"My lord, I am sleepy and wish to rest. Should I ask for your permission before doing so?" Lanqin asked.

"Fine, since you hate me so much, then I'll go somewhere else!" Fourth Master was also angry. He said this, stood up, turned around and walked out.

Lanqin watched as Fourth Master's figure gradually disappeared from her sight. She felt a dull pain in her heart. She knew that if she went to pull Fourth Master back, she could bring him back. But a voice in her heart said: Don't pull him back. He doesn't trust you at all. You're not the only woman he has. You've entrusted your heart to him, but what about him?

Only when the Fourth Master's footsteps gradually faded away did Lanqin say to the maids outside, "Come in, all of you. Take the place away and fetch water. I want to sleep."

Si Hua, Shui Ling, Bao Qin, and Yu Xiao immediately rushed in. Some cleared the table, while others served Lan Qin. They had all been outside and overheard Lan Qin's conversation with the Fourth Master. They couldn't understand what was being said; they only knew that their masters were having a disagreement.

After washing up, Lanqin immediately went to bed. Sihua was helping Lanqin pull the covers off. Seeing that Lanqin didn't speak, she tentatively asked, "Master, the Master cares about you so much, why are you still being difficult with him?"

"Do you think he cares about me?" Lanqin asked in return.

"What Master just said, wasn't it just that he cares about you?" Si Hua said, puzzled.

Lanqin was taken aback, and sighed inwardly: Alas, these women are all servants, how can I talk to them about such things?

"You should go and rest too, you must be tired after a long day." Lanqin kicked off her shoes, got into bed, pulled the blanket over herself, and lay down. Back in her familiar bed, a heavy sleepiness immediately washed over her.

Who cares, I'll go to sleep first and deal with it later.

Meanwhile, after leaving Lanqin in a huff, Fourth Master headed straight for the front courtyard. His words to Lanqin were merely spoken in anger; he was now extremely agitated and had no intention of going to any other woman.

After returning to the front yard, Su Peisheng helped him wash his face and then rested there alone. Su Peisheng noticed that the Fourth Master hadn't rested in the south courtyard since returning today, and he wondered why, but looking at the Fourth Master's appearance, he didn't dare to ask any questions.

In the inner quarters, news of Fourth Master and Lanqin's return had spread far and wide. Madam Song and the others were naturally overjoyed; Lanqin was finally back. Madam Nian, Madam Fucha, and Madam Liu all hoped that Fourth Master would remember them. Although Lanqin had been away from the inner quarters for over a month, Fourth Master hadn't returned often, and even when he did, he rarely visited them.

Lady Nian's spies had already relayed the news that the Fourth Master had left the South Courtyard and returned to the front courtyard to her ears.

"Master, according to the news from the gatekeeper, it seems that things aren't going well between you and the girl in the South Courtyard. Have they had another falling out?" Cui Ling said.

"Hmph, Niohuru was able to lure men into the palace when she was still there. Now that she's back, she's started arguing with the master again. Go and tell Liu to prepare carefully and serve the master well," said Lady Nian.

"Master, why give such a good opportunity to that Liu woman? Wouldn't it be better if you went and served the master well yourself?" Cui Ling said, puzzled.

“If Lady Liu gains favor, she will clash with Lady Niohuru, and I, as a secondary consort, cannot openly antagonize her,” Lady Nian said.