"General Nian is really rich!" Lanqin said with a smirk. Nian smiled smugly and then began to eat his breakfast.

Lanqin glanced at Nian Shi, then said nothing more.

Meanwhile, after finishing her palace affairs, Consort De summoned her two daughters-in-law to talk.

Consort De was reclining on the couch, trying to rest, when Lanqin and Lady Nian came in one after the other. They saw Consort De looking tired and leaning against the couch, as if she had something on her mind.

"Mother, what's wrong?" Seeing that Consort De's complexion was not good, Lady Nian quickly went up to ask. Lanqin lagged behind her.

"It's nothing, just that there are too many things to do in the palace, so I'm a bit busy. By the way, there's a flower viewing party in the Imperial Garden this morning! You two should go and take a look; they're all newly cultivated varieties from the Imperial Flower Workshop. I hear they're very beautiful, so you two should go and see them." Consort De blinked and said to Lanqin and Lady Nian.

"Mother, how about I give you a massage? I used to massage you and Father often when I was at home," Lady Nian said eagerly when she saw that Consort De looked unwell.

Seeing the expression on Consort De's face, Lanqin knew that she wanted some peace and quiet, so she immediately said, "Consort Nian, let's go admire the flowers together. Let Mother let her rest for a while."

Before Lady Nian could speak further, Granny De immediately said, "Consort Niu is absolutely right. Her Highness is tired and needs to rest."

Seeing that Granny De had spoken, Lady Nian knew she couldn't say anything more. Consort De hadn't said anything either, so her meaning was obvious.

After Lanqin and Lady Nian left, Consort De sighed and said, "Having seen so many clever and obedient women, I still think Lady Niohuru is more genuine."

Granny De laughed and said, "Your Highness is absolutely right! This servant thinks Consort Niu is a very considerate person, but Consort Nian is a bit lacking. It seems that the Nian family is quite proud of themselves in the area; last night, several palace maids were scolded by Consort Nian!"

It turned out that Madam Nian only brought Cui Ling and Bi Rou with her this time. Last night, she had complained about the palace maid sent by Granny De because of the hot water and the bed.

"The Nian family is so pampered!" said Consort De.

Meanwhile, Lanqin took Wuxiha to the Imperial Garden to admire the flowers, but the other two children were too young to go with her. The Second Princess went with Nian Shi, naturally because she didn't go with Lanqin.

Lanqin and her entourage of five or six women slowly entered the Imperial Garden. There was not a trace of yesterday's palace banquet; everything had been thoroughly cleaned up.

"Mother, what are those flowers? They're so pretty!" Three-year-old Ushiha was also wearing a grass-green cheongsam, with her hair styled in a drooping bun, looking incredibly cute.

“It should be a peony. Didn’t your ancestor say it’s a new variety newly cultivated by the Imperial Flower Shop?” Lanqin said. She could see the First and Third Princesses from afar.

"Mother, I want to go inside and see those peonies," Ushiha said.

"Cui Niang, take Wuxiha inside and take a look," Lanqin instructed.

While Cui Niang was taking Wu Xiha to see the peonies, Lan Qin walked towards the Grand Princess and the others.

"This concubine greets the First and Third Princess Consorts." Lanqin approached, bowed, and inquired about her well-being.

The First Princess Consort glanced at Lanqin a few times and smiled, "Consort Niu, I wonder how my fourth sister-in-law is doing? I haven't seen her in a long time."

Seeing that the First Princess was making things difficult for Lanqin, the Third Princess quickly chimed in, "That's right, it's been so long since we've seen Fourth Sister-in-law. We used to be able to get together often in the palace, but now we don't see her all year round."

Lanqin knew that their words were unkind because she had been too outstanding in front of Emperor Kangxi yesterday, which overshadowed the brilliance of these primary consorts. Now, taking advantage of the fact that no one was watching, they used such words to provoke Lanqin.

"Reporting to the First and Third Princesses, I don't know how the First Princess is doing. Her illness hasn't improved, and our master, out of pity, has been reporting her condition. I must go back to check on Wuxiha now. Excuse me." Lanqin decided to stop talking to these princes' first princesses and leave as quickly as possible.

"Oh, is that your first princess, the one you gave birth to for the fourth prince? She's so adorable. Why don't you bring her over so your aunt can see her?" Jue Luo Shi clearly didn't want to let Lan Qin off so easily.

Lanqin immediately became alert and turned to the First Princess Consort, saying, "Thank you for your favor, First Princess Consort, but the Third Princess is still young, and I'm afraid she might offend you."

When the First Consort saw that Lanqin was openly unwilling to bring her daughter, she felt a little embarrassed.

Seeing Lanqin's firm stance and the First Princess's unpleasant expression, the Third Princess became even more delighted. She wished the two of them would fight. So, the Third Princess provoked, "How dare you, Niohuru! The First Princess wants to see your princess; that's your good fortune. Why won't you let us see her?"

Lanqin knew perfectly well that they wouldn't speak kindly to Wuxiha, so she had no intention of bringing Wuxiha along to let them gossip. She could tolerate it herself, but she couldn't bear the thought of her daughter being criticized and gossiped about.

"Ushiha is still young. After I have trained her properly, I will send her to the First and Third Princesses for further guidance. I will take my leave now." Lanqin was determined to leave.

"I heard that the Fourth Prince's cousin has been living in Consort De's palace. I wonder if Consort Niu knows about this?" A hint of contempt flashed in Jue Luo's eyes as she asked.

"This concubine does not know your cousin, sir. I do not know which one the Grand Madam is referring to," Lanqin thought to herself. This is not over yet. It is so tiring to talk to these noble ladies.

"Of course Consort Niu doesn't know. But back then, the affair between the Fourth Prince and that young lady from the Uya family was common knowledge. Consort Niu, don't you want to know?" asked Lady Jue Luo.

"Yes, yes, it seems the Fourth Prince was quite infatuated with that Miss Uya back then. He even went to the Emperor to ask if he could marry her as his fourth wife!" the Third Prince's wife added. At that time, she had just married into the palace as the Third Prince's primary wife, while the other primary wives were still living in the princes' quarters. It was common for the sisters-in-law to visit each other, and the Fourth Prince's affair with Uya became a topic of conversation among them.

“It’s a pity that Lady Uya’s status is too low. Even though her aunt is Consort De, it still can’t make up for the fact that her family background is too low-class. Father Emperor would never allow a girl from a low-class Manchu family to become the dignified Fourth Prince’s Consort,” said Lady Jue Luo.

"Even so, the Fourth Prince is still quite devoted. I heard that he even had a big fight with Consort De for Miss Wuya!" said the Third Prince's wife.

"Consort Niu, I heard that this Miss Wuya is now a widow and often stays by Consort De's side. Do you think she might rekindle her old flame with the Fourth Prince?" Lady Jue Luo said with a light smile.