When the Fourth Prince returned to the manor, it was already 7 PM. In the end, he agreed to the Thirteenth Prince's request and agreed to take Luo Ge, disguised as Lan Qin's maid, with him.
Thinking of the Eighth Prince's words, the Fourth Prince had just returned to the front courtyard and hadn't even sat down when he headed to the main courtyard. Naturally, it was for his birthday, and he needed to discuss it with his wife.
Inside the main courtyard, the eldest prince was having dinner with his wife and Yan Yu.
"Honghui, you're growing right now, eat more meat!" Yan Yu picked up a piece of pineapple from in front of her with her chopsticks and put it in Honghui's bowl.
"Auntie, I don't like this sweet and sour flavor," Honghui said softly.
Yan Yu wanted to please the Fujin (principal wife), but seeing that Hong Hui was so disrespectful, she felt a little embarrassed. She glanced at the Fujin out of the corner of her eye, and seeing that she didn't intend to say anything, she had no choice but to use her chopsticks to take the piece of meat out of Hong Hui's bowl.
The Fourth Prince originally intended to take only Lanqin with him, but it was only after the Princess Consort talked to him for a long time that Yan Yu was brought along. Yan Yu learned this from the whispers of the servants at the Princess Consort's residence. Although the Princess Consort had not mentioned this to her, it was not impossible that she had the servants inform Yan Yu.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!" A greeting from outside broke the awkward silence.
Yan Yu had only seen the Fourth Prince since the day he was carried into the Fourth Prince's mansion, and had not seen him since. Now, hearing that the Fourth Prince had come to the main courtyard, her heart pounded wildly. She thought that the Fourth Prince had come to see her, probably to consummate their marriage.
Honghui had already put down his chopsticks and stood up from his seat, waiting for Fourth Master to come in so he could greet him.
The Fujin was much calmer than the two of them. She slowly put down her chopsticks, stood up, and walked out of her seat. Just as she reached the door, the corner of the Fourth Prince's dark blue robe appeared before her eyes.
"This concubine greets Your Highness!" The Fujin curtsied, and Yan Yu behind her followed suit.
"Your son greets Father!" Honghui quickly walked to the side of his wife and bowed.
"No need for formalities. Are you eating? It seems I've come at the right time. Do you have any chopsticks for me?" Although Fourth Master and Thirteenth Master came from Zui Bai Lou, they hadn't touched the dishes on that table at all. Fourth Master was busy persuading Thirteenth Master to let go of that thought in his mind, so he was so focused on talking that he suddenly felt hungry.
"Chunliu, quickly bring me a pair of chopsticks!" The Fujin was delighted and ordered.
Yan Yu glanced cautiously at Fourth Master, and seeing that he was also looking at her, she blushed and quickly lowered her head.
Looking at the woman who had once been a young girl in his presence, now a princess in his household, the Fourth Prince felt a pang of emotion. This was also the obstacle that had prevented him from entering Yan Yu's quarters. His decision to take Yan Yu as a princess had its own reasons, not because he had truly fallen in love with this woman he had always considered a younger sister. As for his reasons, he would never reveal them to anyone.
"Master, this eggplant dish is excellent, please try it," Yan Yu suddenly said after everyone was seated.
The Fourth Prince, sitting beside the Princess Consort, merely uttered an "Oh," without picking up his chopsticks to take a bite. Instead, he inquired about Honghui's studies. Taking advantage of this moment, the Princess Consort quickly glanced at Yan Yu, a gesture meant to warn her not to be presumptuous.
After asking the eldest prince, the fourth prince picked up his chopsticks, ate a few bites, and then put them down. He then asked his wife, "Is everything ready for my birthday?"
The Fujin knew that the Fourth Prince must have come for something, so when she heard him ask that question, she swallowed a bitter taste in her mouth and replied gently, "Then set up a feast in my courtyard and have the children come."
What the Fujin said was the usual practice for the Fourth Prince's birthday celebrations, and this year was no exception.
"Alright, but let's set up two more tables in my front yard. Some of my brothers might come and join in the fun." The Fourth Prince had a lot of trust in his wife's abilities, so he didn't ask any questions and just made the suggestion.
The Princess Consort was clearly surprised that the Fourth Prince would invite his brothers over again this year, especially since it was just before he was to accompany Emperor Kangxi on his river tour. Knowing the Fourth Prince as she did, she found this somewhat perplexing. However, despite her confusion, she couldn't afford to be careless about the Fourth Prince's instructions.
"Then, why don't you invite some famous opera troupes to perform a play in the front yard and a play in the main yard?" Fourth Master suggested again.
"Yes, Your Highness, I will certainly handle it perfectly. Please rest assured," the princess said obediently.
Fourth Master sat with him for a while longer before getting up to leave, but Yan Yu called out to him, "Master, please wait!"
Fourth Master turned to the side, looked at Yan Yu's exquisite face, and said calmly, "Yu'er, what is it you need?"
This was the first thing he said to her after she married into the family.
"I humbly request that Your Highness sit in my room for a while. I have an antique inkstone that I would like to invite Your Highness to come and appraise it." Yan Yu learned from the Fujin that the Fourth Prince especially loved collecting various antique inkstones and precious inkstones.
"You have an antique inkstone?" Fourth Master turned around and continued to ask.
"Yes, among the dowry my maternal grandfather prepared for me was an inkstone that has been passed down from the Song Dynasty. I heard from my elder sister that the master is very fond of collecting all kinds of inkstones, so I would like to invite the master to come and take a look!" Yan Yu said.
The Fourth Prince glanced at his wife, and seeing her nod slightly, he said, "Alright, let's go to your room and take a look."
Suppressing her joy, Yan Yu followed the Fourth Prince out of the main house and headed towards her western side courtyard. Only after the Fourth Prince finally entered Yan Yu's room did the servant sent by the Princess Consort turn back to report.
The maids were all at a loss for what to do when they saw the Fourth Master for the first time. After bowing to him, they stood in the corner of the room waiting for his instructions.
"Master, please have a cup of tea first. I will go to the cabinet and get it for you myself." Yan Yu gestured to Fang Yun to serve tea. After the Fourth Master nodded, she went to the cabinet in her bedroom where her dowry was kept, opened the cabinet door, and took out a wooden box.
When Yan Yu presented the wooden box to Fourth Master, it was indeed a fine antique inkstone. Watching Fourth Master examine the inkstone with great interest, a smile gradually rose in Yan Yu's heart. It turned out that this antique inkstone wasn't a gift from her maternal grandfather at all; she had specially spent a fortune to buy it from an antique dealer, all to please Fourth Master.
That night, Yan Yu was able to consummate her marriage with the Fourth Master as she had wished, but the news didn't become known to others until the next day.
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