Chapter 99 Good News

  The fourth prince himself got married, but he didn't have to go and welcome his bride personally. The Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Censorate would send people to take care of it, all he had to do was wait at home for his new wife to be carried in.

  It's not quite right to say so, he also has to entertain guests.

  It was the first time in her life she had seen so many people - men, to be exact.

  There aren't so many people inside the palace... uh, those are all eunuchs.

  In the past, looking at the Fourth Prince alone, with no social interactions, Chao Sheng even thought that the royal family had no relatives.

  This is a big mistake.

  The relatives of the fourth prince are not only numerous, but also treacherous.

  The royal relatives, those princes, dukes, princesses, and ladies... a large crowd of people. And then there are those who are distantly related by blood and cannot come, and those from the fiefdoms who also cannot make it.

  They were so busy that they didn't even have time to wipe the sweat off their brows. Manager Qi yelled and assigned tasks, his face as black as a pot bottom, but when he turned around to face the honored guests, it miraculously transformed into a smiling face.

  This is also a kind of kung fu.

  Chao Sheng had heard Li Auntie say that this Qi General Manager was also a prodigy of the Imperial Bodyguard. When he entered the palace at the age of six, he was just a country boy who didn't understand anything. After entering the palace as a eunuch, he followed an old eunuch with no future prospects and only did chores like sweeping. However, this person had extraordinary willpower and taught himself to read and write. He worked hard from dawn till dusk and was willing to suffer. Later, step by step, he rose through the ranks and became the general manager of the Fourth Prince's mansion, which could be considered as second in command...

  It is a motivational struggle history - worth his younger generation's learning and emulation.

  Although it's temporarily unclear what other advantages General Qi has, at least one thing is certain - General Qi has more energy than the average person and an exceptionally good memory. He remembers the names and positions of everyone in the entire household without a single mistake. Assigning tasks is absolutely methodical. Moreover, after this busy morning, Chao Sheng and the others all feel waist soreness and foot softness, but General Qi still has steady footsteps and a loud voice, not showing any signs of fatigue at all.

  The second imperial concubine was dressed in a very luxurious and auspicious manner, wearing a palace attire of haitang red, with a double phoenix hairpin and pearl crown on her head. The third imperial concubine was similarly dressed. She was slightly taller than the second imperial concubine, extremely elegant and refined.

  The difference is that the third prince's consort has a loose-fitting skirt, and her belly is slightly bulging. Today, these guests came not only to congratulate the fourth prince but also to congratulate the third prince.

  The third prince was much more cheerful than usual, chatting and laughing, with a hint of stealing the show. Looking at his flushed face, then looking at the fourth prince's calm and composed demeanor, it's easy to get confused about who is actually the main character today.

  The excitement continued until the wedding procession arrived at the gate, firecrackers shook the sky and earth, debris flew wildly in the air, and blue smoke filled the air.

  The bride was helped down from the sedan chair and led by the red silk over the fire basin and over the horse saddle. With her head covered, nothing could be seen except that she didn't seem to be short. Standing beside the fourth prince who was wearing a red robe, they looked very harmonious and well-matched. After paying respects to heaven and earth, they entered the bridal chamber, where another set of rituals awaited them.

  The second prince loved to stir up trouble and would have people carry him forward.

  The fourth prince held a golden flower-shaped balance, and the young princes of the imperial clan on the side shouted: "Choose, choose."

  The fourth prince smiled slightly and effortlessly used the scale bar to lift up that large red dragon phoenix canopy.

  The bride wore a phoenix coronet and her face was slightly lowered. But Cao Zhan clearly saw that the moment the veil was lifted, she shrank back slightly.

  Miss Wen is half a year younger than the Fourth Prince

  They're just middle school and high school students after all.

  But in this era, they are all adults who can start a family. From now on, she is no longer the darling of her parents, and she has to hold up this mansion, manage household chores, give birth to children...

  She no longer has the right to be naive.

  Everyone around them praised, saying it was a perfect match, a union made in heaven.

  But this saying is not quite accurate.

  The fourth prince's is the only one that can be confirmed, but the bride's makeup - the powder on her face is as thick as a copper coin, her lips are painted into a small vermilion dot, and her eyebrows are drawn particularly fine and curved, looking like she's wearing a mask of a Wuxi clay figurine.

  At this time, the bride is probably dressed like this.

  A thousand people look alike; beauty and ugliness are completely indistinguishable.

  The eighth prince probably hadn't grasped this universal aesthetic yet, he squeezed to the front, looking at the bride with a puzzled expression. From head to toe, and then from toe to head again.

  This was probably the first time in his life that he had witnessed someone getting married. Chao Sheng remembered that the last time the Second Prince got married, the Eighth Prince did not attend due to some reason and thus missed it.

  "Old eight, this is your fourth sister-in-law. You've always been close to your fourth brother, but from now on, it won't do, your fourth brother has to accompany his wife."

  The eighth prince's small mouth flattened, and it seemed that this remark had indeed hurt his feelings.

  The revelry lasted till night, the fourth prince was thoroughly drunk, and even the eighth prince swayed back and forth as he brought over a large cup of wine to toast.

  However, the fourth prince should have been prepared early on. Xiao Shun had already told Chao Sheng about it - the fourth prince had taken the antidote pill long ago, and the wine he drank was also diluted with water.

  Even if wine is diluted with water and becomes watery wine, it's still wine. Drinking too much will get you drunk just the same.

  I hope the special hangover cure from Ta Hospital works.

  The fourth prince's relationship with others was still pretty good, at least his brothers could help him block the wine. The fourth prince changed clothes later on. His clothes were splashed with wine.

  But when he came out after changing clothes, his face was slightly red, and his eyes looked very moist.

  He's probably thrown up already.

  Whether in ancient times or modern times, getting married is always a troublesome thing, and without good physical strength, it's really hard to hold on.

  The groom has to drink through trials, but the bride has to sit still, with heavy and many clothes, hair and makeup, she can't even drink water or eat, nor can she go to the bathroom, she can only sit there like a wooden statue.

  The two elder sisters-in-law, the second and third princesses' consorts, stayed with her for a while. The bride was shy and didn't speak easily, only slightly nodding or shaking her head.

  It's clear that the second prince's consort is the elder sister-in-law. However, the third prince's consort has a more dignified bearing, being both affectionate and gentle. The second prince's consort's gaze lingers on the furnishings in the room, then sizes up the fourth prince's consort's jewelry and clothing, her eyes seeming to hold a hint of comparison.

  In comparison, the second prince's consort seemed less dignified.

  And her gaze at the Fourth Prince's consort was as if...

  A little jealous?

  I must have seen it wrong myself.

  Also sisters-in-law...

  However, the second prince has a leg disease and is not as handsome, talented, warm and gentle as the fourth prince.

  This person is afraid of comparison, once compared, even the best things seem not good enough.

  Not to mention it was already imperfect to begin with.

  The entire mansion was dyed red. Red silk, red lanterns, red clothes... The powder-white walls and the dark gray ground were all reflected in a bright red hue.

  The guests gradually dispersed, and the kitchen finally came to an end. Li Gu's throat was hoarse, Chao Sheng handed her a cup of tea, Li Gu gulped it down in two mouthfuls, stretched out the cup: "Another cup."

  Chao Sheng poured her another cup.

  The guests have left, but that doesn't mean their business is done. The bowls, plates, and cups used today are not from their household, they don't even have so many things for entertaining guests - dozens of tables worth.

  Bowls, plates, tables and chairs are all brought by the eunuchs of the inner court. After use, they are washed clean, packed up and returned to their original place.

  This series of follow-up cleaning and washing is even more exhausting.

  Chao Sheng relied on a bit of peppermint oil to refresh himself, and together with Auntie Li, they were busy until after the third watch. Auntie Li said: "You got up before five watches today, how can you still hold on now? Go to sleep quickly."

  "I'm not tired yet."

  "Nonsense." Li Aunt glared at her, but her gaze was warm: "You can't even stand steadily, hurry back. I'll watch them do it here. Tomorrow morning we still have to pay our respects to the Crown Prince's consort, are you not planning on sleeping tonight?"

  Chao Sheng also indeed can't hold on anymore, looking at the numbers in the booklet are all a bit blurry, and his brain is even more dull.

  When fatigue reaches a certain level, there is no such thing as work efficiency.

  "All she could say was: 'Well... I'll be going first then.'"

  My two legs ache badly, I hastily washed my face with the water from the well, and didn't even have time to take off my clothes before collapsing onto the bed. After a while, I managed to roll over with great difficulty and let out a groan.

  So tired.

  Chun Mo is not here.

  She should be serving in the main house tonight.

  The Fourth Prince and The Fourth Princess Consort...

  Are you asleep now?

  Chao Sheng narrowed his eyes and looked at the window.

  The window paper was originally white, with a layer of red glow on it. The tree shadows swayed, the wind blew by, and the tree shadows also changed, sometimes deep, sometimes shallow.

  I'm really too tired, there's no idea in my mind at all.

  She stared blankly at the tree shadows until her eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

  I didn't dream at all tonight.

  Chun Mo Fu served the Fourth Prince and the Fourth Princess, helping them with their toilette. After returning, she told Chao Sheng: "The Fourth Princess speaks in a soft and gentle voice. Yesterday, her makeup was heavy and I couldn't see clearly, but today when washing her face, I saw clearly that she has an oval-shaped face and doesn't seem to be someone with a bad temper."

  "It would be great if it were really like that." Chao Sheng said: "The master's temper is good, and our days will be better. Right, you eat quickly."

  "There's no need to rush." Chun Mo said: "The prince and the princess have entered the palace, I'm afraid they won't be back until noon. If the emperor invites them to dinner, it will be late afternoon."

  Everyone in the mansion had to pay their respects to the new master, and Chao Sheng felt a little nervous.

  I hope the fourth prince's consort is really as gentle-tempered as Chun Mo said.

  Time reveals people's hearts.

  The second prince's consort was a beautiful woman with a lovely appearance, but her methods... It just so happened that she encountered the second prince again. He was a master who didn't care about anything, as long as I'm happy, you can even burn down the house. If I'm not happy, it's useless for you to kneel down. After the second prince and his consort had a quarrel, they quickly adjusted their strategy and knew that they had to follow the husband's lead. She opened her maid's face again and framed Cui Yan...

  I don't know what she will do in the future.

  Her status is already there, and no matter how hard Cui Yan tries, she can't surpass her. With just a slight movement of her finger, Cui Yan can't resist.