Five carriages were parked outside the Fourth Prince's residence. The First Prince, along with his maid and a nanny, entered the first carriage; the Third Prince, along with his maid and a nanny, entered the second carriage; Lanqin, Nianxue, Xicha, and Huanbi entered the third carriage; Madam Yin, along with Yeying, Shaoyao, and Granny Liu, entered the fourth carriage. The fifth carriage was said to contain only the Fourth Prince and his two sons' changes of clothes and some books. A dozen or so eunuchs followed behind the carriages.

Fourth Master was naturally riding a horse. And you know what? He was wearing a dark blue robe, paired with a moon-white vest, and a small round hat inlaid with black jade. The jade pendant that Lanqin recognized was hanging on the side of his robe. Riding on a large horse that was smooth as black satin and exceptionally tall and strong, he was truly spirited and dashing!

Lanqin opened the carriage window and looked out, just in time to see Fourth Master riding up from the back of the procession. He pulled on the reins to make his horse keep pace with Lanqin's carriage.

The two exchanged a knowing glance in mid-air, one on horseback, the other in the carriage. The three maids in the carriage acted as if they were mere decorations, automatically keeping their heads down silently, trying their best not to affect their masters' mood.

"What are you looking at?" Fourth Master asked.

“I’m looking at your horse!” Lanqin said, her lips curving into a smile.

"Want to ride a horse?" Fourth Master was genuinely afraid that this little princess would say "Look at him" in public.

"Hmm. But I'm not very good at riding. Could you teach me, Master?" Lanqin imagined herself galloping across the grasslands, thinking it would be so exhilarating and enjoyable. Her first experience riding a horse was in the 21st century, during a trip to the Northwest grasslands. She was led around by the reins for a short while, and that was considered riding.

"There's a grove of trees on my estate, where we keep deer, foxes, and other animals. When we get there, I'll teach you how to ride a horse, and then we'll go hunting together," Fourth Master said.

"That's good, but I don't know how to shoot arrows." Lanqin thought to herself: Oh no, do these Manchu women also ride horses and shoot arrows from a young age?

"You just ride your horse and follow me, it's not your turn to draw the bow," Fourth Master laughed.

...

At first, Lanqin, sitting in the carriage, was fantasizing about the carefree days of pleasure that were about to begin. However, after the carriage had been traveling on the official road for an hour, she had thoroughly suffered from the dust. To make the carriage less bumpy, the official road was covered with a fine layer of yellow soil. This made the carriage smoother, but the dust was simply too much. She remained seated in the carriage, while the Fourth Prince rode outside and the eunuchs followed behind. Lanqin dared not open the window; outside, the road was truly covered in yellow dust, comparable to a sandstorm in Beijing.

It took the entire procession of carriages and horses, along with a dozen eunuchs and drivers, most of the day to reach the Fourth Master's estate outside Yanjing.

After Lanqin was helped down from the carriage by Nianxue, she saw the eunuchs behind her. They were all covered in mud. Their bodies, faces, and foreheads were covered in fine yellow dust. And with the weather at the end of May, it was already around 20 degrees Celsius. They had been running, so it was hard to imagine what they were like inside their clothes. Even the Fourth Prince was covered in dust.

No wonder he brought so many clothes! When Lanqin saw that the fifth car was full of clothes and books, she even looked down on him: Did a grown man and two little kids really need a whole car to carry their clothes? Now, she started to worry that she hadn't brought enough clothes.

The servants on the estate had already come out to greet him. The Fourth Master gave a few instructions to the head servant, an old man, and then couldn't help but stride towards the room prepared for him, presumably to take a bath.

The eldest prince and the third prince, along with their entourage, were led back to their rooms by several servants from the estate. Lanqin and Madam Yin also followed several nannies to the rooms assigned to them.

"Your Highnesses, you must be tired from your journey. We have prepared bathwater for you," said one of the head maids.

Lanqin said warmly, "Thank you, Granny!" and Madam Yin just smiled slightly.

When the group reached a bend in the road, one went east and the other went west, and they split up.

"Thank goodness, we don't live next door." Lanqin thought to herself, thinking: Could it be that Fourth Master specifically instructed this?

The four of them, master and servants, arrived at Lanqin's room, which was fairly spacious and well-appointed. It consisted of a main house and two side rooms. Naturally, it couldn't compare to the small courtyard in the south where Lanqin currently lived, but it was fully equipped. Since they were only staying for a short time and focused on outdoor activities, they didn't look around too much. After putting down their bundles, Nianxue and Xicha helped Lanqin take a bath.

There were maids here, but Lanqin didn't want to undress and bathe in front of strangers, so she made them all stay in the west wing and not to move around unnecessarily.

Lanqin had never felt so covered in dirt before. She only noticed faint mud stains on her snow-white skin before diving into the water. Like a baby, her legs curled naturally in the water, her arms wrapped around her chest. She felt incredibly comfortable; her mind was blank—no longer on Fourth Master, no longer on his other women, and no longer on the identity of "Lanqin."

Lin Mengyao's consciousness returned to full clarity. She felt it was all a dream. When she looked up and emerged from the water, was her own bathroom right outside the tub?

"Princess! Princess!" Nianxue called anxiously from outside the large wooden tub.

"Oh, a pot seller!" Lanqin sighed inwardly. A beautiful woman emerged from the bath, her body leaping out of the water, splashing Nianxue and Xicha's hair with the spray.

"Princess, are you alright?" Nianxue asked again. The way the princess looked sleeping in the water just now seemed so strange!

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