Lanqin had been waiting for the Fourth Prince to return at the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Although Lanqin had foreseen the matter concerning Consort De, she was powerless to prevent it and naturally could not mention it to the Fourth Prince or outsiders. However, upon learning that the Fourth Prince was so heartbroken over Consort De's departure, she regretted not reminding him so that he could be mentally prepared and not face this sudden situation.

It wasn't until dark that Fourth Master returned, exhausted and looking like a walking corpse. Lanqin went to greet him with heartache, only to find that Fourth Master's face was haggard, his eyes were dull, and he looked as if he had aged more than ten years.

Before Lanqin could speak, the Fourth Prince suddenly burst into tears: "Qin'er, my mother is gone..."

Lanqin had never seen the Fourth Prince so helpless. Even when Emperor Kangxi passed away, the Fourth Prince had been able to face it calmly. But now, he was like a kite with a broken string, wandering aimlessly and at a loss. Lanqin didn't know how to comfort him.

Lanqin dismissed the palace maids and eunuchs, and helped the Fourth Prince to the inner room to sit down. She let him lean against her chest, gently patted his back, and whispered, "Your Highness, cry, it'll be alright if you cry... Qin'er is with you..."

Upon hearing Lanqin's words, Fourth Master burst into tears, his low, choked sobs coming one after another. Lanqin's shoulders and chest were soon completely soaked with tears.

"Your Majesty, Empress Dowager's health has always been poor, and this serious illness is due to excessive worry. It's not your fault, please don't take it too hard..." Lanqin looked at the Fourth Prince in her arms, her eyes filled with boundless tenderness, trying to find the right words to comfort him, but found that no words were of any use. Because the one who died was not someone else, but the Fourth Prince's birth mother, the person he had longed for his entire life to have her approval and affection.

The Fourth Prince said regretfully, "No, it's all my fault. I didn't agree to the Empress Dowager's request sooner. I made her wait for so long in vain..." The Fourth Prince became more and more heartbroken as he spoke, pounding his chest hard with one hand. Lanqin was so frightened that she stopped him with both hands and said excitedly, "Your Highness, please don't be like this. You did nothing wrong. None of this has anything to do with you..."

Lanqin knew that nothing she said could save Consort De's life, let alone heal the wounds in the Fourth Prince's heart, but she did not want to see the Fourth Prince so depressed and self-blaming.

The Fourth Prince's eyes were vacant, as if he were recalling something from long ago. He slowly said, "When I was little, my mother treated me differently from the Fourteenth Prince, as if I wasn't her biological son. No matter how hard I tried or how much I accomplished, my mother would only offer a few words of praise. But the Fourteenth Prince, he could win my mother's smile without doing anything. I always thought that when I could be by her side, watching her smile every day... Now, I have achieved that. I was the one who saw my mother off on her final journey, and I was the one she saw last... But... but I never got to see her smile at me... not even for a moment..."

Lanqin silently shed tears. She understood all of Fourth Master's suffering, but history was history, and nothing could change its course. Lanqin could only silently stay by Fourth Master's side, listening to his accusations. Watching everyone around her, one by one, precisely walk towards the fate predetermined by history, without exception, fear began to spread in Lanqin's heart. She dared not think further, only desperately wanting to hold onto time, to prevent the wheels of history from crushing Fourth Master and herself…