"I'll be fine after a little sleep!" Lanqin said silently to herself. Then, she closed her eyes and truly fell asleep.

When Lanqin woke up, the Fourth Master had already arranged everything and was just waiting for her to wake up.

"Master, everything is packed. This servant will help you get dressed first." Si Hua naturally noticed the discord between Lan Qin and the Fourth Master, and she was also very uneasy. How could they have just made up, but now they've started fighting again?

"Yes, we're leaving tonight, right?" Lanqin personally pulled back the gauze curtain.

"Yes, Master is already waiting outside. The Sixth Prince has been brought over. Master is playing with the Sixth Prince right now," Si Hua said.

"Okay, I understand. Come with me to get dressed and comb your hair," Lanqin said.

She stood there blankly as Si Hua helped her put the clothes on, then, still somewhat lost in thought, let Si Hua fiddle with her hair.

"Master, we can finally go back. We've been staying here for so long." Seeing that Lanqin was silent, Sihua had no choice but to start a conversation.

“It’s just moving from one cage to another,” Lanqin said.

"Master, what's wrong with you?" Si Hua couldn't help but ask.

"It's nothing." Lanqin didn't want to say anything. She felt exhausted. What difference would it make if she said more? Things would still be the same, and she wouldn't believe it anyway.

Lanqin was like a puppet, letting Si Hua manipulate her head for a long time. Then, she felt like a marionette being pulled by Si Hua in front of the Fourth Master.

"Mother!" When Hongli saw Lanqin, he naturally stretched out his chubby little hands and rushed towards her.

Lanqin looked at Hongli's adorable appearance and couldn't help but reach out to hug him. When her hand touched the Fourth Prince's hand, she felt that the hands she could once rely on were now somewhat cold.

Without thinking twice, she pulled Hongli into her arms.

Fourth Master felt very uncomfortable seeing that Lanqin refused to make eye contact with him.

"Let's go, everything is ready outside. Let's go say goodbye to Mother," said Fourth Master.

Lanqin nodded, then carried Hongli and followed the Fourth Prince to Consort De's palace.

"Alright, let's go back. I also have things to worry about regarding the palace banquet," said Consort De.

After leaving Consort De's palace, the Fourth Prince led Lanqin and the others towards the Shenwu Gate, the exit of the palace. It was already getting dark, and the sun quickly disappeared from sight. The entire sky seemed to have been covered with a lid, turning black in an instant.

By the time the carriage returned to Prince Yong's residence, it was almost past 7 PM. Lanqin was too tired to carry him, so the Fourth Prince carried Hongli all the way to the South Courtyard. When they arrived at the South Courtyard, the maids lined up to greet them. Wuxiha and Bechuk had already returned, and upon seeing Lanqin, they both rushed over and burst into tears.

"Settle your master down to wash up. Bring up the food quickly. They haven't eaten yet," Fourth Master instructed. Lanqin, who had been holding the child, seemed somewhat lost in thought, unlike her usual lively self.

Lanqin told Lanqi to carry Hongli downstairs to rest. She then let Shuiling and Putao help her wash her face and change her clothes. Fourth Master asked Niu Baoquan to prepare a meal. He, too, changed his clothes with Yuxiao's help.

After the two had changed their clothes, the maids had already set up the dining table. The dishes that both Lanqin and the Fourth Master liked to eat were also laid out. The maids noticed that Lanqin and the Fourth Master seemed to be at odds, so they dared not say anything more. They served the two to the dining table and then withdrew.

"You're finally back. It's so much more comfortable here in the manor. You weren't eating well at Mother's either. Hurry up and have some." The Fourth Prince realized he had misunderstood, so he kept trying to talk to her, but Lanqin refused to speak. She just did whatever the Fourth Prince asked her to do.

Lanqin looked at her favorite dishes, but didn't have much of an appetite. Nevertheless, she picked up her chopsticks and began to eat.

The two remained silent and began their meal in silence. The Fourth Prince would glance at Lanqin from time to time, but she refused to exchange even a glance with him.

“Although I misunderstood you, you shouldn’t have met with him alone. He even held you in his arms, so of course I would misunderstand.” Fourth Master was also angry. He felt that although he had misunderstood, Lanqin was not without fault. At the very least, she shouldn’t have met with a strange man alone.

Lanqin knew she had violated the greatest taboo of the era—not to meet alone with a man who was not her husband, even if there was nothing between them, it would still cause gossip. In this era, women were appendages of men, and their value was limited to procreation. Therefore, they were kept hidden away in the inner quarters of the house like objects, never brought before men to show their faces in public, and certainly never allowed to meet or be alone with a strange man.

She knew she wasn't without fault; at least in this respect, she hadn't been clever enough, which allowed Sixteen to take advantage of her. What pained her most was that the Fourth Prince still couldn't fully trust her, making Lanqin suddenly feel like all her past actions were a joke. She was merely one of the more favored women in his household; what right did she have to be different?

"Your Excellency is absolutely right. It was my oversight that gave others something to gossip about. Please punish me!" Lanqin put down her chopsticks, stood up, and curtsied to the Fourth Master.

The Fourth Prince was extremely agitated. He suddenly stood up, pulled Lanqin up, grabbed her chin, and said, "I won't allow you to do this! You are my concubine, and I won't allow you to see any man other than me alone."

Lanqin saw an absolute desire for possession in Fourth Master's eyes, and she understood the almost obsessive and manipulative possessiveness that men of this era had towards women. Even Fourth Master was no exception. They could have three wives and four concubines, but they would never allow their women to have even the slightest thought of other women.

In the past, Lanqin might have been delighted, but now, she felt a sense of fear. The Fourth Prince couldn't fully trust her, yet he demanded she belong entirely to him, depend on her, and forbade her to have any other thoughts. This was reality, Lanqin's true situation within the Fourth Prince's inner quarters. Lanqin suddenly realized the absurdity of it all. Although she wore ancient clothes, had ancient hairstyles, and wore ancient jewelry, her heart belonged to a modern person, a woman with a higher education.

"Master, my chin hurts a little!" Lanqin said.

Fourth Master released Lanqin and stared into her eyes. He had just seen a starlight that refused to yield in them. Although he had once greatly admired Lanqin's uniqueness, his chauvinistic tendencies immediately took over after she came into contact with other men.