"Princess, are you sure you want to do this? What if the master doesn't even get to eat the zongzi?" Yan'er watched as Fucha Shi stuffed a small piece of paper into a zongzi.
"I'll make a mark on this, and then I'll find a way to get the Fourth Prince to eat this zongzi!" said Lady Fucha.
"Princess, you can't just decide who gets to take which zongzi. You won't be able to control who takes which one." Yan'er felt utterly exasperated. What was wrong with this princess?
"When the time comes, I will personally present it to Master!" Lady Fucha didn't seem to think she looked like she was possessed at all.
Yan'er's legs trembled slightly as she suppressed her impatience and said, "Master, you've just been released from confinement and your foot is healed now. Please don't cause any more trouble. The Liu family over there has already won the Master's favor."
Fucha looked up and glared at Yan'er, saying, "What did I do? I just delivered some zongzi to the master. Isn't that what a concubine should do? Liu is just from a humble family. Once I catch the master's eye, tell her to go cry in the corner."
Yan'er felt helpless, thinking to herself: If you keep going like this, it'll be good enough if the master doesn't punish you anymore!
The Dragon Boat Festival family banquet will be held tonight, and preparations have already begun in the front yard. After some investigation by Cui Niang and the head nanny, they discovered that Madam Nian hadn't placed any people in her own household; most of the staff were still the same people Lan Qin had assigned when she was in charge of the kitchen. This surprised Lan Qin, as it was quite unusual for Madam Nian not to have placed any of her own trusted confidants after taking power.
Before leaving early this morning, the Fourth Prince sent someone to tell him that he would return early today. Ling Lanqin arranged everything. The Fourth Prince's wife can simply send someone to invite him; there's no need to worry too much.
After confirming the evening's family dinner schedule one last time, Lanqin went to rest for lunch.
"You lot better be extra careful, tonight is the first family banquet that the concubine will be hosting in charge of the kitchen. Don't let anything go wrong!" Cui Niang said to the two head stewards of the kitchen from under the eaves. One of them was the head steward of the kitchen, responsible for personnel arrangements and other matters, and the other was in charge of purchasing ingredients for the kitchen.
"Yes, yes, we started preparing a long time ago. You and your concubine can rest assured." - Head of the kitchen.
After explaining the arrangements for the banquet, Cui Niang was still worried about the opera troupe, so she went to the head nanny to ask if they had arrived yet. It turned out that the Fourth Master had specifically ordered that an opera troupe be invited to watch the performance.
In preparation for the banquet, the masters from various places would rest at noon and then begin to dress up.
Inside the main courtyard.
Unalana was changing her clothes. Lingxiu and Caiyun were helping her with her clothes.
She looked calm. After these years of silence, she seemed to have changed from the cunning and scheming Fourth Princess Consort she once was.
"Mother!"
Hongshi suddenly walked in from outside and saw his wife changing her clothes. He called out.
"Shi'er!" The princess's face lit up, and her expression, which had been rather expressionless just moments before, now showed obvious concern.
"Mother looks beautiful today!" Hongshi was already seven years old, and he was wearing a light green robe. His features resembled Li Shi's even more.
"Shi'er, how dare you make fun of your mother!" Ulanara walked to Hongshi's side with affection and took his hand.
“I’m not canceling my marriage with you, Mother. Today is the Dragon Boat Festival, and I’m going to the banquet with you,” Hongshi said.
"Good, look at all that sweat on his forehead. Quick, quickly change the Fourth Prince's clothes. It's still early, why don't we take a bath first?" Ever since Hongshi moved here, Ulanara seemed to have truly lost interest in the struggles outside.
After Caiyun took Hongshi down to bathe, Lingxiu helped the Fujin to sit down in front of the dressing table and prepared to style her hair into a bun.
"The Fourth Prince is getting smarter and smarter! I heard that His Majesty is very satisfied with the Fourth Prince." Lingxiu said as she combed the Fujin's hair.
"Where did you hear that from?" The princess glanced at Lingxiu in the bronze mirror.
"This servant didn't hear it from anywhere; it's just my perception," Lingxiu quickly said truthfully when she saw that the Fujin had seen through her immediately.
"No rush! Hongshi is only seven years old. Let's wait until he's fifteen and see. It's not appropriate for me to do anything more. For now, I should just focus on raising Hongshi well," the wife said.
"But isn't the Princess Consort afraid that the prince in the South Courtyard is gaining more and more favor in front of the Master?" Lingxiu asked.
"What, do you also want to get married like the maidservant next to her?" The Fujin glared at Lingxiu.
"No, this servant does not want to marry a commoner!" Lingxiu is already in her mid-twenties, long past the prime of a woman's life.
"Lingxiu, you should think this through. Getting married means just living a short life, worrying about food, clothing, shelter, and transportation every day. Staying by my side means wearing gold and silver, wearing fine silks and satins, and enjoying the finest delicacies. I'll provide you with everything you need," the wife said.
"Yes, this servant is content!" Lingxiu shrank her neck and said. She knew that she was just a maid. Although the Fourth Prince no longer valued the Fujin, and the main courtyard was like a cold palace, if the Fujin were to kill her, it would be no different than crushing an ant.
"Lingxiu, let's just sit back and watch the show," said the Fujin.
"You mean the Nian family and the Niohuru family will be the first to fight?" Lingxiu took a pearl flower and held it up to the Fujin's hair.
“Of course. Our master’s future is still uncertain. As his status rises, don’t you think the position of heir apparent will become more prominent?” the Fujin said.
“The position of heir should naturally belong to the Fourth Prince. He was personally raised by you, Madam, so he can be considered the legitimate son,” Lingxiu said.
“That makes sense, but our master favors Niohuru, and didn’t the Sixth Prince say it was an auspicious sign?” the Fujin said.
“What auspicious sign? Then why are the twin sons being raised separately?” Lingxiu said.
"Shut up! I've already said you're not allowed to mention this again. If you're courting death, I, the wife, won't be able to protect you!" the wife said, slightly angry.
“Yes, this servant just feels that our Fourth Prince is the best candidate for the position of heir apparent, both morally and logically,” Lingxiu said.
"No rush, they're all still young," the princess said.
By the time his wife had finished getting ready, Hongshi had also finished his bath. He changed into a light brown casual outfit, and a small, shiny braid hung down the back of his head.
“Mother, I have prepared a gift for Father today,” Hongshi said as he approached his wife. He probably regarded his wife as his mother, perhaps because he had been raised by her since he was less than two years old.
"What gift?" the princess asked.
“My son has prepared a poem for his father,” Hongshi said.
"Oh, Shi'er can compose poetry?" the Fujin said with delight.
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