After receiving the report from the gatekeeper, Madam Li immediately ordered Xiangqiao to bathe and change her clothes. Then she carefully styled her hair and put on makeup. She also ordered Que'er to go to the kitchen to stew a pot of lily bulb, white fungus and mung bean soup. After she was dressed, she had Mingyan carry the pot of soup and help Xiangqiao walk towards the front yard.
When Lady Li arrived at the front courtyard, she happened to see Zhao Quan and beckoned him over. Upon seeing that it was Consort Li, Zhao Quan immediately ran over eagerly.
"Is Master here?" Madam Li asked, wiping the sweat from the tip of her nose with a handkerchief.
"Reporting to Consort Li, the Master is speaking with the Head Madam in the study." It turned out that Su Peisheng had rested on the bed for a while before immediately getting up to go to the study to hear the Fourth Master's instructions, so Zhao Quan naturally didn't need to wait at the door. He was walking dejectedly toward the side room when he saw Consort Li waving at him from the courtyard gate.
“Go and inform him!” Li glanced at Zhao Quan.
"Yes, this servant will go right away!" Zhao Quan glanced at Li Shi carefully, then turned around and immediately walked towards the study.
Li then led her two maids into the courtyard and sat down at the stone bench where Su Peisheng had sat. Just then, a melodious voice came from outside the door, "Has my brother-in-law returned?"
Li glanced to the side and saw Yan Yu supporting her maid Yun Yuan at the door, being stopped by Xiao Quanzi. However, Li didn't recognize her, only knowing that the Fujin's younger sister had been living in the mansion for a while. Seeing that she addressed the Fourth Master as "brother-in-law," she assumed she was the Fujin's younger sister.
“Princess Yan Yu, you really can’t go in. His Highness has instructed that no one is allowed to enter the front courtyard without his permission each day,” Xiao Quanzi said with difficulty. Princess Yan Yu had come several times already, and the previous times when the Fourth Prince was there, he had invited her in. However, Xiao Quanzi had not received any instructions from the Fourth Prince that Princess Yan Yu could come to the front courtyard without his permission. Currently, only Princess Niu could freely enter the front courtyard; even the Fujin (princess) was explicitly forbidden by the Fourth Prince from entering at will. The reason Li Shi was able to enter was only because she sent Zhao Quan to inform him; if the Fourth Prince did not see her, Li Shi would naturally have to return.
"Then how could she go in?" Yan Yu had already spotted Li sitting on the stone bench inside.
"That's Consort Li. She's just waiting inside. Someone has already gone to inform the master on her behalf," Xiao Quanzi explained, bowing his head.
"Then I'll go in and wait. You go and inform them, is that alright?" Yan Yu's voice wasn't very loud, but it was enough for Li Shi to hear.
Xiao Quanzi was a little embarrassed, but he couldn't go against Yan Yu's insistence. Just as he was about to agree, he suddenly heard Li Shi laugh sweetly and say, "This must be my sister-in-law's younger sister. Come, let Sister Li take a good look at her."
When Xiao Quanzi heard Li say this, he cupped his hands and gestured for Yan Yu to enter. The latter then swaggered in.
"Yan Yu greets Consort Li!" Yan Yu walked up to Consort Li, slightly curtsied, and raised the handkerchief in her hand in a gesture of respect. Since the Fourth Prince's wife confided in her, she had recounted the names, family backgrounds, and current standing of the many women in the Fourth Prince's household to Yan Yu. Besides Lan Qin, the Fourth Prince's wife mentioned Consort Li the most, who had monopolized the Fourth Prince's favor for nearly ten years and bore him three children. When the Fourth Prince's wife spoke of Consort Li to Yan Yu, her eyes clearly held a burning hatred and resentment, but for now, because of Lan Qin, she had temporarily set aside Consort Li, with whom she had fought for ten years.
"Oh my, the young lady's sister is such a beauty! Look at her fair face, and her eyebrows, eyes and nose are so beautiful, she's so adorable!" Madam Li stood up, took Yan Yu's hand, and looked her up and down.
Yan Yu chuckled sweetly at her praise before saying, "The concubine is truly beautiful. If I could reach Sister Li's age one day and still have her beauty, I would be content." With that, she covered her nose and laughed a few times.
Li's phoenix eyes flashed, and she parted her delicate, rose-red lips to say, "My sister is a beauty of unparalleled grace, naturally far surpassing her elder sister. I wonder who will be fortunate enough to marry her. When the time comes, don't forget to let your elder sister know, and I will definitely come to offer my congratulations."
Yan Yu sneered inwardly, but on the surface she pretended to be gentle and charming, and continued to chat with Li about the gossip that women usually share.
At this moment, Zhao Quan and Xiao Quanzi came out one after another. Zhao Quan glanced at Yan Yu and knew that she was the younger sister of the Fujin. He bowed to Li Shi and nodded slightly to Yan Yu before saying, "The master said that he is a little tired and wants to rest for a while. Please go back first, Consort and Princess Yan Yu. When he has time, the master will talk to you two."
Li couldn't help but show disappointment. She hadn't seen the Fourth Master for more than half a month. Before he left, he hadn't visited her for about ten days. Now that she had finally waited for him to return, this was his reply.
Yan Yu took in Li Shi's disappointed expression, and a smile spread across her face. She said to Zhao Quan, "Eunuch Zhao, please go and inform him again that Yan Yu has come to help my brother-in-law. If he listens to my advice, he will surely be half relieved of his worries."
Zhao Quan hesitated, looking at the two of them. Seeing that Li Shi didn't say no, he turned back to continue reporting. Li Shi didn't leave because she was unsure whether Yan Yu would actually be able to see the Fourth Master. So she asked, "You said the Fourth Master is troubled. May I ask, sister, what is the cause of his troubles?"
Yan Yu smiled smugly, thinking to herself: With a mind like that, she managed to suppress her elder sister for almost ten years. She really doesn't know how she could be the primary consort. She said outwardly, "Does elder sister know why the primary consort suddenly ordered all the courtyards to conserve water?"
Li shook her head, and Yan Yu said smugly, "It's because it hasn't rained for several months, and the weather is so dry. Even the Fourth Prince's mansion has to cut back on water usage, so you can imagine what it's like outside. If I'm not mistaken, my brother-in-law is busy with this very matter in the palace right now."
Just then, Zhao Quan walked over from the study.
Seeing that Madam Li was still there, he hesitated for a moment, but since the Fourth Master had already given the order, he had no choice but to tell the truth: "Master, please invite Princess Yan Yu in!"
And so, under Li's astonished gaze, Yan Yu, twirling her handkerchief, walked toward the Fourth Master's study.
Li frowned slightly, handed the lily bulb, white fungus, and mung bean soup from Mingyan to Xiao Quanzi, then turned and left the front yard.
"My lady, this servant noticed that this Consort Yan Yu seems to have feelings for our master..." Xiang Qiao said cautiously, knowing that Madam Li must be in a bad mood at the moment.
"Even you noticed, how could I not?" Madam Li said coldly.
“This Princess Yan Yu seems to be much more eloquent than the Fujin. She actually spoke to the master like that just now!” Xiangqiao said.
"Hmph, this little brat is so arrogant, I'll let her be so presumptuous." A cold smile curled at the corner of Li's lips as she walked towards the east courtyard on her flowerpot-soled shoes.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
