Fourth Master remained silent the entire way. Lanqin was unsure of his true feelings about her bringing Fourteenth Master back to the manor; the relationship between the two brothers was indeed delicate. Lanqin knew it wasn't as simple as she had thought. Did Fourteenth Master truly have no desire to compete? Had her words truly made him see her for who she was?

As the Fourth Master turned around, Lanqin, still lost in thought, didn't see that he had stopped walking and unexpectedly bumped into his arms.

The Fourth Master's hands descended, encircling Lanqin's waist. His deep, intense gaze fixed on Lanqin's small face. The servants following behind, seeing their masters acting this way, immediately turned away.

Lanqin looked at Fourth Master with a bit of a loss, wanting to say what was in her heart, but unable to say it.

"I'm afraid I really have to compete with my own brothers. From now on, you shouldn't see Fourteenth Prince alone anymore, okay?" Fourth Prince said.

Holy crap? He actually thinks he has something going on with Fourteen?

Lanqin immediately pushed away the Fourth Prince's hold and said angrily, "What are you thinking, Your Highness? I merely bumped into the Fourteenth Prince at a restaurant. I don't know what you're thinking. I went out to expand the Daqing Hot Pot restaurant, nothing like what you're thinking!"

Fourth Master paused for a moment, looking at the little woman's angry expression, before a smile appeared on his lips. He said, "I know, I mean there's no need to talk to him about those things anymore. Even if he doesn't want to fight, the people around him won't agree. Fourteenth Master might not tell you the truth either. So there's no need for you to say those things to him on my behalf."

Looking at Fourth Master's expression, Lanqin realized she had misunderstood. Hearing his words, she understood his meaning. He knew she had advised Fourteenth Master not to listen to others but to listen to his own heart, but he knew it was futile. Therefore, he told her not to say those things to Fourteenth Master again, and not to see him alone.

“My lord, is it truly unavoidable? In my heart, Fourteen is still that sixteen or seventeen-year-old child,” Lanqin said.

"He's actually two years older than you, so how can he still be a child?" Fourth Master was a little puzzled by Lanqin's mindset.

Lanqin was taken aback, then immediately chuckled awkwardly, "Although I am two years younger than him, an elder sister-in-law is like a mother, so I always treat him like a child." In fact, Lanqin's mental age was already over thirty, so how could she not treat a sixteen-year-old boy like a child?

“He’s not a child anymore! Father has already given him control of the 200,000 troops in the Northern Camp, making him a powerful figure in the region. Who can still call him a child?” the Fourth Prince said in a deep voice.

Lanqin naturally knew that the Fourteenth Prince of today was not the Fourteenth Prince of back then, and that she was just being delusional. However, she still couldn't bear to see the Fourth Prince and his fourteenth brother turn against each other, so she thought she could try to persuade him as much as she could.

"Master, is it unavoidable?" Lanqin asked. "Mother, it will definitely be the most difficult situation."

"I'm afraid Mother won't support me, after all, Fourteenth Prince is her most beloved son. I've given up on him," Fourth Prince said.

“Master, that’s not necessarily true. Mother is so wise; the best choice in her heart might not be her most beloved son,” Lanqin said.

Fourth Master smiled and said, "I hope so. Let's go back and have a meal; my stomach is still empty."

Lanqin and Fourth Master returned to the front yard. The two faced a table full of food and wine, but they didn't have much of an appetite.

"Let's go to your place. I'm used to this food, and I really can't eat it anymore." Fourth Master didn't have much of an appetite either.

"What should we do with all this food?" Lanqin looked at the table full of food and wine. It was so decadent! All the delicacies hadn't been touched.

"Give it to the servants and let them divide it up," said the Fourth Master.

"Yes. Then, Master, please come back to the South Courtyard with me," Lanqin said.

Meanwhile, Madam Nian already knew about the conversation between the Fourth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince, as well as his current situation in the South Courtyard.

"It's a complete waste of my time!" Mrs. Nian slammed her chopsticks on the table.

“Consort, judging from the conversation between the Prince and the Fourteenth Prince, there is bound to be a struggle between them. You don’t need to get angry with a member of the Niohuru clan right now. You need to win the battle in the court first, and then deal with the affairs of the inner quarters later,” Bai Zhi said.

"How is Hongqiao? Has she convinced herself that the person who harmed her was Niohuru?" asked Madam Nian.

"It's basically confirmed. But how can she go back to Lady Fucha now? I'm still trying to persuade her to go back to Lady Fucha," Bai Zhi said.

“Alright, keep trying to persuade her. I simply can’t stand seeing Niohuru by the Prince’s side for even a day,” said Lady Nian.

"Please be patient, Consort. After all, our plan is not yet finalized, so we must not act rashly," Bai Zhi said.

"If you ask me, it would be better to find an assassin and take her life directly. The prince wouldn't do anything for the death of a concubine; it would just be left unresolved," said Madam Nian.

“My lord, you must not! We absolutely cannot kill Niohuru at this time. We must not only refrain from killing her,” Bai Zhi whispered.