The Fourth Prince stopped drinking the soup. He wasn't really that hungry at the moment, and he was only drinking the soup to give face to his wife.
He took the handkerchief handed to him by his wife and immediately dropped a bombshell.
"Today in court, Father Emperor said that he will soon embark on a southern tour. I will also be going with him."
The princess was stunned for two seconds, then subconsciously asked, "Why so suddenly?"
There wasn't a single word about it.
Fourth Prince had heard Zhao Mama mention it before, so he wasn't too surprised. However, today, after Father Emperor finished talking about the southern tour in court, he named several princes.
The reason why the Fourth Prince was chosen to accompany the emperor was probably because of his protection of the Crown Prince.
In addition, the Crown Prince was also summoned to accompany them, which was quite unusual.
Naturally, since the Crown Prince accompanied the emperor, the Prince of Zhi would have to remain in the capital.
In the past, it was always Prince Zhi who accompanied them, but this time it was the other way around.
However, both accompanying the emperor and staying behind to oversee the country have their own advantages.
After saying this, the Fourth Prince didn't pay much attention to his wife's expression, but instead recalled the changes in everyone's expressions in the court earlier that day.
The Fujin (principal wife) wasn't thinking that far ahead. She knew it was a good thing that the Fourth Prince was accompanying the Emperor on his southern tour, but the imperial elections had only just been decided, and it would take at least another half a month for Lady Liu and Lady Niohuru to enter the mansion. This—
Now it's hard to say whether it's good or bad.
The princess lowered her eyes, and after a while, she took back the handkerchief and handed it to Yu Ru, who was standing to the side. Her expression was as usual, and her manner was very gentle and considerate: "I just don't know which day the date has been set, so that I can have people prepare in advance. Your Majesty has only recently recovered, and he can't be without people to serve him on the road."
The last sentence is what the Princess Consort is most concerned about at this moment.
The last time the East Courtyard went north, the woman from the East Courtyard didn't go with him because she was recuperating and taking care of the Second Princess. The Fourth Prince brought a woman of little importance named Bai Jia, and it seems that she didn't receive much favor from the Fourth Prince when she returned.
This time—
Whether the one from the East Courtyard will go along depends on what the Fourth Master decides.
Thinking of this, the Fujin looked at the Fourth Prince again.
However, the Fourth Prince did not look at her, so the Princess bit her lip and could only wait.
It took a long time before Fourth Master finally spoke.
"I reckon it'll be in the next few days. What are your plans, Madam?"
The Fourth Prince directly retorted, while simultaneously lifting his eyelids slightly to gaze at his wife.
The princess frowned slightly, her tone reserved yet deliberate: "With the two younger sisters chosen by the Grand Selection about to enter the manor, this is rather unfortunate."
The princess was also clever, and she didn't give a direct answer either.
The couple always spoke in this back-and-forth manner, both extremely polite and extremely distant.
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince replied even more coldly: "There are others in the manor as well."
This means that the Fourth Prince has someone in mind and has his own ideas about him.
The princess twitched the corners of her mouth, still speaking politely: "That's true, there are indeed quite a few pleasing people in our backyard."
However, these polite words sounded a bit sarcastic.
The Fourth Prince, unusually, acted as if he didn't understand, and directly followed up on what his wife said, saying, "Li Shi is quite good."
Fujin: ……
The Fourth Prince had already said this much, and the Princess Consort could no longer maintain her smile. Should she agree with him or disagree?
The princess looked at the fourth prince and remained silent for a moment: "Li is indeed a good person."
The Fourth Prince glanced at his wife sideways, remaining silent, seemingly waiting for her to speak.
The princess sat upright, obediently bowing her head, but she waited a long time before speaking: "Very well. Lady Li has always been understanding and considerate. With Lady Li serving me, I can feel much more at ease."
The Fourth Prince grunted in response, but remained silent.
The princess paused, unable to fathom the fourth prince's thoughts, but she had no choice but to continue, "However, if only Lady Li is serving him, I'm afraid she won't be able to handle it..."
The last trip north was rushed and there were many things to do. In addition, the Fourth Master hadn't visited Bai Jia Shi much, so there wouldn't be any gossip.
However, the Fourth Prince was well aware of his affection for Lady Li. With Lady Li around, how could he possibly ignore her?
Even Fourth Master himself didn't believe it.
If we only involve Li, it's inevitable that rumors will arise that she's unvirtuous and seductive.
The Fourth Prince followed up on his wife's words, saying, "Yes, Your Majesty has thought things through. Then I will trouble Your Majesty to find another suitable person to follow you."
Last time, Madam Li refused because of the Second Princess, but this time the Fourth Prince is not going to give Madam Li any room for negotiation.
Furthermore, this was a southern tour, and the second princess was about to turn one year old. The fourth prince figured that Li Shi probably wanted to go out and relax.
After hearing what the Fourth Prince said, the Fujin's expression softened somewhat; after all, the Fourth Prince still wanted her to handle this matter.
The Fourth Prince hummed in agreement, and then added a polite remark: "When I am not at home, I will have to trouble you, my wife."
The princess consort naturally did not agree with this statement.
Fourth Master had other things on his mind, but he wasn't in a hurry.
In addition, the two of them had long since grown tired of exchanging pleasantries, and Fourth Master was getting annoyed.
The Fourth Prince always felt uncomfortable in the main courtyard, and he knew that his wife felt even more uncomfortable than he did.
He had mentioned it to his wife before, but each time she heard it, she became even more anxious. Over time, the Fourth Prince stopped talking about it.
The Fujin (Prince Consort) valued rules and regulations to the core; the more the Fourth Prince spoke, the more she pondered in her heart.
Everything that needed to be said had been said. The bowl of crucian carp and tofu soup on the table was still warm, but the two of them had nothing more to say.
Fourth Master didn't eat much for dinner at the Ministry of Revenue, and he was actually a little hungry, but he really didn't have much of an appetite for the bowl of crucian carp and tofu soup.
At this moment, Fourth Master inexplicably remembered the wontons he had eaten a few times in the East Courtyard.
Steaming hot, a bowlful followed by a bowl of soup leaves you feeling refreshed and comfortable.
However, the Fourth Prince kept all these thoughts to himself, without showing them on his face.
Inside the main courtyard, the candles had been extinguished early.
The princess's health has indeed improved recently, but the imperial physician said that she should not have sexual intercourse.
The couple ended up sleeping in the same bed but dreaming different dreams once again.
The princess couldn't sleep; all sorts of thoughts raced through her mind throughout the night.
I don't know when I finally fell asleep.
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