“Master…” With a heavy heart, Cui Niang reached out and pinched Lan Qin’s nose, the most ruthless way to force her to wake up.
Sure enough, Lanqin woke up shortly after, staring at Cui Niang pinching her neck right by her bedside. She yelled angrily, "Cui Niang, why are you pinching my nose?!"
After saying that, she sat up abruptly.
"Master, the master will be here soon for breakfast. You'd better get up and prepare." Cui Niang said hurriedly.
"Why did he have breakfast? Didn't he go to the palace?" Lanqin wondered what was wrong with the Fourth Prince. She had clearly told him before that he didn't need to come for breakfast because she really couldn't get up. So the Fourth Prince hadn't come to disturb Lanqin's breakfast.
"Master, it's a good thing that the master is here, why are you reacting like this!" Cui Niang said speechlessly.
Lanqin yawned widely, seemingly remembering how she had waited for him for ages last night, and then she understood why Cui Niang had been so insistent on pulling her up.
"Cui Niang, go to the kitchen and tell them that he only likes a few things anyway, just tell Chef Niu to prepare them. Let me sleep a little longer," Lan Qin said, trying to lie down again.
Cui Niang grabbed Lan Qin's shoulder and said, "Master, no. You still need to comb your hair and get dressed. If you don't get up now, what will happen when the master comes and you're still not up?" Cui Niang hadn't even told Lan Qin the news that she had asked Nian Xue to find out last night.
Lanqin said with her eyes closed, "Cui Niang, it's not like the master hasn't seen me in bed before. Why are you all so nervous? Even if I don't get up, when the master comes, you can serve him breakfast."
Cui Niang gently advised, "My good mistress, you should get up quickly. How can you stay in bed when the master has come? Didn't you want to talk to the master about the Third Prince?"
Hearing this, Lanqin reluctantly opened her eyes and said, "Call someone in to help me change."
Upon hearing this, Cui Niang happily called Xi Cha and Si Hua, who were waiting outside, to come in and help Lan Qin get out of bed to change her clothes, comb her hair, and wash her face.
After a flurry of activity, the maids, knowing what had happened in the front courtyard the previous night, all diligently went about their tasks.
"Si Hua, are you planning to pull all my hair out? Aren't you afraid of turning me bald?" Lan Qin gritted her teeth to keep from crying out in pain.
"Good master, this servant wants to put your hair on this flat cloth. It needs to be pulled tight, but it won't hurt in a little while. Please bear with it," Si Hua said.
"What are you doing? Doesn't the master come here often? It's not like I've been out of favor for long. It's like a parched field receiving rain today." Lanqin noticed the expressions on the maids' faces and saw how carefully they served her, so she knew what they were thinking.
"Master, you haven't seen the master for several days, so it's right for you to dress up nicely." Cui Niang and Xi Cha were picking out clothes for Lan Qin, but after looking around, they couldn't find anything they were satisfied with.
After her hair was combed, Si Hua then dressed Lan Qin in a complete set of gilded headdresses bestowed upon her by the Fourth Prince, making her appear dignified and precious.
"Sihua, what are you doing? We don't have to go to the palace to meet the emperor today, and we don't have to go out to see anyone. Why are you wearing such a heavy thing? Take it off! Just wear a palace flower in the middle and put some hairpins on the side." Lanqin complained, "My neck is thin, and this heavy thing is making my cervical spondylosis flare up."
"My lady, please wear this pink cheongsam with three layers of satin trim and gold thread today," Xi Cha said, choosing a cheongsam in a color that Lan Qin usually disliked as being too bright and delicate.
"That color is too delicate. Change it to a moon white one. It's hot today, wearing such bright colors will make you hot!" Lanqin grumbled unhappily.
When Cui Niang noticed that Lan Qin refused to wear bright clothes, she quickly said, "My lady, the weather is getting hotter and hotter. You should wear these bright clothes. Otherwise, it would be a waste to leave them there. With your beautiful skin, these colors would suit you perfectly."
Lanqin was helpless. All the maids in the room were trying their best to dress her up, but it was all just to make Lanqin look her best in front of the Fourth Master!
Why be so obvious! As if I'm so desperate, waiting for him to come day and night! Lanqin pouted and thought to herself.
At this moment, Cui Niang didn't care whether Lanqin was willing or not, and signaled the maids to quickly dress her up.
After getting up early, Fourth Master dressed in his court robes and walked towards the south courtyard with one hand behind his back. Su Peisheng followed behind him, not daring to say anything.
After a night of agonizing, the Fourth Prince suddenly realized that his actions the previous night had been rather reckless. Leaving aside the fact that she was now a member of the Xiao family, he was a prince; how could he possibly visit a woman's boudoir at night?
So, early in the morning, he thought of Lanqin and his youngest daughter. If she knew he still harbored feelings for his first love, he wondered what she would think. The Fourth Master suddenly felt a pang of guilt, so he sent someone to tell him to come and have breakfast.
When Fourth Master stepped into the South Courtyard, he saw Lanqin dressed in fine clothes, wearing a gilded headdress that she didn't usually like, standing at the door smiling at him.
"There's still a morning breeze, be careful not to catch a cold!" Fourth Master walked to the door and grabbed Lanqin's small hand that was sticking out from under the three layers of horseshoe sleeves.
"Thank you for your concern, sir. I haven't seen you for a few days and I miss you a little." Lanqin decided to be more open. She had been dressed up like this by the women, and anyone who wasn't blind could see that she was looking forward to her husband's arrival, so she decided to be direct.
Standing behind Lanqin, Cui Niang thought to herself with a sigh of approval upon hearing Lanqin's words: "My mistress is not confused; she should say such things at a time like this."
"Come on, have breakfast with me. The food here is still the best." Fourth Master pulled Lanqin and turned to walk into the house.
The maids had already set up the table, and the breakfast that Fourth Master and Lanqin usually enjoyed was already laid out on it.
Fourth Master pulled Lanqin to sit down next to him before he began to examine her closely.
"What's wrong? I have flowers on my face. Why aren't you having breakfast, Master? What are you looking at me for?" Lanqin said.
"It's been several days since I've seen my Qin'er, and she seems a bit different!" Fourth Master said, curving his lips.
Lanqin smiled and personally placed a crystal beef dumpling on the plate in front of Fourth Master before saying, "It's been quite some time since you've come to the inner quarters, but I'm still the same as before. There's no change at all."
"Qin'er, once this busy period is over, I'll take you to Jiangnan for a trip," the Fourth Master suddenly said. He felt guilty, thinking he should have spent more time with Lanqin, but now Wuya Wanru had suddenly appeared!
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