“No wonder you like to mess with tea,” Fourth Master felt he had uncovered the truth.
His fine tea being messed with by his “good Cha Cha” was not unjust.
Lin Mingyan tilted her head, deciding to act cute: “Ye, you’re teasing me~”
The sugar content in her voice, probably from drinking too much milk tea, was so sweet that Fourth Master wanted to taste whether she had honey hidden in her mouth.
Thinking this, he followed his heart and gave it a taste.
Hmm.
Sweet.
Lin Mingyan felt dizzy and, a bit scared, covered her little bottom, afraid this master might get fierce again.
Fortunately, Fourth Master still had some sense.
Having not entered the rear courtyard for over half a month, and coming straight to Lin Shi’s place as soon as he did, the others in the rear courtyard probably wished her dead.
Coming for a meal at noon was one thing, but in the evening, he should still go to the Princess Consort’s place.
He couldn’t quite explain why he had come to Lin Shi’s place without thinking.
Even less could he explain why, having already come, he was worried she would be envied and resented.
Anyway, looking at Lin Shi’s silly little appearance, naive and without much guile, he feared she would be devoured by these shrewd people in the rear courtyard.
.
The shrewd Princess Consort sat in the main courtyard, with Nanny Gui feeling utterly heartbroken: “Princess Consort, who would have thought Lin Shi would turn out to be such a seductive fox!”
She was so angry she wished she could go back to the day Lin Shi entered the mansion and have her driven out directly.
Who would have thought—just as Madam Li was suppressed, an even more formidable Lin Shi would rise!
The Princess Consort leaned against the small kang table, one hand supporting her slightly throbbing head, and said with closed eyes, “It’s better for Lin Shi to be favored than Madam Li.”
A little maid had just reported that Madam Li had already smashed two sets of tea utensils in her courtyard.
Remembering how Madam Li was stomping with rage, her own anger seemed to lessen.
It was as if the anger had transferred from her to Madam Li.
Comforting!
Nanny Gui secretly glanced up and, seeing she truly wasn’t upset, advised: “Princess Consort, you mustn’t keep quarreling with Ye.”
“He is an Imperial Prince Aga, the master. How can others have the right to quarrel with him?”
“Besides, if you want a child, you need to have more intimate relations. Otherwise, how can a child fall from the sky?”
After speaking, she looked at the white jade Guanyin statue for granting children nearby and silently apologized a few times in her heart.
Praying that Guanyin would truly send one from the heavens to her Princess Consort.
The Princess Consort had somewhat recovered over the past month or so. Compared to the panic and unease when she first received the Imperial Physician’s diagnosis, she was finally calmer now.
At that time, she had been so distraught she almost wanted to fight Fourth Master and scratch his face.
Now, thinking back, she broke out in a cold sweat. She had practically risked her life and trampled Fourth Master’s dignity underfoot.
“I understand,” the Princess Consort said, her lips pressed tightly. “When Fourth Master comes next time, I won’t act like that again.”
Exactly!
Wasn’t that just foolishness?
Nanny Gui felt relieved but still cautioned: “Yes, yes. Women all go through this.”
“If you yield a little, soften your words and your body, and spend some time in bed together, won’t you reconcile?”
This was what they called making up before the quarrel even left the bed.
Besides, the Princess Consort and Fourth Master hadn’t even fought!
A faint blush rose on the Princess Consort’s face, feeling this made sense.
As the legitimate wife, she couldn’t imitate Madam Li’s coquettish and foolish antics, nor would she use tricks to make Fourth Master come.
But even if she just sat idly, Fourth Master would come on the first and fifteenth of each month.
However, he rarely came at other times, so she must seize those two days.
Before she could even think about how to soften up to Fourth Master on the fifteenth of this month, Su Peisheng’s voice came from outside.
Fourth Master had arrived!
The Princess Consort’s eyes immediately lit up. With Nanny Gui’s support, she hurried out to greet him.
Her health had already recovered; it was just that she hadn’t slept well these past few days, and her head occasionally ached.
After leaving Linfeng Residence, Fourth Master regretted it.
Why on earth should he give up Cha Cha’s warmth and softness to come here and suffer the Princess Consort’s temper?!
But even if he was unhappy, he wouldn’t say it, nor would he turn around and head back to Linfeng Residence.
He simply grew increasingly sullen along the way, and upon reaching the main courtyard, he remained silent.
Seeing the Princess Consort looking ill again only worsened his mood.
He once again suspected that the Princess Consort was feigning illness.
After all, she didn’t have any serious ailment—how could she still not be well after over a month?!
He snorted inwardly: If she dares to drive me away again, I’ll go to Madam Li’s place!
When it came to provoking others, Fourth Master was quite skilled.
Unexpectedly, however, the Princess Consort did not drive him away. In fact, her words even carried a hint of flattery.
Fourth Master: …What imposter is this?!
Fourth Master’s expression grew increasingly grave. He couldn’t understand why, after getting used to the Princess Consort’s provocations, she had suddenly changed her demeanor.
But a sudden change in behavior was never a good sign.
Having encountered almost no good news lately, Fourth Master felt utterly stifled.
The Princess Consort noticed that despite her efforts to placate him, Fourth Master only grew more displeased.
She could only force herself to stop and search for something to say: “Mother’s birthday is approaching. We should draft the gift list.”
She had already mostly prepared it, consisting of nothing more than precious antiques and decorative items.
These were things that couldn’t possibly go wrong.
If Fourth Master, as her son, had anything he wanted to add, she would include it in the list.
If not, it didn’t matter—her preparations were sufficient.
But upon hearing this, Fourth Master said nothing at all. Instead, he turned and stared at her for a long while.
Only then did he speak with difficulty: “You handle it.”
Su Peisheng, standing nearby, felt anxious on the Princess Consort’s behalf.
Wasn’t this like flattering someone only to offend them instead?
Since you were already trying to appease him, couldn’t you have thought about when this master started sulking?
The argument between mother and son in Yonghe Gong wouldn’t spread outside.
But anyone with eyes could see that ever since the master left Yonghe Gong, he had shut himself in his study for over half a month to read!
Wasn’t this like poking a sore spot?!
Hearing his flat, emotionless tone, the Princess Consort looked at Fourth Master suspiciously and said, “Alright.”
Su Peisheng: …Alright, my foot!
To be fair, it wasn’t the Princess Consort’s fault. In her eyes, Fourth Master was like a sealed gourd—unpredictable in mood.
Sometimes, in the middle of a perfectly reasonable discussion, he would suddenly explode like a firecracker.
To her, since Fourth Master wasn’t cursing in a rage or stomping around now, his mood must be decent.
But with Fourth Master’s sealed-gourd personality, the Princess Consort racked her brains and couldn’t find anything else to say.
The two of them could only sit there, staring at each other in silence.
An atmosphere named awkwardness quickly intensified.
If the people in the room knew what awkwardness was, they could have dug out a garden villa with their toes.
When Fourth Master shot Su Peisheng a second glance, he quickly spoke up: “Ye, there’s still an essay on policy to write today.”
Actually, it’s all written, finished a long damn time ago.
But if he didn’t find something for their Ye to do soon, he might as well stop being the chief eunuch!
“Alright, then let’s start writing.”
Fourth Master stood up and moved to the small study in the main courtyard.