"No need to send her away, she can stay here!" Kangxi said to the eunuchs outside. The eunuchs on night duty were slightly surprised, thinking to themselves: This Consort Zheng is about to become very popular. The next day, the news that Zheng Chunhua had stayed overnight at the Qianqing Palace spread throughout the inner palace.

Lanqin and the Fourth Prince slept until the sun was high in the sky at the Seventh Prince's residence before getting up. The Seventh Prince and Xinyi tried to persuade them to stay another day, but the Fourth Prince insisted on returning. The Seventh Prince then gave the Fourth Prince some peach blossom wine that he had brewed.

On the way back, Lanqin rode in the same carriage as Fourth Master, while the children, wet nurse, and maids were in the carriage behind.

"Master, what exactly did you say to Seventh Master yesterday? Why did I feel that Seventh Master's eyes were strange this morning?" Lanqin asked.

"What did you say, sir? Nothing, just kept drinking. I didn't expect Seventh Brother's brewing skills to be so good." Fourth Brother smiled broadly. Lately, he'd been on edge, but last night's drinking session was truly enjoyable. Plus, Seventh Brother was an outsider, so Fourth Brother didn't hold back much, instead enjoying the drinks and brotherly camaraderie. Ever since Thirteenth Brother was exiled to the beekeeping lane, Fourth Brother hadn't had a moment of true joy; last night was the first time he'd genuinely felt happy.

"My lord, why don't you accompany me to the Eighth Prince's residence? We're already out. The children can go back to their residence first; it's nearby anyway!" Lanqin thought of the Eighth Prince's wife's face and knew she was definitely going; she was grinding her teeth in frustration.

"Eighth Prince didn't come, but I went. That would be giving him too much credit. Go back to the manor first, prepare the gift list, take it with you, deliver the gift list, say a few words, and then come back," said Fourth Prince.

Lanqin had no choice but to give up on dragging Fourth Master along. She figured that whether she retreated or advanced, it was all the same, so she might as well go for it.

By the time the two returned to the Fourth Prince's residence, it was already noon. Because they had eaten breakfast late at the Seventh Prince's residence, Lanqin didn't feel hungry at all.

Fourth Master also returned to the front yard, and Lanqin said to Cui Niang, "Get me dressed up. We're going to go anyway, so we might as well go sooner rather than later."

Seeing Lanqin's heroic appearance, Cui Niang covered her mouth and laughed, "Why does Your Highness describe the Eighth Prince Consort as the King of Hell?"

Lanqin was amused by Cui Niang's words and said with a smile, "Cui Niang, why don't you go to the front yard and ask Fourth Master for the gift list? Let's go now, so that the girl won't have time after the eighth day."

Cui Niang had gotten used to Lan Qin occasionally spouting strange remarks, so she went out and instructed the little maid to fetch the gift list from the front yard.

Xi Cha specially selected a silver-red satin cheongsam with gold flecks from Lan Qin's wardrobe. The collar and cuffs were trimmed with white snow fox fur, which looked exceptionally flattering to Lan Qin's fair skin.

"Isn't this too conspicuous? I'm not going to show off to her, it's unnecessary!" Lanqin frowned. "Let's change into a light green one."

“Master, the Eighth Prince Consort looks so arrogant, as if she’s the only one favored by the men. You’re wearing this to show that you’re no less than her!” Xi Cha, who is usually very gentle, was indignant at this moment, which was really quite adorable.

Lanqin laughed and said, "I'm not the Eighth Prince's concubine, there's no need to argue with her. I'll just go see Consort Chen and come back. Do you really want to see your mistress and the Eighth Prince's wife fighting?"

In the end, Lanqin still wore a grass-green cheongsam, but her hair was quite eye-catching. Si Hua styled Lanqin's hair into a double bun, topped with a jade and agate hair ornament in the shape of a hundred flowers. It was a little lighter than a pure gold headdress, but it made Lanqin's hair look very beautiful.

"Well, when the master sent it over, I thought it was too gorgeous." Lanqin looked at herself in the bronze mirror. Her fair and delicate face was adorned with colorful flower-shaped hair ornaments, which made her look very festive and energetic.

“My lady, jewelry is meant to be worn, especially at times like this. What can you possibly say to Consort Chen when you go? It’ll just be about clothes, jewelry, and children,” Si Hua said earnestly as she tucked Lan Qin’s hair into her hair.

Well, even the little girl understands things better than I do! Lanqin gave a wry smile and let Sihua go about her business.

After the gift list arrived, Lanqin selected Cui Niang, Xicha, and Shuiling to accompany her, while the others stayed behind in the south courtyard. Cui Niang took a white cotton cloak with feather trim that Nianxue handed over and tied it on Lanqin.

"There's no need to take a carriage, let's just walk there, it's right next door!" Lanqin said.

When Lanqin and her five servants stood at the gate of the Eighth Prince's residence, they finally brought Chen Shou along, just in case anything unexpected happened. Upon hearing the report from the gatekeeper, the Eighth Prince's wife exclaimed in surprise, "She really came?"

Because the Eighth Prince's wife did not have a concubine, there was no one of equal status to receive Lanqin, so the Eighth Prince's wife had to send her personal maid to greet her.

Lanqin, holding Cui Niang's hand, entered the Eighth Prince's mansion for the first time. She couldn't help but look around. In fact, the houses were all similar, just different in size and furnishings.

"When our Eighth Prince's wife heard that the Secondary Prince's wife had arrived, she specially sent me to greet her," Ruizhu, the Eighth Prince's wife's trusted maid, said warmly to Lanqin.

"Hehe, I've disturbed Eighth Prince's wife." Lanqin chuckled, and after passing through several doors with Ruizhu, they arrived at Eighth Prince's wife's main courtyard. Lanqin was silently amazed: This main courtyard is so close to Eighth Prince's front courtyard, which shows that Eighth Prince's wife is indeed highly valued by Eighth Prince.

After Lanqin entered the main courtyard of the Eighth Prince's wife, she saw that the scenery inside was very carefully arranged. Unlike the dignified and grand residence of the Fourth Prince's wife, some of the furnishings here were unique and ingenious.

Rows of flowers were placed in the yard, still blooming even in the dead of winter; they weren't winter flowers.

"These roses can actually bloom now?" Lanqin asked in surprise, looking at the flowers in the yard.

"Our Lady likes them, so the Master has instructed the gardeners to cultivate flowers all year round and change them every day. These flowers are all grown in the greenhouse," Ruizhu said with a hint of pride.

"Oh, so it was grown in pots. Even gardeners in the Qing Dynasty knew how to grow flowers in greenhouses!" Lanqin seemed oblivious to the smugness in Ruizhu's eyes, silently thinking to herself.

“Your arrival is just in time, sister. I was just about to have my meal. Why don’t we join each other?” The Eighth Princess stood at the entrance of the main house, watching Lanqin’s attire from afar. After Lanqin entered, she said this.

The Eighth Prince's wife was wearing a rust-red cheongsam with gold thread and longevity patterns, a typical outfit for a principal wife. Although it was elegant and luxurious, it looked a bit old-fashioned.

Her hair was styled in a traditional Manchu headdress, and a jade plaque was carved with a gold-plated image of a Qilin delivering a child, showing that she still longed for offspring.