P.S. Here's today's update. Also, please vote for me in the Qidian 515 Fan Festival. Everyone gets 8 votes, and voting also earns you Qidian coins. I'm begging for your support and appreciation!

Seeing that Lanqin had already admitted her mistake and begged for reconciliation, Fourth Master stopped keeping a long face. He immediately turned over, pulled her into his arms, and murmured, "Go to Mother's birthday celebration. Which woman in the inner quarters doesn't beg and look forward to going? But you, you don't even want to go. Master, have I spoiled you too much? Have I spoiled you so much that you've become lawless?"

Lanqin pouted and said with a hint of disdain, "I was only thinking of Fourth Master. I flattered the wrong person. It's my bad luck." But in her heart, she thought to herself: Going to the palace to kowtow and pay respects, pretending to be silly, is not a good thing at all. It's just asking for trouble!

Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince finally couldn't help but laugh. He raised his hand and pinched Lanqin's nose, saying, "This is an imperial decree issued by Consort De. How dare they complain? However, tomorrow I will have the head nanny send you some more cloth. Pick out the good ones and make two sets of clothes. Entering the palace is not the same as being in the Fourth Prince's residence. You must not embarrass me."

The reason the Fourth Prince said this was because although he had bestowed a lot of fabric upon Lanqin, this little princess did not use it all to make clothes. Today she would make a little jacket for Fubao, tomorrow she would make sandals for the children and maids, or she would make the team uniform for the slingshot competition, as mentioned earlier. In short, she was thinking of ways to use all the good fabric he gave her, but she did not make many good clothes for herself.

"What? You want to make more clothes? Master, I already have so many clothes in my closet that I can't wear them all," Lanqin protested.

“Little thing, I gave you some fabric to make clothes, and you’re still not happy. You really are different from other women…” Fourth Master was about to say something about how different she was from other women, but he was interrupted by Lanqin in his arms.

“She’s different from other women, isn’t she! Master, could you come up with a different excuse next time? Aren’t you tired of hearing it? I’m sick of it.” Lanqin said, mimicking the Fourth Master’s tone, before revealing her mischievous nature again.

"You naughty girl!" Fourth Master was so annoyed by her behavior that he lost all his temper. Seeing her in his arms, looking so carefree and happy, he genuinely liked this feeling and liked himself at this moment.

"Master, what good news have you had today? Tell me about it." Lanqin raised her hand and stroked the dragon tattoo on the Fourth Master's chest.

"Starting tomorrow, I will officially return to the Ministry of Revenue. I worked there for a while before, but Father Emperor suspended me from my post because of something." The Fourth Prince's voice became excited.

“The Ministry of Revenue, isn’t that the department that manages people? It must be tough working there,” Lanqin said.

“I’m not willing to do easy things! During this tour of the nine prefectures, I saw many things that were infuriating and worrying. I submitted a memorial to Father Emperor upon my return, and I didn’t expect that Father Emperor had also noticed these problems. He summoned me to the palace these past few days to discuss these issues. Now he’s asking me to rejoin the Ministry of Revenue. It seems that Father Emperor also feels that those problems have reached a point where they must be resolved.” The Fourth Prince said solemnly.

"What you're referring to, sir, is the corruption and factionalism among officials." Lanqin knew that the Ministry of Revenue was the most complex of the six ministries, responsible for managing the population, officials, and finances of the Qing Dynasty. When she heard the Fourth Prince say those words, she had already thought of the corrupt officialdom and empty treasury in the later years of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, which is why she blurted out those words.

This time, Fourth Master stared intently at Lanqin. Her small face was exceptionally pure, and her eyes, like autumn water, seemed to see through all the affairs of the world.

"How do you know about these things in officialdom?" Fourth Master couldn't help but ask.

"I think Your Highness is in the Ministry of Revenue, and isn't that what the Ministry of Revenue is in charge of? The only things that could worry Father Emperor, besides the problems that could shake the foundation of the Qing Dynasty, are forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices," Lanqin said seriously, concealing the slight panic that the Fourth Prince had almost seen through.

"You're right. Even a young woman knows this. It seems that our Great Qing must face this problem squarely." The Fourth Prince's tone was noticeably more serious.

"Your Majesty, I believe you can manage the Ministry of Revenue well," Lanqin comforted him, reaching out to touch the Fourth Prince's stubble-covered chin. Lanqin knew that the Fourth Prince was known as the "Cold-Faced King," and Kangxi had allowed him to return to the Ministry of Revenue so that the Fourth Prince could use his upright and incorruptible iron-fisted methods to correct the malpractices he had made in his later years.

"Your flattery pleases me greatly." Fourth Master affectionately stroked Lanqin's cheek, his tone noticeably softening.

“My lord, this time I’m not flattering you. The reason Father Emperor appointed you to the Ministry of Revenue is because he sees you as the one who can turn the tide. Therefore, I dare to assert that you can govern the Ministry of Personnel well,” Lanqin said earnestly.

"Mingzhu is dead, but Suo'etu is still alive. Father Emperor guarded against these two people back then, but he never expected that there would be someone even more capable than Suo'etu and Mingzhu in the court now," the Fourth Prince said meaningfully.

Could it be that he was referring to the Eighth Prince, Yinzhi?! The image of the Eighth Prince suddenly flashed into Lanqin's mind. It was said that the Eighth Prince was extremely popular in the court and had once been recommended by officials as a candidate for Crown Prince. Of course, these things hadn't happened yet; they occurred after the Crown Prince was deposed.

"Master, everyone has schemes. Humans are the most complex animals in the world." Lanqin held back the Eighth Prince's words and could only offer this comforting remark. If she were to bring up the Eighth Prince again at this moment, the Fourth Prince would surely regard her as a prophetic fortune teller.

"You're right. I will definitely be able to take care of this mess of the Ministry of Personnel and will absolutely live up to Father Emperor's trust." The Fourth Prince seemed to be speaking to Lanqin, but also to himself.

cluck cluck cluck~~~~

A series of unpleasant sounds came from the two of them. Fourth Master looked at Lanqin, then at himself, while Lanqin looked at herself, then at Fourth Master, and couldn't help but laugh.

Niu Baoquan's noodles were ready long ago, but Huanbi said that the two people inside seemed to be arguing, so they didn't dare to disturb them. It wasn't until they heard Lanqin and the Fourth Master laughing inside that the maids and eunuchs waiting outside breathed a sigh of relief.

"Princess, Master, the noodles are ready." Nianxue had returned from the Fujin's place and, having heard the commotion inside, stood outside as well. Hearing Lanqin and the Fourth Master's laughter, she knew everything was alright, so she boldly called out from outside the door.

"Bring them all in, Master and I want to eat belt noodles!" Lanqin shouted, then sat up from Fourth Master's lap.

That night, our Fourth Master was probably too stimulated by Lanqin, and he stayed up very late before finally falling asleep in her arms. As for Lanqin, she had long been confused by the beastly Fourth Master's antics.

[May 15th is almost here! I hope to continue my efforts to climb the 515 Red Envelope Ranking, and on May 15th, I can give back to readers with a red envelope rain and promote my work. Every little bit helps, and I'll definitely update harder!]