Lanqin originally thought that once she finished copying the account books for that day, it would be over. However, it seemed that Consort De had no intention of letting her off so easily. In the following days, Lanqin was told that she had to go to Consort De's main palace's warm pavilion every morning to copy the account books. She was no longer required to prepare breakfast, but she was responsible for preparing dinner.

So, our Lanqin was now practically treated like a maid, getting up early every morning to pay her respects to Consort De, then having breakfast together before starting to copy those densely packed account books. She had to copy until lunchtime almost every day before she could rest. After lunch, Lanqin could go back to her room to rest, then get up again in the afternoon to chat with Consort De, and finally let her prepare dinner.

Four days passed in a row, and this continued every day. The Fourth Prince couldn't come every day, so he came almost every other day to have lunch with Consort De, giving the mother and son more opportunities to spend time together than before.

That day, after her afternoon rest, Lanqin got up as usual, dressed herself, and went to the Defei Palace to serve and talk to her.

"This concubine greets Mother. Mother's throat seems to be a little better, but is it still dry and sore?" Lanqin asked after paying her respects to Consort De.

"You want to go back now, don't you? Afraid I'll keep you any longer?" Consort De was sitting on the warm couch, with an empty porcelain bowl of monk fruit water on the table. Residual pear and monk fruit bits remained at the bottom of the bowl. Lanqin noticed this, which is why she asked the question.

"That's not what I meant. I was just offering my greetings," Lanqin said patiently, thinking to herself: This mother and son are really alike; both love to speculate about people's feelings and both are self-righteous. Sigh...

"Having copied the account books from the past few days, do you understand the principles of managing the inner quarters?" Consort De asked, ignoring Lanqin's intentions and gesturing for her to sit down.

Lanqin sat on the high-backed chair at the foot of the warm couch, thought for a moment about Consort De's question, and then replied, "I understand a little. Mother has really put a lot of thought into managing such a large household. For example, the other day, the winter dates were distributed to several noble ladies. Originally, each noble lady was supposed to receive five catties, but the people from the Imperial Household Department stole or damaged them, so some places didn't get the full amount. Mother then had them reduce the five catties to four catties, and whoever wanted more of the extra was given more. Similarly, other things were distributed in the same way. This way, the noble ladies wouldn't complain or say that Mother's distribution was unfair."

Consort De looked at Lanqin approvingly a few times, then smiled and said, "You observed so carefully today?"

Lanqin responded with a warm smile and said, "Mother is very clever. I have learned a lot from copying these past few days."

At Consort De's prompting, Granny De stepped forward and said, "Her Majesty seems to like Consort Si more and more. The Fourth Prince has good taste. The reason Her Majesty had Consort Si copy the account books from these days is to teach her how to manage the household so that she can better manage the household for the Fourth Prince when she returns."

Lanqin hadn't expected that this was her intention. In truth, she didn't want to compete with the Fujin for this power, but she couldn't openly go against Consort De's wishes, so she could only nod and smile.

"Madam Niu, you come from the Niohuru family, and now you are the fourth prince's concubine. You should think more about his offspring, manage the ladies in the inner quarters well, and help the fourth prince have many children. Do you understand what your mother is saying?" Consort De said, her smile fading. She had grown fond of Lanqin during the past seven or eight days, but she preferred to see her fulfill her duties as a concubine for her son.

Lanqin was slightly taken aback. The Consort De's meaning was crystal clear; how could she not understand it?

As a woman in ancient times, especially as a concubine of a prince, she was not allowed to monopolize a man. She had to willingly persuade him to stay with other concubines so that he could have more children.

This is the lesson that both primary wives and secondary wives must understand.

Lanqin had never thought about these things, just as she had never thought about vying with the Fujin for control of the Fourth Prince's household. She had only wanted to be a carefree noblewoman in Yinzhen's household, enjoying good food, drink, and sleep. But now, she had no choice but to start being wary of the Fujin and others.

Seeing the expectant look in Consort De's eyes, Lanqin's mouth moved, but she couldn't bring herself to say, "This concubine will follow Mother's teachings."

Originally, Consort De planned to tell Lanqin today so that she could prepare to return to the mansion tomorrow, but seeing that she did not answer her question for a long time, the atmosphere in the warm pavilion became a little awkward.

Aunt An was so anxious that she wished she could answer for Lanqin, and Granny De was also frantically trying to wink at Lanqin. Over the past few days, she had grown fond of Lanqin, and seeing her stubbornness now made her anxious too.

Frankly, no woman would be happy to hear her mother-in-law say that. But since it's always been this way, no matter how unwilling she is, she still has to endure it!

Seeing that Lanqin remained silent for a long time, Consort De's expression gradually darkened.

Lanqin could see it all, but at this moment, she was truly heartbroken. She had believed that her mother-in-law, whom she had treated with genuine kindness, would truly love her, but it was all wishful thinking on her part. She also knew that Consort De's words were not wrong, at least not in this era or in this position.

However, our classmate Lanqin really couldn't say it. Perhaps she could just say something insincere to appease her, but at this moment and in this place, she seemed unable to do so.

"Consort, answer Her Majesty quickly!" Aunt An finally couldn't help but remind her.

Lanqin pondered for a moment, then stood up from her seat, walked to Consort De, curtsied, and replied, "Your Majesty, I will certainly bear children for you and live up to your expectations."

Well, here and now, she compromised. What else could she do but argue with Consort De and get further "education"? No, Lanqin couldn't bear missing her child anymore.

Consort De's expression softened slightly, and she finally smiled gently again, saying, "I think you are capable of managing things. When you return tomorrow, do your job well."

Lanqin bowed in gratitude once again.

Consort De nodded and said, "Are you acquainted with Consort Li, the Crown Prince's concubine?"

Lanqin looked up and exclaimed, "I have met Consort Li a few times, but I would say we are not very familiar. Consort Li only came when Wuxiha was a month old."

Consort De said, "Today, Consort Li from Minqing Palace sent someone to invite you. You should go now. You don't need to stay here all afternoon."

Lanqin quickly agreed. To be honest, after what had just happened, she really didn't feel like continuing to serve here.

A mother-in-law is still a mother-in-law, after all.

After leaving Consort De's warm chamber, Lanqin returned to her own room.

Before going to see Consort Li, Lanqin should change her clothes and jewelry. In a bad mood, Lanqin instructed Nianxue to help her change, while she herself was still thinking about Consort De's words.