"I have something I'd like to discuss with Consort Niu. Consort Song and Consort Wu, please excuse yourselves," said Lady Nian.

Song and Wu looked rather displeased. They were being driven away as soon as they arrived, and right in front of Lanqin.

Seeing that Lady Nian meant she had something to say to her, Lanqin said, "Sister Song and Sister Wu, is there something inconvenient? Is there something that Consort Nian cannot say in front of them?"

“Naturally, it’s not appropriate for you to hear this, Princess. Why don’t you two go to the side room to sit and have some tea? After I’ve finished speaking with Consort Niu, you can come and keep her company!” said Lady Nian.

After Song and Wu bowed and took their leave, only Lanqin and Nian remained in the room. It had been a long time since the two had been alone together. Especially after the incident at the Xishan horse farm during the last international tribute, Lanqin could no longer maintain a peaceful relationship with Nian, or at least not with her. The other woman hadn't been friendly at all. From the way Nian had tried to startle the horse and cause Lanqin to fall, it was clear that Nian intended to kill her, so there was no need for Lanqin to maintain a peaceful attitude.

"Consort Niu, what happened at the horse farm last time was a misunderstanding. I hope you won't hold it against me, Sister Niu." Lady Nian said this, noticing that Lanqin's expression was rather cold and not as kind as before.

Is this an attempt to make peace? Lanqin began to scrutinize Lady Nian. The usually arrogant and self-important Consort Nian had actually come to beg for peace, even telling her not to stoop to her level. But why not? She had already resorted to underhanded tactics, and now she was telling her not to bother?! What kind of logic was that!

“Everything Consort Nian has done is etched in my memory. Whether I hold it against her or not is also in my mind. I wonder what brings Consort Nian here today? It’s not just to say what she just said, is it?” Lanqin ignored Consort Nian’s insincere attempt to make peace and instead asked.

"Hehe, actually, I came here to discuss some things with Sister Niu." Hearing that Lanqin's tone was not very friendly, Madam Nian suppressed her jealousy and forced a smile onto her face.

"Oh? Just say it!" Lanqin was getting annoyed. She said she had something to say, but she didn't say what it was for a long time.

“Sister Niu, nowadays, our Prince is a very popular figure in the officialdom of the capital. Do you understand what I mean?” said Madam Nian.

Upon hearing this, Lanqin naturally knew that the Fourth Prince's current status was at its zenith, and no other prince could rival him except for the Fourteenth Prince. Lanqin had just returned when she heard that the Fourteenth Prince's primary consort had given birth to a legitimate son.

Therefore, Lanqin still had to think about what kind of congratulatory gift to prepare for the Fourteenth Prince! When the Fourth Prince heard the news, he did not show much joy, because the Fourteenth Prince was favored by Emperor Kangxi. Now that he had a legitimate son, he would naturally be even more favored by Emperor Kangxi.

“Sister, our master is a prince, and the position of crown prince is currently vacant. Everyone is eyeing that position! I think our master is the most popular candidate, so we, we are his concubines, the primary consort is just a title. We should do something to help him gain more support,” said Lady Nian.

Lanqin understood Madam Nian's intention in coming today: she wanted to curry favor with the Fourth Prince and proactively offer to do something for him. But did she know how to do it in a way that would be most beneficial to the Fourth Prince?

"I wonder what business Sister Nian has that could benefit our Prince?" Lanqin asked.

"It's almost the New Year, so let's prepare a New Year's gift for each of the officials in charge. As the saying goes, 'A little courtesy is never a bad thing!'" said Madam Nian. "That way, they'll naturally understand what we mean. With our Prince's current status, they're already trying to curry favor with him. Receiving a New Year's gift from him would be giving them plenty of face!"

Lanqin looked at Nian Shi and had to admit that she was quite adept at cultivating relationships. However, if she were to prepare a New Year's gift for every official in the capital, the Yong Prince's Mansion might go bankrupt! There were so many officials in the capital.

“Sister, your intentions are indeed thoughtful towards our Prince, but with so many officials in all the departments of the capital, it’s probably not appropriate to prepare a copy for each one,” Lanqin said.

“Sister, whether the gift is large or small, it’s all about the sentiment. We can prepare different New Year’s gifts according to the official’s rank. That way, it won’t cost as much money as you think,” said Madam Nian.

Lanqin couldn't help but admire Nian's shrewdness; she had actually guessed what she was thinking.

“Sister, I wanted to bring this up with the master, but he hasn’t come to see me yet. I think it would be better if you, sister, could bring it up with him instead,” said Madam Nian.

Lanqin really couldn't refuse Nian's request, after all, she was thinking of the Fourth Master.

“Alright, I will discuss this with Master. But whether Master will agree or not, I don’t know,” Lanqin said.

"Thank you for agreeing with my opinion, sister. Then I will not keep you from chatting with Madam Song and the others any longer. I will take my leave." Madam Nian said, seeing that her goal had been achieved.