The next day, the news of Yan Yu's pregnancy spread like wildfire throughout the Fourth Prince's inner quarters.

In the South Courtyard, Lanqin has been living a carefree life these past few days without seeing Fourth Master.

Actually, she was no longer angry. After all, the matter of the Fourteenth Prince was not caused by the Fourth Prince. He had only asked a question, and she had acted petty and sullen.

However, Lanqin was too shy to take the initiative to greet the Fourth Master.

When the news of Yan Yu's pregnancy arrived, Lan Qin was making clothes for Fu Bao. Since Nian Xue and Xi Cha both knew basic tailoring, she first drew a pattern for the dog's clothes, and then had them take out a piece of fabric and cut it according to the pattern.

Nianxue and Xicha had never seen clothes made for dogs before. Lanqin said, "Dogs shed too much, it'll be better if they wear clothes. I also make shoes for the dog so it won't get dirty when it comes to my bed."

Seeing that Lanqin didn't seem to care at all about Yanyu's pregnancy, Nianxue felt a weight lifted from her heart. She had thought Lanqin would be very unhappy if she found out, and had glared fiercely at Xicha for letting it slip.

The days passed by in such a tranquil and uneventful time, and before we knew it, the Manchu's Ban Jin Festival was almost here.

As always, the Fourth Prince was busy between the palace and the Fourth Prince's residence. Thanks to the exemplary actions of the Thirteenth Prince and several high-ranking officials, and because he had discovered some of the Crown Prince's private assets, he finally forced the Crown Prince to repay the debts. Afterwards, one by one, officials in the capital began to repay the money they had borrowed from the court. The Fourth Prince's efforts and persistence were finally beginning to bear fruit.

October slipped by quietly, and the most important Manchu festival, the Golden Offering Festival, arrived. During such a festival, the wives of the princes and nobles in their respective mansions would be busy for several days, while the princesses in their respective households were relatively relaxed, as they were not entitled to enter the palace. Lanqin was able to accompany the Fourth Prince to the palace only with special permission from Emperor Kangxi. Even so, she was still seen as a troublemaker by the other wives.

In the blink of an eye, the Fourth Prince had been going to the South Courtyard for almost half a month. At first, the princesses in the various courtyards did not notice, but it was only when the Fourth Prince stayed at the Fujin's or Yan Yu's place that they began to feel the change in the wind.

Although Madam Li knew that Yan Yu was making some underhanded moves, she had not yet obtained any substantial evidence to subdue her, so she put it aside for the time being. Because of the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince, the Fourth Prince also visited the East Courtyard from time to time.

For a time, Lanqin seemed to have been forgotten by the Fourth Master. Some people took it as a joke, making sarcastic remarks about the people who came out of the South Courtyard, such as Madam Wu and Madam Wang. They had long been resentful of Lanqin's favor, and now that they saw her finally being disliked by the Fourth Master, how could they not be happy? They seized every opportunity to ridicule and mock her.

That day, Lanqin felt a bit bored staying in the South Courtyard, so she took Nianxue's hand and went for a walk in the small garden. Although it couldn't compare to the Imperial Garden, it still had quite a few flowers and plants.

"Gege, look, those kapok flowers are blooming quite nicely." Nianxue was afraid that Lanqin would be in a bad mood, so she tried her best to lead her to look at some interesting things.

The two, master and servant, walked up to the kapok flower. Just as Lanqin was about to reach out and touch the flower, she faintly heard someone talking over there.

"I heard that Fourth Master hasn't been to the South Courtyard for half a month. How wonderful! Niohuru has finally fallen out of favor!" a female voice said.

"Indeed, I didn't expect her to fall from grace so quickly. Sigh, ever since she came to the manor, she's been dominating Fourth Master, and we've practically become invisible. Now, she's finally fallen out of favor," another female voice said.

"That's right. But Yan Yu has risen to power again. Now, with the child in her belly and the support of the Fujin, she's likely to become another Niohuru." These words were spoken by Wu, who is now very close to Wang.

“But didn’t Fourth Master also come to Li Fujin’s side? As long as Li Fujin helps us, we still have a chance.” The other speaker was Madam Wang.

"Sigh, when will we be able to gain the Fourth Prince's favor without relying on others? Unfortunately, my belly is so uncooperative; it's been years without any sign of pregnancy." Madam Wu was somewhat dejected. Hearing the news of Yan Yu's pregnancy had also angered her for quite some time. Ever since learning that the Fujin (Prince's wife) had given her a musk and coral necklace, Madam Wu had harbored deep resentment towards the Fujin, and naturally, she disliked Yan Yu as well. Now that Yan Yu was pregnant, it meant that the position of the main wife was once again unshakeable. She had finally endured the death of the First Prince, but now the Fujin's sister was pregnant again—how could she not be furious?

“Yes, I think my sister’s looks are no less than those of Nan Xiaoyuan and Yan Yu. Why do they get the Fourth Master’s favor while we’re stuck on the sidelines?” Wang was actually quite resentful. Even Geng was secretly hoping to surpass her.

Lanqin found it all rather boring, so she helped Nianxue and was about to turn around and leave. But just as the two of them were about to take a step, a stray cat suddenly darted to Lanqin's feet, and she stepped on the cat's tail.

A sharp meow broke the tranquility of the small garden and startled the two people behind the bushes.

Hearing the commotion, Madam Wu and Madam Wang quickly crawled through the bushes and came over. Seeing Lanqin and her servant staring blankly at a cat, they said sarcastically, "Sister Wang, some people are like cats, they like to sneak up behind people and eavesdrop. Isn't that annoying?"

Madam Wang immediately chimed in, "I thought they were something special, but now they've been completely forgotten by Fourth Master. It's truly laughable."

Lanqin could easily hear the sarcasm in their words. If they hadn't said it to her face, she would have pretended not to hear it. But since these two were saying it to her face, ignoring it was simply not in Lanqin's nature.

"Some people have been sitting on the sidelines since they came in, yet they still have the nerve to make a fuss. If I were that kind of person, I would run back to my room and hide under the covers and not come out." Lanqin said without any mercy. The more vulnerable and easily bullied you are, the more they will take advantage of you and bully you.

"Who are you talking about?" Wang's face turned pale and then red, and she even stuttered a little when she spoke.

"Anyway, I don't have anyone to talk to, so why are you so nervous?" Lanqin said with amusement when she saw that she was so easily defeated.

"Niohuru, what makes you so great? You've fallen out of favor just like everyone else!" Wu was not as timid as Wang. She had once enjoyed the favor of the Fourth Prince for a period of time, so she was more confident than Wang.

"Disfavored? Who has fallen out of favor?" Lanqin retorted without backing down. "I only know some people who barely see the Fourth Master a few times a year, yet they have the nerve to laugh at others for falling out of favor!"