“Eunuch Su, you must know something, right?” Lanqin stared at Su Peisheng and said.

Su Peisheng stood hesitantly in front of Lanqin, engaged in a fierce internal struggle. He knew about the arrangements made by the Fourth Prince and Consort De, but the Fourth Prince had not yet brought them up. If he were to tell Consort Niu now, he feared it would displease the Fourth Prince.

“Consort, this servant knows, but His Majesty has not yet instructed me to reveal this, so this servant dares not speak. Consort, you have always been kind-hearted, so please do not make things difficult for this servant.” Su Peisheng lifted his robe and knelt on one knee.

"Cui Niang, quickly help Eunuch Su up." Lan Qin saw that Su Peisheng looked conflicted and even knelt down before her, so she immediately told Cui Niang to help him up.

“Consort, it’s not that I’m unwilling to tell you, but you’ll find out about this sooner or later. Why don’t you just enjoy the New Year in the palace and talk about it when you return to your residence?” Su Peisheng advised.

Lanqin had already understood a bit by now, so she said to Su Peisheng, "I'm sorry to trouble you, Eunuch Su. You can go now. I'll just have some peace and quiet."

After Su Peisheng left, Lanqin sat down silently without saying a word. Although she had mentally prepared herself beforehand, she couldn't bear the reality that Fourth Master already had someone else in his heart.

"Master!" Cui Niang called out worriedly when she saw Lan Qin's expression change slightly. She knew that Lan Qin was different from the other masters. It was quite common for another woman to enter the Fourth Master's inner quarters, but for Lan Qin, it was not as simple as just having a person enter.

"Cui Niang, you can leave now. I want to be alone." Lanqin didn't want to hear any comforting words like, "Fourth Master already has many women, so it's no big deal if one more comes in."

"Alright, I'll stand guard outside the door. If you need anything, just tell me what to do." Cui Niang glanced at Lan Qin with concern and then had no choice but to leave.

Lanqin nodded and sat down alone at the round table, resting her cheek on her hand as she carefully sorted out her emotions.

What? Men can have multiple wives and concubines, while women are destined to be alone in their chambers? Fourth Prince is going to be the emperor, and beautiful women from all over the country will be sent to his side in a continuous stream. If he gets angry and cares about them all, won't he die of anger?

But this Wu Ya Wanru is different from others; she is the Fourth Prince's first love and goddess! She's unlike any other woman. He himself has occupied five years in the Fourth Prince's heart, and no matter how many women came after, none could replace that feeling. Wu Ya Wanru, however, is different; she was the first woman to capture the Fourth Prince's heart, and even he himself cannot replace that affection.

Thinking of this, Lanqin suddenly slumped her hands onto the table. What to do? Lanqin tilted her head, resting it on the cool wooden table.

Cui Niang had been standing outside the bedroom for almost half an hour. It was almost lunchtime, and the maids from Consort De's side would be arriving soon.

"Master?" Cui Niang called out through the door.

But the room was quiet. Cui Niang knocked a few more times, but still didn't hear a sound from inside.

Without further hesitation, Cui Niang pushed open the door and went inside. There, she found Lan Qin asleep, her face resting on her arm, her other hand hanging limply at her side.

"Master!" Cui Niang was startled by Lan Qin's sleeping posture and hurriedly went over to call out.

Lanqin frowned, still refusing to open her eyes, and mumbled, "So sleepy, let me sleep a little longer."

"My lady, it's almost time for Her Majesty to call for dinner. Please get up. Let me comb your hair again." Cui Niang felt relieved and grabbed the zither hanging by her side.

"Ah! Oh." Lanqin barely opened her eyes, then lifted her head from the table, stretched, and said, "I don't know what happened, I just fell asleep while lying down."

"Your Highness must be exhausted from being in the palace these past few days. You need to rest well when you get back," said Cui Niang, relieved to see that Lan Qin's face had regained its relaxed and comfortable expression after the gloom from before.

"Yes, I'll need to sleep for three days and three nights when I get back," Lanqin said with a smile.

After Cui Niang and Lan Qin combed their hair again, the people from Consort De's side indeed came to call them. Lan Qin, Nian Shi, and the children naturally accompanied Consort De for the meal.

"Did you all go to admire the flowers?" Consort De asked kindly as she sat at the head of the table, addressing the group of people of all ages.

"We went, the Second Princess and I, along with the Fifth Prince. I've never seen such beautiful peonies before." After being rebuffed, Lady Nian learned her lesson and stopped speaking recklessly in front of Consort De.

"Alright, Fifth Prince, you must be careful. He's so small, don't let him catch a cold," Consort De said lovingly, glancing at the Fifth Prince being held by the wet nurse.

"Yes, Mother, don't worry. I'm keeping a close eye on things," Lady Nian said obediently.

"Second Princess will be getting married this October, right? You can stay in the palace with Grandfather for a few more days, okay?" Consort De said to the Second Princess.

"Yes, Erlinzhu is willing to stay by Zuefa's side." The second princess clearly got along well with Nian Shi, and from now on they would be aunt and niece.

"Why do you look like a jagged gourd today?" Consort De said to Lanqin, who was silently standing to the side.

"Mother, please forgive me. I was just too tired and went back to sleep after watching for a short while," Lanqin said truthfully.

"You're so honest!" Consort De laughed. She looked at the younger children, her eyes full of affection, but also a hint of disappointment. There was still no good news from the Fourteenth Prince's side. Even during the New Year, Wanyan refused to come over, insisting on traveling back and forth between the palace and her residence every day.

"Let's go pay our respects to the Empress Dowager this afternoon," said Consort De.

Lanqin and Lady Nian naturally agreed. In any case, all they did in the palace every day was to pay their respects to the ladies of the palace and eat and drink. There was nothing else to do.

After lunch, Lanqin and Lady Nian went to pay their respects to the ladies-in-waiting in the various palaces. She couldn't help but recall the scene from last year. Back then, the Eighth Prince's wife was still arrogant and domineering, but now she was only a prince's wife. Although she maintained a semblance of dignity, she was no longer what she used to be. Lanqin and Lady Nian encountered the Eighth Prince's wife in Consort Hui's palace, greeted her, and no longer displayed the same domineering attitude as last year. After paying their respects to all the ladies-in-waiting and concubines, Lanqin and Lady Nian returned to Yonghe Palace. They then went to rest, awaiting summons from Consort De and to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager.

"Does your leg hurt, Master? Let me rub it for you," Cui Niang said, quickly helping Lan Qin sit down.

"Are the Fourth Prince and the others in the Hall of Preserving Harmony and the Hall of Ancestral Worship today?" Lanqin asked.