Inside the room, Li Chenjiao was quite full after eating. She lay on the couch for a while, but finally got up and walked around the room twice.
It was still a bit chilly outside, and even if Li Chenjiao were to wear a cloak and go for a couple of walks, she would probably be shivering uncontrollably.
While Li Chenjiao was taking a walk in the outer room to digest her food, Fourth Master was painting in the inner room. However, this amount of time was naturally not enough. By the time Li Chenjiao had walked around the room twice and arrived in the inner room, Fourth Master had only completed two-thirds of his painting.
However, Li Chenjiao could only tell that it was a garden scene, but she couldn't say exactly where it was.
Seeing that the Fourth Master was in high spirits, Li Chenjiao quietly withdrew and went to the bathroom to take a bath.
Eating hot pot is great, but afterwards Li Chenjiao always felt like she smelled like the pot all over her, even though it smelled quite delicious.
However, Li Chenjiao figured that Fourth Master probably wouldn't stop easily today, and she felt quite comfortable with her fragrant body.
Right now, Li Chenjiao doesn't mind the smell of the pot on her body, but if she were to bring that smell to the bed, she probably wouldn't be able to stand it until tonight and would have to replace the entire bed.
Li Chenjiao simply washed her hair while taking a bath. After the bath, her whole body smelled of soap; there was no other smell, just the fresh fragrance of soap.
Li Chenjiao sat at the dressing table, twisting her hair, occasionally glancing back at the Fourth Master's figure through the screen: "Is Master still painting?"
Qiu Hu nodded and, standing to the side, took a handkerchief and began to twist her master's hair. With the weather getting colder, it was easy for her to catch a cold if her hair remained wet.
"Hey, the person grinding ink has changed from Eunuch Su to Fu Lu."
Li Chenjiao said "Oh," as she remembered the birthday gift she had prepared for the Fourth Master.
However, she did not expect that the Fourth Prince was going north. Although she found out a few days ago and rushed to prepare, she still failed to complete the Fourth Prince's birthday gift.
At that point, I'll probably only be able to ask the servants in the front yard to deliver it when I write to the Fourth Prince.
As Li Chenjiao had predicted, things went exactly as they had planned that night.
Fine drops of sweat mingled with condensed beads and stained the brocade quilt, the trickling dew never ceasing, and when the path sank into the mud, it was impossible to tell whose sweat it was mixed with.
Her voice trembled, forcing Li Chenjiao to tilt her head back and chuckle, panting, "The master has to travel tomorrow, so it's best to rest early."
Even when he spoke, he was speaking haltingly.
Fourth Master chuckled softly in Li Chenjiao's ear: "Alright, I'll ask you for it when I get back."
Tomorrow, when the Fourth Prince departs from the mansion, he will not go directly from the mansion to the outskirts of the capital to wait. Instead, he will first go to the outside of the Forbidden City and wait for His Majesty's imperial procession to emerge from the Qianqing Gate before following the procession according to the status and rank of each member of the imperial clan.
Fourth Master really needs to get up earlier tomorrow.
Similarly, although Li Chenjiao was not required to accompany him, her master's journey was a major event, and Li Chenjiao would still have to see him off even if she did not go with him.
Naturally, Li Chenjiao would have to get up earlier than usual.
He clearly considered this point, which is why he said those words.
That night, water was only called twice in the east courtyard. When the Fourth Master carried Li Chenjiao out of the washroom, she was still dazed and almost collapsed into his arms.
In her half-awake state, Li Chenjiao was talking in her sleep, and as she sought warmth and snuggled into Fourth Master's arms, she was still muttering to herself.
"When Grandpa comes back for the holidays, I'd like to have hot pot again—"
Fourth Master lowered his eyes and, as if possessed, raised his hand to smooth out Li Chenjiao's tightly furrowed brows.
He didn't respond with a word, but simply nodded slightly.
It was as if he was echoing what Li Chenjiao had just said.
But before the Fourth Master could even nod for half a second, Li Chenjiao opened her mouth slightly and blurted out, "When you're here, the kitchen should prepare a fuller variety of ingredients so that we can eat more to our heart's content."
Li Chenjiao was half asleep when she finished speaking, and she even smacked her lips, suppressing the last syllable of "ya," which sounded rather... intriguing.
The Fourth Prince laughed in anger in the darkness, but when he looked down and saw Li Chenjiao's sleepy eyes, he couldn't do anything else. Instead, he pulled the brocade quilt that had slipped off because of someone turning over.
I slept well all night.
The next day, before dawn, Li Chenjiao was woken up by two maids. When Li Chenjiao groggily opened her eyes, she saw that the Fourth Master was already dressed by the dressing table.
Li Chenjiao finally woke up a bit from her drowsiness, but she was muttering something to herself again.
Sure enough, it was the right decision not to go north with Fourth Master this time. The bumpy ride in winter is more exhausting than in summer, and going north means it will only get colder and colder.
While Li Chenjiao was lost in thought, two maids helped her to the dressing table to wash and dress up. After changing her clothes and fastening her cloak tightly, she didn't need a hot water bottle at this moment.
Another example is seeing someone off; carrying a hot water bottle in one's hand is always quite conspicuous.
If Fourth Master also leaves from the East Courtyard first to pick you up, Li Chenjiao guesses that he will have to go back to the Front Courtyard.
Yesterday, Qiu Ci told me that Su Peisheng and Fulu had both returned to the front yard two or three times.
Judging from this, the Fourth Prince really treated her well.
Li Chenjiao pulled her cloak tighter, lost in thought.
Before leaving the East Courtyard, Li Chenjiao went to check on the Second Princess again. It was early today, and the Second Princess was still asleep and sleeping soundly.
Li Chenjiao peeked out from the outside and figured the sound of shoes going in would wake the Second Princess.
Li Chenjiao shivered as she left the East Courtyard. It wasn't winter yet, so it wasn't cold at noon. But it was still early, and the morning dew was still visible.
When Li Chenjiao arrived, everyone was already there. Wu Shi was also with the eldest prince, but the eldest prince looked sleepy.
Li Chenjiao rarely had the chance to see the First Prince, but she caught a glimpse of him and took a second look. Unexpectedly, Wu Gege seemed to notice and stepped in front of the First Prince.
Li Chenjiao then realized she was getting bored and looked away.
Li Chenjiao went to bed late yesterday and got up early this morning. She still had some dark circles under her eyes and didn't look very energetic.
All of this was naturally noticed by the Fujin (principal wife), who subconsciously assumed that Li was upset and regretful because she couldn't accompany the Fourth Prince.
Although Green Orchid told her that Li Shi was unwilling to follow the Fourth Prince to the north, the Fujin (Prince's wife) never believed it. After all, who would be so foolish as to push away the favor of the prince?
The princess even speculated that perhaps the master disliked Lady Li and that's why he chose Lady Bai this time.
Who knows where Li Shi, the concubine, will be when the new bride enters the mansion next year.
一想到这些福晋便觉得心情舒畅，连那些刁难挖苦的话都省了口舌懒得说了。
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