Thinking of this, Duofu dropped his ingratiating smile, glared fiercely at the Fourth Prince, turned his head, picked up the pastries on the table, and leaned against the soft yet firm chest, eating with a clear conscience.
The Fourth Prince watched as the chubby baby in his arms changed his expression repeatedly. One moment the baby was all smiles, the next the baby's face turned pale and he glared at him fiercely.
The Fourth Prince felt confused. He hadn't even spanked the boy's bottom, so why was the boy glaring at him?
Could it be that he's holding a grudge?
The Fourth Prince thought of Duofu, who had cried his eyes out last time, and a smile flashed in his eyes.
It seems he raised a vengeful child, which is good.
The Fourth Prince didn't dislike it; on the contrary, he was happy to see it happen. He advised the Fourth Prince to be cautious and listen carefully, lest he be easily deceived by others for a small favor in the future.
Ideally, she should look as shrewd as him, but the Fourth Prince's requirement is a bit too high.
Duofu, this single-celled organism, only has eating and drinking in his mind, how could he possibly grow up to be so grotesque?
From a young age, I've been cunning and scheming.
Duofu looked up and saw the smile in the Fourth Prince's eyes. He was sure that the guy must have remembered the time he spanked him.
Duofu started squirming in the Fourth Prince's arms; he wanted to get down and not sit on the artificial cushion anymore.
The Fourth Prince, unusually, didn't stop him and gently put Duofu down. Duofu quickly finished the pastries in both hands, and with a whoosh, he turned into a chubby little dog, waddling away from the Fourth Prince's sight.
He's a bit angry now, and I definitely can't appease him without two roast ducks.
---
In the past few months, the Fourth Prince has barely entered the backyard. He has stayed in the study and rooms throughout the courtyard, or followed the Crown Prince to learn how to do things.
Song Gege and Li Gege waited anxiously in the backyard every day for the arrival of the Fourth Prince, but he never came.
They were all filled with unease. Consort De had instructed them to win over the Fourth Prince's heart and give birth to him before the Princess Consort married into the family.
With only a few visits over the past few months, how could they possibly conceive?
Song Gege lived in a room on the west side of the East Garden, and Gege lived right across from him.
This month, the Fourth Prince came to the backyard three times in total: twice to his place and once to Li Gege's place across the street.
Song Gege clutched the newly embroidered purse in her hand. It was a picture of a puppy chasing a butterfly, which she had specially made. It was the same chubby, grayish-yellow puppy that had suddenly come to their side last time.
According to the servants below, this is the Fourth Prince's beloved pet, and the most precious thing in the entire Fourth Prince's residence is this dog.
If you offend Eunuch Su, who serves the Fourth Prince, you might still have a chance to live. But if you offend this dog, the Fourth Prince will throw you out without even asking what happened.
Song Gege thought that since the Fourth Prince liked the dog so much, he would probably accept the purse she had given him.
She had made plenty of purses and handkerchiefs before, and none of them were ever taken away.
Song Gege looked at the lifelike little dog on the purse. Its big, bright black eyes and lively temperament showed that it had been pampered and raised.
Song Gege stared for a while, then turned to look at the lights in the room opposite the window. Li Gege was still awake so late; could she also be waiting for the Fourth Prince like her?
Song Gege gave a bitter smile. She knew that life in the prince's courtyard might not be easy, but she really didn't expect the Fourth Prince to be so indifferent to women.
They only get to come in three times this month. Once the Fujin (principal wife) enters the household, when will they have any more opportunities?
Touching her flat belly, Song Gege's eyes were full of anticipation.
She had to find a way to get pregnant before the Fujin (princess) entered the household.
Once she becomes pregnant, the Fourth Prince, who appears to be a very disciplined man, will certainly not mistreat her.
He loves even his own pet dog so much; if it's his first child, it will definitely be pampered too.
The first one is always different.
The candles in the two rooms of the east courtyard burned until dawn, as if neither was willing to give in first.
The Fourth Prince got up from his room early in the morning, feeling refreshed. Last night, he easily coaxed Duofu with two roast ducks.
Hearing the commotion inside, Su Peisheng quickly ordered someone to bring in all the toiletries at once.
Seeing the Fourth Prince draw back the curtains and come out, she then considerately put them back down.
The servants below tended to him personally, not daring to make a sound.
Those who served him closely knew that the Fourth Prince was extremely disgusted by making noises early in the morning.
If someone foolishly makes a noise, his job is over.
They've been driven out of the princes' quarters, do you have any good places for them to go?
The locations within the Forbidden City were all like latrines and pits, each one tightly controlled by the people, who sought to gain favor and secure their positions.
Only those dirty, tiring, dead-end jobs that could cost you your life—the kind of jobs that nobody wants to do.
There are only a few people who are favored in the Forbidden City. If you want a good job, you have to follow the favored master.
Although the Fourth Prince did not have a mother in the harem, he relied on the Crown Prince.
They were equally favored and valued by the Emperor.
In addition, there's the child of Empress Tong. Although Empress Tong has passed away, the Tong family still exists. They are His Majesty's maternal clan, so they would never mistreat the Fourth Prince.
The breathing of several eunuchs carrying basins became heavy. Su Peisheng glared at them fiercely, and the eunuchs immediately held their breath, their faces turning red, before daring to breathe slowly and silently.
Su Peisheng glanced at the group of people with disappointment. Honestly, after serving them for so long, they still hadn't learned how to work calmly and focused.
It's truly hopeless.
These past few days, the prince's quarters have received a new batch of young eunuchs. He needs to select a few promising ones from among them and train them well, so that they won't be like these few who haven't learned anything after all this time.
What a fool! In the Forbidden City, a foolish person cannot survive, especially a servant. If he is also a little foolish, he has no chance of survival.
Su Peisheng no longer paid attention to the servants. He quickly dressed the Fourth Prince and led the group of servants out of the room quietly.
The Fourth Prince pulled back the bed curtains and looked at the chubby baby wearing a red bib; it was truly a joyous sight.
The Fourth Prince nodded in satisfaction. This red bib was specially made by him, and it was embroidered with a little dog with a greedy expression that was exactly the same as Duofu's.
It's practically identical; the embroiderer did a great job this time.
The Fourth Prince bent down and kissed the chubby baby face, taking a deep breath of the milky-smelling Duofu.
Only then, satisfied, did he tidy his clothes and stride out of the room.
At Duofu's age, the Fourth Prince would prepare goat milk for him every day, three times a day, without fail.
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