When the four dishes and soup were served to the Fourth Master, Su Peisheng bowed and personally served the Fourth Master his meal, saying, "This servant also sent someone to deliver dinner to the Thirteenth Master."
Fourth Master nodded and casually asked, "Are Wang Shi and Geng Shi the ones who came this time?"
Su Peisheng's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately nodded and replied, "Yes, Master. You've been jostled around in the carriage for the past few days. How about this old servant goes and calls Princess Wang to come and massage your neck and clear your head?"
Fourth Master paused with his chopsticks and said in a deep voice, "When did it become your business to arrange who serves me? Did you take their money?"
In fact, it wasn't just Su Peisheng who understood the Fourth Master; the Fourth Master also understood Su Peisheng, this servant, quite well. There must be a reason why he would mention someone, because Su Peisheng was definitely not the kind of servant who talked nonsense.
Upon hearing this, Su Peisheng nearly dropped the chopsticks he was holding. He immediately put them down, knelt down, and replied, "This servant wouldn't dare. This servant was just speaking offhand. Please let Master know which princess to summon."
Fourth Master glanced at Su Peisheng kneeling at his feet, remained silent for a long time, and then said coldly, "How long have you been following me?"
Su Peisheng was startled and immediately regretted accepting the money from Madam Wang. She had only asked Su Peisheng to mention her name at the right time and in the right way; whether Fourth Master would look for her was up to his master. Su Peisheng thought to himself, "I'm already out here with only these two people. I just said it casually, so why not accept it?"
“Master, it’s been fifteen years. When you were ten, I was thirteen and I came to serve you.” Su Peisheng pressed his head against the cold blue bricks, but he was very nervous and even his back was covered in a thin layer of sweat.
"Is there anyone else in your family?" Fourth Master continued calmly.
"This servant is orphaned and has no family left." Su Peisheng's heart began to pound with anxiety. He had served the Fourth Master for over a decade and had long regarded him as the only person he could rely on in his life. He really shouldn't have coveted Wang's purse.
"Since that's the case, I'll treat you as my confidant. How have I treated you all these years you've been by my side?" Fourth Master continued, his face grim.
"My lord's kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain; even if I were to be shattered to pieces, I could not repay even a fraction of it." Su Peisheng began to wonder what the Fourth Master was trying to say. He knew that the Fourth Master did not like people around him using power struggles and tricks to curry favor with him, but it was not enough for him to say something like this on behalf of Madam Wang.
"Alright, enough with the empty talk. I just want to tell you that I'll be relying on you a lot from now on. Just do your job well for me. Get up," Fourth Master said.
Su Peisheng wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with the blue embroidered wave pattern on his sleeve and continued to serve food to the Fourth Master. In his heart, he began to miss the time when Lanqin was in front of the master. They didn't have to guess the Fourth Master's intentions like this. That Niu Gege could understand the Fourth Master's temper perfectly and still dared to give him a hard time.
After dinner, Su Peisheng helped the Fourth Master wash his hands and mouth. After he finished washing up, the Fourth Master said quietly, "Go and call Wang Shi here."
Upon hearing this, Su Peisheng was first taken aback, then sighed inwardly: it turned out he had worried for nothing; perhaps the Fourth Master hadn't said those words to him after he mentioned Wang Shi.
When Madam Wang received Su Peisheng's message, she was overjoyed. She made sure Zhu Yun looked her up and down before calming her wildly beating heart and following Su Peisheng.
As they passed by Geng's door, Geng saw Wang dressed in her finest attire, sighed inwardly, and continued to embroider her sachet.
Upon escorting him to the Fourth Master's door, Su Peisheng called out to the inner room, "Master, Princess Wang has arrived."
Inside, only a soft "hmm" was heard. Su Peisheng then gestured for Wang to leave before immediately withdrawing. Wang, assuming it was due to his influence, gratefully bowed slightly to Su Peisheng.
When Madam Wang pushed open the door to the Fourth Prince's room, she saw him sitting behind a long desk, engrossed in writing something. She gently walked to the desk and softly called out, "Your Highness, you've been busy all day. Let me massage your shoulders."
Fourth Master looked up, glanced at Madam Wang, then continued writing, saying, "Go make the bed first, and then help me change my clothes later."
Having traveled for two days, and with another busy day, the Fourth Prince was feeling a bit irritable. His mind was filled with thoughts of how to urge the local officials to implement Kangxi's decrees as quickly as possible. He had called Wang Shi here to relieve some of the physical tension and to clear his head.
What is that little thing Lanqin doing now? I haven't seen her for days, and I can't help but think of her again and again! This is also one of the reasons why Fourth Master called Wang Shi over.
He had always been someone the women in the inner quarters thought about and speculated about; he had never cared so much about a woman, especially a young woman who didn't understand "rules."
Fourth Master had to admit that Lanqin was the only woman he missed so much since losing Hanshuang.
Upon hearing this, Madam Wang didn't feel wronged at all. After all, weren't they, as princesses, just there to warm the Fourth Prince's bed? She walked to the bedside, began to pull back the quilt, and climbed onto the bed, spreading the sheets around. Even her hands, painted with bright red nail polish, couldn't help but tremble slightly.
Finally, I have a chance. I must seize it and try to gain the Fourth Prince's exclusive favor during this time away from home, so that I can have a child and secure a place in the mansion in the future.
The moment Wang turned to make the bed, Fourth Master couldn't help but wonder how Lanqin would react if he had said those words to her. She certainly wouldn't have obediently gone to make the bed like that.
As Madam Wang was excitedly thinking about how to win the emperor's favor, she suddenly felt a surge of heat from below. Feeling uneasy, she went behind the screen, lifted her skirt, and peeked inside.
Sunflower water has arrived!!!
Madam Wang was stunned and stood there dumbfounded. Her period was always irregular, so she hadn't paid attention to whether these past few days were her period. At this moment, she felt an indescribable sense of entanglement and embarrassment. She had finally been able to serve the Fourth Master, and now her period had to come of all times. Her luck was simply terrible.
Knowing that she could not serve the Fourth Master in this way, Madam Wang had no choice but to step out from behind the screen and report the truth to him.
Fourth Master didn't mind. He had only called Wang Shi over to relax, but when she said she had started her period, he told her to go back to her room and stay there. Then he called Su Peisheng in, took Wang Shi back, and went to call Geng Shi.
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