The next day, the Fourth Master got up as usual; he hadn't slept well the night before either. Ever since that servant uttered the words "Granny Li," he hadn't felt at ease.
Is the Fujin (principal wife) also involved? Could it be that she wants to kill Lan'er, and Li Shi as well?
With these questions in mind, Fourth Master naturally didn't sleep well all night. When he woke up in the morning, he wasn't very energetic.
If the Fujin (Prince's wife) is truly implicated, then it means she will be punished! To plot against a princess, or even her offspring, does she deserve to be a Fujin? The first principle for the royal family in choosing a prince's primary Fujin is that she must be well-educated, gentle, kind, broad-minded, and tolerant, so that she can help her husband have more children and ensure the prosperity of the royal lineage.
Alas, being a primary consort (嫡夫妻) was truly not easy. Not only did she have to tolerate her husband taking concubines, and having many concubines, and then bearing many children, but she also had to worry herself sick taking care of this one and caring for that one. No wonder most primary consorts of Qing dynasty princes were not favored. Indeed, no amount of kindness could withstand the allure of beautiful, delicate women.
After Su Peisheng served him breakfast, the Fourth Prince asked the Third Prince, "Didn't Lady Yin go back yesterday?"
Su Peisheng bowed and said, "Princess Yin has been staying in the Third Prince's room. This servant has already sent someone to deliver breakfast to her."
Fourth Master nodded, naturally feeling a bit more favorably disposed towards Madam Yin.
After finishing his meal, the Fourth Prince walked over to the Third Prince's side.
Lady Yin had already washed and dressed under Ye Ying's care, and was now personally helping the Third Prince wash up.
When the Fourth Prince entered, he saw this scene: Lady Yin was personally helping the Third Prince braid his hair.
"Third Prince, how did you accidentally slip into the Reed Pond yesterday?" Madam Yin asked carefully, her voice gentle and without reproach, but it sounded like she was showing concern.
"Yes. I was trying to catch a dragonfly, but it flew to the edge of the reed pond, and I accidentally fell into the water." The Third Prince knew that he had been rescued by the Fourth Prince yesterday, and his face was full of trepidation, afraid that his father would blame him.
"When you go out to play in the future, you must bring a servant with you, otherwise you won't know if something happens. Okay?" Madam Yin tied a maroon rope to the end of the Third Prince's hair, and then the braid was finished.
The Third Prince nodded.
The Fourth Prince then lifted the curtain and went inside. He had been standing behind them, listening to their conversation for a while.
"Greetings to Master!" Madam Yin quickly stood up and curtsied.
When the Third Prince saw the Fourth Prince arrive, his face was filled with trepidation. He was about to apologize when the Fourth Prince spoke first.
"No need to say more. Your Aunt Yin is right. When you go out to play in the future, you must bring someone with you. If anyone dares to be unfaithful to you, just come and tell your father." The Fourth Prince walked to the Third Prince's side and raised his hand to touch his crescent-shaped hair.
"Panchun, you should go back and rest. The new nanny is outside," Fourth Master said.
Madam Yin bowed slightly and agreed, but couldn't help saying with concern, "Third Prince, when you feel better, come to your aunt's place again. I've made you a few sets of underwear; see if they fit."
The Third Prince nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Auntie."
After Madam Yin and her servants left, the Fourth Prince pulled the Third Prince to his side and asked guiltily, "Why didn't you tell Father that the servants weren't serving you properly? Even if you didn't tell Father, why didn't you tell your Aunt Niu?"
The Third Prince immediately lowered his head in grievance, his eyes filled with tears. His father's words sounded like a reproach, but were actually words of concern.
"Tell me, has your father been neglecting you too much? Your father wants to find you a mother who will care for you every day, okay?" The Fourth Prince raised his hand and lifted the Third Prince's chin, making him look at him at eye level.
The Third Prince looked at the Fourth Prince with teary eyes, which made the Fourth Prince feel even more pity for him.
“You’re a big boy now, don’t cry. You won’t tell your father if you’re upset. Don’t do that next time.” Fourth Master became even more gentle.
"My son wants to go to Aunt Niu's place," the Third Prince said, wiping away his tears.
The Fourth Prince glanced at the Third Prince suspiciously, somewhat surprised. He had expected the Third Prince to mention Lanqin. However, the boy seemed to have blurted it out without even thinking.
"Why do you want to go to Aunt Yin's place?" Fourth Master couldn't help but ask.
“Aunt Yin is good to Hongjun, and Hongjun likes Aunt Yin too,” the Third Prince replied.
"Isn't Aunt Niu very good to you, and you like her too? Why don't you choose her?" Fourth Master asked.
“Aunt Niu is about to give birth to her little brother, and Hongjun thinks it’s best not to take up Aunt Niu’s energy so that she can take good care of the little brother,” the Third Prince said sensibly.
Hearing this, the Fourth Prince felt a pang of sadness, recalling the days when he returned to Consort De's side as a child. Seeing how close his mother was to the newborn Fourteenth Prince, while her relationship with him was always cold and distant, that feeling was truly awful.
"Then so be it. Father will arrange for your wife to be raised by her family on a chosen day." The Fourth Prince couldn't help but pull the Third Prince into his arms.
"Thank you, Father. Father, I have something to tell you, but I don't know if I should." The Third Prince looked up and said.
"Go ahead and tell your father everything." The Fourth Prince affectionately patted the Third Prince's head.
“Once, my son saw Cai Yang talking to Chunliu, a maid from his mother’s side. When they saw that my son had seen them, they immediately left, as if they were afraid that my son would hear their conversation,” the Third Prince said earnestly.
The Fourth Prince's handsome brows furrowed, and he asked, "Do people from the Fujin's side come over often?"
The Third Prince, not understanding the Fourth Prince's meaning in asking this question, thought for a moment and then said, "I've seen her a few times, but my stepmother has never come."
The Fourth Prince patted the Third Prince's head and said, "Jun'er, from now on no one will dare to be unfaithful to you. Study hard with Master Zhu. When you get to Aunt Yin's place, you can come and talk to your father anytime, understand?"
The Third Prince nodded as if he understood but not quite.
When the Fourth Prince returned to the front courtyard from the Third Prince's place, his face was extremely gloomy. "Go and summon Cai Yang to the study to see me."
Su Peisheng suddenly realized that Cai Yang was probably in trouble.
Fourth Master sat behind his desk, picked up a wolf-hair brush, and began to write on a sheet of Xuan paper. Cai Yang was called in, but he only bowed and stood before the desk, not daring to disturb Fourth Master's refined enjoyment.
"Cai Yang, someone saw you whispering with Chunliu from the Fujin's quarters. Is that true?" The Fourth Prince continued to wield his brush without looking up, and asked directly.
"This servant...this servant only happened to run into Chunliu. She told this servant that the Fujin had instructed this servant to take good care of the Third Prince." Upon hearing this, Cai Yang broke out in a cold sweat. He had no choice but to suppress the immense fear in his heart, because Song Mama had been dragged away yesterday. He had thought he had escaped a calamity, but unexpectedly, it had come full circle.
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