Hongzhou's wedding is approaching. Although Hongzhou is young and has not yet left the palace to establish his own residence, the wedding of a prince cannot be taken lightly.

The Fourth Prince was thinking that the Nian family's affairs were in a mess, so he wanted to take advantage of Hongzhou's wedding to make a proper celebration, which would also bring good luck to the palace.

So he summoned someone from the Ministry of Rites to make arrangements: "Hongzhou's marriage will be temporarily arranged at the Prince's Residence. The proper pomp and circumstance must not be omitted. Instruct them that a prince's wedding is no child's play, and that everything must be handled clearly and thoroughly, understand?"

The Vice Minister of Rites naturally dared not be careless and noted down all of the Fourth Prince's requests.

After instructing the Ministry of Rites, the Fourth Prince summoned the Vice Minister of Works and continued, "Hongzhou is young and has not yet established his own residence outside the palace. After his wedding, he will surely need to go to his own residence. You should set about choosing a place with excellent feng shui for Hongzhou. Once you have chosen one, report back to me. I want to build him a proper residence."

"Yes, yes, this humble servant obeys!" said the Vice Minister of Works.

"Yes, go down. Remember to get this done quickly and don't delay," Fourth Master said.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will make the arrangements immediately," said the Vice Minister of Works.

The palace began to bustle with preparations for Hongzhou's marriage. As Hongzhou's mother, Lady Geng was naturally in high spirits, busy watching the palace maids and eunuchs work.

One day, as Lady Geng was folding candy wrappers for her wedding day, a palace maid brought news that "Consort Xi invites you to a gathering at Changchun Palace."

Upon hearing that it was Consort Xi, Lady Geng naturally dared not be negligent. She quickly put down her work and, with the help of her maid, stood up, saying, "Did Your Highness summon me? What is it about?"

The palace maid who came to report smiled and replied, "Her Highness the Imperial Concubine said she wants to discuss the marriage of the Fifth Prince with Her Highness."

"I see, then I'll head over now," said Madam Geng.

Geng went into the house, changed into a proper outfit, put on a gold hairpin, and followed the palace maid to Lanqin's place.

When Lanqin met Geng, she took her hand and started talking about Hongzhou's marriage.

Geng had something to say to Lanqin, and since she had been called over today, she decided to just say it and put her mind at ease.

Seeing that Madam Geng's face was rosy, Lanqin teased, "Sister Geng must be overjoyed. Hongzhou's wedding is a joyous occasion."

Geng smiled, appearing somewhat excited, and took Lanqin's hand, hesitating to speak.

"Of course I'm happy about Hongzhou's wedding. It's also because the Imperial Concubine is so blessed that my son and I are able to have a smooth life," said Madam Geng.

Lanqin smiled without saying a word; she could naturally see the unspoken meaning behind Geng's words.

"Your Highness, I have a request, and I humbly request your permission," said Lady Geng.

"Sister Geng, you're too kind. Please feel free to speak," Lanqin said.

Lanqin noticed that Geng's face was slightly flushed and felt a little puzzled. Geng nodded slightly and continued, "Your Majesty, I was thinking that after Hongzhou's wedding and his departure from the palace to build his own residence, I would also like to leave the palace with him. As Your Highness knows, I have never been favored by the Emperor and it is too empty for me to stay in the harem. Therefore, I would like to ask Your Highness for help with this matter."

After speaking, Geng let out a long sigh of relief, feeling a weight lifted from her heart. In any case, at least she had finally spoken up.

She had thought it over. Since she was not favored by the emperor, staying in the palace would be like living a life of widowhood. It would be better to go out and live with her son, where she could be free and stay away from the strife of the palace.