her.
After exchanging greetings, Li Chenjiao took her seat at the lowest position.
After taking her seat, Li Chenjiao listened quietly for a while and soon noticed that Consort De and Consort Cheng were not in high spirits today. She wondered if something had happened in the palace or what.
Li Chenjiao's status in the palace was really insignificant. Above her were the Fujin and the Seventh Fujin, and above them were the concubines who wanted to curry favor with Consort De. Consort Cheng was also talking to Consort De.
Li Chenjiao simply didn't interrupt, just kept smiling, and occasionally took a sip of hot milk tea to soothe her throat.
As expected of the imperial kitchen, the milk tea didn't have the fishy smell that other places have, but it wasn't overly sweet either.
After listening to the ladies talking for a while, it was soon time for lunch. However, the fact that the Fujin was forcing herself to eat with the Consort De while also feeling nauseous made everyone lose their appetite.
Dining in the palace is naturally different from dining at home. Even for lunch, Li Chenjiao had to use her peripheral vision to observe people's expressions.
Seeing that the Consort De at the head of the table had stopped eating, she swallowed the food in her mouth and also stopped eating.
The thought of spending the next few days like this almost made Li Chenjiao lose her smile after lunch.
After lunch, Consort De said she wanted to take a short rest and asked the Fujin and Li Chenjiao to return to the mansion. They sat at the head of the table and slowly drank a cup of tea.
"Things have been rather unsettled in the palace lately, so the fourth prince's family doesn't need to come to the palace these next few days. They can come after the New Year."
The Fujin naturally stood up and said some words of refusal. After the Fujin stood up, Li Chenjiao naturally had to stand up as well.
Both of them were pregnant. In particular, when the Fujin stood up, she almost lost her balance, which startled Consort De.
She gave Zhao Mama a wink, and Zhao Mama quickly stepped forward to help the Fujin up.
Consort De glanced at the Fujin and then at Li Shi, who stood to the side with her eyes lowered and remained inconspicuous, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"You are still young, nothing is more important than taking good care of your health." Consort De said this with great earnestness.
She had been pregnant with her fourth, sixth, and fourteenth sons, as well as the unmarried Wen Xian, throughout her life. Naturally, she had witnessed the hardships of childbirth and understood the importance of having a healthy body.
Seeing the current state of the Fujin (the wife of the deceased), Consort De was truly worried.
Consort De dismissed Fujin and Li Chenjiao from their posts. She did indeed consider the possibility of the two women being pregnant, but it was true that the palace was not peaceful.
His Majesty is ill, and the princes are currently staying at the Qianqing Palace to attend to him.
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