"Su Peisheng, come in." Fourth Master did not respond to Madam Yin's words, but instead called Su Peisheng, who was serving outside, in.
Upon hearing this, Su Peisheng immediately scurried in, bowing low.
As soon as Madam Yin saw him come in, she knew something was wrong. Sure enough, she heard Fourth Master say that Su Peisheng should help him back.
Ye Ying was anxious, but Madam Yin still smiled and said to Su Peisheng, "Father-in-law, why don't you go back and call a few servants over? The master looks a bit drunk, and you probably can't carry him back by yourself."
Su Peisheng, being a shrewd man, was unwilling to leave at this moment. He quickly smiled and said, "Princess Yin, don't worry. This servant can carry Master back by himself. Besides, Master isn't drunk. He can walk back with support. If that's not possible, Miss Ye Ying can help this servant walk back as well."
Madam Yin cursed inwardly, but outwardly she still refused to let Fourth Master leave so easily.
"The Third Prince went to get his calligraphy, saying he'd show it to you, Master. Why don't you go and bring some hangover soup first, Master?" Madam Yin said again.
Fourth Master was in a daze, only feeling a bit of a headache. Hearing what Madam Yin said, he nodded.
Su Peisheng had no choice but to stand aside, ready to receive any orders from the Fourth Master.
A moment later, Ye Ying brought up a cup of hangover soup, intending to give it to Fourth Master, but Su Peisheng snatched it from her hands first.
"Let me do it. Miss doesn't know the master's temper. I used to serve him when he was sobering up," Su Peisheng said with a smile.
Madam Yin remained silent, her displeasure evident, which could be considered tacit agreement.
After Su Peisheng served the Fourth Master some hangover soup, the Fourth Master was still confused and kept calling out, "Where is Hongjun's calligraphy? Come, let me see it?"
Lady Yin had already instructed her maid to prepare the Third Prince's calligraphy. Although the Third Prince had not yet arrived, his calligraphy was presented to the Fourth Prince.
Su Peisheng, serving nearby, thought to himself: Isn't this just an obvious attempt to keep the master here?
At this moment, the Fourth Prince felt deeply indebted to the Third Prince, and he indeed began to carefully examine the Third Prince's handwriting.
The group stood there awkwardly until Fourth Master finished reading, then said to Su Peisheng, "Tomorrow, go and fetch the Huizhou ink and inkstone from my place and give them to Hongjun. Tell him that his calligraphy has improved a lot, and Father wants to see it again next time. Keep practicing. That's all for today. Help me back."
Su Peisheng immediately reached out to help the Fourth Master up. Madam Yin felt her face stiffen, but she had no choice but to stand up and bow to the Fourth Master, saying, "This concubine respectfully sees you off, Your Highness! Ye Ying, quickly go and get the lamp. It's very dark outside now. Light the lamp for Eunuch Su."
Ye Ying dared not delay and hurriedly went to get the gas lamp, standing in front to light the way. Su Peisheng grabbed Fourth Master's waist, wrapped one of his arms around his neck, and helped Fourth Master slowly walk out.
Madam Yin saw them off at the door. After watching the three of them walk towards the entrance of the west courtyard, she saw Madam Wu across the way opening the window and looking at her.
"With the concubine away, my sister has really gone to great lengths," Wu Shi couldn't help but mock from the window. Her voice was never quiet, and because it was night, Yin Shi, though standing at her own doorway, could hear her clearly.
"Sister, it's so late, aren't you going to sleep yet? It's a pity that even if we wait until dawn, she won't come." Madam Yin rarely spoke directly to Madam Wu like this, and today she was also upset, so she couldn't help but retort.
"I can't wait, just like you using the Third Prince's name to flatter and fawn. I wonder if the Third Prince knows you're using him." Wu Shi was straightforward by nature and had always looked down on Yin Shi, so she was furious at this moment.
Madam Yin glanced at it, then turned and went back into the house. She knew that if she continued to argue with Madam Wu like this, she would only become a laughing stock.
"Princess, please don't get upset. It's getting late. Let me help you wash up," said Hongqian, Wu's maid. Since Wu was reprimanded last time, she had toned down her temper and was no longer as lenient with these maids as before.
In truth, Wu was merely a fiery-tempered woman; otherwise, she harbored no malicious intent. Since becoming close to Lanqin and the others, she no longer needed to constantly flatter and fawn over Li Shi. She wasn't worried about being used as a pawn by Li Shi anymore; on the contrary, she lived a much more relaxed and carefree life. In any case, Fourth Master now doted almost exclusively on Lanqin, ignoring everyone else. With Lanqin absent, Yin Shi had long been plotting, sitting in the room, waiting to see her make a fool of herself.
"I'm not upset at all, I'm happy. Hongqian, have those girls keep a close eye on the other side. Who knows what kind of trouble they might cause? With the concubine not here, she's getting restless," Wu Shi said.
Actually, there was another person living in this west courtyard who was looking at Madam Yin just like her, and that was Madam Geng.
“Princess, the master was helped back by Ye Ying from Su Peisheng and Princess Yin’s room. He did not stay overnight,” Green Lan said to Madam Geng, who was embroidering in front of her embroidery frame.
"In the end, nothing was left." Geng was embroidering a double-sided embroidery, depicting an old fisherman fishing in the snow, just like the poem "Fishing".
"Madam Yin tried to curry favor with the master through the Third Prince. But it didn't work out," said Lülan.
“If it doesn’t work now, how do you know it won’t work later?” Geng said.
Green Orchid glanced at Madam Geng in surprise and said, "Princess, stop embroidering. You're embroidering these tedious things. Be careful with your eyes. What do the embroiderers in the manor do?"
Madam Geng glanced back and said, "I don't have anything to do. Embroidering is just a way to pass the time. Alright, you're getting more and more unruly. Now I'm under your control. Let's fetch water."
In an instant, all the maids in the west courtyard came out to fetch water for their masters. Just moments before, they had been like trapped beasts lying dormant in the winter snow, watching every movement and stillness elsewhere. Now that Fourth Master had left, they all came out and went about their business.
At this moment, in the main courtyard, the Fujin was throwing a tantrum, so angry that she broke one of the nail guards in her hand and threw it on the ground.
"Utterly useless. You've gone to such lengths, and you still couldn't keep him?" the princess spat out with displeasure.
"Your Highness, please be careful. Sigh, Consort Yin is really something. To ensure she can gain favor, the Fujin even gave her that thing." Lingxiu carefully observed the Fujin's expression and said.
"That's right. With Lady Niu away, as long as the Fourth Prince slept with her, it would be a good start. At least it would dampen Lady Niu's arrogance. I never expected—" The Fujin was still angry.
"Madam, let me think about it for you again. There's still a long life ahead of you, so please don't upset yourself," Lingxiu said, patting Madam's back.
“They’re all causing me so much trouble. Tomorrow, take this letter to my father,” the princess said.
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