"I want to prepare a special 'merit' for you, Master. You'll find out when the time comes," Lanqin said with a mysterious smile, playfully sticking out her tongue.

"You're really keeping me in suspense, aren't you?" Fourth Master propped himself up with one hand and turned his head to banter with Lanqin.

The next day, the Fourth Prince returned home. Lanqin, as usual, slept in late before getting up for breakfast. After breakfast, following the Fourth Prince's instructions, she summoned Granny Zhou and all the stewards. They were all excited, knowing that several princes would be coming to hunt soon. After all, they were servants, hoping for such opportunities to serve nobles; even just being noticed by someone, or receiving a large sum of money, would be wonderful.

"Reporting to Consort Lanqin, all the officials in charge of the estate are here. Please give your instructions," said Granny Zhou respectfully to Lanqin.

Lanqin glanced at everyone standing in the main room and said calmly, "Zhou Mama has already told you, hasn't she? In a few days, the master's brothers, the princes, will be coming to our estate. You all need to be on your best, and nothing can go wrong. Those in charge of repairing and managing the houses and furnishings must arrange accommodations for the guests properly. They need to know where their rooms are, how far apart they are, the furnishings, and the servants. Treat everyone equally, without any distinction of rank. They are all the master's brothers; don't let anyone think we're the kind of people who are opportunistic based on who's favored. Do you understand?"

Lanqin spoke these words in a calm tone, but every word struck a chord deep within the hearts of those below.

"Yes, Your Highness," a thin, middle-aged man replied, bowing his head. "The rooms for the seven princes have been prepared. The furnishings are all the same, and each room is equipped with two maids and a servant."

"All the maids here are chosen from impeccable bondservant servants. They are not allowed to have any designs on distinguished guests, understand? Causing unnecessary suspicion between the master and his brothers will lead to problems. If the master is angry, even I, his concubine, cannot stop him," Lanqin said. She was afraid some maids might try to take advantage of this opportunity to climb into the master's bed, which would be a great disgrace to the Fourth Master. Although in the past, nobles and relatives often favored bondservant servants during hunting trips, and occasionally some were brought back as concubines, it was ultimately a shameful affair. Lanqin did not want such a thing to happen that would embarrass the Fourth Master.

"Please rest assured, Consort, these maids are all handpicked by me. They are honest and gentle servants, and would never do anything shameless. If they did, I would drag them out and beat them to death first," a plump middle-aged woman said, bowing her head.

"Finally, there's the kitchen. Although they're all here to hunt, they might have a barbecue or something in the woods outside, so the meals you prepare might not be needed sometimes. But please prepare some hangover remedies to help with digestion and relieve stomach upset, just in case. Make sure to prepare each meal carefully, and I will arrange for someone to inform you of the arrangements for each meal." Lanqin sat upright on the couch, her expression remaining indifferent.

"This servant humbly obeys the Consort's decree and requests Chef Niu's guidance." The head chef of the kitchen was Niu Baoquan's colleague, but when Niu Baoquan was here, he and Old Niu were rivals. Now that Old Niu had been discovered and taken away by Lanqin, he naturally became the head chef. Now that the Consort had returned, Niu Baoquan was still her personal chef in her courtyard, so he naturally had to curry favor with her.

"Yes, Chef Niu will go over and give instructions. You two work together to make sure our distinguished guest enjoys the best food here," Lan Qin said.

After giving instructions to the steward, Lanqin specifically kept Zhou Mama behind, giving her special instructions on how to serve the maids serving the three princesses, and then asked her to send a few more to deliver messages. After all, Nianxue and the others were not familiar with this place, and besides, they were not just errand girls; they all had a responsibility to bear.

"Cui Niang, I'm leaving those three girls in your care. Make sure nothing that shouldn't happen occurs, especially Chen Xiuzhu, keep a close eye on her," Lan Qin said, her brows slightly furrowed. She had a feeling that her cousin was bold and impulsive, and that she might easily cause trouble.

"Yes, I will go and keep an eye on things from time to time. As long as Master sends someone to give instructions, I will lead them to carry them out," said Cui Niang.

"Well, it's not like we're keeping them confined. We'll treat them like any other day. We might not actually take them with us," Lanqin instructed.

Meanwhile, the three girls, seeing that Cui Niang had given them a day off, gathered in the main room where they usually trained, chattering and discussing the upcoming Digital Legion.

"I've heard that Third Prince Wencheng is quite the ladies' man and is highly regarded by the Emperor," Chen Xiuzhu said with an admiring expression.

"The Third Prince's wife is from the Dong'e clan. It's said she has a rather unpleasant temperament. Xiuzhu, do you want to go to the Third Prince's inner quarters?" Xinyi joked, a rare occurrence for her. Shuhui smiled and tapped Xiuzhu's forehead with her finger.

Over the past few days, the three of them have gradually become familiar with each other. Xin Yi and Shu Hui got along well, and as two daughters of concubines, they naturally understood each other's feelings. Although Xiu Zhu was proud and arrogant, she was still only thirteen years old, and she gradually started joking with the two of them.

“Don’t talk nonsense. I don’t admire the Third Prince. It’s just that Father often mentions him to me. Actually, I do admire him quite a bit…” A slight blush crept onto Xiuzhu’s face.

"What a shameless girl! How could you admire someone like that? You're going to be selected for the palace, and even if you're rejected, you'll just have to go back and wait for your father and mother to decide for you," Xin Yi said with a smug grin.

"I only said that because I consider you my close sisters, hmph." Xiuzhu pretended to be angry and pouted.

"Alright, Sister Xinyi was just teasing you. I heard that all these princes have already gotten married, and even if I were to be betrothed to one of them, I'd only be a concubine. I don't really want to be a concubine," Shuhui said timidly and shyly.

“What’s wrong with being a prince’s concubine? Once you give birth to a son, you’ll have a secure position. Countless riches and honors will follow. If you marry the son of a minor official, even if you’re the principal wife, they also have concubines and maids. You’ll still be sharing a man with others. If that’s the case, I’d rather be a prince’s concubine,” Xiuzhu said earnestly.

Xin Yi paused for a moment, then said, "Alright, you're all so shameless. Go and take a good look at the clothes you brought, and think about what to wear that day. If you really want to enter the prince's harem, then dress yourselves up nicely. Second Sister has given us such a good opportunity for nothing, so don't waste it."