To Lanqin's surprise, the Second Princess came over for dinner on the sixth day after moving in, saying she was there to pay her respects. Previously, when she was with the Fujin (principal wife), it was the same rule: she had to pay her respects three times a day, but whether or not she was received was entirely up to the Fujin.

Lanqin ate her dinner in bed; she wasn't allowed to get out of bed yet. When the Second Princess came, she was to enter the bedroom to see her.

"Let her in." Lan Qin leaned back on a soft cushion.

The second princess wore a cherry-red jacket over a dark black pleated skirt trimmed with rabbit fur, and a pair of moon-white embroidered shoes embroidered with pink magnolia flowers. The flower stamens were adorned with pearls or turquoise, making her look quite beautiful.

"Elinzhu greets Consort!" The Second Princess made a gesture of holding the handkerchief flat with her left hand, and with her right hand she gracefully flicked the handkerchief and gave a greeting.

"Cui Niang, quickly help the Second Princess up." Lan Qin said with a smile to the Second Princess. To be honest, she didn't seem to like this kind of greeting, but she didn't want to say it directly.

"Elinzhu, have you had dinner yet? If not, why don't you eat with me?" Lanqin tried her best to appear with a gentle smile. It wasn't that she disliked the Second Princess, but rather that she felt this child possessed an indescribable quality, unlike the First Princess, who clearly seemed like a simple and honest child.

“Elinzhu has already eaten, so why don’t you, Erlinzhu, serve the concubine her meal?” the Second Princess said very obediently.

"No need, I never need anyone to serve me. Erlinzhu, why don't you go and play with Wuxiha for a while, okay?" Lanqin was startled: This little girl is really well-mannered. Did the Fujin (principal wife) always have her serve her meals?

Erlinzhu was taken aback, as if he hadn't expected Lanqin to refuse. He then curtsied and followed Nianxue to Wuxiha.

"This little girl is a bit precocious. How did she learn to be so 'well-behaved'?" Lanqin couldn't help but say, "It's really a bit hard to keep up with."

Cui Niang thought to herself, "You're being too unruly," but said aloud, "My lady, the Second Princess is just trying to curry favor with you. Sigh, thinking about it, the Second Princess is pitiful. Her birth mother died suddenly, and she was taken in by the Fujin to be raised. Now she's been sent here. I don't know what I'm thinking. Speaking of which, the Fujin is the one who killed Li Shi. It's not easy for her to live under such a stepmother. She's so young, yet she's so strict with the rules."

Lanqin suddenly felt like she was a stepmother, and a million grass mud horses galloped through her mind!

"Cui Niang, go and tell the Second Princess that there's no need for morning and evening greetings here. I'm not the primary consort, so there aren't so many rules. Just let her live her life as she pleases. If she needs anything, she can just tell me. Also, has the nanny who teaches the Second Princess needlework arrived yet? We need to ask if we should bring her back too." Lan Qin suddenly felt overwhelmed, being the guardian of an eleven-year-old girl, and was feeling quite flustered.

"Don't worry, I've already invited that nanny over and told her the time she'll be teaching the Second Princess needlework every day," said Granny Cui.

Lanqin nodded in satisfaction. With Cui Niang around, she truly had nothing to worry about.

After having breakfast, Lanqin started asking to take a bath. She hadn't bathed for many days, and although the weather outside was almost freezing cold, Lanqin still insisted on taking a bath and washing her hair.

"Cui Niang, quickly prepare water, I want to bathe, I want to bathe!!" Lanqin shouted. For some reason, she felt a vague sense of irritability. Was it postpartum depression? Lanqin couldn't help but ask herself this question.

Several maids were all held back by Cui Niang, who forbade them from greeting Lanqin's unruly request. This made Cui Niang so angry that she kept grumbling, but there was nothing she could do about it.

"Cui Niang, if you don't prepare it for me soon, I'm going to get out of bed!" Lanqin "threatened"! But there was silence outside the house, as Cui Niang was determined not to let anyone pay attention to Lanqin's unreasonable demands.

"Try getting down there and see!" Fourth Master's voice came in, followed by that face that Lanqin knew all too well.

Lanqin didn't expect Fourth Master to come at this time. Looking at herself, she hadn't bathed or washed her hair for more than ten days. She had only touched her face haphazardly every day without properly applying face powder. Her head was also just wrapped in a cloth. She must look terrible right now!

Lanqin suddenly slid into the quilt and immediately covered herself with it, shouting, "I cannot see you now, Your Highness!" Since the day he dismissed Lanqin from her position as the Fujin (principal wife), the Fourth Prince had not come for seven days. He had only sent the Second Princess over without sending any message.

"I've already seen what you look like, what's there to hide now!" The Fourth Prince couldn't help but smirk. He had been thinking things over for the past seven days, and today he came precisely to discuss this with Lanqin. Although Lanqin had repeatedly spoken rudely to him that day, even daring to chase him away in front of so many women, the Fourth Prince had never been angry with her. He knew he had wronged his wife; he wasn't unaware of her actions, but on one hand, he considered the power of the Ulanara family; on the other hand, it was a marriage bestowed by Emperor Kangxi himself; and thirdly, he didn't want unrest in the inner quarters. He had adopted an ostrich-like mentality, turning a blind eye to certain things—truly burying his head in the sand, deceiving himself.

Lanqin rolled her eyes at the Fourth Master from under the covers and said angrily, "Master, I want to take a bath and wash my hair. Tell them to bring water, or I won't see you!"

Standing outside the bedroom, both Cui Niang and Nian Xue sighed at Lan Qin's "lack of manners".

Fourth Master looked at the little woman who was acting coquettishly and said gently, "You're still in your postpartum period, so they're not bathing or washing your hair for your own good."

Lanqin didn't believe such a claim; foreigners don't have the concept of postpartum confinement at all.

"I feel so itchy on my scalp and so dirty on my body. My lord, it's alright. I'll just sit in the water and wash myself. As long as I don't catch a cold, it'll be fine," Lanqin said.

Fourth Master looked at Lanqin, who was huddled in the quilt, and found it amusing. He walked to the side of the bed, patted her back, and said, "Aren't you feeling stuffy? Come out quickly. I'll have them prepare."

Lanqin was overjoyed and quickly crawled out from under the covers, saying, "Really?" Seeing the Fourth Master looking at her with such affection, Lanqin felt a warmth in her heart, but when she thought of how gentle the Fourth Master had been to Yehe Shi that day, she still felt a little uncomfortable.

However, in the past few days, Lanqin has come to her senses. If she gets angry with the Fourth Master at this time, she is giving Yehe Clan an opportunity. She must not do such a stupid thing.