Wu glanced at Nian, who was sitting below her, and felt quite resentful. Since Nian entered the manor, the Fourth Prince had bestowed gifts upon her several times, seemingly more than any other newcomer to the manor.

Wu was surprised that Nian Shi, who had only been there for a few days, was able to get the Fourth Prince to stay overnight in her room, breaking Lanqin's exclusive favor. Naturally, she was resentful.

Seeing Nian's smug and arrogant expression, Song felt a pang of worry for Lanqin. With such a formidable rival at hand, Lanqin had been staying at the villa for months without any sign of returning. What if this Nian had truly captivated the Fourth Master?

Looking at the charming and alluring Nian, Geng felt even more bitter. With such a stunning beauty before her, she, with her average looks, would probably never even get to see the Fourth Prince.

Feeling the complex gazes from the crowd, Nian Shi couldn't help but feel heartbroken about the Fourth Prince's behavior last night, but on the surface, she maintained a composed and self-satisfied demeanor. How could she, Nian Shilan, let anyone know the fact that she hadn't actually been taken by the Fourth Prince last night? Therefore, she had to pretend to be even more favored.

"Alright, you may all leave. Nian Shi, you stay. I have something to say to you privately," the Princess Consort said with a smile to Nian Shilan. In her view, she was happy to have anything that could share Lanqin's exclusive favor with her.

After everyone had left, Lady Nian asked directly, "I wonder what business Your Highness has with me here?" She had always been a straightforward person. When she was a young lady at home, her father had raised her like a boy, and coupled with her brother's doting affection, Nian Shilan's personality had developed into two extremes. She possessed the delicate charm of a young woman, even more so than most women, but when facing her own kind, Lady Nian was completely different—direct and decisive, disliking to hide her intentions or play those hypocritical sisterly games.

"It's nothing, it's just that I haven't seen a woman who could pull the Fourth Prince away from Lady Niu for a long time. Last night, you could keep the Fourth Prince for one night, and you could keep him for a second and a third night, so I had no choice. Lady Niu is the only one favored by the Emperor, which has left the Fourth Prince with only two sons and three daughters. I really feel ashamed of the Emperor and my mother's expectations of me." The Princess said emotionally, and then sighed.

"As a princess of the royal family, it is your duty to bear children for the prince and ensure the continuation of the imperial line. Doesn't Consort Niu even understand this basic principle? I am willing to share your burdens." Lady Nian looked at the prince's wife, who seemed cornered and powerless against Lady Niu, and felt contempt. A dignified principal wife, forced to this point by a mere concubine—how utterly useless! But since she'd come to me, why not see what she's up to?

“Sister Nian has just been favored by the Emperor, and Lady Niu happens to be away from the mansion right now. If you can win over the Emperor, you can help me share the burden.” Seeing that Nian was very agreeable, the Princess Consort was really happy. She stepped down from the main seat, walked to Nian’s side, and took her hand affectionately.

“Sister, I truly adore you. Look at your pretty face, so beautiful, no wonder the Master favored you first. Here, I have a pair of jadeite and gold lotus flower bracelets, perfect for you. If you wish to stand with me through thick and thin in the future, wear these bracelets and don't take them off. Every time I see you wearing these bracelets, I understand your feelings.” The Princess took out a pair of bracelets from a lacquer tray brought by Lingxiu. When Nian saw the jadeite on the bracelets, each piece was exceptionally clear and uniform in color, all the same size, and adorned with gold lotus buds linked together—truly beautiful. Nian liked them immediately, and seeing that the Princess was giving them to her, she accepted them without hesitation and put them on. They fit her perfectly, as if they had been specially made for her.

"Seeing that my younger sister likes it makes me even happier. Look, it suits you perfectly, as if it were made just for you." A glint of light flashed in the Fujin's eyes, but then her expression returned to its inky darkness.

"Thank you for your generous gift, Madam." Nian Shilan said sincerely. Although she was shrewd and decisive, she was only fourteen years old and had no idea that some people were human on the surface, but were actually more ruthless and vicious than ghosts in secret.

Then, the Fourth Prince took the Thirteenth Prince outside the mansion. He told the Thirteenth Prince about his plan to prepare some entertainers for Lanqin. The latter did not expect that the Fourth Prince could do such a thing, and his face was full of disbelief.

Both were dressed casually and were riding their horses leisurely down the street.

"Can you help Fourth Brother find them or not? I originally wanted to go to the Southern Prefecture to ask for some people, but I was afraid that if this matter reached Father Emperor's ears, it wouldn't sound good. Isn't your Miss Luo Ge good at singing and playing instruments? I want to find a few girls like that to send to Lanqin. Let her arrange it." Fourth Prince looked at Thirteenth Prince's ambiguous smile and said patiently.

“That’s easy to handle, but those girls were all sold into prostitution. What are your plans, Fourth Brother? Are you going to buy them out, or just let them play with your sister-in-law for a while before sending them back?” Thirteen asked.

"This is really hard to decide. Let's just pick a few pretty girls who haven't had sex yet and buy them. They can be sent to Lanqin as maids," said the Fourth Master.

"Fourth Brother, this is easy to handle, leave it to me," Thirteen boasted.

"Fourth Brother isn't trying to leave it to you, but he's just desperate for the men. Can you find them all for me within three days?" Fourth Master asked.

"Fourth Brother really loves his wife dearly. He's afraid she'll be lonely in the other courtyard, and he's too busy raising funds and supplies to support Father Emperor's campaign to visit her," Thirteen exclaimed, having never seen the Fourth Prince so devoted to a woman.

"You brat, mind your own business. Just find me the men." Fourth Master laughed and scolded a few times before raising his whip and lashing it across the horse's rump.

Mu Xue quickly raised its front hooves, neighed for a while, and then rushed out like lightning.

Thirteen hurriedly spurred his horse to catch up. The people on the street only saw two richly dressed young men riding tall, fine horses, and they all speculated about which noble family's sons they were.

Thirteenth Prince led Fourth Prince all the way to the most famous brothel in the capital, where every girl was a beauty. Most of them were poor children sold into prostitution by slave traders. Many of these children were trained from a young age by the madam, categorized into different classes based on their characteristics. The lowest-ranking girls were naturally trained to be prostitutes, while the better ones were trained to play instruments, sing, or dance, becoming high-class prostitutes who sold both their art and their bodies. The highest-ranking girls were raised strictly according to the standards of well-bred ladies, proficient in all the arts, some even possessing exceptional skills. They were specifically used to serve high-ranking officials and nobles, rarely selling themselves, and mostly waiting for the highest bidder. Luo Ge belonged to the highest-ranking class of girls.