When Fourth Master heard Zhao Quan's report that Li Shi and Yan Yu were waiting outside, he told Zhao Quan to send them both back. He had originally intended to go see Lan Qin after asking the head nanny.

Seeing Zhao Quan return and say that Yan Yu could solve his current troubles, he initially thought it was just a joke from Yan Yu, but then thought it would be worthwhile to meet her and see what she had to say. This Yan Yu had been clever and intelligent since childhood, and the Fourth Master really liked her quite a bit.

Yan Yu followed Zhao Quan to the outside of Fourth Master's study. After announcing his arrival, he heard someone inside say "Come in." Only then did Yan Yu push open the half-closed octagonal door and step inside.

The Fourth Master was sitting in a grand chair behind his desk reading a letter, while Su Peisheng stood by his side like a wooden stake.

"Yan Yu greets her brother-in-law!" Yan Yu walked excitedly to the desk and greeted him sweetly.

"You say you can resolve your brother-in-law's worries? Then tell me, what's your brother-in-law's biggest concern right now?" Fourth Master countered.

“Brother-in-law’s concerns must be about the drinking water of the entire city and the current severe drought. Although Yan Yu doesn’t leave the house, she knows that there hasn’t been a drop of rain for several months. If this continues, not only will the crops fail, but even the drinking water needs of the people will become a problem,” Yan Yu said solemnly.

“Indeed, my brother-in-law is troubled by this matter! But it’s not hard to guess. What do you think is the best way to relieve most of his troubles?” Fourth Master asked with interest.

The water source in Xishan is currently facing depletion. All my brother-in-law can do is transport water from sources near the capital, but the manpower and resources required for the round trip are enormous, and most importantly, it takes time. He's worried that the travel time won't be enough to save all the people. Yan Yu has heard that if a person doesn't drink water for a day, they feel unwell; if they don't drink water for two days, they feel weak and uncomfortable; if they don't drink water for three days, they might die. My brother-in-law may have already sent people to survey the nearest water source to the capital, but the travel time there probably exceeds the capacity of the Xishan water source.” Yan Yu explained logically.

"Then what can you do?" Fourth Master had already put away his smile. Just as Yan Yu said, this was the matter that troubled him the most at the moment. Moreover, every word she said seemed to have known in advance, hitting all of Fourth Master's thoughts.

"Yan Yu thinks that brother-in-law could have someone collect as much water as possible from all the rivers and ponds in the city, and then, as the Fujin did in the mansion, have all the people go to the water collection point at fixed times to collect their daily water needs. This would delay things for a while, giving people time to go to nearby water sources to collect water." Yan Yu presented her prepared explanation in a logical and organized manner.

Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince's eyes lit up. Yan Yu's method was indeed excellent! He had already considered surveying the river bends and ponds to determine if the water was drinkable, but he hadn't considered using water allocation to control the people's drinking water needs like Yan Yu had suggested. His surveyors had reported back that people near the river bends and ponds frequently clashed over water for their own needs, which greatly troubled him. As Yan Yu suggested, controlling all the water and then having the court allocate it would give the court time to transport water from other sources.

"That's right, what you said really reminded me. Yan Yu, come here!" Fourth Master said kindly, a rare occurrence for him.

Yan Yu smiled and walked happily to Fourth Master's side. Fourth Master pulled a small compartment under the desk and took out a small wooden gourd, handing it to Yan Yu and saying, "This is a rare Bodhi gourd. I'm giving it to you as a reward."

Yan Yu had thought that Fourth Master had other intentions towards her, but she didn't expect him to treat her like he did when she was a child, giving her all sorts of strange little things. Yan Yu didn't reach out to take them, but pouted and said, "Brother-in-law, the little gourd is nice, but Yan Yu doesn't like these little things anymore."

Fourth Master didn't expect her to say that, so he took her hand, placed the small gourd in her hand, and said with a smile, "Then what do you want? Whatever you want, this small gourd is still yours."

Yan Yu's eyes flickered, and she said softly, "I'm afraid my brother-in-law won't give me what I want."

Fourth Master stood up, patted Yan Yu's shoulder, and said, "You've solved such a big problem for your brother-in-law. Whatever you want, your brother-in-law will definitely find it for you."

Looking at the Fourth Prince's handsome and aloof face, Yan Yu's heart pounded nervously. She was afraid that she wouldn't be able to control her impulse and would blurt out her feelings for him. The Princess Consort had once told Yan Yu that what she needed to do now was to continuously win the Fourth Prince's favor, and then wait for the right opportunity to bring it up with him. Thinking of this, Yan Yu forcibly suppressed the words in her heart and didn't say them aloud.

"I'll tell my brother-in-law when I think of something, okay?" Yan Yu clutched the handkerchief in her hand tightly, greeting Fourth Master with a flawless smile.

"How about accompanying your brother-in-law to your sister's place?" Fourth Master recalled Yan Yu's method, in which his wife had also played a part, so he should naturally go and see his wife after returning to the manor.

Yan Yu nodded obediently, and then, just like when they were children, she took the Fourth Master's hand and headed towards the main courtyard.

The Fujin knew early on that the Fourth Prince had returned to the manor, so she sent Yan Yu to deliver those words, her purpose being to win the Fourth Prince's favor. When she saw Yan Yu and the Fourth Prince walking hand in hand into the main courtyard through the window, she felt a slight pang in her heart. She suppressed her discomfort, turned around and walked to the door, putting on a happy and dignified smile to greet the two people who were gradually entering.

"This humble servant greets Your Highness!" The Fujin gave a slight curtsy to the Fourth Prince.

"Get up. You've done a great job these past few days while I've been away, relieving me of any worries." It had been a long time since the Fourth Prince had spoken to his wife like this.

“It is all my duty. Your Highness looks much thinner. Why don’t you stay and have lunch with us?” the Fujin said.

The Fourth Prince originally intended to stay at her place for a while before going to Lanqin's place, but now that the Princess Consort had spoken and Yan Yu was nearby, the Fourth Prince felt embarrassed to refuse the Princess Consort for the first time, so he agreed.

Meanwhile, Lanqin had already been informed of Fourth Master's whereabouts. When Fourth Master was pulled to the main courtyard by Yan Yu, Lanqin felt slightly uncomfortable for a moment, but forced herself to dismiss those thoughts from her mind.

"Princess, is Master not coming for lunch? It's already this late, he should be here by now if he wanted to." Xicha couldn't help but ask as she watched Lanqin sitting idly in the room, not calling for lunch.