The next day, both the Fourth Prince and Lanqin woke up late, as the Fourth Prince was off duty and didn't have to attend the morning court. He was used to waking up late with Lanqin. The two had chatted late the night before, so they hadn't woken up early that morning.

Lanqin slept until the sun had risen, when the stewards came to report some matters to her, only to learn that the concubine and the Fourth Prince had not yet gotten up. Su Peisheng stood at the door, not daring to go in, so Cui Niang had to tell the people who came to report to go back first and come back when their masters woke up.

Meanwhile, on the Song family's side, Hongshi had already gotten up early and was practicing calligraphy in his room. The Fourth Prince had once taught him that one's handwriting could reveal a lot about their character. The Fourth Prince's calligraphy was excellent, and had even been praised by Emperor Kangxi. Among all the princes, the Fourth Prince's calligraphy was the most outstanding.

Hongshi is almost five years old now, and his handwriting has surpassed that of the Third Prince Hongjun, showing his own unique style. The Fourth Prince once told him to practice diligently for another ten years, and he would surely be able to write beautiful characters of his own.

"Fourth Prince, breakfast is ready. The Princess invites you to have breakfast!" said the maidservant who served Hongshi, standing behind him.

"I know! After breakfast, I'm going for a walk. Go tell Aunt Song first!" Hongshi said to the maid without turning his head.

When Hongshi arrived at Madam Song's main room, Madam Song was instructing the maids to prepare breakfast. Her main task these days was to take care of Hongshi, starting with his daily breakfast and constantly busying herself with his needs. From his meals to his underwear, socks, outer robe, and belt, everything was personally arranged by Madam Song. She did this to try and build a closer relationship with Hongshi, hoping that the Fourth Prince would truly acknowledge her as his mother.

“Auntie!” Hongshi said with a slight smile.

"Hongshi, come in quickly. There are your favorite sauerkraut and mutton dumplings!" Madam Song said with a smile.

"Thank you for your trouble, Auntie!" Hongshi walked to the table and glanced at the breakfast on it, which consisted entirely of dishes he liked.

“There’s no need to worry. Now that you’ve come to my place, I’ll treat you like my son. From now on, just tell me what you want to eat. Also, I’ve made you two sets of summer clothes. Try them on after breakfast, okay?” Madam Song lovingly took Hongshi’s hand and pressed him down to sit.

“Aunt, please don’t trouble yourself. Such extravagance will only breed a love of pleasure. Hongshi doesn’t need so much for breakfast every day. A bowl of congee and two eggs will suffice,” Hongshi said.

Madam Song was taken aback. She glanced at Hongshi awkwardly a few times before saying, "Fourth Prince, you are still young. Using more is what your body needs."

Hongshi personally picked up a bowl, filled it with millet porridge, and placed it in front of him, saying, "Hongshi has three meals a day, plus snacks and fruits and vegetables, how could he lack nutrition? Auntie, you've gone to so much trouble. After finishing breakfast, Hongshi would like to take a walk in the front garden."

“Ah, oh, go ahead, let Qiao’er accompany the Fourth Prince. The flowers over there are all in bloom, it’s a beautiful sight. Fourth Prince, don’t stay cooped up in the house all day, go out and get some fresh air.” Madam Song concealed the discomfort caused by Hongshi’s words.

Hongshi indeed only ate a bowl of porridge and two eggs, and didn't touch anything else, not even his usual favorite sauerkraut and mutton dumplings.

Song felt slightly puzzled, but didn't say much. As Lanqin had said, Hongshi, though young, was very mature and quiet, making it difficult to know what he was thinking. At first, Song thought Hongshi was just introverted and a little unaccustomed to a new place, but four months had passed, and Hongshi was still the same as when he first arrived. Apart from becoming more familiar with her, he hadn't changed at all. He never showed any childlike innocence or naivety in front of Song, making her begin to doubt whether she hadn't done enough to gain Hongshi's acceptance.

After Qiao'er led Hongshi out, Madam Song slumped into the main seat and murmured, "Fourth Prince is really not an easy child to raise!"

Qingping naturally understood what Madam Song meant, and sighed, "Master, he was already over four years old when he came here, and he was raised by the Fujin. I'm afraid it will be very difficult to tame him."

Mrs. Song sighed and said, "This child is good in every way, but his heart seems to be hard to warm. He always acts so refined and gentle, not like a child at all. Sometimes I even wonder if he is really a four or five-year-old child."

Qingping said, "Master, the Fourth Prince isn't your biological son after all. You should just treat it as a thing and let it go. Don't put so much effort into raising him. It's hard to say whether he'll even acknowledge your affection later!"

Madam Song knew that Qingping was doing this for her sake, but she couldn't bring herself to not take good care of a child. She always did her best to create a good living and learning environment for the Fourth Prince.

“My lady, I don’t think you need to worry so much. The eldest princess is married and has children now; you should be enjoying your retirement. Why bring trouble upon yourself?” Qingping said. Since the Fourth Prince arrived, Madam Song could no longer be as carefree as before. She spent all her time thinking about doing this and that for him! But the result was that the Fourth Prince remained as unmoved as a stubborn rock.

As Song thought about it, she remembered her first child. The Fourth Prince's real "eldest son," who had been miscarried after just three months!

"My lady, are you thinking of your first child again?" Qingping noticed that Song was choking up and realized that she was thinking of her son again, so she dared not say any more.

“My child was already fully formed when he was born; he was a prince. What a pity, what a pity. If that child had lived, he would have been Fourth Master’s first son!” Madam Song pinched the handkerchief on her chest and wiped away her tears.

“My lady, it’s all in the past. No matter how much you think about it now, it won’t change anything. You might as well live your life well now.” Seeing that Madam Song was sad and upset again, Qingping had no choice but to use these words that she had said many times before to cheer her up.

"Yes, I know. It's all in the past. Hongshi has been here for over four months now, but I still can't seem to sense his true feelings," said Madam Song. No matter how good she is to him, he always has that cold, aloof expression.

“Master, given Hongshi’s condition, let’s go and tell the Master that he can’t be cured. If you decide to keep him, you’ll have to be involved in everything concerning him from now on,” Qingping advised.