Fourth Master had to inform his wife, so he did not stay at Lanqin's place for lunch. He said he would come back in the evening and then left.
Lanqin, who had been playing for most of the morning, was a little tired. She went inside and saw Wuxiha asleep in her wet nurse's arms. Xichen, perhaps hungry from playing all day, was drinking milk in her wet nurse's arms.
"Take the child inside and rest for a while. Bring him back for lunch," Lanqin instructed.
After the wet nurse and the two children left, Lanqin called Nianxue over and said to them, "You two will be coming with me for a short stay. Pack some clothes and jewelry, and also pack the children's clothes and supplies. We're leaving tomorrow. You don't need to bring anything; everything is there."
Nianxue and Xicha did not hear what Lanqin and the Fourth Master were saying. They thought that their master and the Fourth Master had quarreled again, and they both looked at Lanqin with panic.
“We didn’t quarrel, you don’t need to look at me like that. I’m going to the other courtyard to accompany a distinguished guest. Master gave me this task as a test of your master’s abilities, so you two better be on your best.” Lanqin knew from the expressions of the two maids that they had misunderstood.
After hearing Lanqin's words, Nianxue and Xicha were relieved of their worries and quickly went to pack their things.
Furthermore, when the Fourth Prince arrived at the main courtyard, he saw his wife supporting the Fourth Prince Hongshi as they wrote.
"Greetings to Master!" Lingxiu was outside looking at the flowers. She used to be just a third-class maid tending the plants in this courtyard, but now no one dared to look down on her. Even when the Fujin didn't want her serving her, Lingxiu still liked to look at the flowers and plants in the courtyard, casually instructing the newly appointed maids on how to care for them. Even Xiahe, Qiuchan, and Dongmei didn't dare to provoke Lingxiu; they no longer held her in the same esteem as the Fujin.
As soon as Fourth Master entered, Lingxiu saw him, quickly patted her clothes, walked out from the corridor, and greeted Fourth Master with a bow.
"What is the Princess Consort doing?" The Fourth Prince didn't even glance at her, and continued striding into the main room.
"The Princess Consort is helping the Fourth Prince practice calligraphy. They've been doing it for an hour already." Lingxiu wanted the Fourth Prince to think that the Princess Consort was diligently teaching him.
“Hongshi is not even two years old yet, it’s too early for him to start writing.” As Fourth Master said this, he had already entered the main room.
Perhaps hearing his words, the Fujin stopped writing, flipped the words she had just written aside, and then took Hongshi's hand and walked out.
"Hongshi greets Father~" The little Fourth Prince stammered as he performed the greeting.
"Take the Fourth Prince out for a walk. Children should get more sunshine outside. It's too early for him to start writing, my lady. There's no need to make him start writing so early." The Fourth Prince picked up the Fourth Prince and weighed him in his arms before saying this.
"Yes, it's because I was too anxious that the Fourth Prince hadn't learned proper manners, that's why I was a bit impatient," the Princess Consort said with a smile.
"Take Hongshi out to see the flowers!" Fourth Master gestured for Lingxiu to take Hongshi.
The Fujin nodded and then called Xiahe in to pour tea for the Fourth Prince. She didn't know why the Fourth Prince had come at this time, but she was sure it was for something.
"Tomorrow, I will take Madam Niu to Changping for a while, so that she and her son can relax there. I will be back, and Madam Niu and her son will stay there for some time," the Fourth Prince said. After all, she was still his legal wife, and he still had to inform her before taking anyone with him on his trips.
The Fujin pondered the Fourth Prince's words, which essentially meant to take Niu Shi out for a stroll to relax, but why Changping? It's too far; it's a hundred li round trip.
"Does the Princess Consort have anything to say? If not, then it's settled." The Fourth Prince drank half a bowl of tea and prepared to get up and leave.
"My lord, is Consort Niu taking her child with her?" the consort asked hurriedly.
“Of course, Wuxiha and Xichen will go together.” The Fourth Prince glanced at his wife, not quite understanding what she meant by asking this question.
"I understand. Shall I take all my sisters to see it off tomorrow?" the Fujin asked.
"No need. Just tell them that Madam Niu took the children out for a walk. You don't need to say anything else, and you don't need to come out to see them off." After saying this, Fourth Master left.
He truly had no interest in his wife now. It wasn't just about Li Mama's affairs, but also Yan Yu's. Although the Fourth Prince hadn't reprimanded his wife, these people were all connected to her, so how could he not have any suspicions?
However, outwardly, the Fourth Prince could not easily doubt his wife, nor could he doubt the marriage arranged for him by Emperor Kangxi. Inwardly, the position of the principal wife could not be easily shaken, otherwise, the country would be unstable, and the family would be in turmoil.
After watching the Fourth Prince's departing figure for a long time, the Fujin said to Xia He, "Go and bring Lingxiu in."
Xiahe went out and found Lingxiu, who was showing Hongshi the flowers. She told her that the Fujin (principal) wanted her to go in and serve her, while she would take care of the young prince. In fact, the wet nurse had been by her side the whole time.
"My lady, what's wrong?" As soon as Lingxiu entered the room, she found the Fujin lying on the couch with an unhappy expression.
"The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, why did the master suddenly take Lady Niu to Changping?" the Fujin asked suspiciously.
"I heard that the girl in the South Courtyard had been arguing with the master for half a month, and they had just made up. Why is she leaving again? Did they start fighting again?" Lingxiu said cautiously. The Fujin's mood was as unpredictable as the weather in June. This was one of the reasons why Chunliu and Xiahe had started to dislike the Fujin. Ever since Li Mama left, the Fujin's personality had become much more gloomy.
"No, she didn't stay at Madam Yin's place that day. It seems she had something else on her mind, and it doesn't seem like she really went to relax." The Fujin felt frustrated, but she couldn't get any information out of her, so she could only make wild guesses.
"This servant will send someone to inquire, Your Highness, there's no need to be anxious," Lingxiu quickly walked behind the Princess and stroked her back.
"Go and find out. Perfect timing, she's not in the manor. Some people need to be dealt with." A glint of shrewdness flashed in the Fujin's eyes.
“What you say is timely, Madam. I’ve noticed that Consort Song and Consort Wu aren’t as respectful to you as they used to be. You’re so kind, Madam, that you’ve never set any rules for greetings, and they’re becoming even more lax now. Why don’t you set some rules so they know who the real mistress is in this household?” Lingxiu said.
"I'm afraid they're just putting on an act; they don't really respect me anymore." The princess coughed twice, her throat extremely uncomfortable.
“Your Highness, you are too kind, which is why they are so presumptuous. Why don’t we start with the morning and evening prayers tomorrow?” Lingxiu said.
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