Pain my ass! You bumped into me and it hurts like hell! You call that pain? Waaaaah, you're so mean!!

Lanqin thought to herself, but continued to cry. The Fourth Master began to panic. Had he used too much force? If the maids outside heard, wouldn't they be mortified?

"Stop crying, everyone outside can hear you!" Fourth Master had no choice but to coax him.

"It's all your fault, Master! You're so mean! You're so mean, it hurts so much down there!" Lanqin cried sadly.

"Let me take a look, okay? Let me put some ointment on you," Fourth Master said cautiously.

"Hmph, I won't let you see. I'm so annoyed!" Lanqin grumbled angrily.

"It's all my fault, don't cry. How can I make it up to you before you forgive me?" Fourth Master had no choice but to continue to apologize.

"May I go out for a stroll from time to time, Your Highness?" Lanqin finally wiped away some of her tears. This time, going out with Fourth Master, Lanqin wanted to go out for a stroll again; half a day was simply not enough.

"No, it's too dangerous outside. I won't feel at ease without you by my side," Fourth Master refused decisively.

"Then, sir, take me out to have some fun!" Lanqin couldn't help but blurt out.

"Waves? What waves?" Fourth Master was indeed clueless.

"It's just about going out to have fun. Once you've finished preparing for the autumn imperial examinations, you can take me out for some fun, okay?" Lanqin said, wiping away tears the size of soybeans.

"Alright, after I finish dealing with the autumn examinations, I'll take you all out for some fun!" Fourth Master laughed.

After cuddling together in bed for a while, the two fell asleep again and slept until late afternoon.

Lanqin felt that the food in her stomach had not yet been digested and she did not want to have dinner. So she said to Fourth Master, "Master, how about we have a barbecue tonight? That way we can have fun and eat something without going through all that trouble. The weather is nice today. Although the moon is not big, we can ask Si Hua and the others to put on a Western show for us. They have been learning from Master Mu for a while, and we can see their results."

"Oh, alright. I'd like to go to the study to complete another review. If you want to play, just call them over. You can also invite Old Madam Song and the others," said the Fourth Master.

“Alright, then I’ll take care of it. If you’re busy, Master, you don’t have to come out,” Lanqin said.

"Hmm. You should invite everyone over to have some fun. I'll see how things go after I'm done with my work," Fourth Master said.

After calling the maids in to help him change, the Fourth Master went to his study alone.

"Sihua, have Grape inform Sister Song and Jinju inform Sister Wu, and ask them to come over tonight. We'll move the grill over there, enjoy the moon, have a barbecue, and watch you all perform," Lanqin said.

"Master, none of us know how to do this yet!" Si Hua was frightened when she heard Lan Qin say that the rest of them would be making their grand entrance.

“It’s not like we’re going on stage outside. It’s just our own people watching, so don’t be shy. It’s just for fun. Go tell Chef Niu to prepare some meat and vegetable skewers for barbecue tonight. The kids can come too. Let’s treat it like our own party and have some fun,” Lan Qin said.

"Yes. This servant will go and prepare immediately," Si Hua replied hastily.

After receiving news of Jinju's arrival, Madam Wu immediately sent Wu Ruyue along. She was happy to let Wu Ruyue gain favor with Lanqin, as she would need Lanqin's help with her marriage in the future.

Ever since Wu Ruyue was deliberately excluded from the opera by her mother, Wu Shi, she had been secretly vying with her. She knew Wu Shi didn't want her to enter the palace and only wanted to find her a suitable marriage. Furthermore, during her time at the Yuanmingyuan Garden, Wu Ruyue felt it was far superior to her home. From the rooms to the food and the servants, everything was more refined and luxurious than her previous life. Although Wu Shi wasn't favored, everything she wore, from her headdress to her clothes to her footwear, was worth hundreds or even thousands of taels of silver. And the Yuanmingyuan Garden itself was like a palace, with scenery like a fairyland—far superior to the back garden of a garrison commander or prefect. Stimulated by this, Wu Ruyue's mind began to stir. If her sister could marry a prince and become a princess, why couldn't she? Having figured this out, she began to pay attention to the emperor's various princes. I don't know where she found out that the Fourth Prince is the most promising, then the Third Prince, the Eighth Prince is henpecked, the Ninth Prince is a womanizer, the Tenth Prince is a good-for-nothing, and then there are the younger ones, the Sixteenth and Seventeenth, whose mothers are of low status.

After much deliberation, Wu Ruyue concluded that her brother-in-law—the fourth prince—was the most suitable for her. Moreover, she lived right here, so she had the advantage of proximity. If her sister agreed and helped to bring them together, things would fall into place naturally.

"Ruyue, you'll go with your sister to the side consort's place to watch the play tonight. I told you I didn't take you last time, but I'll take you this time." Wu Shi never expected that her little sister's heart had already set her sights on the Fourth Prince.

"Hmm. Sister, I made you some osmanthus honey, would you like to try it?" Although Wu Ruyue was dissatisfied with Wu Shi, she was still very affectionate on the surface.

"Good, I heard you personally picked some osmanthus flowers," Madam Wu asked.

“Yes. Sister, I also picked some hibiscus and rosebud flowers to use for bathing, which can improve the smoothness of the skin. Sister, would you like to try it?” Wu Ruyue said.

"You little rascal, you know quite a few beauty secrets." Seeing how obedient she was, Madam Wu tapped her nose with delight.

“Sister, for us women, the two most important things in life are reputation and appearance. You are naturally very beautiful, but why don’t you have your husband’s favor? Is it because you have neglected to take care of your appearance?” Wu Ruyue asked tentatively.

After hearing her words, Madam Wu's smile faded, and she said, "Don't talk nonsense. Whether a sister is favored or not is not determined by her appearance. You haven't seen Consort Nian. She is truly a beauty that could topple kingdoms, but she is not as favored by the Fourth Prince as Lanqin."

Wu Ruyue had never met Lady Nian before, and upon hearing Lady Wu's words, she somewhat arrogantly asked, "Is that Consort Nian really that beautiful? Compared to Ruyue, who is more beautiful?"

Wu Shi was surprised that Ru Yue dared to compare herself to Nian Shi, and the smile on her face immediately disappeared. She stared at Wu Ru Yue with concern and said, "Ru Yue, you are just a child. How can you talk about such things without any shame? Consort Nian is the Prince's consort. How dare you, a young girl, compare yourself to her behind her back?"

Seeing that Madam Wu was angry, Wu Ruyue didn't dare to argue anymore and could only say, "Sister, I was just curious."