On the day of the Princess's birthday, the Fourth Prince only sent two sets of jewelry and some fabrics to the backyard, without mentioning whether he would attend the banquet held at Bixin Lake in the afternoon.
The gifts were delivered by Zhao Quan, so the Fujin naturally didn't give him a purse. Even Su Peisheng was no longer willing to send things to the main courtyard.
The Princess Consort looked at the two sets of headdresses laid out before her. One set was made of gilded gemstones, using genuine, high-quality materials, but the style was rather ordinary. The other set was a set of kingfisher feather-inlaid gemstone headdresses, valuable as it was, but not particularly special. Clearly, both were sent as part of the Imperial Household Department's allowance. The fabric was naturally fine Suzhou satin, but it was inferior to the plain satin given to Lanqin.
Li Momo instructed Xia He to put the items into the storeroom, then said to the Fujin (principal wife), "Everything is ready. We'll set up a table on the boat on Bixin Lake, and we've also hired an opera troupe to perform in that pavilion. The masters of each courtyard will be on the boat, eating, drinking, and watching the opera—it'll be quite a novel experience."
The Fujin smiled faintly. The birthday celebration was quite novel, but she missed the days when Honghui was still alive, when he would personally make her longevity noodles. Although the Fourth Prince didn't visit the main courtyard often back then, he would always come on this occasion. The three of them sat together, and the Fourth Prince always smiled when he looked at Honghui.
"Has Madam Yin made all the arrangements?" The Fujin asked seriously, pulling herself out of her memories.
"As instructed by the Fujin, she has already been arranged to join the opera troupe. Unexpectedly, this Lady Yin is actually a singer. It turns out that her mother was an actress who was taken in as a concubine before giving birth to her." Li Momo has already figured out Lady Yin's background.
"Very well, whether she can win the master's favor depends on her performance today. The master is coming back today, but we don't know how long he will stay, so she doesn't have much time," said the princess consort.
“Yes, this old servant will go and give the instructions right away,” Li Momo replied.
At Shenshi (3-5 PM) that day, the Fourth Prince came to the main courtyard and saw Hongshi drawing large characters quite well under the guidance of his wife. He stood behind the mother and son and watched quietly for a while.
When the Fujin (principal wife) knew that the Fourth Prince had arrived, she stood behind him watching her instruct Hongshi. She was pleased, wanting him to see that she truly loved his offspring. Honghui was gone, and now that Hongshi had been brought into the family, he was now the legitimate son. She wanted him to know that she treated Hongshi as her own.
“He’s still young; it might not be good for him to start writing too early,” the Fourth Prince couldn’t help but say. Although he could see that Hongshi was indeed more intelligent and composed than other children his age, he knew that this was all due to the Princess Consort’s efforts to push him too hard. The same phrase the Little Princess had used to describe Honghui was what she had told him.
The princess's expression froze, her heart filled with shock: Wasn't strict discipline and early education a path every prince had to take from a young age?
"Quickly call him Father, Hongshi!" The Fujin didn't have time to think and hurriedly whispered to Hongshi.
"Father~" Hongshi rarely sees the Fourth Master. When he was with Madam Li, because of Madam Li's fall from favor, Hongshi was mostly taken care of by his wet nurse and maids. Now he has been brought to the main courtyard, but the Fourth Master rarely comes, so the father and son do see each other less often.
In fact, situations like Hongshi's were quite common in royal and aristocratic families. Because their mothers were not favored, seeing them once every ten days or so was considered good. Some children didn't even see their fathers once every two or three months.
"Come here!" Fourth Master actually felt a little guilty about this son, because after his birth, Li Shi gradually lost his favor. As a result, he hadn't seen the child very often.
When the Fourth Prince picked up Hongshi, he found that he had indeed grown quite a bit. He was only a year and a half old, but the expression on his face showed that he was quite sensible. This was also a child who had suddenly lost his mother, so naturally he was more sensible and perceptive than a child who would act spoiled in front of his own mother.
"Hongshi, you've taught him very well," Fourth Master suddenly said, clearly satisfied with Hongshi's life and current situation.
"As Hongshi's legal mother, it is only natural that I should take good care of him. Since Your Highness has entrusted this child to me, I will certainly look after him well," the Fujin said softly. "Today, a play has been arranged at the Bixin Pavilion. I have invited all the younger sisters to watch it together. Your Highness, please come and watch; consider it as making up for the absence during the Dragon Boat Festival."
"The arrangements for the Princess's birthday are quite good; I will attend. The First and Second Princesses should also be allowed to go out and have some fun," the Fourth Prince said.
“I’ve already made arrangements. The children will all go. The feast will be set up on the boat, and the play will be performed in the pavilion. We can eat and watch at the same time, and fully appreciate the thought and effort Your Majesty put into building the boat,” said the Princess Consort.
Fourth Master was taken aback, then nodded slightly. He had built those two boats to provide the women in his harem with a place to relax, especially Lanqin. In other words, Fourth Master built those two boats to give Lanqin the pleasure of boating.
"The Princess Consort has thought of everything very carefully. We'll all go have some fun then," the Fourth Prince nodded.
The time had come, and red lanterns were hung along the entire length of Bixin Lake, a gesture of respect for the Princess Consort. The two large boats were also adorned with lanterns; although it wasn't dark yet, the colorful lights added a festive touch.
Lanqin, along with Song and Geng, arrived together, followed by Wu and Wang. Seeing the unusual arrangements and decorations, they couldn't help but beam with joy.
A temporary tent was set up, but it wasn't like a yurt; it had no roof, just a square canopy made of canvas for the actors to dress and do their makeup.
The women, stepping on flowerpot-shaped treadmills, swayed gently as they boarded the prepared large cruise ship. The two ships were connected by an iron chain, making them more stable. In case of any storms, two ships would certainly be much more stable than one.
The ship was adorned with red lanterns on both its upper and lower decks, and the approaching dusk made it appear even more luxurious. These women might never have had the chance to ride on this ship with the Fourth Prince if not for this occasion; they were fortunate to have the opportunity to do so thanks to the Prince's wife.
Lanqin and the other two, accompanied by their personal maids, boarded the pleasure boat. The first deck was unremarkable; it was simply a large cabin with doors and windows on all sides. Long benches lined the windows.
A large round table was placed in the middle of the boat, with embroidered stools underneath it.
The second floor consisted of individual rooms. Seeing that neither the Fujin (principal wife) nor the Fourth Prince had arrived, Geng Shi pulled Lanqin upstairs to look. Song Shi followed.
“Sister, Sister Song and I were only able to come up here today thanks to the Fujin’s blessing. Normally, this place is yours to use only,” Geng said with a half-smile.
“Sister Geng, what are you saying? These are all from the Fourth Prince’s residence. You are welcome to come whenever you want,” Lanqin said.
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