Xi Cha and Nian Xue worked together to carry the large basket of charcoal inside.

The two girls were quite pleased to see the basket full of charcoal. Nianxue immediately lit a brazier and carried it to the study.

When Lanqin saw Nianxue bring over the brazier, she asked with some confusion, "What's wrong? Isn't there not enough charcoal?"

While stirring the charcoal in the basin with a shovel, Nianxue said, "The head nanny specially sent it here. Perhaps the master thought that the princess was afraid of the cold, so he specially asked her to do this."

Lanqin stared at the charcoal fire for a moment, then said, "Take it to your room. I'm not cold; it's quite warm under the covers."

When Nianxue saw that Lanqin's face showed no joy upon hearing the name of the Fourth Master, but rather a cold expression, she began to feel anxious.

“Princess, you mustn’t be angry with the master, otherwise you’ll be playing into the hands of those who want to harm you! What if you’re confined here for the rest of your life?” Nianxue said anxiously.

Lanqin slammed the book onto the desk, ignoring Nianxue, and stubbornly said, "Take it away!"

Seeing Lanqin get angry, Nianxue regretted that she had spoken too harshly earlier, so she softened her tone and said, "Princess, we don't need to make things difficult for ourselves. It's getting colder and colder. If you catch a cold, you'll have to call a doctor. I can't say whether we can get one or not. You'll be the one suffering!"

Lanqin was still angry with Fourth Master. She had thought a lot these past few days and seemed to understand his difficulties, but she still couldn't accept his treatment of her.

"You can leave now. I want to be alone," Lanqin said, her back to Nianxue.

Seeing that she didn't mention taking out the brazier again, Nianxue agreed and left. Although she had this basket of charcoal, Nianxue still planned to go to the head nanny's place to collect her rations for the day.

She changed into a thick cotton robe and, carrying an empty basket, was about to walk to the front yard when she saw a familiar figure—Li Shubao. He had been assigned to work under the head nanny, probably doing some odd jobs.

"Little Li, where are you going?" Nianxue called out to Li Shubao.

"Sister Nianxue, come and collect your charcoal. I've been instructed by the head nanny to deliver some holiday supplies to the masters of each courtyard." Knowing that the South Courtyard wasn't included, Li Shubao lowered his voice and asked, "Is the princess doing well? It's the dead of winter, and the princess is always afraid of the cold. Now that so much charcoal is suddenly missing, she must be feeling quite sad."

Nianxue smiled and said, "Don't worry, the princess is fine. But the head nanny is really kind-hearted. She knew that the princess was afraid that she would not be used to it for a while, so she specially sent someone to deliver some charcoal."

Li Shubao was taken aback and said strangely, "No, I didn't hear the people in charge of the silver charcoal say anything. Besides, the head nanny is always fair in her work, so it's impossible that she would only send it to the princess in private. If everyone was given it, it's impossible that I didn't hear a word about it."

When Nianxue heard what Li Shubao said, she was immediately puzzled. Could it be that the head nanny had secretly sent such a large basket of silver charcoal to the princess on the orders of the Fourth Master?

"How about I inquire for you after I deliver all these things?" Seeing Nianxue's puzzled expression, Li Shubao said, "Ziran is currently serving in the master's courtyard. You can go find her and ask her to mention the princess to the master. It might be of some use."

Nianxue nodded and then asked, "Where did that person go? I heard that the master punished her with a cane and then kicked her out?"

Li Shubao shook his head and said, "I don't know, only Eunuch Su knows."

After Li Shubao left, Nianxue collected her daily allowance from the places responsible for distributing the silver and charcoal supplies. She made a point of checking but didn't find the two people who had delivered the basket of charcoal to their courtyard.

In the following days, the two men would occasionally send over an extra basket of charcoal. Nianxue asked Li Shubao again, but he still said that the head nanny had not assigned anyone to send it over.

This matter puzzled Nianxue so much that she couldn't help but tell Lanqin about it.

“Princess, this servant finds this matter very strange, but I don’t dare to ask the head nanny directly. Could it be that the master secretly instructed her to send you silver charcoal? Otherwise, it doesn’t explain why it’s not sent anywhere else, but only to you from time to time,” Nianxue said.

"Go and inquire whether the East Courtyard received the same offering as me. Besides, Zi Ran serves in the front courtyard; have her ask Eunuch Su, and perhaps that will clear up your doubts." Lan Qin's personality seemed to have changed in just one month. Before, she didn't like to think, didn't care, and didn't like to pry into anything outside. Now, without the Fourth Prince's favor, she was like a small flower living in a cold land. Thinking about it carefully, the Fujin only needed to lift a finger to ruin her completely.

Sure enough, Nianxue discovered that these charcoal supplies were only delivered to the East Courtyard and the South Courtyard; the other courtyards did not receive this extra allowance. Moreover, Nianxue had never seen the two people who delivered the charcoal in the room where the silver charcoal was managed.

When Nianxue told Lanqin about these things, Lanqin was painting a daffodil picture. Lanqin had started painting in the traditional Chinese style these past few days, and she discovered that there were so many wonderful things in this study. Things that she used to think she didn't have time for could now be done here, and time really flies; the end of the year was almost here in the blink of an eye.

"Don't use these charcoal, put them all in the storeroom. Although we can't figure out where these charcoal came from or who sent them, there's no such thing as a free lunch, so it's better to be careful." Lanqin had only a simple two-bun hairstyle, decorated with some simple beaded flowers, and was wearing a thick cotton robe, completely different from the lively, agile, and pampered little princess she once was.

The Spring Festival of the 44th year of Kangxi's reign finally arrived. The Fourth Prince and his wife had been going to the palace every day since New Year's Eve to participate in various activities. Because the East Courtyard was closed, the South Courtyard seemed to have completely fallen into disuse. Naturally, Yan Yu was the most favored person in the inner quarters at the moment.

Because she was the younger sister of the Fujin (the wife of the first prince), when the Fujin was away, she would sometimes go back to the Fujin to discuss various matters and ask her to temporarily act on the Fujin's behalf. This was something the Fujin tacitly approved.

Human desires are constantly expanding. Yan Yu was never a well-behaved person to begin with, and now that she was more than five months pregnant, she felt that she would soon be promoted to a secondary consort.

Taking advantage of the New Year holiday, she asked someone to deliver an invitation to Xinghui, hoping he could find an opportunity to come in. Perhaps the thing they had planned back then could finally be put into action.

It was the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. As usual, the Fourth Prince and his wife were not at home, so Xinghui delivered a New Year's invitation to the mansion. Ostensibly, he was there to wish the Fourth Prince and his wife a Happy New Year, but knowing they were not there, he went to Yan Yu's place instead.