In the blink of an eye, it was March, and the harsh winter was finally over. The women in the inner quarters, looking at the spring scenery outside the walls, could hardly contain their excitement and all wanted to go out for a spring outing.

Lanqin had arranged with the Fourth Master that day to take the women of the manor out to burn incense and pray to Buddha, and to enjoy the spring flowers. The location was the same place where Lanqin and the Fourth Master first met—Huangjue Temple.

That place was reserved for royalty and nobility; ordinary people couldn't get in, and the money required was equivalent to a month's expenses for an average family.

Early in the morning, five carriages were waiting at the gate of the Fourth Prince's residence, all with their carriages covered in blue oilcloth. The Fourth Prince himself rode a horse, while Lanqin, Nianshi, Songshi, Gengshi, and Wushi rode in their respective carriages. None of the children were brought along, as they were afraid the children would catch a cold; they were all left inside the residence. The Second Princess had originally wanted to go, but the Fourth Prince had already hired a governess for her to teach her about being a wife and daughter-in-law. Therefore, she decided not to go.

Each master was only allowed to bring two maids. The Fourth Prince's intention was to travel light and not make a big fuss, so even the carriages did not have the Fourth Prince's Mansion markings.

Lanqin brought Nianxue and Xicha with her. Cui Niang was left in the courtyard to manage the affairs of the inner quarters. Although they had all gone out, there were still so many people in the Fourth Prince's mansion who needed to continue as usual.

Lady Nian naturally brought Cui Ling and Bai Zhi, one being her favorite and the other the most cunning; Lady Song brought Qing Ping and Cui Yun; Lady Geng brought Lü Lan and Zhui Er; and Lady Wu brought Hong Qian and Xiao Hong. The maids naturally followed their masters in the carriages, while the Fourth Prince rode a horse, and Su Peisheng and several guards also rode around the carriage convoy.

Lanqin wore a moon-white satin robe with camellia patterns, over which she wore a lake-blue shawl, and on top of that, a scarlet cotton cloak. Standing there, she was as delicate and pretty as a flower in early spring. Her hair was simply styled in a double bun, adorned with a few jade and gemstone flowers, but she refused to wear any heavy headdresses. Instead, she wore a tassel hairpin in the same color as her cotton cloak, the delicate tassels brushing against her face, adding to her youthful charm.

Hearing that she was going out, Ms. Nian had prepared her outfit well in advance. She wore a silver-red cheongsam with lotus patterns and a complete set of pearl headdress, making her look incredibly noble and radiant. Standing in the crowd, she was the most eye-catching one.

Since taking in the Third Princess Namin, Wu seemed to have changed completely. She was only wearing a light apricot-colored cheongsam with maple leaf patterns, her hair styled in two large buns, and adorned with a few not-so-eye-catching pearl flowers. She stood there quietly, looking somewhat different from her usual charming self.

Song wore a light blue cheongsam, while Geng wore a light turquoise cheongsam; neither of them wore particularly striking outfits.

“My lady, look at Nian Gege’s attire, she looks like a princess consort, look at her airs!” Nianxue said with dissatisfaction.

Lanqin was reading a book when she heard Nianxue's complaint. Without even looking up, she said, "Master dislikes overstepping the rules in places like this. She hasn't figured that out yet, so why are you angry?"

Upon hearing Lanqin's words, Nianxue immediately replied, "This servant was presumptuous."

Lanqin then raised her head, closed the book, and said, "If any of Nian's maids do anything excessive, as long as it doesn't directly embarrass our South Courtyard, we should ignore them. You two came with the dowry, so I naturally rely on you more than others. But you must both be careful with your words and actions and not flaunt yourselves outside. The more power you hold, the more cautious you must be."

“Yes, Your Highness is right. I was just angry seeing how that Nian family always tried to overtake Your Highness,” Nianxue said.

"Don't hold a grudge against others. Nianxue, you've always been so composed. I'm not angry, so why are you all angry?" Lanqin said.

Suddenly, the carriage seemed to be startled and stopped abruptly. The people inside were thrown forward and shoved together.

"Master, are you alright!" Nianxue and Xicha suddenly rushed into Lanqin's arms.

Lanqin was suddenly bumped by the two maids, so she was naturally not in good spirits, but she couldn't blame them, so she could only say, "It's nothing, what happened?"

A loud neighing of horses erupted outside, and the coachman shouted, "Are you blind? How dare you barge in like this? Do you have a death wish?"

Upon hearing this, Lanqin said to Nianxue, "Go out and see what's going on?"

Nianxue hurriedly agreed and crawled out of the carriage. She saw that the person the coachman was scolding was a little girl who was kneeling next to the carriage.

She looked haggard, her face was dirty, her hair was disheveled, her clothes were tattered, and her eyes showed a look of fright.

"Honorable sir, please, I'm starving! Please, be kind and give me some food!" The little maid cried out to Nianxue as she saw a brightly dressed woman sticking her head out of the carriage.

At this moment, Fourth Master saw that Lanqin's carriage had stopped, so he rode over and saw the little girl on the ground who looked like a beggar.

"Little brat, get away from me. Here, take this!" Afraid of being scolded by the Fourth Master, the coachman quickly took out some loose silver from his pocket and tossed it to the little girl on the ground.

Lanqin, who was inside the carriage, also heard the commotion outside, and with Nianxue's help, she got off the carriage.

"Sir, I don't want the money. It won't end up in my pocket anyway. Once you leave, those beggar leaders will steal all the money from me. Sir, please, take me in! I'll do anything for you, like a cow or a horse! Just give me some food, and that'll be enough." The little beggar saw the brightly dressed woman from before helping another woman in even more splendid clothes down, and he immediately rushed over, prostrating himself at Lanqin's feet and begging.

The Fourth Prince, seated on his horse, looked down at the little beggar on the ground, frowned, and asked, "Where did you come from, you refugee?"

The little girl quickly said, "I came from Henan, fleeing famine. My home was flooded, and we lost everything. Many people have gone out to find a way to survive. I've been separated from my family. Please, kind sir, take me in."

Upon hearing that the girl was a refugee, Lanqin felt pity and said, "Master, why don't you take this little girl in? She can do odd jobs in the courtyard." Seeing that Lanqin had agreed, the little beggar on the ground quickly kowtowed to her again and said, "Thank you for your kindness. I can do anything and will serve you well."

Seeing that Lanqin had taken in someone of unknown origin, and not wanting to say anything in front of the servants, Fourth Master could only say, "Nianxue, take her to wash up and change her clothes. How can she serve your master like this?"

Nianxue then took the little girl's hand and used the tea she carried with her to wash her face and hands, and then changed her into a change of clothes that she carried with her.