Lanqin thought to herself: Why does Consort Wang suddenly want to return to the palace? It should be Emperor Kangxi who sends someone to pick her up.

Actually, she didn't know that the Fourth Prince had already brought Emperor Kangxi's imperial edict. He had come to ask Consort Wang about it yesterday, and that's what he had said.

However, Fourth Master was so angry that he didn't mention it to Lanqin when he saw her taking Eighteen out for a stroll on her own initiative.

"The Fourth Prince came yesterday and conveyed His Majesty's message, saying that we, mother and son, should return to the palace. Today, Consort Wang, please do not insist any further. Please invite the Fourth Prince and Consort Wang to have a meal together, as a small token of our gratitude," said Consort Wang.

Lanqin smiled awkwardly and said, "In that case, I will go and invite Fourth Master over so that he can have a proper meal with Eighteenth Brother. Speaking of which, he, as the older brother, has never really spent time with our little Eighteenth Brother."

After saying that, Lanqin raised her hand and gently flicked the tip of Shiba's nose. Shiba smiled slightly embarrassedly. He hadn't known it was his father's idea before, so he wanted to stay a few more days. But now that he heard it was Kangxi's idea, he didn't dare to act recklessly.

Lanqin left Consort Wang's place first, then went to find Fourth Master.

Fourth Master was listening to reports from the people on the estate when he saw Lanqin arrive. Judging from her appearance, she seemed to have something to do, so he asked Su Peisheng to take the person in charge of the place away.

"When did this start?" Fourth Master asked with a smile, waving to Lanqin and signaling her to come over.

"Your Highness, why didn't you tell Lanqin yesterday that Consort Wang and her son were returning to the palace today? I almost lost my temper." Lanqin walked up to the Fourth Prince, took his hand, and complained.

"Oh, I forgot. I was so angry with you that I couldn't remember. But Consort Wang and Eighteenth Brother are going back to the palace today. I'll send them back after lunch. Do you want to stay longer or go back to your residence?" Fourth Prince thought it was something serious. He naturally didn't know that Lanqin was deliberately dawdling and not going to Consort Wang's place.

"Just now, Consort Wang summoned Lanqin and said she would like to invite you and me to lunch today as a token of her gratitude. I thought she was going to question me about yesterday's events, so I declined. I was truly impolite," Lanqin said apologetically.

Fourth Master glared at Lanqin with annoyance, then suddenly raised his hand and pinched her chin, saying with a hint of punishment, "It's because I've spoiled you. Now that we have distinguished guests, you're being incredibly lazy."

Lanqin felt a slight pain in her chin and blinked her eyes aggrievedly, saying, "You didn't tell me yesterday, otherwise I would have gotten up earlier today to see if I could prepare some things for Consort Wang and her son to take back. Although the palace has everything we need, it is still a token of your goodwill."

Fourth Master sighed and shook his head, saying, "Everything is prepared. After all, Eighteenth is coming to visit me, so naturally I prepared some things for him to take back. As for Consort Wang, as my elder, it's not appropriate to give her anything."

Upon hearing that Fourth Master had made all the arrangements, Lanqin burst into a big, sweet smile and praised, "Master is the best. He always manages to handle things perfectly."

The Fourth Master was pleased by her flattery and gently scolded, "I sent you here to entertain, but you've come here to enjoy yourself?"

Lanqin wrapped her arms around Fourth Master's neck shyly and said carelessly, "Eighteenth really likes me."

Meanwhile, Ninth Prince's carriage had arrived at Huangjue Temple. He did not reveal his identity as a prince, but instead wore ordinary clothes and disguised himself as an ordinary merchant to offer incense.

According to the rules, after Ninth Master donated money for incense, he was led inside to worship Buddha and offer incense.

Ninth Master kept a close eye on the activity inside the temple. Logically speaking, since Consort Wang was here to pray for the Eighteenth, there should have been guards and palace maids accompanying her. However, Ninth Master did not see anyone who was different from these monks.

"Little monk, has anyone important come to the temple recently?" Ninth Master thought for a moment, but did not name names directly.

"Benefactor, I am just a novice monk. I do not know the answers to your questions. Why do you ask?" The young monk was simply leading the patron who came to offer incense to the main hall.

Seeing that he couldn't get any information from him, Ninth Master just smiled and said, "I just have some personal matters to discuss. Let's talk about it when I meet the Abbot later."

When the young monk saw that Ninth Master wanted to see the abbot, it was clear that he had other needs besides offering incense, so he didn't ask any more questions.

Ninth Master was actually a very superstitious person. Whenever he went to a new place, he would always pay his respects to the gods and Buddhas in the local temples.

After he had truly paid homage to the Buddha and Guanyin, he said to the young monk serving incense that he wanted to ask the abbot about his future.

The abbot particularly favored pilgrims who sought his advice, and the "consultation fees" he charged constituted a substantial portion of the temple's income. Don't assume that monks are all detached from worldly desires; they still have daily necessities that require money. Moreover, such a large temple supports thousands of monks, whose daily food and drink expenses are considerable. Besides imperial rewards, the temple relies on donations from daily pilgrims and these consultation fees.

"Please sit down, benefactor~" The abbot had a kind and benevolent face; he was the same old monk who had read Lanqin's fortune back then.

"Thank you, Master Fangzheng. I've recently encountered some trouble in my household. One of my concubines gave birth, but the child has been weak and sickly ever since. I'm truly worried. That child is my only son, and I'm afraid he might not live long and suffer some calamity. I wonder if the Master has any way to alleviate my grief over losing my child?" The Ninth Prince, on a whim, fabricated this nonsense. Although he had appeared so devout before the Buddha, when facing ordinary people like himself, our Ninth Prince began to speak without thinking.

The abbot clasped his hands together, uttered "Amitabha," and then looked Ninth Master up and down.

“Esteemed benefactor, this humble monk sees that you possess an extraordinary appearance, a sign of great wealth and nobility. However, you do indeed have some difficulty conceiving. This humble monk often performs rituals here to ward off misfortune and accumulate blessings for your descendants. If it is convenient for you, benefactor, you can bring your attendant and child here to offer incense, and then this humble monk can recite Buddhist scriptures and perform a ritual for you, which will remove some of the calamities,” the abbot said.

Upon hearing this, Ninth Master's face lit up with joy. He said, "Thank you, Abbot. I wonder if any such rituals have been performed recently? I just heard at the entrance that a distinguished person inside the temple was praying for their child. I wonder if it is effective?"

Upon hearing this, the abbot remained calm and said, "You've come at the perfect time. That noble lady has already returned, and I heard that her child has recovered."

It can be said that Emperor Kangxi thought things through. Yesterday, he not only sent the Fourth Prince to fetch Consort Wang back to the palace, but also sent someone to deliver a message, meaning that if anyone asks about this matter, they should say that Consort Wang has finished praying and has returned to the palace.

Unexpectedly, someone did ask about this matter today, and the abbot secretly began to guess the identity of the person in front of him.