What could Li Chenjiao say? She herself was completely bewildered after listening to Qiu Hu's explanation.
She didn't quite believe that Niohuru was here to kick someone when they were down. Being robbed was indeed a shameful thing, but for Li Chenjiao, who was still favored, it didn't seem to be shameful at all.
Besides, Li Chenjiao wasn't someone who cared about these things.
However, Li Chenjiao was indeed a little thirsty when it came to drinking. She asked Qiu Hu to bring the plum wine to her. She opened it and smelled it. The smell of wine was not too strong, but a plum fragrance wafted out. She smiled unconsciously.
"It smells even better than what Pingniang and the others brew in the small kitchen, but I don't know if it's intoxicating."
Qiu Hu was unsure of her master's meaning: "Then shall I take it to the small kitchen and heat it up?"
Seeing her mistress nod, Qiu Hu prepared to take the small jar of plum wine and retreat, but she suddenly stopped halfway: "What about Princess Niohuru..."
Li Chenjiao waved her hand at her: "It's still cold outside. Has it snowed outside? Why make someone come all this way just for the occasion? It's most comfortable and peaceful to stay in our own courtyard in this weather. Tell Xiao Luzi to thank them and say that we'll have a drink together when the weather warms up in spring."
Li Chenjiao and Niohuru were indeed remarkably compatible when it came to food, as they had remarkably similar appetites.
They do seem to share a certain kind of peculiar taste.
After receiving confirmation, Qiu Hu withdrew, and Xiao Lu Zi, having received the message, also hurried off.
In the study, Li Chenjiao watched Qiu Hu's departing figure, smacked her lips, and seemed to still smell the scent of green plums. Since Fourth Master wasn't here today, she might as well have a small drink.
Drinking hot wine on a cold day certainly has a unique flavor.
Li Chenjiao waited for a while, then became a little sleepy. Her slippers hung in mid-air, slightly hooked by her toes and insteps. She lifted the book to cover her face, and one of her legs flew onto the arm of the armchair without any manners. As a result, the blanket draped over her knees slid down, and the embroidered Buddha's Hand flowers on the side almost touched the ground.
"Hiss." Li Chenjiao picked up the blanket, and her knees seemed a little cold after being removed from the blanket.
...
"Ouch." Song was in pain right now.
It really wasn't Song's intention today. After the eldest princess returned, she heard from her that the second princess had left early in the morning. Later, she specifically asked Liu Xu to inquire about it, and it turned out that it was Li's family from the East Courtyard who had arrived.
Song felt a pang of envy, and inevitably, a longing for home arose within her. Later that evening, after dinner, she went to see the eldest princess, but she wasn't outside. She had slipped and fallen badly on her way out, injuring her bones and needing careful recuperation.
After the physician examined her, Madam Song sent someone to invite the Fourth Master. However, being a person who cared about her reputation, she naturally refused to say that it was because she had something on her mind, so she came up with a more palatable excuse.
The Fourth Prince was watching as Song's maid applied medicinal wine to her. Song was very fair-skinned; while not exactly fair-skinned, she was still beautiful under the soft candlelight. However, the Fourth Prince remained unmoved as he sat beside her.
After Song applied the medicinal wine, the Fourth Prince got up and went to the outer room to check on the eldest princess. The eldest princess was probably frightened, and even after Wang coaxed her for a long time, she still kept her big eyes open.
Upon seeing the Fourth Master, the little girl's eyes widened even more. The Fourth Master didn't say anything sweet. Seeing this, he only gave Wang a few instructions before leaving.
Su Peisheng was waiting outside. When he saw Fourth Master come out, he quickly stepped forward and said, "The side room has been prepared, and the hot water in the washroom has been ready..."
Fourth Master didn't say anything, just stood there in the cold wind.
Su Peisheng gradually quieted down. After about fifteen minutes, he couldn't help but shiver: "It's windy at night, sir, be careful not to catch a cold..."
Fourth Master suddenly turned around.
...
Niohuru was still a little uneasy after hearing Xiao Luzi's message. She put on her cloak and stood at the courtyard gate for a while, with Huiyun holding an umbrella beside her.
"The candles in the concubine's courtyard are still lit..." Huiyun muttered.
"She must be drinking plum wine... It's cold, so she'll drink some plum wine to warm herself up." Niohuru tossed the hand warmer from her bosom to Huiyun.
Huiyun happily accepted it, but still had some doubts: "That's true... but didn't Gege say that she would send that jar of plum wine to the concubine on the occasion of the Fourth Prince's birthday in February?"
Niohuru replied casually, "It will be delivered to the concubine sooner or later. Has that jar of snow water been properly stored?"
Huiyun nodded like a chick pecking at rice: "The snow water from last year's market was collected together with the snow water from Gege's market. There's less snow this year, less than last year."
Starting from the Lunar New Year, my daughter would go to the garden before dawn to pick the tenderest plum blossoms, and collect them while the snow had just fallen on the plum blossoms. It would be good if she could fill a small jar a year.
Niohuru muttered, "That's good, that's good. Tea brewed with snow water tastes good... I've heard that tea brewed with spring water flowing down from the mountains outside Beijing is sweet..."
Huiyun paused, thought about the taste, and said, "Isn't it similar to the honey water of the Gege School..."
Niohuru didn't speak; she seemed lost in thought. Suddenly, her toes, which had been slightly raised, touched the ground.
"A small error can lead to a huge difference..." she murmured.
The wind was quite strong, and Huiyun struggled to keep the umbrella from flying away; the wind was so strong that she could barely open her eyes.
She blinked and recovered, then stared blankly ahead, her mouth slightly agape.
"Master,... Master, why are you back again?"
Niohuru had already reached the wall and, along the way, dragged the simple-minded Huiyun over.
Niohuru's figure was hidden behind the wall, her small face shrouded in darkness, only her beautiful eyes glistening with tears. After a long while, she finally exhaled: "The wind is strong, it hurts my eyes, let's go back."
Huiyun exclaimed "Ah," not understanding why her princess had been standing outside for so long just to get some fresh air.
Niohuru raised her hand and wiped her eyes, but her eyes became increasingly red.
"Bring the plum wine..."
Since Niohuru's family didn't have a small kitchen, and it was already late at night, she naturally wanted to drink cold wine.
Huiyun exclaimed "Ah!" again, racking her brains, and said, "There are still some peanuts left today, Princess, would you like to have them with your drinks?"
Niohuru pulled her cloak tighter; the wind tonight was indeed chilling.
"Eat!" Niohuru said.
...
When Fourth Master arrived at the gate of the East Courtyard, he could vaguely see figures moving around in front of the gate.
Fourth Master remembered that it was Niohuru's courtyard. He frowned, said nothing, and quickly looked away before entering the east courtyard.
No one in the East Courtyard expected the Fourth Prince to return, so neither Xiao Luzi, who was guarding the corridor, nor Dongsheng, who was coming out of the Fourth Prince's room after changing the charcoal, made a sound.
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