Li Chenjiao, wearing a cloak, noticed that the snow on the road had stopped and the snow on the ground in the garden had been swept clean. Except for the branches and eaves, there was not a trace of snow left.
Just like the Fujin, who did evil deeds and thought that she could cover up the traces so that no one would know, but in fact, everyone already knew about them.
Li Chenjiao looked at the snow on the eaves and smiled for no reason.
It snows in Beijing every year. The traces of snowfall are always there in winter, even if they are absent in spring, summer and autumn. They can never be erased.
As Li Chenjiao walked, lost in thought, she bumped into Wang An, the head eunuch of the main courtyard, and cautiously watched what was behind her.
When Wang An saw Li Chenjiao, he no longer showed his usual disdain and bowed with a smile, saying, "Greetings, Princess Li. I hope you are well."
Li Chenjiao twitched the corners of her lips but didn't say anything.
Fu Lu, who was standing nearby, quickly chimed in, "Where are you from? Where are you going?"
Wang An bowed and replied, "As per Fourth Master's instructions, as soon as the snow stops, I will have someone escort the eldest princess back to the front courtyard."
Li Chenjiao's expression shifted slightly as she glanced behind Wang An. There were three or four old women and servants, two of whom were standing close together. One was holding an umbrella, and the other seemed to be carrying the eldest princess.
Fu Lu's expression turned serious. He stepped forward to take a look, then turned to Li Chenjiao and asked, "What does Your Highness mean?"
Li Chenjiao pulled her cloak tighter, her face tense: "The eldest princess is weak and can't stand the cold. Quickly tell them to go to the front yard."
Fu Lu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, quickly agreed, and waved for Wang An to leave.
Wang An dared not be arrogant now. The main courtyard was not what it used to be, so where would he get the arrogance? He had long since kept a low profile.
Li Chenjiao glanced at her twice, but ultimately didn't go up to see the eldest princess. Being so close, she could barely hear the eldest princess's voice, which made her heart feel heavy.
Li Chenjiao didn't go to the front yard often, and by the time she arrived, it was already fifteen minutes later.
Once inside, the room was warm and cozy with a charcoal fire burning.
Li Chenjiao took off her cloak and glanced around. She didn't see anyone and guessed they were in the inner room.
Taking off her cloak, Li Chenjiao tiptoed inside. The room was eerily quiet, without a single sound.
Inside, the Fourth Master lay on the couch, his clothes still on, fully clothed, his eyes closed, a hint of coldness in his expression.
Seemingly hearing the noise, Fourth Master opened his eyes, his voice hoarse: "You've arrived?"
Li Chenjiao couldn't bring herself to say the words of comfort she had been about to say. After a moment of silence, she said, "Yes, this servant was going to come too."
Whether the Fourth Master heard it or not, he suddenly closed his eyes again and didn't say anything.
"Come here." It was quite a while before Fourth Master finally spoke.
Li Chenjiao obediently took off her shoes and socks, climbed up, lay down on one side, and wrapped herself in a blanket.
Fourth Master fell silent again, leaving only the sound of his soft breathing. Li Chenjiao dared not move, afraid of making a noise that might disturb him.
Fourth Master remained silent... but this silence was terrifying; his usual silence wouldn't have given him such a murderous expression.
"Did I do something wrong, Master?" While Li Chenjiao was lost in thought, Fourth Master suddenly spoke again, his voice terribly hoarse.
Li Chenjiao didn't quite understand what Fourth Master meant by "wrongdoing." After pondering for a moment, she pursed her lips slightly and said, "There is no absolute right or wrong. Some things are self-inflicted, and you can't blame others."
Fourth Master fell silent again.
"But some people are so innocent..." Fourth Master's voice trembled.
Li Chenjiao lowered her eyebrows and pulled the blanket tighter: "Master is confused. There are never any innocent people. The weak can only be eliminated, and only the strong can survive and protect those they want to protect."
Fourth Master immediately opened his eyes and looked at Li Chenjiao: "You really think so?"
Actually, Li Chenjiao's words were not very good. If it were someone with a narrow mind, they would probably think that Li Chenjiao was implying that they were weak.
But the Fourth Prince doesn't seem to think so.
Li Chenjiao nodded emphatically: "Fourth Master has already done very well. At least Fourth Master has acted in accordance with the rules. As for those underhanded dealings behind the scenes, this servant thinks that they will not happen again in the future."
Fourth Master is not a confused person; it's just that "those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly." Now that Li Chenjiao has explained it so gently, he will naturally understand.
The Fourth Prince was young and promising, but he was too upright. Even if he heard about the shady dealings in the inner quarters, he could not necessarily avoid them all. Moreover, since Madam Song was giving birth while the Fourth Prince was away, it was naturally easier for his wife to cause trouble.
As for Li Chenjiao's mention of the strong and the weak, she was referring more to the Fujin and Song Shi, but the Fourth Prince thought of something deeper, such as the imperial court.
The Prince of Zhi is powerful and uses all sorts of underhanded methods, while the Crown Prince is upright and honest, a man of integrity and purity. The difference between the two is not a matter of strength or weakness, but of their hearts!
When it comes to governing a country or discussing military strategy, the Crown Prince is no less capable than Prince Zhi, but Prince Zhi is not a gentleman...
Just like the Fujin and Lady Song, although Lady Song wasn't a good person either.
However, being caught in the middle, the Fourth Prince naturally leans more towards the Crown Prince. But the Fourth Prince also needs to protect himself.
No matter how good the Crown Prince is, he may not be able to protect him; no matter how clever Madam Song is, she may not be able to guard against the Fujin (the future wife of the Crown Prince).
To protect the people you want to protect, the first thing you must do is stand up for yourself.
Oh, it seems the Song family didn't really intend to protect the eldest princess.
Fourth Master turned to look at Li Chenjiao: "Do you think I'm the weak one now?"
Li Chenjiao shook her head, her voice gentle: "Master is the sky of this manor, how could he be weak? It's just that this manor is too big, there can only be one master... This servant has overstepped his bounds."
Li Chenjiao was trying to comfort the Fourth Prince, but she was also setting a trap for the Princess Consort. The Princess Consort's methods were too ruthless. What if she were the next one?
Fourth Master tapped Li Chenjiao on the head: "You naughty thing, rest well, I'm going to go see the eldest princess." His voice carried a hint of relief, it seemed that Fourth Master had come to his senses.
Li Chenjiao wanted to laugh, but when she heard the Fourth Prince mention the eldest princess, she couldn't laugh anymore.
"This servant should go and take a look too," Li Chenjiao said, poking her head out.
"Rest now." Fourth Master pressed down on Li Chenjiao's shoulder without giving her a chance to speak.
Unable to move, Li Chenjiao finally smiled faintly: "Then go ahead, Your Highness. Don't overwork yourself, the eldest princess will get better."
Fourth Master nodded slightly, glanced at Li Chenjiao twice, and then got up and walked outside.
Li Chenjiao was actually quite sleepy. Yesterday she helped the Fourth Master to bed, and this morning she had to get up very early to pay her respects. Now that things were settled, she was sleepy again.
After yawning twice, Li Chenjiao wrapped herself in the blanket and drifted off to sleep.
I slept until late afternoon, half the day.
When Li Chenjiao got up, it was snowing again outside the window. When she opened her eyes, she saw Qiu Hu standing by the bed.
"Is the princess awake?" Qiu Hu asked.
Li Chenjiao rubbed her head: "Why did you come to the front yard?"
"It was Eunuch Su who sent me to serve the princess," Qiu Hu replied.
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