"Master~~" Lanqin walked into the main room and saw Fourth Master sitting on the main couch with a serious expression, holding a book in his hand.

Seeing him like this, Lanqin obediently walked over and stood in front of Fourth Master. She wanted to snatch the book from his hand, but suddenly she hesitated because Fourth Master's current appearance was indeed a bit frightening.

Sigh, it seems a bit reckless of me to take Shiba out without telling him.

"So you know you're back?" Fourth Master didn't even glance at her, still staring at his book.

"I know I was wrong, and I will never take Shiba out again. Master, you finally came all this way, and you had such a stern face. Qin'er was so scared." Lanqin had already instructed Nianxue to bring Wuxiha and the others over when she came in.

"Where did you go wrong?" Fourth Master still ignored the little princess's pleas for mercy.

"Qin'er shouldn't have taken Eighteen out on her own. If something happens, the consequences would be unimaginable." Lanqin had suddenly realized from the moment she met the Eighth Prince that it was a bit dangerous to be running around with Kangxi's youngest son. Besides, the Eighth Prince was an old enemy of the Fourth Prince. If he did something to Eighteen, how could the Fourth Prince explain himself?

Although such a dark idea is too cruel, there have been instances of patricide and fratricide on the road to the throne.

Seeing that Lanqin seemed to realize the seriousness of the situation, she lowered her head, like a child who had made a mistake, and dared not look at him. Fourth Master's heart slowly softened.

If it were any other woman, the Fourth Prince might not have softened his heart, but Lanqin was truly special in his heart.

"Where did you go?" Fourth Master asked, softening his tone.

"I took Eighteen to the overpass and we ran into Eighth Master." Lanqin's voice trailed off at the end.

Fourth Master sighed, knowing full well that this little woman was bound to cause trouble if she went out on her own.

Seeing that the Fourth Prince remained silent, Lanqin knew that her rash actions might have truly brought trouble. At least, the fact that Consort Wang and her son were recuperating at the Fourth Prince's villa was kept secret from the outside world. If the Eighth Prince were to reveal this to the inner palace, Consort Wang and her son would likely face even more open and covert power struggles in the future. Wasn't the very reason that Kangxi kept it a secret to protect them?

"My lord, I was rash. However, Eighth Prince doesn't seem like the type to speak carelessly." Lanqin's impression of Eighth Prince had never been that bad, because he had always been very polite to her. How could Lanqin possibly have a bad impression of someone like Eighth Prince?

"What do you know, Eighth Brother!" Fourth Master had already prepared to back down, but upon hearing Lanqin's words, he was filled with rage. He threw down the book in his hand, grabbed Lanqin's waist, and brought his face close to hers.

Lanqin never expected that her casual remark would provoke such a furious reaction from the Fourth Master. She knew he was truly angry this time. Although he was holding her, his movements were awkward, which startled her.

Looking at the familiar face and brows that were now staring at her so coldly, Lanqin felt a sense of estrangement for the first time. She didn't know how her words had aroused such a strong reaction from the Fourth Master.

Ushiha's voice rang out from outside, and Lanqin immediately broke free from Fourth Master's grasp. As she turned around, a hint of mist appeared in her eyes.

When Fourth Master saw the child arrive, he couldn't keep a stern face any longer. Watching Lanqin play with the child, Fourth Master went over to Consort Wang's side. Since she had come, it wouldn't be right not to inquire about her, to ask if she was comfortable staying there, and if she needed anything, just to show his concern.

Lanqin played with Wuxiha and paid no attention to what the Fourth Master was doing. Even during dinner, the two remained silent.

"It was clearly you who ran off without permission, abandoned the child, and took Eighteen around everywhere. Now it seems like it's my fault, and you're all frowning because you're unhappy with me?" Fourth Master was a little unaccustomed to Lanqin's lack of her usual liveliness. Why was he so angry after she only said one sentence?

Could it be that I mind Lanqin praising other people?

Oh dear, our Fourth Prince is an extremely possessive man. He doesn't allow the woman he loves to comment on other men, especially a man who is his mortal enemy.

"I know I was wrong, Master, you're so petty." Lanqin finally couldn't hold back anymore. From the moment she entered the room, she had been carefully trying to appear weak, but the Fourth Master was still relentless. What else could it be but pettiness? She had never seen such a petty man before.

"I haven't disciplined you for days, and you're getting more and more unruly?" Fourth Master couldn't help but say.

Upon hearing this, Lanqin's face flushed slightly. She rolled her eyes at the Fourth Master and muttered softly, "You're so mean. I'll refuse today."

Fourth Master frowned, staring at Lanqin, and said, word by word, from his thin lips, "You dare to refuse me?"

Lanqin, without realizing it, also got a little angry and said gruffly, "You're bad, Master doesn't love Qin'er anymore..."

Fourth Master looked at Lanqin pouting with a wronged expression, her eyes even welling up with tears. His heart had already softened, but he just wanted to bully this little woman who was always causing him trouble.

"Alright, I don't care about you at all. I really want to care for you." Fourth Master smiled and put down his chopsticks.

“But what you said, sir, wasn’t very pleasant,” Lanqin persisted.

This young woman is truly the type to get carried away with anything given a little attention; she's really pushing her luck.

"I'm tired, I won't eat, just order some water." Fourth Master couldn't hold back any longer. It wasn't that he couldn't stay at other women's places while he was in the manor, but the thought of Lanqin made him give up the idea. But this little woman actually abandoned the child and ran around with Eighteen, which really made Fourth Master furious.

Lanqin grumbled unhappily, "If you're tired, Master, go wash up and go to sleep. I haven't eaten enough yet."

Fourth Master was about to explode in anger again, staring at Lanqin and saying, "Are you making me wait for you?"

Lanqin nodded and said innocently, "If I hadn't eaten enough, how could I have the strength to serve you, sir? You're so inhumane! You don't even let me eat my fill. You want to make me do manual labor. How can you do that?"

The maids who were serving them had long since left, leaving only the two of them in the room.

When Fourth Master heard "human nature" and "physical labor," he knew that this little thing often misspoke, but thinking about her metaphors, he realized that she was actually quite considerate.

"Fine, I'll wait for you." Fourth Master said through gritted teeth, his anger already flaring up from Lanqin's provocation. He had come today because he missed this little woman so much, but upon arriving, he learned that she had taken Eighteen out. He was both angry and worried, and almost took people to look for her, but he was afraid of arousing Consort Wang's suspicion, so he could only sit in the room and wait.

Unfortunately, Chen Shou was blind and didn't know he had offended the Fourth Prince, so he became the scapegoat and was forced to kneel with a water vat on his head as punishment.

Of course, Lanqin had already dismissed him, and Su Peisheng rarely took it seriously, thinking to himself: Now that Consort Niu is back, they can all rest.