"That Consort Zheng actually managed to attract the Emperor's attention in such a place; she must be quite something. Send people to keep an eye on her, and also on that Mei'er," the Empress Dowager said.

"Yes, this servant has already made the arrangements. Mei'er is favored by the Emperor, and has even managed to keep him from entering the harem for so long," Huian said.

"But the Emperor didn't give her any official title; she was just a palace maid," the Empress Dowager said.

Meanwhile, after Emperor Kangxi and his princes finished paying respects to their ancestors at the Fengxian Hall, he planned to take them to the corner tower for a look. Coincidentally, Zheng Chunhua, dressed in fine clothes, happened to be leaning against the railing at the corner tower, gazing into the distance, and thus they naturally encountered Emperor Kangxi.

The still beautiful Zheng Chunhua naturally attracted Kangxi's attention. After all, it had been almost a year since they last met, and the old emperor was probably surprised that there was still such a beautiful woman in his harem. So he took Zheng Chunhua to tour the corner tower, while the princes could only watch from afar.

By the time Lanqin learned that Emperor Kangxi had once again favored Lady Zheng, it was already afternoon. The Fourth Prince had finally returned to Yonghe Palace, and Lanqin had already finished her afternoon nap.

Seeing that Fourth Master looked exhausted, Lanqin immediately pulled him onto the warm couch, personally combed his hair, and asked Nianxue to serve him hot tea.

"Master, what are we going to do tomorrow?" Lanqin was already missing her South Courtyard.

"Let's go see Bingxi. How was your day at the Empress Dowager's?" Fourth Prince nestled comfortably in Lanqin's arms.

"It's nothing, just following my mother to pay respects for the New Year, and sitting and listening to what the Empress Dowager and the other ladies have to say," Lanqin said.

Fourth Master didn't ask any more questions and let Lanqin comb his hair.

"Master, what's wrong?" Lanqin felt that the Fourth Master seemed to have something to say, but also seemed unwilling to say it.

Fourth Master was surprised by the young woman's insight and teased, "You can even tell that I have something on my mind now?"

Lanqin rolled her eyes at Fourth Master and said, "It's written all over my face. Whenever something happens to me, the muscles in my face will obviously droop down. It's very easy to recognize."

Fourth Master laughed and said, "So it turns out my expression is that obvious?"

Lanqin said bluntly, "Yes, that's how I always act whenever something happens to me."

"There's something on my mind that's bothering me, and I don't know whether I should say it or not. Today, I really want to tell you, but I'm afraid that saying it will arouse suspicion," the Fourth Prince said.

"Is this something that absolutely must be said, or is it something that can be said or not?" Lanqin asked.

"I feel it's absolutely necessary to say it, but once it's said, it might involve the Crown Prince," the Fourth Prince said.

"What is it that you must tell me, my lord?" Lanqin asked.

Fourth Master paused, then waved to the servants in the room, signaling them to leave.

Once only Lanqin and the Fourth Prince remained in the room, he whispered, "I once discovered a secret, a secret concerning the Crown Prince. At that time, Father Emperor had not yet returned to the capital, but was in the northern desert."

Hearing this, Lanqin seemed to understand what the Fourth Prince was about to say; it must be related to Zheng Chunhua. However, she couldn't be prescient, so she feigned ignorance and asked, "What wrong has the Crown Prince done?"

The Fourth Prince glanced at Lanqin and shook his head, saying, "What we found in that cave in Yangzhou is actually unrelated to the Crown Prince. What I discovered is that the Crown Prince has an extraordinary relationship with a noblewoman in the harem."

really!

Lanqin suppressed her inner understanding and feigned surprise, saying, "With the concubines of the harem? What does the Crown Prince know about the relationship between the Crown Prince and Father Emperor's concubines?"

“Indeed, I saw it with my own eyes. If we send that nobleman’s personal maid to the Ministry of Justice for questioning, we can find out anything,” said the Fourth Prince.

Lanqin stared at the Fourth Master in astonishment, as if afraid that he would realize that she had already foreseen it.

“Now that the Crown Prince has been imprisoned by Father Emperor, if Your Highness were to bring up this matter at this time, I fear the Crown Prince would be deposed immediately,” the Fourth Prince said.

Lanqin looked at the Fourth Prince and understood his meaning; he also hoped that the Crown Prince would be deposed. However, whether or not the Fourth Prince should speak on this matter, and how to let Kangxi know, was a rather difficult choice.

“My lord, I think you shouldn’t tell Father Emperor about this yourself. There are many ways to let him know,” Lanqin said.

“You really think the same way I do. I’m just thinking about how to let Father Emperor know, without me having to say it myself,” the Fourth Prince said.

"The best way is to let Father Emperor find out himself. If it's someone else involved, it will eventually lead to the Crown Prince," Lanqin said. She knew Zheng Chunhua was just a weak woman, and she herself had some unrequited feelings for her. But now, it concerned the Fourth Prince's future and the trajectory of history. Zheng Chunhua's mistake was that she shouldn't have had an affair with a man like the Crown Prince!

"Today, Father Emperor saw Consort Zheng again at the corner tower. I'm starting to suspect that the Crown Prince sent her to get close to Father Emperor on purpose." The Fourth Prince expressed his doubts.

"The Crown Prince is currently under house arrest, so how can he still contact her?" Lanqin asked.

“The Crown Prince has lived in this palace for over thirty years. No one knows how many spies he has or where they are planted. Although he is imprisoned by his father, he has not yet been deposed, so there must be quite a few people in this palace who will listen to him,” the Fourth Prince said.

“My lord, I just remembered something. Yesterday afternoon, when I went to the Imperial Garden with my mother and the Fourteenth Prince’s wife, we ran into Consort Zheng when we passed through the Zhesi Gate,” Lanqin said. “At the time, my mother was puzzled as to why Consort Zheng was standing in the Zhesi Gate. She said that she had fallen out of favor almost a year ago.”

The Fourth Prince frowned slightly and said, "It seems that this Consort Zheng has too many secrets."

Lanqin said, "My lord, this matter may not be known to you alone. After tomorrow, we will leave the palace. You promised to accompany me to Changping."

The Fourth Prince said, "This woman is simply too audacious. She did such a shameful thing with the Crown Prince, and now she has once again attracted Father Emperor's attention. I wonder what her purpose is?"

Lanqin felt a pang of guilt at the thought that the beautiful woman might lose her life just because of her words. But even if she managed to persuade Fourth Master not to say anything, could the woman escape unscathed?

Having an affair with the Crown Prince was already a capital offense. However, Lanqin still refused to shed the blood of this woman herself.

“Your Majesty, as you know, Father has now imprisoned the Crown Prince. If you were to tell him now that the Crown Prince is having an affair with Consort Zheng, the Emperor would surely think that you are kicking him while he's down and trying to kill him,” Lanqin said.