"When my sister gave birth to her first child, it took her two whole days to give birth. My brother-in-law was terrified, thinking she wouldn't make it. But my sister was incredibly lucky; she pulled through the hell." Geng's face turned pale as she recounted her elder sister's childbirth experience.

"Two days, and she won't faint from the pain?" Lanqin began to imagine herself lying in bed groaning in pain, and couldn't help but feel a surge of fear.

“That’s right, my sister was in so much pain she almost fainted. She could only breathe by pressing ginseng under her tongue. Anyway, the suffering my sister endured was truly unbearable. Sigh, we women just have it harder than men. Giving birth is like being reincarnated.” Geng sighed. She saw the fear in Lanqin’s eyes and became even more puzzled: If she wasn’t pregnant, why would she be asking about these things?

“There should be some who give birth smoothly; difficult births are still a minority,” Lanqin said quietly.

"Yes, it's said that Consort Li in our household had a very smooth delivery of the Second Princess, giving birth in less than half a day. The Third and Fourth Princes also had smooth deliveries," Geng Shi said in a low voice.

Lanqin nodded and said to Gengshi, "Sister, why don't you have lunch here? After we eat, we can make cucumber face masks together, okay?"

Geng nodded happily: "Then I won't stand on ceremony. I made cucumber face masks a few times when I got home that day, and they really do moisturize the face. How did you discover that this stuff can be used as a face mask?"

Lanqin smiled slyly and said, "I discovered that someone was doing this by accident, but I can't say who it was."

The two walked hand in hand into the house. Although Lanqin still felt lingering fear about childbirth, she knew it was something she couldn't escape. Whether she liked it or not, as a princess of this feudal imperial family, she should be extremely grateful to even give birth. Some people would risk their lives just to have a child for the Fourth Prince!

After having lunch with Madam Geng and applying a face mask, Lanqin dismissed everyone and took out a letter from a cotton coat in the cabinet behind her bed. It was the very letter Lingzhu had given her, saying it was Yang's secret recipe for conceiving a child.

At first, Lanqin disregarded the letter and never touched it, because she had no intention of having a child at such a young age. But now, Consort De had spoken, implying that if she didn't have a child soon, it meant that the favor she was receiving would be diverted.

Okay, women in this day and age are going to have children eventually, so I'm going to start trying to conceive!

With a sense of compassion akin to that of a warrior going to battle, Lanqin pulled the paper from the envelope and carefully examined the densely written characters by the light from the window. The paper contained some names of Chinese medicines, followed by some advice regarding sexual matters—essentially, more physical labor.

"I need to find a doctor to see what the medicine in this prescription is actually used for," Lanqin muttered to herself.

Thinking of this, Nianxue called out "Nianxue" to the person waiting in the outer room. The person she trusted most was still Nianxue. This girl, only a year or two older than her, always did and said things for Lanqin's benefit. Sometimes, Lanqin would find her nagging, but her attachment and trust in her grew stronger every day.

"Princess, did you call me?" Nianxue pushed open the door, walked up to Lanqin, and whispered.

"Nianxue, go and close the door. I have something important to tell you." Lanqin was unusually serious. She had initially scoffed at the "secret formula for conceiving a child" provided by Madam Yang, but since she had obtained a copy, why not consult a doctor? If it really worked, it would be a good thing. Didn't Emperor Kangxi dislike the Fourth Prince's lack of offspring? This would both solidify her own favor and help the Fourth Prince have more children—truly a win-win situation. Actually, even without Madam Yang's secret formula, Lanqin knew some common knowledge about things that could help with conception. However, she couldn't help but be curious about whether this ancient remedy actually worked.

Nianxue had never seen Lanqin so serious before. She immediately turned around, walked quickly to the door, and closed the four-sided door.

“Nianxue, you heard it yesterday at Consort De’s place. It’s clear that the Consort is somewhat dissatisfied with the favor the Master has shown me, and the root of her dissatisfaction is that I haven’t yet borne him a child,” Lanqin said, her brows slightly furrowed.

“Princess, you don’t need to worry. With the master’s favor towards you, it’s only a matter of time before you conceive.” Nianxue immediately comforted her when she heard her say this.

"Nianxue, listen to me. Here's a prescription my father gave me. He said it's Yang's secret formula for conceiving a son. Find an excuse to take this paper out and find a doctor to take a look at it. See what this prescription is all about and whether it helps with a woman's fertility." Lanqin still harbored suspicions about Yang. Would she really hand over this secret formula to her so readily?

"Yes, I'll go tell the head nanny that my mother is ill and I'm going back to visit her. The head nanny should approve. Princess, is this the same thing you were talking about with Consort Lan yesterday?" Nianxue didn't know how Lanqin obtained the secret recipe, but she remembered what Lanqin had said to Holland in the palace yesterday, and that's when she remembered.

"Yes, Nianxue, this matter is between you and me, and it must not be spread. You must not mention your departure tomorrow to anyone either," Lanqin instructed.

"I know, Princess. I'll go and tell the head nanny right away." Nianxue had always hoped that Lanqin would get pregnant soon so that her position would be secure. As soon as she heard that Lanqin wanted a child, she immediately became even more attentive than Lanqin.

After Nianxue left, Lanqin went to the small kitchen and personally instructed Niu Baoquan on what to prepare for dinner. She had now pretty much figured out Fourth Master's schedule; he should be returning to the South Courtyard today.

Sure enough, as dusk fell, Fourth Master arrived at the South Courtyard, drenched in sweat. As soon as he entered, he complained about the heat. Xi Cha and Huan Bi quickly brought over some chilled plum juice that Lan Qin had prepared, and Fourth Master drank two bowls in one go without stopping.

"Master, please take off your outer garment. It's the height of summer, and you're wearing two layers. You must be very hot." Lanqin instructed Ziran to hold a palace fan and fan the Fourth Master. Although there was ice in the room, it still couldn't relieve the Fourth Master's heat.

As soon as Fourth Master put down his bowl, he immediately raised his hand to unbutton his shirt, and Lanqin quickly stepped forward to help him.

The Fourth Prince was somewhat unaccustomed to this. This little princess had never helped serve him before, always acting like a heartless little brat. Actually, the Fourth Prince didn't know that Lanqin wasn't unwilling to serve; rather, she simply didn't know how. Over a decade of hard study had taught her nothing but ABCs and all sorts of principles, formulas, and theories, but she hadn't really learned how to serve anyone!

"Why are you looking at Lan'er like that, Master?" Lan Qin blushed when she saw that the Fourth Master was staring at her. Thinking about having children, her face turned even redder.