Fourth Master hasn't been very busy lately, but he would rather be a little busy himself, otherwise he really doesn't know what to do when he's idle.
Fortunately, the Emperor said at the morning court session that he would be going on a southern tour. The Fourth Prince guessed that he should be among the princes accompanying him. However, with the Fourteenth Prince's wedding taking place, he might be left behind.
The Fourth Prince wasn't sure, but since the Emperor had announced his southern tour, the Ministry of Revenue would at least be busy for a while. Furthermore, with the Emperor's announcement of his southern tour, the various voices that had been clamoring in the court these past few days would finally subside.
The Emperor hadn't shown his face for most of the first month of the lunar calendar, which inevitably made the officials uneasy. They had been submitting memorials urging the Emperor to establish a Crown Prince, but the Emperor had never expressed any opinion, and those memorials ultimately disappeared without a trace.
No one could figure out what the Emperor was thinking, so for a while no one dared to make any rash moves.
After all, there was a precedent of Yinti having his title stripped, but Yinreng had also been deposed as crown prince earlier. Neither of them should laugh at the other now; it's no different from a lose-lose situation.
Aside from a few probing questions about the Crown Prince, no one dared to stir up trouble or expose his shortcomings during the morning court session today.
There wasn't much to do at the Ministry of Revenue after the morning court session, so the Fourth Prince returned home a little earlier than usual.
Wang Jinzhong had been waiting for the Fourth Master at the gatehouse for a long time. The Fourth Master saw him rushing over and did not stop: "Greetings to the Master. The Princess Consort has sent me to invite the Master to speak in the main courtyard."
The Fujin was still worried that the Fourth Prince wouldn't come to her main courtyard today. This wasn't unusual, since last year, whether it was the first or the fifteenth of the month, the Fourth Prince spent most of his time in the front courtyard and didn't come to the Fujin's main courtyard.
However, the Fourth Prince was originally planning to go to the main courtyard today, so he gave a faint "hmm" and said, "I know, tell the Princess Consort to prepare dinner. I will come at dinner time."
There was still some time before dinner, so when the Fourth Prince went to the main courtyard to see his wife, they remained silent. The Fourth Prince didn't want to make himself uncomfortable.
Moreover, there's another principle: if you give someone whatever they want, it will only make them more greedy.
People only stop being arrogant after being taught a lesson.
As expected, Wang Jinzhong showed some disappointment after hearing what the Fourth Master said. He agreed, bowed, and waited until the Fourth Master had walked away before moving, his face full of sorrow.
This was naturally something that couldn't be explained to the Princess Consort.
As the Fourth Prince walked towards the front courtyard, he asked, "Did Physician Xia visit the main courtyard a few days ago?"
Su Peisheng agreed.
Fourth Master understood and asked no further questions.
...
The Fourth Prince said to go at dinner time, and sure enough, he was assigned to the main courtyard at dinner time. His wife waited for a while under the corridor.
The Fujin (principal wife) hadn't looked well these past two days. Knowing that the Fourth Prince would be coming, she had dressed up in advance, and under the cover of night, she didn't look haggard. She waited for the Fourth Prince to approach before giving a slight curtsy, but the Fourth Prince waved his hand and dismissed her curtsy.
The princess consort raised her hand, wanting to help the fourth prince: "It's cold outside at night..."
The Fourth Prince raised his hand to avoid his wife's outstretched hand, and pointed to the old woman beside him, Qian: "Where is Honghui?"
The princess twitched the corners of her mouth, her expression a mixture of embarrassment and bitterness.
As she withdrew her hand, Yu Ru stepped forward to support her; almost no one noticed this small gesture.
Granny Qian quickly replied, "The teacher assigned a lot of homework today, and the Second Prince is still in the study right now."
The Fourth Prince then turned his head and gave his wife a proper look: "Would you like to come with me to see Honghui?"
The princess gave a faint smile and said "okay" in an indeterminate tone.
The two walked towards the Second Prince's study, half a step apart.
They walked in silence until they reached the study door, where they discovered that the Second Prince was already waiting there. As he grew older, the Second Prince had also become more slender. He bowed first and spoke clearly.
"Are Father and Mother coming to see their son together? Father hasn't come to see Mother in a long time."
This wasn't something the Fujin taught her. The Fujin never brought up whether the Fourth Prince was coming or not. She was concerned about her image and naturally didn't want anyone to know that she cared about whether the Fourth Prince was coming or not.
Her reaction to Honghui's words was obvious: "Honghui, who taught you these things? Don't talk nonsense in front of your father." At the same time, her cold gaze fell on the wet nurses behind the Second Prince.
Honghui shook his head. He had a pair of very beautiful eyes, unlike either the Fourth Prince or the Fujin: "Your son misses Father too..."
During the first month of the lunar calendar, the Fourth Prince was ostensibly recuperating in the palace, but in reality, he was detained for most of the month. The remaining half month was mostly spent recuperating from his injuries. The few times he went to the inner palace were because he was thinking of Li Chenjiao.
In February, the Fourth Prince was preoccupied with Li Chenjiao's childbirth and only visited the Second Prince once. However, during the first month of the lunar calendar, when he was recuperating in the front courtyard, he saw the Second Prince almost every day. Of course, he had seen all the other children as well.
However, the Second Prince's expression was so aggrieved that it softened people's hearts no matter what, even the Fourth Prince was no exception.
The Fourth Prince squatted down slightly and placed his hand on the Second Prince's shoulder: "Father will come to see you whenever he has time. If Honghui misses Father, he can also go to the front yard."
The Fujin stood to the side, naturally pleased with the harmonious scene between father and son. Her smile gradually became genuine, and after a long while, she spoke up: "It's windy outside, Honghui, go inside and talk to your father."
The Fourth Prince and Honghui entered the study first, followed by the Fujin (principal wife), who glanced at Yuru.
Yu Ru nodded and remained outside. Her face was cold, somewhat similar to that of the Fujin. She moved her lips and said, "Take her away."
Immediately, a young maidservant swiftly covered the mouths of several wet nurses with a handkerchief and silently led them away.
...
Later, because Honghui said he was hungry, the Fourth Prince and his wife went to have a meal.
Honghui is an extremely sensible child, which can be seen from his behavior during meals. He remains quiet throughout and follows the rules very well.
After dinner, the Fourth Prince went to ask Honghui about his studies. It seemed that since the Fourth Prince himself had been tested by his father since childhood, he was now testing the Second Prince as well.
As a result, the Princess Consort and the Fourth Prince had even less time to talk at night.
As the two were talking, it was almost time for the ceremony to begin. The Fujin had already removed her hairpins and jewelry, and she looked much gentler. She was the one who spoke first: "The Second Prince is getting on in years now. According to the rules set by our ancestors, I think we shouldn't let him stay in the main courtyard forever."
Yes, according to the rules of our ancestors, princes should leave their mothers' side at the age of five at the latest.
The wife did not say anything, but where else could the Second Prince live if he didn't live in the front courtyard?
That's naturally the front yard.
This is something the Fujin (principal wife) came up with these past few days.
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