Lanqin's earlier displeasure was completely swept away by the Fourth Master's words. It turned out that his affection for Wuxiha was no less than her own. After all, she was the Fourth Master's first child, and she had even miscarried when she gave birth to Wuxiha, so how could she not be extra lenient with him?

Bechuk pouted, a rare occurrence for him, and said, "I also want to stay by my mother and father's side for the rest of my life."

Lanqin immediately relaxed and quickly picked up a piece of food for Biechuke, saying, "You are also your mother's little cotton-padded jacket, so naturally I will wear it for a lifetime."

This made Bechuk, who was slightly jealous, laugh. After finishing his meal, Bechuk returned to Lanxing Residence with his personal maid.

After finishing his meal, the Fourth Master took Lanqin to his study. This was an unspoken understanding between the two; whenever there was something to discuss, the Fourth Master would always go to Lanqin's study to talk, and the servants would be sent far away.

"Master, is something the matter?" Lanqin had already noticed that Fourth Master had something on his mind as soon as he entered the door today, but he had been trying to cover it up.

"Doctor Liang told me, Father, I'm afraid..." The Fourth Prince listened quietly to the sounds outside the door, and only after confirming that Su Peisheng and Si Hua had gone far away did he speak softly.

Outside, in early summer, there were already sporadic cicada calls, which were quite irritating. For the past few days, the sky had been overcast, as if it were going to rain, but it just wouldn't. Even the slightest movement would cause a thin layer of sweat to form on one's skin.

Although Lanqin knew that Emperor Kangxi died in the sixty-first year of his reign, and it was now the sixtieth year of his reign, she was still very shocked when she heard from the Fourth Prince that Emperor Kangxi would not live much longer.

The two remained silent for a long while, neither speaking. Lanqin recalled that Emperor Kangxi had always treated her well, even as the Son of Heaven, he still longed for the affection of an ordinary family. In his later years, Kangxi had become suspicious and unpredictable, and she had served him less in recent years. However, Hongli often pleased Kangxi; if he knew his grandfather was nearing the end of his life, he would surely be heartbroken.

"Let Hongli go to the palace and spend more time with Father Emperor!" Lanqin said.

The Fourth Prince nodded, his eyes filled with desolation and sorrow. He had always deeply respected and loved Emperor Kangxi, even though they were father and son, and also ruler and subject.

"Master, everything is preordained by fate," Lanqin could only console him.

“Father has not yet designated an heir. If he were to suddenly pass away, it would inevitably cause a great upheaval. But I cannot speak to Father about this,” the Fourth Prince said. He had indeed been grieving for Kangxi, but at the same time, he was also concerned about the fate of the entire nation.

This is the true Fourth Prince. He was never simply concerned with personal feelings; he was thinking about whether the entire Qing Dynasty could be stable and truly considered the aftermath of Emperor Kangxi's reign.

"Currently, the most favored person by Father Emperor's side is Lord Longkodo, followed by Zhang Tingyu and others. Father Emperor is a great emperor of all time; how could he not have thought of this? He must have made arrangements. It's just that these arrangements have not been spoken of," Lanqin said. According to historical records, Kangxi had already placed the written edict behind the Zhengda Guangming Pavilion in the Qianqing Palace.

Should I tell the Fourth Prince? What if the name on the will wasn't the Fourth Prince, but the Fourteenth Prince?

Lanqin didn't know how to tell Fourth Master about these thoughts in her mind, so she could only try her best to suppress them.

"What's wrong?" Fourth Master noticed that Lanqin's expression was a bit strange, so he walked up to her and asked.

"Your Majesty, it's nothing. I was just worried about Father Emperor," Lanqin said.

"Qin'er, when I went to Yonghe Palace to see Wuxiha today, Mother said something to me that sounded quite interesting," said the Fourth Prince.

"What did Mother say to Master?" Lanqin was extremely anxious when she saw Fourth Master like this, but she couldn't urge him to tell her. She could only watch him slowly squeeze out the words.

"Today, Mother told Father that if there is any conflict between you and the Fourteenth Prince, I should remember our brotherly bond and the fate of the Qing Dynasty, and not let brothers kill each other. Do you think Mother knows something?" the Fourth Prince asked.

Lanqin's mind was in turmoil. Historical records say that Consort De was always dissatisfied with Yongzheng's ascension to the throne and even refused to attend Yongzheng's enthronement ceremony. Not long after Yongzheng ascended the throne, she suddenly died in Yonghe Palace and did not move to Cining Palace.

There are many different theories about Consort De's death. Some believe that she was furious that her eldest son had seized the throne from her younger son, and after arguing with him, she was forced to commit suicide. Others say that Consort De did not recognize the legitimacy of Yongzheng's succession and was killed by him. Still others say that Consort De was in poor health and died of illness after seeing her favored younger son imprisoned by her eldest son. Finally, there is a theory that Consort De voluntarily followed Emperor Kangxi to the afterlife in order to be buried with him.

The Fourth Prince's words just now seem to confirm the first theory. But did Kangxi really reveal something to Consort De?

“Master, Mother is a loving mother. It is an undeniable fact that you and the Fourteenth Prince are now fighting each other. If one day you and he become soldiers, Mother will naturally be the one who suffers the most,” Lanqin said.

"I will not compete with him. If Father Emperor chooses him, I will obey the Emperor's order and will never compete!" the Fourth Prince said.

Looking at the Fourth Prince's resolute expression, Lanqin had no doubt about the truth of his words. She believed that the Fourth Prince was thinking of the stability of the entire Qing Dynasty. Since ancient times, fratricide had led to social unrest, political instability, and even the destruction of the country and the ruin of families.

“If Father Emperor truly ordains the Fourteenth Prince, then I will accompany you as a carefree prince, living in seclusion on the estate,” Lanqin said.

"No, I don't want to be a lazy prince. I want to be like Bi Gan." Fourth Prince said, taking Lanqin's hand.

Lanqin stared at him blankly, knowing that his words were no joke!

Lanqin was also moved by the Fourth Prince's passionate words and said with emotion, "Very well, then I will accompany Your Highness as Bi Gan's wife."

Fourth Master pulled Lanqin into his arms. They were already husband and wife, though not in name. He had long regarded her as his wife and told her all his most secret thoughts.

Lanqin couldn't help but think of Zhao Si'er; it had been a long time since they last met. Perhaps she could glean some information from her. As Kangxi's most favored close advisor, Longkodo couldn't possibly be completely unaware of anything.

That night, Fourth Master naturally stayed at Lanqin's place, but he didn't sleep well. Lanqin also didn't sleep well. She knew that Fourth Master had something important on his mind, so she leaned over his back and gently patted his back to coax him to sleep more peacefully.