After the gatekeeper reported that Lanqin and the others had boarded the carriage, the Fourth Prince breathed a sigh of relief. He had already sent someone from the kiln to check on Ye Ying, and it was indeed her. The Fourth Prince had no impression of Madam Yin to begin with. Last time, she was confined to her quarters for a year for deliberately framing Lanqin, yet she showed no remorse. Now that she had adopted the Third Prince, she didn't treat her well at all; she was utterly despicable.
The Fourth Prince sat upright on the long-backed chair behind the study, pondered for a moment, and said to Su Peisheng, who was standing to the side, "Go and tell the Princess Consort that I will have lunch with her at noon."
At that moment, the Fujin was teaching Hongshi calligraphy. Although news had come from Zhao Quan that morning that the Fourth Prince had been sullen since returning from the South Courtyard the previous night, she knew that only by holding the two-year-old child in her arms could she evoke even a sliver of gratitude in him. Wu Shi had come the previous night, conveying Yin Shi's words. Those words had bothered the Fujin all night, so much so that this morning, her eyes were slightly dark.
After accompanying Hongshi in reciting characters for a while, the Fujin (principal wife) became slightly tired, so she stood up and asked the maids serving Hongshi to continue urging him to write.
With her keen observation, Lingxiu quickly helped the princess with the gold nail guard adorned with kingfisher feathers and gemstones that the princess had extended. Carefully observing the princess's expression, she said ingratiatingly, "Princess, how about I help you go back to sleep for a while?"
"Lingxiu, have you completed the task I instructed you to do?" The princess took Lingxiu's hand and stepped out of the study, heading towards the main bed.
"Don't worry, this servant has already gone to see that Chef Huang. He's received so many favors from the Fujin over the years, it's time for him to do his job." Lingxiu said with an extremely obsequious smile.
"Hmm. I didn't sleep well last night, and I'm really not feeling well. Help me to rest." The princess yawned slightly.
When Zhao Quan eagerly arrived at the main courtyard, the Fujin (principal wife) had already gone to sleep. Lingxiu was outside, inspecting the flowers in the courtyard for anything improper, surrounded by two maids who listened timidly to her comments. Because she herself had originally been just a third-class maid tending flowers and plants, and had only caught the Fujin's eye because of her excellent care of them, she always demanded that the flowers and plants in the Fujin's courtyard be vibrant and thriving.
"Oh, this humble servant greets Sister Lingxiu!" When Zhao Quan came in, he saw Lingxiu instructing the maids on how to water the plants. He immediately walked up to Lingxiu and said with a fawning smile.
Lingxiu turned around and saw it was him. She quickly put on a smile and said, "Oh, it's Brother Zhao. This servant is unworthy of such praise. Does Master have a message for us?"
Zhao Quan nodded with a grin and said, "Everyone says Sister Lingxiu is clever, and she really is. Master said he'll come over for lunch."
Upon hearing this, Lingxiu immediately broke into a big smile and said, "Really? And who is it?" She deliberately lowered her voice as she spoke.
Seeing her caution, Zhao Quan also lowered his voice, covering his mouth with his hand, and said, "I heard my master instruct the carriage that the concubine has gone back to her parents' home."
Lingxiu was startled, then a hint of excitement appeared in her eyes as she said, "Really? Okay, I understand. Brother Zhao, you should go back now. The Fujin is sleeping right now."
Zhao Quan was a little disappointed and reluctant to leave, saying, "Then I'm leaving. Sister Lingxiu, don't forget to tell the Fujin."
Lingxiu readily agreed, but after he left, she revealed a contemptuous smile and turned to the two maids, saying, "You two are not allowed to spread what you just said, understand?"
The two maids didn't dare to listen at all and quickly curtsied and begged for mercy.
Lingxiu swayed contentedly as she turned and walked towards the main room of the Fujin (Prince's wife). Just as she reached the door, she saw the door to the study open. Little Hongshi groped his way out.
The maidservant who was serving him also came out. Lingxiu looked at Hongshi and went over to the young prince, saying, "Fourth Prince, shall we go with Sister Lingxiu to see if our stepmother has woken up yet?"
Hongshi already regarded his wife as his mother. Although she was strict with him, at his age, he naturally became close to whoever he spent the most time with.
"Okay. Is your stepmother sleeping?" Hongshi asked in his childish voice. And you know what? He did look quite like the Fourth Prince, and with Li's genes in him, he was quite handsome.
“Yes, Fourth Prince, why don’t you go and wake up your stepmother? When your father comes later, you can have lunch with Hongshi, okay?” Lingxiu squatted down and took Hongshi’s hand.
"Okay," Hongshi said in his childish voice.
Lingxiu smiled and took his chubby little hand, leading him into the Fujin's room.
When the Fourth Prince arrived, he found Hongshi and his wife admiring fish in the house. Hongshi especially loved goldfish, so his wife specially commissioned a glass craftsman to make him a large, transparent fishbowl, similar to a 21st-century aquarium. The fishbowl was filled with various stones and aquatic plants, and all sorts of small fish swam around inside.
Because it's winter, the fish basin was moved indoors.
The Fourth Prince silently watched as his wife held Hongshi's little hand and stood by the fish basin, discussing with him which fish was good and which one they ate the most, completely unaware that he was already standing at the door.
Lingxiu had always wanted the Fourth Prince to witness the scene of his wife and son Hongshi enjoying each other's company, so she kept an eye on the doorway. Therefore, she noticed the Fourth Prince's arrival. However, just to let the Fourth Prince see this scene of mother and son being affectionate, Lingxiu deliberately pretended not to know anything.
It's unclear which maidservant suddenly saw the Fourth Prince standing at the door, but she quickly curtsied and greeted him, thus interrupting the Princess Consort and Hongshi.
"Hongshi, quickly pay your respects to your father." The Fujin took Hongshi's hand and walked to the Fourth Prince.
"Hongshi greets Father!" Although Hongshi is only two years old, he is exceptionally intelligent. In addition, after being taught by his wife for more than a year, he is already quite proficient.
The Fourth Prince's heart skipped a beat, and he looked at Hongshi and asked, "Hongshi, do you like goldfish very much?"
Hongshi nodded earnestly and said, "Yes, those fish are really beautiful. Father, let me teach you to identify them."
The princess chuckled and was about to say that the fourth prince wanted to have a meal when the fourth prince spoke first: "Alright, Hongshi, come and teach Father to recognize goldfish."
When the Fujin saw that the Fourth Prince and Hongshi had indeed gone to admire the fish, she let the father and son go as they pleased. She then gave Lingxiu a wink, and the latter quickly went out to arrange for someone to bring the meal.
Fourth Master sat with Hongshi by the fish basin and actually followed Hongshi to identify each goldfish inside. After Hongshi's explanation, it turned out that each one had its own unique characteristics.
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