Because Lanqin had the room where the Third Prince lived repainted, she was worried that the paint might harm him, so she delayed moving in a few days. The Fourth Prince, on the other hand, moved in quickly and was there a few days later.
As usual, the Fourth Prince was busy in the palace. The relocation of the Fourth Prince's residence was handled by Lanqin, Song Shi, and the head nanny's people. To make up for what he felt he had done for the Fourth Prince, the Fourth Prince specially had the head nanny move some valuable ornaments from his storeroom to decorate the Fourth Prince's new room. Lanqin naturally also contributed a few items from her own private funds for the Fourth Prince, such as a set of ivory-carved writing implements and a calligraphy piece by Dong Qichang.
In order to take good care of the Fourth Prince, the Fourth Prince specially asked the head nanny to send two more maids over. Including the maids who originally served the Fourth Prince and Xia Shi, there were a total of five people, which was even more than the four maids who served Song Shi.
Lanqin and Song called Xia, who served the Fourth Prince, and her four maids to them and asked for their names.
"You must be the Fourth Prince's wet nurse?" Madam Song and Lanqin sat in the main hall of the Fourth Prince's house, with their respective maids standing on either side.
"Reporting to Consort Song, this servant is Xia, the wet nurse of the Fourth Prince." Xia hurriedly came out and greeted Consort Song and Lanqin.
Lanqin remembered this Xia Shi. She felt that since this person had come to her in person to ask for an ice basin, he was not someone easy to get along with.
“Alright, you will continue to manage all of the Fourth Prince’s daily life. These four maids will each have their own duties, and you will come to my room every day to report on the Fourth Prince’s daily activities,” said Madam Song.
"Yes, this servant has remembered." Xia said, suppressing her joy. She had thought that Song would somehow send her own maids to manage Hongshi, but now not only had she not been touched, but even the two maids who originally served the Fourth Prince had not been touched, and even the new ones were being trained by her.
After leaving the Fourth Prince's room, Lanqin and Madam Song walked together towards her room.
“Why don’t you reorganize things, sister? I don’t think Xia Shi is an easy person to deal with,” Lanqin said.
“I was thinking of observing first. If I were to move them right away, I’m afraid it might make the Fourth Prince uncomfortable,” said Madam Song.
“Sister is indeed kind and gentle; I never thought of that. It seems that having you take care of the Fourth Prince was the right decision. With your gentle and kind nature, you will surely be able to help the Fourth Prince grow up well,” Lanqin said.
"I hope so. When will the Third Prince move over?" Madam Song pulled Lanqin into her main room.
"We'll move it after the paint dries completely and the smell is gone. Sigh, my place will be the kids' nest from now on; four of us will be living there," Lanqin said.
"This child is the talisman for the women in the back courtyard. The more children, the better. The master values you, that's why he's entrusting all the children to you," said Madam Song, playing her zither.
Lanqin nodded, chatted with Madam Song for a few more minutes, and then got up and left.
She also had to meet someone today, namely Aunt Gu, who was sent by Consort De to be the nanny for Nian Shi's pregnancy.
When Lanqin returned to the South Courtyard, Aunt Gu had already arrived and was being entertained by Nianxue, who was having tea and snacks in the left side room of Lanqin's main hall. Because she was sent by Consort De from the palace, she was naturally treated as a distinguished guest.
"This servant greets Consort Lanqin!" Aunt Gu and Aunt An have always been on good terms. Aunt Gu had heard about Lanqin's character and conduct in the palace and had a very good impression of her.
"Aunt Gu, please sit down. I'm more than happy to have you come to help our Lady Nian with her pregnancy. Although I've also given birth to two princesses, I don't really have much experience with prenatal care. Someone as experienced as Aunt Gu is truly invaluable," Lanqin said, extending a hand to help Aunt Gu up.
"You flatter me, Consort. It is my honor to be able to help you take care of Lady Nian's pregnancy. Please don't be so polite." Aunt Gu found Lanqin's words very pleasant and felt that Consort Lanqin had a good temperament.
“Aunt Gu is staying with Princess Nian. I’ve already sent someone to tell her. If Aunt Gu needs anything, please let me know immediately. Princess Nian has had a miscarriage before, so she needs to be extra careful this time,” Lanqin said.
"Yes, this servant will do everything in her power to help Princess Nian have a safe pregnancy," said Aunt Gu.
"If there's anything missing or lacking from the Nian family, Aunt Gu should come and let them know as soon as possible," Lanqin instructed. She couldn't get involved in the Nian family's affairs herself, but she couldn't ignore them either. Having Consort De's people come and take care of things was the best thing to do.
"Yes, this servant will do her best, please rest assured, Consort." Aunt Gu stood up and bowed again.
Lanqin kept Gu Shi for a while longer, rewarding her with several bolts of cloth and a pair of pearl hairpins, before letting Cui Niang take Gu Gu to Nian Shi's place. Gu Gu only carried a bundle with her, which probably contained some changes of clothes, jewelry, and other valuables.
Meanwhile, Cui Niang led Aunt Gu to the entrance of Madam Nian's courtyard. After announcing her arrival, she led Aunt Gu inside.
Lady Nian was pleased to hear that the Fourth Prince had asked Consort De to send a nanny to care for her during her pregnancy. This showed that the Fourth Prince valued this pregnancy highly; it was said that the first child in the South Courtyard had also been cared for by a palace tutor.
When Mr. Nian heard that the person had arrived, he had already made all the necessary preparations and was just waiting for them to come.
Cui Niang led Gu Mama into Nian Shi's room and saw Nian Shi sitting in the main seat, supporting her pregnant belly. They went over and bowed together.
"Reporting to Princess Nian, this is Aunt Gu, appointed by Consort De of the palace to help you with your pregnancy and ensure a safe delivery," said Cui Niang.
"Thank you for your trouble, Cuiling!" Madam Nian gestured for Cuiling to give Cui Niang a red envelope as a tip.
Since entering the mansion, Cui Niangzi has been serving by Lanqin's side. No one has ever given her a reward; she always gives rewards to others according to Lanqin's wishes.
"Thank you for the reward, Lady Nian, but this was done on the orders of my mistress. I didn't do much, so I really can't accept this reward." Cui Niang felt that Lady Nian's behavior was a bit inappropriate, so she declined.
Aunt Gu, standing nearby, also guessed that Lanqin's conflict with this Consort Nian stemmed from their incompatibility, presumably even animosity. Therefore, the Consort had proactively requested Consort De to send someone. Clearly, she was quite shrewd; she didn't want to waste her efforts without gaining any favor, so she directly pushed the task onto her mother-in-law.
Lady Nian was taken aback by Cui Niang's firm stance and momentarily froze. Aunt Gu, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped in and said, "The Consort cares about Lady Nian and took the initiative to ask me for help. It's simply her duty. Lady Nian doesn't need to give a special reward for this."
When Lady Nian heard what Aunt Gu had said, she had no choice but to back down and said, "Thank you very much, Consort. Cui Ling, see Cui Niang out."
Cui Niang smiled at Gu Gu for speaking in favor of Lan Qin, and then Fu Li withdrew.
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