As she wished, Lady Yehe welcomed the Fourth Prince to stay overnight that night, and the two maids served him with great joy and care.
When Song, who was sitting opposite, learned that the Fourth Prince had finally gone to Yehe's house, she was only slightly stunned for a moment before she recovered and continued to embroider a handbag for the eldest princess under the lamp.
"Master, the one on the other side has finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel," Qingping said, trimming the overburnt wick with silver scissors.
"It's only a matter of time. Yehe is not bad-looking either, just not as good-looking as Nian. Besides, how many of those chosen to enter the prince's harem are simple? It's true that the prince dotes on his concubine, but it's not like he doesn't have other women around him," Song said. "It's just that Qin'er has been gone for so long, and I miss her quite a bit."
"Yes, the mistress and the concubine are very close. They made so many little clothes for the Third Princess and several sets for Young Master Xichen as well," Qingping said.
“I don’t have much to give as a gift, only these handicrafts. The clothes are almost wearable, I need to find an opportunity to send them to Master, and then pass them on to Qin’er,” Madam Song said gently.
"Then shall I go and find Su Peisheng? He should be right across the street right now," Qingping said.
Song nodded and then stopped talking, continuing to do her embroidery.
Qingping walked to the window and looked at the commotion across the street. She saw Yulu come out, seemingly to fetch water. When she saw Qingping standing at the window watching, she revealed a smug and triumphant expression.
Qingping didn't take it to heart and kept looking over there. She saw that Su Peisheng finally came out. Perhaps it was difficult to serve him alone in the house, so he came out to wait for her.
Qingping quickly walked out of the house, strode to the middle of the courtyard, and called out to Su Peisheng, "Eunuch Su?"
Su Peisheng was about to take out his "all-nighter's secret weapon"—a small pipe—from his waist to take a few puffs when he heard someone call out. He turned around and saw that it was Song Gege's maid.
"Miss Qingping, is that you calling me?" Su Peisheng replied.
"Yes, my daughter has something to ask of you, Father-in-law. I wonder if you could come over and have a talk with her?" Qingping Ke said politely.
Su Peisheng hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at Yehe's house before walking towards Song's house.
Qingping led Su Peisheng into Song's room, where Song was still embroidering under the lamplight. Hearing footsteps, she turned around and saw Qingping and Su Peisheng approaching.
"Greetings to Princess Song!" Su Peisheng bowed.
"Oh dear, Eunuch Su, please don't. I have something I'd like to ask you to do me a favor," Madam Song quickly said, getting up warmly.
"I wonder what Your Highness's instructions are? This servant cannot stay any longer, for fear of offending you. What are your orders, Your Highness?" Su Peisheng said.
"Yes, I won't keep Eunuch Su for long, just a few words. I've made some clothes for Wuxiha and Xichen, and I wonder if I could ask you to give them to Master. Master can take them with him when he goes to Lanqin's next visit. They're all seasonal clothes. Consort has been gone for several months now, and I haven't seen her at all; she misses me dearly," said Madam Song.
Upon hearing this, Su Peisheng felt relieved and immediately replied with a smile, "That's easy. Princess, please give those clothes to me, and I will certainly deliver them to the Consort."
Madam Song nodded and instructed Qingping to quickly fetch the things she had prepared. Qingping took out a large bundle and a purse in her other hand, which Madam Song had prepared for Su Peisheng.
Su Peisheng took the bundle but refused to take the purse. He knew that Song's allowance was already meager, and there was still some left to make clothes for the eldest princess. Now, with the money also going towards making clothes for Lanqin's child, the expenses would probably be considerable.
“Princess, to be frank with you, I’ve already taken quite a few purses from Consort. If she knew I was taking yours, she’d probably kill me. I understand your intentions, but you should take the purses back. Taking purses to give Consort something else shows you don’t trust me,” Su Peisheng insisted.
Seeing that Su Peisheng was very insistent, Madam Song didn't press the matter further. She didn't have much money on her, and she needed to bribe officials to avoid being taken advantage of. Although Lanqin's protection meant that no one dared to bully her anymore, the Fujin (Madam's wife) always had some ways to deal with things, didn't she?
Su Peisheng had intended to leave, but then he thought about the matter of the eldest princess, and realized that Madam Song probably didn't know about it yet. So he thought for a moment and said to Madam Song, "Princess Song, the eldest princess's marriage needs to be settled quickly, otherwise there might be changes. That's all I can say."
Song was taken aback, and quickly gave Su Peisheng a grateful smile.
Just as Su Peisheng walked out of Song's room with the bundle, Yulu returned with water. Seeing Su Peisheng coming out of Song's side, she wondered, "Why did Eunuch Su go to Song Gege's side?"
However, she didn't dare to ask, and just pretended not to see it, carrying the hot water into the house.
Fourth Master stayed in Yehe's room until 7 PM, but surprisingly didn't stay overnight and left. Su Peisheng hadn't expected this; he was planning to talk to Tao Hua and the others later to find him a place to sleep for half the night. Previously, this room was occupied by Wang Shi, and Fourth Master had almost never been here, so Su Peisheng wasn't familiar with the area. Now, Yehe's room had finally gotten Fourth Master to come.
"Let's go back to the front yard." Fourth Master was already dressed, and his expression was unreadable.
Su Peisheng immediately said, "Master, please go first. This servant will go get a bundle and follow you right away."
Without asking any questions, Fourth Master simply strode away. Su Peisheng immediately jogged to the room with Peach Blossom, retrieved the bundle that Madam Song had given him, and then jogged after Fourth Master.
"What is that?" Fourth Master heard Su Peisheng, who was panting heavily, follow behind.
"These clothes were made by Consort Song for the Third Princess and Young Master Xichen. She asked this servant to deliver them to the Consort. Consort Song's craftsmanship is truly excellent; the fabrics used are the best from her allowance," Su Peisheng said carefully.
The Fourth Master's pace slowed noticeably. After a moment of silence, he said, "Tomorrow, according to the old custom, pick some rewards for Lady Yehe. Lady Song hasn't received any rewards in a long time. Bring over the five bolts of plain satin and five bolts of Suzhou satin from my storeroom as rewards for her."
Su Peisheng was overjoyed and quickly said, "This servant has remembered."
Meanwhile, after the Fourth Prince left, Yehe's room was somewhat quiet. She was still lying in bed when the Fourth Prince got up to wash and told her not to get up or see him off, saying that he had things to take care of and wouldn't stay overnight.
But how could it be like this? After London was over, he just abandoned her and left without even saying a few kind words.
Yehe felt a little sad, even though she knew she was just one of the Fourth Prince's many women.
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