Qiu Hu couldn't stand it anymore and offended Niu Hulu Gege, who was lost in thought and didn't seem to come back to her senses.
Niohuru came to her senses and turned around, immediately seeing the Fourth Prince standing with his hands folded under the eaves.
Niohuru lowered her eyes and bowed with utmost respect.
The Fourth Prince glanced at the two women, who were referring to Lady Niohuru and Lady Baijia: "The concubine is ill, you may both return."
Since the Fourth Master personally issued the order to leave, naturally no one dared to stay any longer.
After Niohuru came out, Baijia quickly pulled her away, saying, "What were you staring at just now? Were you out of your mind? Don't you dare have any funny ideas in the concubine's courtyard."
Bai Jia spoke harshly afterward, while also watching Niu Hulu warily.
Although Niohuru didn't do anything just now, what if it was all a ploy to provoke the Fourth Prince?
She's done similar little tricks and schemes before.
Bai Jia was prepared to argue with Niu Hulu as usual after she said this, but she waited for a while and did not hear Niu Hulu refute her.
She looked at Niohuru with suspicion, only to find that Niohuru looked completely lost and disoriented.
Bai Jia finally realized something: "Hey... your courtyard isn't this way, are you confused today?"
Bai Jia pulled Niu Hulu out of the east courtyard and subconsciously headed towards her own courtyard. She continued talking and didn't even notice that Niu Hulu was letting her lead her towards her own courtyard.
Niohuru seemed to have fully regained her senses. She shook off Bai Jia's hand, gave a slight curtsy, and said coldly, "I'll take my leave now."
Without giving Bai Jia a chance to react, he went straight back to his own courtyard.
Bai Jia was left standing in the cold wind, looking completely bewildered: "This person has a strange temper!"
She tossed her handkerchief aside, unable to withstand the cold wind any longer, and shivered before turning and heading back to her own courtyard.
Danqing quickly opened her umbrella and followed, but before she could catch up, her princess suddenly stopped.
Bai Jia suddenly turned around, seemingly lost in thought.
"Princess?" Danqing was slightly taken aback by the look in her princess's eyes.
Bai Jia murmured, "Something's not right..." But she couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong, though she felt that Niohuru had acted strangely just now.
That distraught look... it does resemble...
Bai Jia's eyes suddenly lit up, as if she had thought of something.
It's somewhat like how she was when her feelings for the Fourth Prince faded...
Bai Jia suddenly felt a pang of sadness again...
There aren't many people who can understand things so quickly, like her.
However, Bai Jia still felt something was strange, a strange feeling that she couldn't quite put her finger on.
The look in Niohuru's eyes was a little strange just now, but how strange could it be?
Bai Jia swallowed her doubts and, because she was afraid of the cold, chose to return to her own courtyard first.
The same suspicions weren't limited to Bai Jia Shi; the Fourth Prince also harbored them.
With his keen insight, the Fourth Prince knew that even if Lady Niohuru had come to visit, she shouldn't have been standing there. He immediately thought of the sordid schemes within the harem.
In addition, Li Chenjiao mentioned yesterday that Niohuru had sent plum wine, which made the Fourth Prince even more convinced that Niohuru had ill intentions.
After Niohuru and Baijia left, the Fourth Prince turned around and asked what Niohuru and Baijia had done today.
Qiu Hu answered methodically.
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince stood again in the spot under the latticed window where Lady Niohuru had been standing. He was tall, so he lowered his head even further.
He looked inside and asked a few more questions about what the physician had said after his visit, and Qiu Hu answered them one by one.
The Fourth Master grunted in agreement: "From now on, no food shall be sent from elsewhere. Your master is in poor health. If he gets sick from eating it, I will hold you responsible."
The servants standing outside immediately knelt down: "Yes, we understand."
Fourth Master raised his hand and made a downward gesture, naturally to avoid disturbing Li Chenjiao in the inner room.
After standing there for a while, Fourth Master went inside.
Li Chenjiao was still asleep when Fourth Master sat down in the armchair by the bed.
Her little face was flushed, as if she was suffocating, and her breathing was labored and came in bursts. Fourth Master put his hands on his knees and listened quietly.
He reached out and tucked Li Chenjiao's blanket around her, feeling annoyed.
I did indulge myself a bit last night.
Li Chenjiao was sleeping very well. After guarding her for a while, Fourth Master turned around and saw two figures, one tall and one short, at the door.
Children are weaker, so Fourth Master didn't let the two children in. He stayed by Li Chenjiao's side, while also thinking about what important matters were in the near future, planning to take Li Chenjiao to the estate for a horse race in the spring.
The Fourth Prince was guarding inside, and the Princess Consort outside received the news and sent someone to visit him, but of course, it was all just for show.
Li Chenjiao's cold was not serious. After the imperial physician examined her, he made some minor modifications to the prescription given by the family physician and then gave her a few more instructions.
Li Chenjiao is not someone who gets sick often. In fact, she is in good health and takes good care of herself, so she doesn't get sick very often throughout the year.
This time, Li Chenjiao's high fever subsided early the next morning. She ate light meals while sick, and last night she saw that Fourth Master's food was quite bland and tasteless.
She only learned about Niohuru's visit the day before the next day, and Qiu Hu also told Li Chenjiao about the Fourth Prince's instructions. Not to mention others, even Li Chenjiao herself found it very strange.
She couldn't quite put her finger on what was strange about it either.
However, she still admired Niohuru's thoughtfulness and skill. Besides, Li Chenjiao's illness this time had nothing to do with Niohuru, so wasn't this an undeserved disaster for her?
Li Chenjiao sighed and rested her chin on her hand: "It's dry in winter, tell the kitchen to make some pear soup and send it to Princess Niohuru."
After this incident, she dared not deliver cold dishes anymore, and could only deliver hot soup.
Qiu Hu noted it down.
Li Chenjiao's illness took several days to fully recover, and the first month of the lunar calendar was almost over.
As the first month of the lunar calendar gradually warmed up, the charcoal fire was still lit. In mid-February, when the weather was even warmer, Li Chenjiao received a letter from home saying that her brother would soon be taking up his post.
It came earlier than expected.
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