After seeing off Consort Nian, the Fourth Prince put down his book, gazed at the scenery outside the window for a moment, and suddenly thought of Lanqin.

"Is Lanqin still in the Yuanmingyuan Garden? Isn't she going back to the palace?" the Fourth Prince suddenly asked.

Upon hearing this, Su Peisheng, who was grinding ink nearby, hurriedly replied, "Yes, Her Majesty wrote that she wants to spend the summer at Yuanmingyuan and will return to the palace after the summer is over."

He had previously sent someone to fetch Lanqin, and she replied that she did not wish to return to the palace for the time being.

The Fourth Prince put down his pen, straightened his sleeves, pondered for a moment, and said, "I will go to the Yuanmingyuan to see her."

"That servant?" Su Peisheng asked, bowing his head. He had been guarding the Hall of Mental Cultivation, first the Empress, then Consort Nian, whom he had turned away, but he had also suffered a lot of grievances.

"You should come with me," the Fourth Prince said.

The scenery of Yuanmingyuan is pleasant. Even in the height of summer, a gentle breeze blows, and the tall trees and lush leaves block out the scorching sun, bringing a touch of coolness.

Su Peisheng smiled and said, "His Majesty visited the Yuanmingyuan a few days ago, and he has come again today. It is clear that His Majesty is fond of the Empress."

As they walked through the flowers and willows, Fourth Master smiled upon hearing this.

He had been a frequent visitor to the Old Summer Palace since childhood, and knew every plant and tree there like the back of his hand. Gradually, he lost all interest in the place, finding it to be just another ordinary landscape.

But with Lanqin by his side, he discovered that this place was elegant, unique, and pleasing to the eye.

Inside Yikun Palace, after dinner in the evening.

"What? The Emperor has left the palace again?" Consort Nian exclaimed angrily. It turned out that ever since the fire at the Imperial Laundry Department, Consort Nian had become suspicious when the Fourth Prince didn't appear. She had bribed a cleaning eunuch in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Bai Zhi stood to the side, staring at the eunuch below, and said, "Yes, His Majesty left the palace in plain clothes. He did the same thing last time, and the time before that."

"The time before last?" Consort Nian asked in confusion, "Which time?"

"It was during the fire at the Imperial Laundry Department last time that the Emperor was not in the palace; he left in plain clothes," the young eunuch said.

Consort Nian was shocked and thought to herself, "No wonder the Emperor didn't know about the fire at the Imperial Laundry last time. It turns out he left the palace!"

Her hands rested on the armrests of the chair, her long nails digging into the hard mahogany, as she asked, "Where did the Emperor go? Who did he go with?"

The young eunuch said, "This servant doesn't know where His Majesty went. This time, Eunuch Su also went out with him."

Consort Nian sighed in annoyance upon hearing her say that.

The Fourth Prince rarely leaves the palace, so why is he now leaving the palace every few days?

She pursed her lips and said, "Keep a close eye on the Emperor's every move for me. If the Emperor leaves the palace again, report to me immediately."

"Yes, Your Majesty, this servant takes his leave," the young eunuch said.

After the eunuch left, Consort Nian sighed, relaxed her back, and leaned back.

Her tense expression and calculating eyes did not escape Bai Zhi's notice.

"Your Majesty..." Bai Zhi called out cautiously, "The Emperor is the ruler of the country. If he finds out what you've done, he will blame you."

Consort Nian was well aware of Bai Zhi's words. The Fourth Prince was not fond of letting people know too much about his whereabouts, but she was also genuinely curious.

Consort Nian said, "When the Imperial Laundry burned down last time, His Majesty was not there, which made me a little suspicious. It turns out that His Majesty was not in the palace that day. If His Majesty was not in the palace, where could he have gone? This eunuch Su Peisheng has kept it a secret today."

She rested her hand on her forehead, completely baffled, but she felt that the Fourth Prince's sudden departure from the palace must be because there was something outside the palace that he couldn't let go of, whether it was a person or a thing, which made her feel uneasy for a moment.