"Go to the East Wing."
Fourth Master eventually went to the East Courtyard, not because of the Qixi Festival, but because he was feeling a bit down and wanted to go for a walk.
The east courtyard was still brightly lit. When Fourth Master arrived, Li Chenjiao had already finished her dinner and was taking a nap in a rocking chair under the eaves.
In the darkness of the night, the colors of the qipao worn by Li Chenjiao flickered between light and shadow, and her embroidered shoes seemed to dangle in mid-air with the gentle swaying of the rocking chair, as if she might ride away on the moon at any moment.
Her delicate, jade-like wrists drooped slightly, making her appear even more frail and evoking feelings of pity in one's heart.
The Fourth Master did not make a sound to disturb them, and the maids also kept quiet, each doing their own thing.
Li Chenjiao kept her eyes closed, and perhaps feeling that it was too quiet, she suddenly exclaimed, "Who's got the chance? Why isn't anyone saying anything?"
"Eeya..." A childish voice broke the silence; it was the Second Princess running over from the backyard.
Li Chenjiao opened her eyes upon hearing the sound, pulled the little girl into her arms, and smiled as she gently and skillfully wiped the girl's face with a handkerchief.
Fourth Master watched this scene quietly, a warm feeling welling up in his heart.
When the little girl ran off to play somewhere again, Li Chenjiao raised her hand to signal Lüju to follow, and only then did she notice that the Fourth Master had opened his door.
Li Chenjiao smiled and stood up: "Master is here?"
Fourth Master grunted in acknowledgment, then quickly walked up to Li Chenjiao, familiarly took her hand, and led her into the inner room.
Li Chenjiao was stunned for two seconds, but her body followed her very honestly.
After entering the inner room, the Fourth Master looked around and finally stopped in front of the desk.
On the table were the portraits that Li Chenjiao had drawn for the Second Princess over the past few days, which the Fourth Prince noticed at a glance.
There was pen and ink on the side. The Fourth Master let go of his hand and picked up the pen. He dipped it in ink, lifted his wrist slightly, and made two strokes on his chin.
With just two light strokes, a touch of charm was instantly added.
Li Chenjiao nodded silently, still admiring Fourth Master's painting skills.
After adding two strokes, Fourth Master did not rush to put down his brush. Instead, he sat down at his desk, laid out another sheet of Xuan paper, and slowly dipped his brush in ink to begin writing.
Looks like it's time to practice calligraphy.
Li Chenjiao looked around first, then found a small round stool and placed it on the table. After sitting down, she picked up her wrist and slowly ground the ink.
Seeing that Fourth Master was still practicing calligraphy without any distractions, Li Chenjiao was not too tired from grinding ink, but she silently suppressed two yawns.
A short while later, Qiu Hu brought in pastries and tea.
Li Chenjiao glanced at the person, gestured with her free hand, walked over gently to take it, and whispered to the person.
"Is the Fourth Prince asleep? Aman will give him a bath later when he's tired from playing; he won't be able to sleep if he's covered in sweat."
Qiu Hu agreed, glancing at his master's wrist.
Li Chenjiao carried the tea and snacks inside. She touched the teapot with the back of her hand and felt that it was still a bit too hot. She closed the lid slightly and set it aside to cool. She placed the pastries in front of her first.
Turning his head, he saw that Fourth Master had changed to a different sheet of Xuan paper. His eyebrows curved slightly as he said, "You've been writing for quite a while now; you should take a break. Don't tire yourself out."
She then picked out some of his favorite pastries and served them to him, saying casually, "You seem to be in a good mood today."
Upon hearing this, Fourth Master seemed to think of something, and suddenly glanced at her. He didn't put down what he was holding, so he couldn't accept the pastries that Li Chenjiao offered.
When Li Chenjiao met the Fourth Master's gaze, she immediately covered her mouth and laughed. She stopped grinding ink and started eating the pastries that she had originally intended to feed the Fourth Master herself.
The Fourth Prince seemed not at all surprised by what he saw. After a brief pause, he lowered his head to practice calligraphy again.
Li Chenjiao, taking a break from her work, occasionally ate a piece of cake, which seemed to have acquired the scent of ink.
In the end, most of the tea and snacks ended up in Li Chenjiao's stomach.
Fourth Master didn't practice calligraphy for very long; he only practiced on about two or three sheets of Xuan paper.
He carefully placed his brush on the last stroke, lifting his wrist slightly to create a beautiful and neat downward stroke, and then put down the brush with satisfaction.
When Fourth Master turned his head again, Li Chenjiao was already leaning over the table with her eyes slightly narrowed and her head drooping, just like Fourteenth Master who was drunk last night.
Seeing that Li Chenjiao was about to fall asleep, Fourth Master picked up his pen and lightly scratched something on the back of Li Chenjiao's hand.
The brushstrokes on the back of her hand still caused a slight itch, and Li Chenjiao groggily woke up.
She was still half-lying down, and even when she was awake, she was still staring blankly at the messy ink stains on the back of her hand.
Fourth Master didn't draw anything intentionally; he just wrote in a disorganized and intermittent manner.
Once Li Chenjiao was awake, she raised her hand and rubbed the back of her hand against the back of Fourth Master's hand.
Fourth Master first said, "How dare you!"
Then Li Chenjiao opened her big, bright eyes and looked back at the Fourth Master, while holding up the "masterpiece" on the back of her hand, silently accusing him.
Finally, the scene shows Fourth Master and Li Chenjiao rubbing their hands together with soap in a copper basin.
However, the ink Li Chenjiao used was a gift from the Fourth Prince, so it couldn't be rubbed off in one go.
The ink stains on the back of Fourth Master's hand were just some ink marks that hadn't dried yet, and he rubbed them off in no time.
It will be difficult for Li Chenjiao to get things done in the short term.
However, she naturally wouldn't show anything; this little mark was nothing to her anyway.
"If I bring some balsam juice tomorrow, I can draw a flower on the back of my hand. I'll show it to you when I get back."
Fourth Master's eyes held a complex expression: "Why leave this mark for so long..."
As soon as Fourth Master said this, Li Chenjiao seized on it: "Does Master mean it will be a very, very long time before he comes?"
When Fourth Master was asked, he replied that it wouldn't be long, at least a couple of days...
Li Chenjiao asked this without expecting an answer; she thought, "Fourth Master can come whenever he wants."
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