“No, Fifth Princess is still too young. If this silver fish gets stuck in her throat, it could be terrible,” said Zhou Mama, Wuxiha’s wet nurse.
"The silverfish meat is tender and very small; it's already turned into minced meat. Try it yourself if you don't believe me. I think Fifth Sister really wants to eat some," said the Third Prince.
Sure enough, as Ushiha watched them eat, his mouth started watering. And Ushiha had already grown several teeth, both upper and lower, so he could chew some simple things.
"This pineapple flesh is quite good, why don't we feed some to Fifth Sister?" Second Princess suggested. The little girl had already blossomed into a beauty, and although she was rarely seen, she had the air of a well-bred young lady and was extremely skilled at needlework.
Seeing that Wuxiha was indeed very hungry, Granny Zhou used the spoon in front of her to scoop up some pineapple pieces, and then scooped up some silver fish egg custard. All the children were watching Wuxiha as Granny Zhou fed her a little bit of pineapple.
The little girl had two round buns on her head, tied with hair ornaments made of red coral, and wore a thin jacket made of bright pink satin. She looked every bit the chubby little girl from a wealthy family.
When she stuck out her little tongue and licked the salty and sweet taste of the pineapple flesh, she immediately and without hesitation put the pineapple flesh in the spoon into her mouth, her speed leaving her older brothers and sisters speechless.
"See? Fifth Princess really enjoys it," Second Princess said with a smile. Granny Zhou, seeing Wuxiha happily chewing the meat in her mouth, exclaimed in alarm, "My little mistress, if you can't chew it properly, don't swallow it! Spit it into Granny's palm, understand?"
Ushiha seemed to understand what Granny Zhou said. While chewing with her few front teeth, she greedily looked at the other dishes on the table.
"Fifth Sister, would you like to eat these meatballs again?" the Third Prince asked, pointing to a plate of five-colored meatballs. These meatballs were made with five different foods: the green ones were made with mung beans and leafy greens; the black ones were made with mushrooms and black fungus; the white ones were made with fish; the pink ones were made with carrots; the lotus root-colored ones were made with lotus root; and the beige ones were made with minced beef.
Ushiha actually nodded, looking at the Third Prince with a grin.
Granny Zhou was completely bewildered by the gluttonous Fifth Princess in her arms. A little toddler, not even a year old, actually wanted to attend a banquet.
Meanwhile, the game of passing a flower while drumming began at the adults' banquet. Unsurprisingly, the first bouquet landed in Madam Nian's hands. Everyone, eager to see what she would perform, all held their chopsticks and watched Madam Nian.
Lady Nian, however, was not intimidated at all. She said shyly to the Fourth Prince, "Your Highness, Madam, I have prepared a dance. I would like to ask Madam to prepare the music."
Yehe quickly replied, "I wonder what kind of music Sister Nian would like? I can certainly entertain you."
Seeing this, the princess clapped her hands and said, "Perfect! Princess Ye is good at playing musical instruments, so why don't we have her accompany you?"
Lady Nian had intended to stand out and attract the Fourth Prince's attention, but she never expected to bring Lady Yehe into the picture. However, since the Princess Consort had spoken up, and seeing the Fourth Prince glance at Lady Yehe a few times, she had no choice but to agree. Lady Nian and Lady Yehe went to change their clothes, while everyone continued eating and drinking.
When the two women came out after changing their clothes, Nian Shi was wearing a peach-pink dress and her hair was down. With her exquisite makeup, she looked very comfortable in her dance costume. Ye He Shi, on the other hand, hadn't changed her clothes. She was sitting behind a long table carved with a double fish playing with a pearl, holding her zither. She looked calm and composed, having regained some of the appearance she had when she first entered the manor.
The music flowed gently from her delicate, jade-like fingers, as white as scallions. Nian Shi danced gracefully to the music, fluttering like a colorful butterfly. Her movements were elegant and charming, captivating even Lan Qin, who was deeply moved by the beauty of the woman and the grace of her dance.
Just then, Lanqin felt a little uncomfortable in her stomach. The little one inside suddenly became restless, kicking and thrashing about as if it were boxing.
Everyone was captivated by Nian's beautiful and graceful dance and Ye's melodious and moving zither music, and no one noticed the change in Lanqin's expression.
"Sister, what's wrong?" Madam Song noticed that Lanqin seemed a little strange beside her, so she asked softly.
"The little guy inside is moving quite a bit. I'm afraid these kinds of noises are disturbing his sleep," Lanqin said, frowning.
"How about I help you go for a walk?" Madam Song said. "Do you need to relieve yourself? I remember when I was pregnant with the eldest princess, I had to go to the toilet every few months for the next few months."
Lanqin nodded to Madam Song, who quickly called over Cui Niang, who was standing at the door, and together they helped Lanqin up from her seat and quietly led her toward the door.
The three of them went outside, and Lanqin felt that it was much cooler outside.
When Fourth Master saw Madam Song helping Lanqin walk out, he wondered if she was feeling unwell. He whispered a few words to Su Peisheng, who was waiting nearby, signaling him to follow and check on her.
"Your Highness, it seems that Lady Yehe's zither skills have improved again," the Princess Consort said softly to the Fourth Prince.
Looking at Yehe Shi, the Fourth Prince suddenly felt that same thought again. He didn't know why, but lately he had become increasingly infatuated with Yehe Shi's body. Every time he left Yehe Shi's place, the Fourth Prince felt a sense of bewilderment. It wasn't that he was particularly moved, but lately he felt his sexual desires were growing stronger. Sometimes, when he was handling matters in the palace, he would suddenly feel a fire burning within him. He had tried seeking out others, such as Nian Shi, Wu Shi, and even Geng Shi and Song Shi, but none of them could extinguish the fire in his heart. Only when he was with Yehe Shi could he find the greatest satisfaction.
"Could it be that I've always been such a lecherous person?" Fourth Master wondered to himself. He was even a little afraid to face Lanqin, so recently he only went to greet her after she had fallen asleep.
Is it that you yourself can't accept such a indulgent version of yourself?
Fourth Master silently asked himself, "Lanqin didn't really accept my gaze just now, so she must be feeling uncomfortable."
Yehe noticed that the Fourth Prince's gaze was intentionally or unintentionally sweeping over her, and she knew that he was probably upset again and would come to see her again tonight. The dance ended, but Lanqin and Songshi had not yet returned.
Lady Nian also went out to change her clothes. Lady Yehe saw that the Fujin (principal wife) gave her a wink, so she gracefully walked to the Fourth Prince's side.
"You can sit next to the master and serve him," the Fujin said hastily. Originally, the seat next to the Fourth Master was empty. After the Fujin, that seat should have been for the concubine, but Lanqin and Songshi sat down opposite the Fourth Master first, instead of taking that seat.
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