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Fourth Master didn't want to voice his displeasure with Lady Nian again, as that would only make him more unhappy, so he said, "I wonder where Hongli and Hongzhou have gone! I ordered them to send a message to Fei Ge every three days."

Seeing the Fourth Prince's worried expression, Lanqin teased, "I haven't even started to worry yet, but Your Highness is already concerned."

After the maid set out the bowls and chopsticks for the Fourth Master, he picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.

Lanqin noticed that Fourth Master ate a lot and quickly, which clearly indicated that he hadn't been properly influenced by Nian Shi.

"Go tell Chef Niu to bring another dish of pickled bamboo shoots and braised duck, and also some garlic vermicelli that the prince likes," Lanqin said to Yuebai, who was waiting nearby.

Fourth Master glanced at Lanqin, a satisfied smile playing on his lips, and said, "You know all my preferences perfectly."

Lanqin had eaten about 70-80% full, so she put down her chopsticks and waited for the duck soup to be served. A little more soup would be enough. She smiled and said, "After being with the Prince for more than ten years, if I still don't understand, wouldn't I be blind?"

Fourth Master nodded and said, "Indeed, there are many who are blind to the truth!"

To divert the Fourth Prince's attention, Lanqin brought up Bechuk's marriage again. Ushiha's marriage was already arranged, and now they were just waiting for Suhar to come and propose in person. After exchanging formalities, they would wait for Dayuan to come and fetch the bride.

“Beichu is reserved and quite like Your Highness. I think it is your Highness who should seriously consider her marriage. This child is decisive, but she would never do anything unexpected,” Lanqin said.

“Yes, Bechuk is a sensible person. I’ve actually been keeping an eye on the new Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) of the past two years. Although those noble families are wealthy, few of Bechuk’s generation are truly talented. I don’t think much of them,” said the Fourth Prince.

Lanqin nodded and said, "Our Biechuke has always been a very opinionated person. If we were to marry her off to a scion of a wealthy family who relies on his ancestors' influence, I'm worried that she might not be interested. Although this child is reserved, she is also very proud and doesn't look up to most people."

Although the Fourth Prince liked Ushiha and had never been particularly doting on Bechuk, he still respected Bechuk in his heart.

“Your Highness, there’s no rush for Bie Chuke’s marriage. We can discuss it after the Third Prince’s marriage is settled,” Lanqin said.

“Just mentioning Hong Sheng makes me angry. He’s been completely spoiled by Lady Nian. He’s weak-willed and self-important, and with Lady Nian’s constant pampering, he’s become extremely extravagant. There’s even something called gold-painted wall decoration. I wonder if he suggested it to his mother.” The Fourth Prince said unhappily.

Lanqin finally understood why the Fourth Prince was so unhappy; it was because of Hongsheng's marriage. Lanqin knew that Madam Nian always liked to compare Hongsheng and Hongli, but she never expected her to bring it up with the Fourth Prince at this time—it was simply foolish. With a major disaster in the southwest, the imperial court couldn't even allocate enough money for disaster relief, yet she wanted to waste it on such extravagant matters; it was no wonder the Fourth Prince was unhappy.

Lanqin was no saint, so she naturally wouldn't plead for Lady Nian. Instead, she said, "Your Highness, why not let the Third Prince do some errands? That way, he can get some experience."

Hongsheng is also the Fourth Prince's son, so he said this to make the Fourth Prince feel better.

The Fourth Prince nodded and said, "If he were even half as good as Hongli, I wouldn't look down on him so much. Master Zhu said that the Third Prince is spoiled and arrogant, and he doesn't care about studying. He only likes wicked tricks and evil arts."