Consort De consistently refused, and the Fourth Prince couldn't force the issue. Although he was past the age of having his parents arrange for him to marry a concubine, if he rashly married Lady Uya, she would inevitably suffer mistreatment. This princess, bestowed by the imperial family, was more prestigious than any concubine he might marry himself. A princess was an official title, granted only with the approval of Emperor Kangxi. The Fourth Prince felt that if he brought her in as a concubine, she would only ever be a concubine, not even allowed to serve him, let alone receive the title of princess—that was the rule. Thus, the matter remained unresolved.
Lanqin never asked the Fourth Prince about Wuya Wanru, and the Fourth Prince didn't mention anything to Lanqin either. He still returned to the mansion every few days, had dinner in the South Courtyard, and then talked to Lanqin about politics. Lanqin and the Fourth Prince would also talk about the daily family matters they encountered.
September arrived quickly, and the height of summer was almost over. Lanqin thought that the "Wuya Wanru incident" was over and that the Fourth Master had just encountered an old flame. But she was just an old flame, and what was past was past. Moreover, the Fourth Master didn't seem to have time to cherish her lately.
Good news came from the northern desert: Galdan had finally surrendered and sent a letter of surrender to the Qing court. However, Kangxi refused to accept it. He wanted to completely crush the Dzungars and render them utterly defeated. He resolved to personally oversee the campaign once again, this time taking a group of his sons with him. The Fourth Prince was left behind to oversee the country with several regents, while the Eighth Prince, Ninth Prince, Fifteenth Prince, Sixteenth Prince, and Seventeenth Prince all went with him.
The Fourth Prince was busy in the palace again. First, he spent several days preparing for the departure of Emperor Kangxi and his entourage from Beijing, then seeing them off, and finally returning to the city. This time, Kangxi only brought a few palace maids, including four or five young women such as Mei'er. Among the concubines, he only brought Consort Qi and Consort Xiao; the rest were left behind. The Eighth and Ninth Princes had been anxiously waiting for the ministers to advise Kangxi on making the Eighth Prince the Crown Prince, but to their surprise, Kangxi still chose them this time.
Because this was to honor the Qing warriors who fought valiantly in the northern deserts, Emperor Kangxi traveled light, without bringing many people. Apart from the princes and ministers he brought, there were only a hundred servants and ten thousand elite guards escorting Kangxi and his entourage to the northern deserts.
After seeing Emperor Kangxi off, the Fourth Prince returned to his residence. He needed to take some clothes to the palace to change into; it was quite common for him to be unable to return home due to unforeseen circumstances.
After returning to the manor, the Fourth Prince changed out of his court robes and headed towards the South Courtyard.
Lanqin learned from the Fourth Prince that Kangxi had gone to the northern desert again. She really admired the old man. Of course, he was in a hurry to go and pacify the army, probably because he didn't want the eldest prince, Yinti, to be too dazzling. Of course, he was also afraid that the large army gathered in the northern desert might change, so he immediately led his men there.
As Lanqin was enjoying her leisure time before lunch, she heard people in the courtyard greeting the Fourth Master. She wiped her hands with a handkerchief, then stood up from the main couch, walked to the door, and saw the Fourth Master walking towards her, staring at the bright early autumn sun.
"This concubine greets Your Highness! Father Emperor has departed?" Lanqin bowed and asked. Ever since the day her soul left her body, and she watched helplessly as Cui Niang and the others slapped her cheeks while she could not wake up, she realized that she could no longer leave. Even if the Fourth Prince truly loved someone else and gradually became indifferent to her, she could not leave as resolutely as she had when she came.
"Okay, let's go." Fourth Master walked to Lanqin's side, took her hand, and led her into the house. He saw several plates of delicate pastries on her main couch, so he went over, reached out, took a piece, and put it in his mouth.
"Master, this is cardamom cake. Is it delicious? I had Master Niu learn how to make it. Is it as good as Wanhezhai's?" Lanqin asked after seeing that the Fourth Master had eaten a few pieces of her cake.
"Mmm, delicious. It tastes almost as good as the pastries from Wanhezhai, and even has its own unique flavor." Fourth Master pulled Lanqin down to sit with him.
Lanqin watched as Fourth Master ate a few more pastries, then remained silent, letting him eat to fill his stomach, as his breakfast was likely already gone. This man was her husband, and regardless of whether he always doted on her, she had inevitably fallen in love with him. If he didn't mention Wuya Wanru, Lanqin wouldn't bring it up either, hoping to avoid that person altogether.
"Your Highness, shouldn't the Third Prince be going to the Imperial Study to study?" Lanqin gestured for Xicha to serve tea to the Fourth Prince, as eating too many pastries could easily make one's mouth dry.
“The Third Prince is not a legitimate son; only legitimate sons are allowed to enter the palace to study in the Imperial Study,” the Fourth Prince said.
"There's such a rule?" Lanqin felt a little uncomfortable upon hearing this. Even if she had a son in the future, he wouldn't be qualified to study in the palace. However, historical records state that Emperor Kangxi was very fond of Emperor Qianlong and even had him personally tutored by his side.
“Of course, there is a difference between legitimate and illegitimate children. It’s surprising that you still don’t have a legitimate son.” The Fourth Prince suddenly said. An awkward silence fell between the two. Although Lanqin was now in charge of the inner court, she was not yet a Fujin (principal wife), and even if she had a child, he would still be an illegitimate son.
"Is lunch ready? I'm hungry," Fourth Master said, changing the subject.
Lanqin quickly asked Cui Niang to urge them on, and the table was already being set up.
"Princess Nian is due to give birth in a month, Master. Should we prepare two more midwives for her?" Lanqin had no choice but to bring up the matter of Lady Nian to the Fourth Master. Ever since the Fourth Master beat her maid, she had been quiet for a while, taking good care of her pregnancy. It was also thanks to Aunt Gu's close supervision that Lady Nian finally listened to Bai Zhi's advice and stopped making any more troublesome moves.
Fourth Master nodded and said, "You still need to take care of the Nian family. I also have to oversee the country, so sometimes I'm afraid I won't be able to come back to the manor."
Lanqin silently rolled her eyes in her heart, thinking to herself, "I'm taking care of your concubine, and you're still in the palace thinking about your first love. Humph, I won't let you be so smug!"
"My lord, why don't you bring a concubine into the palace? She could take care of your daily life." Lanqin knew that she couldn't enter the palace now, and if she left, who would manage such a large household? But the thought that the Fourth Prince might run into that Wuya Wanru or something at Consort De's place made her very uncomfortable.
"No need, Master will come back every few days." Fourth Master looked at Lanqin in surprise. This little woman had never asked him to bring other women to serve her before.
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