"In the sweltering summer heat, how can you still eat all this greasy kebabs?" Fourth Master frowned slightly as he looked at the plates of meat skewers being served.

"I can eat meat anytime, my lord, I am a carnivore!" Lanqin picked up a fragrant lamb skewer, which was slightly charred, just enough to bring out the aroma of the ingredients.

"If you were to have a child for me, I wonder if it would be just like you, a complete little glutton!" Fourth Master looked at the greasy skewers that Lanqin was putting to her mouth, shook his head, and said with a smile.

He was already finding it hard to eat greasy food, so he just picked up the roasted eggplant and started eating it.

“So what if you’re a foodie? You have to eat well to grow up well!” Lanqin said defiantly, but then she realized that she had been tricked by the Fourth Master. Seeing him secretly smiling with his mouth up, she deliberately said, “You did it on purpose, you’re so mean.”

Fourth Master picked up a handkerchief prepared nearby and wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth. He said seriously, "I wish you would have a child for me, someone as clever and mischievous as you!"

Lanqin's heart trembled when she heard this. Although she could feel that the Fourth Prince was speaking from the bottom of his heart, she still couldn't help but probe, "If I don't have children, will you stop doting on me?"

Upon hearing this, the Fourth Master gave Lanqin a deep look without saying a word. Lanqin, anxious, couldn't help but say, "I knew it! You only dote on me so you can have children." After saying that, she pouted and sullenly started eating her lamb skewers by herself.

Fourth Master suppressed a laugh and said in a deep voice, "There are plenty of women who want to have my child. If I only wanted a child, would I need to discuss it with you? You ungrateful little thing!"

Yes, if the Fourth Prince only cared about having offspring, he wouldn't need to tell himself here that Wu, Song, and Wang, or even Geng and Yin, all of them wanted to have children for him.

Lanqin knew that she had just lost her temper because of what Consort De had said. Seeing that the Fourth Prince said this, she naturally took the opportunity to back down. However, she still pouted and said irritably, "I also want to have a child with you, but I'm a little scared."

Seeing the little princess's aggrieved expression, and noticing her unusually well-behaved demeanor today, the Fourth Prince couldn't bring himself to scold her. He rose and walked over to Lanqin, taking the skewer of mutton she was eating. He smelled it and said, "Seeing you eat so deliciously, you've whetted my appetite too." Then, the Fourth Prince began eating the remaining skewer. As he ate, he thought about Lanqin's earlier words of "fear," and was somewhat unsure how to comfort her. Having grown up in the palace, he had witnessed many lives lost in childbirth, lives that even his father, the Emperor, could only anxiously watch from outside the delivery room.

Seeing that the Fourth Master, who usually wouldn't even touch the utensils that others had used, was now eating mutton skewers with his own saliva on them, Lanqin's heart softened instantly. She whispered, "When I give birth, Your Highness must be with me, so that I won't be afraid."

"Don't worry, I will definitely find the best midwife for you, and then stay by your side to welcome our first child, okay!" Fourth Master had already put down his mutton skewers, raised his hand to pat Lanqin's shoulder, and said these words in a deep voice.

He was willing to enter the delivery room and risk being defiled by a woman's bodily fluids to be with her. Doesn't that prove that Fourth Master truly treats her differently?

Lanqin pondered this silently for a while. Unconsciously, she was no longer the young woman who had just entered the manor. The longer she spent with the Fourth Prince, the more Lanqin felt she was gradually falling in love with this man who already had three wives and four concubines. Yet, she always hesitated at the threshold of deep love, afraid that one wrong step would lead to utter ruin. So she repeatedly tested herself, repeatedly restrained herself, until Consort De's admonition, until she decided to bear a child for this man. Lanqin finally realized that she had fallen in love with the man behind the scenes, the man known as the Fourth Prince. Therefore, when she heard Consort De instruct the Fourth Prince to "equalize his favors," her heart suddenly ached, as if she were about to lose him. Even after deciding to bear a child for the Fourth Prince, she herself didn't realize that she was already binding this man with a lifetime of ties.

After the two finished their dinner, Fourth Master took Lanqin for a stroll in the courtyard to digest their food. At this time, Su Peisheng had already obtained a prescription from Doctor Zhou and was currently boiling water in Lanqin's small kitchen.

"My lord, how about we wait until the water is boiled before I bathe with you?" Lanqin said gently, holding the Fourth Prince's hand.

"Good, it's rare to see Lan'er so gentle and considerate today. I'm a little flattered." The Fourth Prince felt that Lan Qin seemed different from her usual self today, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was different.

"It seems like Master has suffered a great injustice here all the time," Lanqin couldn't help but sarcastically remark.

"That's right. It's rare to see Princess Niu helping me change clothes or serving me food when I'm here." Fourth Master was pleased to see Lanqin back to her usual self, no longer serving him so carefully and speaking cautiously as before.

Yes, he liked Lanqin's uninhibited and free-spirited manner in front of him. He didn't want her to become as cautious as Song Shi, as obsequious as Wang Shi, or as deliberately ingratiating as Wu Shi. He only hoped that she would remain the Lanqin he first met at Huangjue Temple.

The water to relieve the itching was ready, and several maids prepared bathwater for the Fourth Master again. After Lanqin had them carry the bucket into the inner room, she dismissed everyone. After helping the Fourth Master remove all his clothes, Lanqin was still a little shy and dared not look at his whole body until he was completely immersed in the water. Only then did she pick up a towel, wet it, and wipe his back.

"Lan'er, I remember once you helped me in the water..." Fourth Master recalled that water battle and couldn't help but start talking.

That night, Lanqin lingered passionately in Fourth Master's arms. If she had been somewhat passive in the past, always having Fourth Master torment her until she begged for mercy, this time, for the first time, Lanqin took the initiative to respond to Fourth Master's passion.

Seeing Lanqin jumping on him, Fourth Master squinted his eyes comfortably, feeling so relaxed that he just wanted to roar. When they reached a high place, the two embraced and almost fell asleep together.