Upon hearing the order, Su Peisheng, who was outside, immediately went to do so.
Princess Wu's due date is still five months away, but the wet nurses prepared for her are not in a hurry.
The Fourth Prince sat in the outer room until Madam Yang finished decocting the medicine, and then watched as Madam Wang personally fed the medicine to the eldest princess.
The Fourth Prince sat for a while longer, and only after confirming that the eldest princess had stopped crying and was sleeping peacefully after taking the medicine did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Li Chenjiao was sitting next to Fourth Master and could hear everything clearly.
At this moment, Li Chenjiao suddenly thought that if she were to become pregnant and give birth to a princess, it would be wonderful, even better than giving birth to a prince.
Fourth Master glanced at Li Chenjiao again.
Li Chenjiao quickly understood. She pursed her lips and stood up: "I'll go outside and ask the imperial physician if there's anything urgent."
The Fourth Prince hummed in agreement, his expression still relatively gentle at this moment.
As soon as Li Chenjiao left the inner room, Fourth Master's expression suddenly darkened.
"The Song family—"
As Li Chenjiao stepped out of the room, she heard this thunderous roar.
Li Chenjiao couldn't help but shrug her shoulders; it was the first time she had ever witnessed the Fourth Master's anger.
She stood under the eaves and instructed Xiao Luzi: "Go to the kitchen and heat up the dinner to be simple, and also tell them to make a bowl of chicken noodle soup that Fourth Master likes and send it to Xinlutang."
Xiao Luzi quickly responded and went.
Li Chenjiao stood in the corridor and caught sight of fireflies under the small window. Suddenly, she found it interesting: "When summer comes, have Xiao Lu catch some."
Li Chenjiao was the kind of person who always found things to do. While waiting, she took the fan from Qiu Hu and used it to swat away the mosquitoes and flies that flew up to her.
When Fourth Master came out, Li Chenjiao couldn't help but complain, "Why did it take you so long to come out, Master?"
However, Li Chenjiao complained for a moment and then brought up something else: "This servant asked the kitchen to make chicken noodle soup. Maybe we can have a hot meal when we get back to Xinlutang."
Li Chenjiao looked at the Fourth Master, her eyes shining brighter than the fireflies gathered under the window.
Those eyes conveyed the owner's emotions at that moment.
"Let's go back quickly."
Fourth Master inexplicably understood the emotions in Li Chenjiao's eyes, and the pent-up frustration in his heart suddenly vanished. He reached out to Li Chenjiao again.
Li Chenjiao was stunned.
She knew very well that Fourth Master was not a person who showed his emotions. She had been surprised when he reached out his hand to her in the hall of Xinlutang earlier.
Because there were still servants around, Li Chenjiao quickly let go of Fourth Master as she stood up with his hand on hers and left the hospital.
Now that the Fourth Prince had reached out his hand to her again, Li Chenjiao felt his affection for her clearly for the first time.
Li Chenjiao was stunned for a moment, but still placed her soft, boneless hand in the Fourth Master's palm.
As for the Song family—
Li Chenjiao didn't have time to think about her right now.
The kitchen staff at Xinlutang have already delivered the heated dinner and shredded chicken noodles.
Li Chenjiao didn't like chicken noodle soup, so she only ate the dinner that had been reheated.
As the night deepened and the servants extinguished the candles and withdrew, Li Chenjiao felt the Fourth Prince holding her even tighter in the bedchamber.
Li Chenjiao heard the Fourth Master's voice.
"It's because the master didn't have anyone keep a close eye on the eldest princess."
Li Chenjiao was shocked; she hadn't expected Fourth Master to say such a thing.
Fourth Master only said this one sentence and did not say anything more. He did not seem to want a response from Li Chenjiao.
After a long while, just as Li Chenjiao was about to fall asleep, she suddenly heard the Fourth Master's deep voice.
"It is I who have wronged the eldest princess."
Li Chenjiao was half asleep and half awake. She subconsciously patted Fourth Master's back to comfort him. She patted him for a while and then stopped.
Fourth Master lowered his head; Li Chenjiao was already fast asleep.
——
When Li Chenjiao woke up the next morning, the Fourth Master was nowhere to be seen beside her bed.
Li Chenjiao asked, "Isn't it the Dragon Boat Festival? Shouldn't we be on holiday today?"
Qiu Hu shook her head with a smile: "Princess is still half asleep. Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival. The kitchen sent someone over this morning to ask if Princess wanted any particular flavor of zongzi."
Oh, it's only the fourth day of the fifth lunar month today.
Because her father is Han Chinese, Li Chenjiao is quite particular about the Dragon Boat Festival.
"Have you prepared the mugwort and calamus wine? I didn't get to take a medicinal bath when I visited last year, so I can't miss it this year."
"As for zongzi, I'll just try the jujube paste, pine chestnut, and walnut flavors. I'll also ask the kitchen if they have any chefs who know how to make five-colored zongzi."
Eating five-colored water dumplings is a long-standing tradition during the Dragon Boat Festival.
Five-color rice dumplings are dumplings made from glutinous rice. During the production process, different colors of fruits and vegetables are added to create various flower and animal shapes.
When Xiao Luzi went to order lunch, he mentioned what Li Chenjiao wanted to eat for the Dragon Boat Festival the next day. Coincidentally, there were two chefs in the kitchen who could make five-colored rice dumplings.
Li Chenjiao was quite pleased to hear this.
After lunch, Li Chenjiao was resting in a rocking chair under the eaves when she suddenly heard a message that the Fourth Master had arrived.
When Li Chenjiao stood up, the Fourth Master had already walked up to her. She exclaimed "Ah!" and stood up to greet him.
"Has Your Highness had lunch yet?" Li Chenjiao noticed that the Fourth Master's expression was not quite right.
But he didn't seem unhappy; rather, he seemed somewhat melancholy.
That's quite unusual.
Fourth Master walked into the inner room: "I've already used it, have you?"
Li Chenjiao turned around and gestured for the two maids to serve tea, while replying, "We just used it."
Fourth Master strode over and sat down on the small couch: "I met the Crown Prince at the Imperial Household Department today. The Crown Prince will be coming to the estate for dinner tomorrow."
Li Chenjiao exclaimed "Ah," her mind still a little fuzzy: "Did Master inform Granny Xu? Granny Xu should be making preparations in advance."
The Fourth Prince looked at Li Chenjiao meaningfully: "I prefer that you and Granny Xu arrange tomorrow's dinner together."
Li Chenjiao: I was just sitting at home when trouble came from nowhere?
Li Chenjiao pursed her lips and smiled faintly, feigning ignorance: "How could this servant know these things? I wouldn't want to embarrass Fourth Master. Granny Xu often hosts small banquets in the mansion, so there's no need for a servant like me."
This time, however, Fourth Master did not give Li Chenjiao a chance to refute or refuse: "I have already informed Granny Xu about this matter. Granny Xu will come to seek your opinion later."
Li Chenjiao shook her head helplessly; she really didn't want to get involved.
Judging from the Fourth Master's unyielding attitude, Li Chenjiao could guess that he probably had something in mind, but she really couldn't figure it out at the moment.
Fortunately, it was just a dinner, and Li Chenjiao, who was good at studying food, could be considered somewhat knowledgeable about it.
"Since you've handed the reins over to me, Fourth Master, you should at least tell me some things to avoid, otherwise I'll really embarrass you."
The Fourth Prince then mentioned some taboos about the Crown Prince that everyone in the palace knew, as well as those he himself knew.
Li Chenjiao then understood.
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