"Qin'er, I wasn't planning to tell you this so soon." Fourth Master waved to Su Peisheng and Cui Niang, signaling them to leave.

Lanqin noticed that Fourth Master had specifically sent them all away, so he must have something important to tell her.

"Master, what?" Lanqin asked, her heart trembling slightly.

"I'm afraid the court is going to wage war against the Dzungars, and I must also ask Father Emperor for permission to lead the troops. The Qing Dynasty has been preparing for this for a long time, and once the war begins, we will go with the belief that we will win. This time, I'm afraid it will last a year, or even longer," the Fourth Prince said.

Lanqin stood there stunned, unsure how to react. War? What did these things have to do with the Fourth Prince? He was the esteemed Fourth Prince; how could he be involved in such bloody massacres?

Lanqin never imagined that the Fourth Prince would one day go to the battlefield. She subconsciously felt that the Qing Dynasty at this time would be like later generations, with no more wars.

"Master, isn't it dangerous? Do your princes have any kind of protective armor or similar soft armor?" Lanqin asked naively.

"What soft armor?" Fourth Master asked, staring at Lanqin as she uttered a new term.

"Um, it's a kind of clothing that protects you from harm. It's said to be able to withstand swords and spears, and even save lives." Lanqin no longer cared about the Fourth Master's strange look. The mere thought of him going to a battlefield, fighting real battles, filled her with fear—fear that he would get hurt, that he would encounter some danger…

"There are clothes like this? Where did you hear about them?" The Fourth Prince was even more puzzled. If there really were clothes like this, then Father Emperor would definitely make one for every prince, and even for every Qing soldier.

"Um, I heard about such protective clothing in a strange book," Lanqin said, but in her heart she thought: Of course I can't tell you that my sister saw it in a TV series. They say that the emperor wears soft armor and can't be easily hurt.

"What strange book? If such clothes really exist, they would be extremely useful. Tell me, in which book did you see them?" Fourth Master genuinely believed that Lanqin had read such a book.

"Well, sir, I've forgotten. But I've heard that there were jade burial suits in the Han Dynasty. If you wore those things, I'm afraid even swords and spears wouldn't be able to penetrate them," Lanqin quickly changed the subject.

"Although the jade burial suit can block swords, it's very heavy to wear, so how can it be used for fighting?" Fourth Master thought Lanqin was talking about something similar to the jade burial suit, and immediately lost interest.

"My lord, why do you want to tell me now? What is it that you have to say?" Lanqin pulled herself out of her reverie and looked at the Fourth Prince.

"That's why I moved you and your son here. I don't want anything to happen to you and your son while I'm away. By living separately from her, I'll send some loyal men to protect you." Fourth Master said to Lanqin very seriously.

It was undeniably touching that the Fourth Master had even thought of this. He must have planned this all along; the house had been under construction for half a year, precisely when he returned from chasing the silver in the south. From that time onward, the Fourth Master had ordered the house to be renovated, keeping it completely secret; even he himself had only just found out.

He really is a cunning man. He likes to make decisions in secret and then win you over without making a sound.

"Did the master foresee the great battle? That's why he wanted me to come and stay here, so I wouldn't be under the wife's nose?" Lanqin asked, still somewhat incredulous. A voice in her heart said silently: Does that also mean that the master was already wary of the wife?

The Fourth Prince nodded and said calmly, "Ever since Father Emperor suddenly ordered me to collect the money owed to the court last year, I noticed that Father Emperor also secretly summoned several officials from the Ministry of Revenue and ordered them to start preparing to stockpile grain. Wars are nothing more than battles over silver and grain. Father Emperor's sudden inquiry about these two things must mean that he is preparing them."

Lanqin looked at Fourth Master with admiration. This man was indeed outstanding. He was decisive, observant, shrewd, and ruthless. That was why he was able to stand out from the nine dragons and eventually ascend to the throne.

"I want you to stay here and wait for me to return. You are not allowed to go out during this time. Keep a close eye on Wuxiha and Xichen. If you are really bored, you can bring Songshi and Gengshi over," the Fourth Master said slowly. He originally did not want to tell Lanqin so soon, but he couldn't help himself. In the end, he was afraid that Lanqin would worry, so it was better to tell her about the people sooner so that she could be prepared. If he suddenly left, she would probably feel even more upset.

"Yes. Your Highness, go and serve the country with Father Emperor. I will wait here patiently." After thinking it through, Lanqin had no more worries. Since the Fourth Prince had to go, why worry unnecessarily? Worrying wouldn't solve anything, so Lanqin decided to actively encourage him and see if she could give him some hints beforehand.

After all, she was a time-traveling woman, and did indeed possess some precognitive abilities. Moreover, Lanqin was very clear about the history of Kangxi's great victory over the Dzungars. This great battle lasted for more than two years, during which they almost lost everything several times before finally achieving a hard-won victory. Kangxi was also said to have been injured, and it was said that it was because of the damage to his vital energy during this battle that his lifespan was greatly shortened.

Fourth Master nodded and said no more, simply keeping Lanqin company while she quietly ate her meal.

After a moment of silence, Lanqin suddenly asked, "Since Father is preparing for a major war, he probably has no interest in selecting concubines." As she said this, she thought about Kangxi's age. He was exactly fifty-three years old this year, and there were only eight years left until his death and eight years until the Fourth Prince ascended the throne.

"It seems so. Father Emperor's mind is entirely focused on preparing for war, so this year's imperial concubine selection will probably not be a big deal. The future of your sisters is uncertain," the Fourth Prince said, playfully winking at Lanqin.

Pfft~~

Lanqin couldn't help but laugh when she saw Fourth Master's amusing expression.

"It'll probably be after the talent show. I'll take advantage of these three months to spend quality time with you," Fourth Master said.

"Alright, I'll keep you company, Your Highness. Lady Cui knows the rules of the palace very well, so I'll leave the three of them to her care," Lanqin said with a smile.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her back molars, so intense that she frowned and quickly put down her chopsticks, covering her mouth.

"What's wrong?" Fourth Master asked, seeing Lanqin's pained expression. "Does your tooth hurt?"

"Grandpa, my back molars hurt so much, what's wrong?" Lanqin said in pain.