Another winter has arrived, and by the end of the month, the weather has become unbearably cold.
The children's schooling was also suspended after the twelfth lunar month.
Li Chenjiao was worried about her father and mother, wondering if they would catch a cold on their journey from Jiaozhou, and also about her brother who had come back from the south...
The second princess was overjoyed for several days when she learned that her maternal grandparents were coming to the capital, but she was also depressed for several days when she learned that she might not be able to see them.
The Fourth Prince didn't understand yet. Seeing that his sister was unhappy, he would tease her all day long, reciting nonsensical poems in front of the Second Princess. The Second Princess would look at the Fourth Prince with a look of disbelief, and naturally she had to suppress her sullenness and correct her brother's mistakes.
Privately, the second princess quietly pulled Li Chenjiao aside and asked hesitantly, "Mother, isn't fourth brother's head a little small... but he's still young..."
As the little girl spoke, she turned to comfort her mother, Li Chenjiao.
However, there was still a hint of regret on his face.
So throughout the entire twelfth lunar month, the Second Princess was teaching the Fourth Prince to read and understand principles in the East Courtyard.
The Second Princess is very clever and has an exceptionally good memory. However, although she is diligent in her studies, she doesn't like to touch books much after returning to the East Courtyard. But after the Fourth Prince's commotion, the Second Princess has become much more fond of reading than before.
At this moment, Li Chenjiao realized that the Fourth Prince was a precocious child, full of ideas at such a young age.
The twelfth lunar month passed by busily, just like in previous years. However, this year, as the year drew to a close, Li Chenjiao looked forward to her father and mother coming to the capital more and more. Every day was filled with anticipation, and before she knew it, the twelfth lunar month had passed. She didn't seem to feel particularly tired.
Ever since the Crown Prince was deposed, there has been an undercurrent of unrest in the palace, the capital, and even in other places. Even Li Chenjiao has received a lot of tributes from her subordinates.
All of this was naturally because of Fourth Master's influence.
Although there were such items in previous years, they were all small trinkets, but this year's were obviously much more valuable. After Li Chenjiao accepted them, she asked Xiao Luzi to ask the Fourth Master what he thought.
That evening, Fourth Master came to the East Courtyard and asked, "Is that enough?"
This question left Li Chenjiao completely bewildered.
Well, it seems Fourth Master doesn't take those things seriously.
These gifts weren't just for Li Chenjiao; all the women in the household would receive them. If they didn't accept them, the servants would probably be anxiously speculating whether the Fourth Master was unhappy or dissatisfied with them...
The knowledge required to be an official is comparable to the survival skills of a woman in the inner palace.
On the 30th, Li Chenjiao personally dressed up the two children. The Fourth Prince had already started growing a braid. Li Chenjiao touched the brown hat on the Fourth Prince's head. It was made by Lü Mei. The hat was embroidered with auspicious clouds with good fortune. The hat could cover Wanwan's forehead completely. He was also dressed in bright colors, but with some royal blue accents. He looked like a lucky doll from all sides.
The Second Princess is now more than half a head taller than the Fourth Prince. Today, she is dressed in bright colors, with various small rice beads adorning her bright orange jacket. The candle wick in her hair was personally chosen by Li Chenjiao, and her hair was styled by Madam Chen, but in the style chosen by Li Chenjiao. The little girl is also holding a small hand warmer with a light apricot-colored cover, and she is wearing a gold necklace around her neck, which was given to her by the Empress a few days ago.
However, it was still a bit heavy for the second princess. Once she got into the carriage, the little girl looked at her mother with longing.
The Fourth Prince didn't care about anything else. He glanced at his mother and then took off his sister's necklace.
This necklace originally came in a pair, one for the eldest princess and one for the second princess. After the Empress bestowed it upon her a few days ago, the eldest princess put it on yesterday. Only then did Li Chenjiao ask Qiu Hu to take out the necklace.
The little girl was dressed warmly, but once she got into the carriage, she started complaining about the heat. She rolled up her sleeves, revealing a section of her arm that was as white and tender as a lotus root. However, her arms looked even more like lotus roots when she was little; now she had grown a bit taller.
The fourth prince, being the younger brother, casually and skillfully adjusted his sister's cloak and handed her the hand warmer he was carrying.
Li Chenjiao smiled as she watched, then reached out and pinched the Fourth Prince's cheek, which was tender and soft: "Our Wanwan... now knows how to care for his older sister."
Indeed, looking at it this way, Wanwan seems more like the older brother, while Aman seems more like the younger sister.
The second princess was holding two hand warmers in her arms. She smiled and then, as if to offer a gift, handed the hand warmers to her mother.
Li Chenjiao then raised her hand and pulled Aman into her arms, while her other hand embraced the smaller Fourth Prince. She leaned back contentedly, and the two children followed suit.
The second princess wasn't afraid at all and laughed.
The Fourth Prince remained silent, pursing his lips, and quietly grasped his mother's sleeve with his lowered hand.
Xiao Luzi, who was sitting with the coachman outside, heard the young master's laughter inside, rubbed his hands together, and breathed out a warm breath.
A timely snowfall promises a bumper harvest; may each year be better than the last.
On New Year's Eve, His Majesty was in a good mood and also bestowed the title of Prince of the Second Rank, Prince Dorokun.
Now, the princes who have already married are all on the same starting line, all princes, none of them much more noble than the others.
Oh, and Ninth Prince is still just a prince.
However, Ninth Master himself didn't seem to care about this at all; instead, he happily put his arm around Eighth Master's shoulder.
After several rounds of drinks, His Majesty, in high spirits, tested the knowledge of his grandsons once more.
This time, however, all the children from each family went up together. After all, the New Year was approaching, and the children gathered in a circle around the Emperor. Each child was dressed up like a lucky doll, and even the older ones, like Hongxi, looked particularly energetic.
The children all called him "Grandpa Emperor," and naturally, they were happy to see him at his age.
His Majesty still remembered the Fourth Prince from the Fourth Prince's residence. A group of children crowded around him, but Hongli seemed to be quieter, standing only next to a prince who looked even smaller...
Your Majesty remembers that he was the eldest son of the fourth prince, born to the fourth prince's wife, Ulanara, named Honghui.
Hongli's child was born to a concubine.
His Majesty glanced at it a few more times, perhaps thinking of something.
Looking back at the children before him, the Emperor glanced at Hongxi once more, then, as if remembering something, suddenly turned and asked, "Where is Hongyu?"
This August, Prince Hongyu will turn two years old.
Prince Zhi rose and replied, "Father, Hongyu is in poor health, so I did not bring him into the palace."
His Majesty was probably aware of the reason, and he gestured for Prince Zhi to sit down.
“The eldest son is not young anymore, and his offspring are few… You did a good job with the disaster relief, but you can’t neglect your family affairs. You’ve been receiving the salary of a prince for many years… It’s time to move up a rank.”
His Majesty's words... first he was talking about the offspring of Prince Zhi, and then suddenly the second half of his sentence brought up the topic of titles.
This left everyone completely confused.
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