"What news has come out lately?" Li asked casually, raising her hand to look at her freshly done manicure.
At the same time, I mentally assessed the situation and thought, "Great, the maid who did my manicure is quite skilled."
The maidservant who served Li Shi closely knew that her mistress was taking her seriously when she asked the question, so she immediately replied, "The mansion has been very peaceful recently, and nothing has happened."
Madam Li frowned and glared at the maid who answered, "Didn't I say it was outside? How could your mistress not know that everything is peaceful and nothing has happened in the manor? It's precisely because nothing is happening in the manor that I'm asking you if there's any news coming from outside?"
Honestly, this maid is so dim-witted, she can't even reply properly, and my good mood has been ruined just like that.
The disliked maid's heart skipped a beat, and she began to stammer, "Outside, indeed, there is news."
"What news?" Madam Li was even more impatient and disgusted with the maid. Honestly, if there was news, why not just answer directly what it was? Why be so long-winded and never get to the point?
"Well, news has come from outside that His Majesty intends to ban religion."
"A ban on religion?" Li asked herself for a moment, then continued to mutter, "Could it be the Vatican that's being banned?"
Li was also inclined to ban Christianity, and at the same time, she had an idea in mind.
Unfortunately, she waited and waited, but the master never came to her Pear Courtyard. On the contrary, he went to Guarjia's Peach Courtyard very frequently, and even went to the Fujin's place, but he never came to her.
Madam Li was furious and couldn't get over it, so the servants in the pear orchard suffered. Although they weren't punished by Madam Li, they were always being scolded by her, which made them very uncomfortable.
At the same time, for the favored Jiaming, they were not only envious, but they wished that Jiaming would disappear immediately.
Unfortunately, none of her wishes could be fulfilled. Some of the more anxious Li Shi even went so far as to send late-night snacks to the Fourth Master and proactively convey messages to him. Although such actions would inevitably lead to her losing face if word got out, she was willing to risk everything in order to regain an important position in the Master's heart.
Just as she was about to go all out, that evening, Fourth Master finally arrived at Li's Pear Courtyard.
As soon as Fourth Master sat down and picked up his teacup, before even taking a sip of tea, he heard Li Shi's voice beside him.
"My lord, I have something to say to you." After speaking, Li felt a little uneasy and unconsciously tugged at the handkerchief in her hand.
Before the Fourth Prince arrived, she was determined to share his burdens. After all, she had long fallen out of favor and did not want the Guarjia clan to put her above her. She also wanted to provide more support for her son, Hongshi, and hoped to regain his important position in the Fourth Prince's heart.
But after the Fourth Prince arrived, she couldn't help but worry. After all, most men in ancient times were chauvinistic and didn't like women interfering in their affairs. Moreover, there was a rule in the household that women couldn't meddle in politics.
But perhaps the Fourth Prince is an exception. After all, this isn't official history, and much has been changed. Moreover, it's said that the rules in the manor were established by the Princess Consort based on palace rules, so perhaps the Prince doesn't care much about some of them?
Thinking that she would wait and test the master later, and then see his expression to know whether he liked her or not. It would be better if he didn't mind, but it wouldn't matter much if he did mind. After all, she still had Hongshi, and the master wouldn't do anything to her for Hongshi's sake. So as long as she didn't do it again in the future, that would be fine.
Clinging to this hope, Li calmed her anxiety.
Fourth Master watched as Madam Li dismissed everyone from the room, wondering what she wanted to say. However, he remained calm and composed, sitting in his seat drinking tea, waiting for her to speak.
Madam Li didn't keep the Fourth Prince waiting for long. In the blink of an eye, she heard his soft voice, "Sir, I heard that our Great Qing Dynasty has clashed with the Roman Catholic Church?"
Upon hearing this, Fourth Master raised his teacup, took a sip, and then lowered his eyes the instant he was drinking. His expression changed momentarily, but quickly returned to normal, and the change in his eyes disappeared.
Li, who had been secretly watching the Fourth Prince, saw his lowered eyes, but she also noticed his unchanged facial expression and his smooth, natural tea-drinking movements.
So, Li thought that since the master was not unhappy, she could continue to bring it up. However, she still had to carefully observe the master's every move, in case the master still minded her meddling in politics!
Since the Fourth Prince began cultivating the Shangqing Scripture, his five senses had become much stronger. Of course, he noticed that Lady Li was not being too discreet in her peeping. He wanted to know what Lady Li was up to. Didn't she know that "the empress dowagers cannot interfere in politics"? There was even a sign like that in the palace. He couldn't believe that Lady Li hadn't heard of it.
Even if they didn't know that, didn't they know that his study in the front yard was off-limits to people from the backyard? Doesn't that clearly show that he doesn't allow people from the backyard to interfere in his affairs?
Moreover, the rules of the manor also mention that one should not interfere in political affairs. Since it is so obvious, one should understand. So what is Li Shi planning to do in this dilemma?
So, Fourth Master cooperated by saying indifferently, "Hmm."
After receiving the Fourth Prince's reply, Li felt even more that he didn't care about her involvement in politics, so she continued, "His Majesty is inclined to ban religion, but some officials in the court have objections. I heard that the debate has been going on for a long time?" Because she had fewer concerns, she spoke a little more than before.
"Hmm!" Fourth Master replied calmly.
Having received a response from the Fourth Prince once again, Lady Li became even more relaxed. "I think banning Christianity seems like a good idea. After all, the Roman Catholic Church is a foreign entity. Who knows what it's really up to? Could it be acting as a vanguard for Western espionage?"
Fourth Master held his teacup and just looked at Madam Li.
As Li spoke, she felt that the Fourth Master's dark eyes, which were looking at her, were as deep and terrifying as black holes, and for a moment, her voice lowered.
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