Lanqin remained outwardly calm, but inwardly she felt a warm glow. She personally picked up a piece of meat for the Fourth Prince and said, "Whether or not a concubine should be formally appointed is up to Your Highness. I will just do my job."

The Fourth Master said nothing more and began to eat his dinner seriously, even more diligently than Lanqin.

"It seems you didn't eat much at the banquet, Master." Lanqin offered to serve Fourth Master another bowl of soup.

"I don't even have time to think about what to eat. I'm too busy drinking to keep up with all the social engagements. Thirteen isn't here, and neither is your cousin. I'm taking care of so many people all by myself. It's already quite good that I can still manage to have a meal here with you," Fourth Master said.

Lanqin looked at Fourth Master with heartache and said softly, "Since you've had dinner, have someone bring you some water for a bath and get some rest."

The Fourth Prince glanced at Lanqin mischievously and said, "If the concubine could accompany me for a bath together, then there would be no problem."

Lanqin glanced at him shyly, but didn't refute him, and obediently nodded.

After finishing their dinner, the two indeed had a wooden tub brought out, filled with hot water, and began to take a bath together.

Lanqin, naked, leaned against Fourth Master's chest, her eyes closed, enjoying the quiet and intimate moment between them. But Fourth Master gradually couldn't resist any longer, and began to knead Lanqin's waist with his hands.

Lanqin gradually couldn't bear it any longer. Her sensitive areas were being teased by the Fourth Master, and she began to moan softly.

"Qin'er, let me be gentle this once, okay?" Fourth Master whispered in Lanqin's ear. Lanqin was only three months pregnant, so it was generally not advisable for her to have sex in London.

"Sir, please be gentle, the baby in your belly is still unstable." Lanqin was also getting impatient.

Fourth Master's hands began to roam over Lanqin's body, but in the end he did not actually do it in the water. He called someone to help him change his clothes, and then the two went to bed. Fourth Master held Lanqin and entered her at an angle, making love gently once, before they fell asleep in each other's arms.

The next day, the Fourth Prince rushed to the palace early in the morning, saying that Emperor Kangxi had sent an urgent letter that the army's provisions had been burned and that the Fourth Prince was ordered to quickly raise another 100,000 dan of grain to send to the northern desert.

Lanqin didn't know what was going on. Fourth Master only said, "I'll take her to the other courtyard when he comes back," before leaving in a hurry. She knew it must be something important, otherwise Fourth Master wouldn't have left in such a rush. But she couldn't help him, and worrying wouldn't do any good, so she went back to sleep.

By the time Lanqin had finished sleeping and woken up, it was already past 9 AM.

“Consort, since you came back, our master has been staying here. Just now, before you woke up, the head of the records came over and asked how to record this,” Nianxue said while combing Lanqin’s hair.

"What do you mean by 'how to remember'? Just remember it the way you should remember it," Lanqin said, puzzled.

“Master, she means that you have not been in the manor at all. There are no records of your menstrual period either,” Nianxue said.

"Master hasn't told the Fujin yet, has he? Go tell her that I'm over a month pregnant, and that I conceived at the other residence. There's no record of it there," Lanqin said, a hint of displeasure flashing through her mind.

Nianxue agreed, and seeing that Lanqin's expression was not good, she did not say anything more.

“Master, you are not even three months pregnant yet. Let’s just walk around in the courtyard and not go out, so as not to run into some people we don’t like,” Nianxue said.

“It’s alright. It’s April now, the most beautiful time of year, when spring is at its most romantic. Staying cooped up indoors every day would be a waste of springtime. Let’s take Wuxiha for a stroll in the garden,” Lanqin said, looking at herself in the mirror.

“My lady, if you let the Fujin know that you are pregnant again, I’m afraid she might try to harm you again. You should be careful,” Nianxue said.

“I will be very careful. She has already been neglected by the master and dares not do anything now. As for the others, I will keep an eye on them, so you don’t need to worry too much,” Lanqin said. She felt contempt at the thought of the sordid thoughts swirling among the women in the inner quarters. Alas, what could she do? She was favored by the Fourth Master, which attracted jealousy and plots.

After breakfast, Lanqin had her wet nurse carry Wuxiha while she, supported by Nianxue, left the south courtyard and headed into the garden. It was April, spring was in full bloom, and all sorts of flowers were blossoming in the garden.

Lanqin and her group arrived at the orchid garden, where almost all the orchids were in bloom. She happily walked among the flowers, admiring one bloom and smelling another, finding the scene breathtakingly beautiful.

"Master, someone's coming from over there. It looks like the Yehe clan!" Nianxue said from the side.

Sigh, it's so hard to enjoy the flowers in peace and quiet by myself.

When Yehe saw Lanqin arrive with Wuxiha, she put away her kite and, holding Taohua's hand, came towards Lanqin.

Since Yehe decided to trust Taohua, Taohua ended up serving Yehe more often than Yuhen and Yulu. Because Taohua had spent a long time in the Fourth Prince's residence and was very familiar with the situation in the inner quarters, she was often better able to understand Yehe's thoughts, so Yulu and Yuhen took a backseat.

"Greetings, Consort Yehe," Yehe said with a proper bow.

"No need for formalities, Lady Ye. I just saw a kite in the sky, were you flying it over there?" Lanqin asked.

"Yes, I made a swallow kite myself, and I'm flying it since the spring weather is nice," said Yehe.

"You can even make kites? You're so skillful," Lanqin said casually, just making small talk. But to Yehe, it sounded exactly like what Nian had said back then.

"I just did it haphazardly. If the concubine likes it, I can make one for her," Yehe said.

Lanqin was unaware of the scheme involving Lady Nian and Lady Yehe. Seeing her enthusiasm, she casually said, "Thank you for your trouble, Lady Ye."

"This must be the Third Princess. May I hold her? She's so cute," Yehe said, looking at Wuxiha.

Nianxue and Xicha tensed up for a moment, then looked at Lanqin. Lanqin said cheerfully, "Of course, Granny Ma, give Wuxiha to Princess Ye to hold."

When Granny Ma saw that Lanqin had spoken, she walked over to Yehe's side. The latter happily reached out to hug Wuxiha.

When Granny Ma placed Wuxiha in Yehe's arms, Wuxiha suddenly burst into tears. Perhaps she was unfamiliar with the habits of strangers, so she cried incessantly, and no matter how Yehe tried to soothe her, it didn't work.

Left with no other choice, Yehe had to return Wuxiha to Granny Ma.