"Consort Niu, I heard that you are pregnant with twins, and I almost went to pray to Buddha. You are so lucky to have twins in one pregnancy! I've come here to share in your good fortune!" Lady Nian was dressed in a light pink qipao, and her headdress was much more eye-catching than Lanqin's. Since being promoted to Consort, she had put a lot of thought into her clothing and headdress, and every time she dressed, she looked more like a primary consort than Lanqin.

“Sister Nian, aren’t you pregnant with the Fifth Prince? Please have some tea!” Lanqin bowed slightly, gesturing for Cui Niang to lead Nian to a seat.

“Sister Niu, this is my gift to you. I wish you a son and two little princes for the master!” Madam Nian glanced at Cui Ling and Bi Rou beside her, and saw that each of them was holding a brocade box.

Cui Ling and Bi Rou approached Lan Qin, each opening their brocade boxes and presenting them to her. Inside Cui Ling's box was a pair of jade pendants commemorating the Chinese zodiac. The white jade's luster indicated it was top-quality mutton-fat jade, and it was carved with the 48th and 49th zodiac animals of the Kangxi Emperor, carrying auspicious meanings. Bi Rou's box contained a brush holder made of black jade, carved with animals and flowers that children often enjoy.

"Sister, I know the Master has bestowed many fine things upon you. But surely not these two. These pieces of mutton-fat jade are no ordinary mutton-fat jade; they are said to have been nurtured in a jade pit for a long time before being carved into zodiac animals. The carving is the work of the renowned artist Zhang Yangshi. And this brush holder made of black jade is also Zhang Yangshi's work. I see that you are pregnant with twins this time, so they must be little princes. That's why he gave you gifts for boys," Madam Nian said with a smile.

Lanqin naturally understood the sarcasm in her words, a veiled insult implying that she had given birth to two daughters who weren't princes. If her next pregnancy resulted in another daughter, wouldn't they make a fool of themselves?

"Thank you so much, Sister Nian. You're so kind. Please accept this, Cui Niang!" Lanqin said, a sharp glint in her eyes. Nian was using the fact that she had given birth to a prince as an excuse to swagger around. She was now boasting about definitely giving birth to a prince; if she didn't, Lanqin could laugh at her.

"It's just a small token of my appreciation, nothing to brag about!" Madam Nian picked up the teacup entwined with green branches, blew on it, and took a sip.

"Oh dear, how can anyone swallow this tea?" Madam Nian frowned, abruptly slamming the teacup down onto the coffee table beside her. Lanqin was startled by her action.

Seeing Nian's behavior, Cui Niang and the other maids all showed expressions of anger. She had come in and subtly mocked her mistress for not being able to produce a prince, and now she was criticizing her mistress's tea—it was truly infuriating.

"What's wrong, Sister Nian? You don't like this tea?" Lanqin asked with concern, not caring at all.

"Sister, you drink this kind of tea?" Madam Nian frowned. It wasn't that she was being picky, but the tea was indeed very difficult to drink. This was because Lanqin had specifically instructed Xicha to give Madam Nian the tea that the maids were drinking.

"Alas, my family is not as wealthy as yours, Miss Nian. I have many people here, and we often need tea, so I'm afraid we've run out of good tea," Lanqin said regretfully.

"Why didn't you say so sooner, sister? I would have sent someone to deliver a few pounds. Sister is pregnant now, how could she drink such tea?" Madam Nian said smugly.

Lanqin smiled but didn't continue the conversation: "Sister, you've come to talk about the household management, haven't you? Cui Niang, go and call Lan Qi over. From now on, the Second Concubine will be in charge of the maintenance of the furniture and houses in the Fourth Prince's residence, as well as the flower room."

Lady Nian raised an eyebrow and smiled, plotting how she would gradually seize control of the Fourth Prince's household from Lanqin. Now, with Lanqin pregnant, she could conveniently use this as an excuse to take over some power. She had intended to speak to the Fourth Prince directly, but to her surprise, he immediately sent someone to deliver a message.

After Lanqi arrived, Lanqin instructed her to report the names of the servants in charge of the rooms and furniture in the inner quarters to Madam Nian.

Ms. Nian wrote everything down, and Lanqin then sent someone to summon the head steward of the flower shop, You Dahai, to meet with Ms. Nian.

Ms. Nian had thought that Lanqin would make things difficult for her, so she brought a congratulatory gift. She didn't expect Lanqin to be so quick to agree, and even she herself began to have some doubts.

"Well, is there anything else you don't know, Sister Nian? Please feel free to tell me. From now on, all these servants will report to you. This concubine will have a much easier time," Lanqin said with a smile.

"Why is my sister so magnanimous?" Madam Nian asked suddenly, her fake smile gone.

Lanqin said, "Isn't this exactly what you've been hoping for, little sister? Now I'm offering it to you with both hands. What, are you afraid, little sister?"

Ms. Nian was so choked up by Lanqin's words that she couldn't say a word.

“Little sister, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, but I can tell you now: go and see which house is dilapidated, and quickly send someone to repair it. Maybe a new owner will come.” Lanqin said calmly.

Lady Nian frowned and interjected, "Does Sister mean that a new person is coming to our backyard?"

Lanqin nodded and said, "You'll know soon enough, sister. There's no need for me to say anything more here."

Lady Nian stared at Lanqin in shock for several moments, but couldn't say anything. She could only leave with her maid.

Looking at the contents of the brocade boxes in her hands, Cui Niang felt an urge to smash them on the ground. She said irritably, "Why does Master need to remind her? Look at these things she sent; are they openly or subtly mocking us for not having given birth to a prince?"

Lanqin quickly stopped her, saying, "Don't do that! This thing she gave you is a real treasure, very valuable. It would be a pity to break it."

Cui Niang was still indignant, saying, "She had no good intentions. If the master hadn't told her that the jade and gold bracelet that the Fujin gave her contained musk, she wouldn't have been able to give birth safely. She has no conscience at all. She actually went to the master to show off."

Lanqin laughed and said, "It's in. Don't be angry. Why bother with money? As for her, isn't she just jealous? Only jealous people would come over to show off."

Cui Niang was amused by Lan Qin's words and laughed, "Your Highness is so kind-hearted. Did Your Highness say that just now on purpose to let Nian Shi know that Wu Ya Shi is about to enter the manor?"

"

Lanqin suppressed her smile and said, "That's right, there's no reason for me to be the only one heartbroken. Consort Nian likes to make a fuss, so let her make a fuss. Anyway, I'm just staying in my room to rest and prepare for childbirth, so who cares how much trouble they cause?"

Cui Niang suddenly realized and said, "I understand now. Master has dug a pit for Nian Shi. He probably left the repair of the house and furniture in the inner quarters to Nian Shi, so she can go and make trouble while she has her own thoughts?"