"Madam, you'd better stop embroidering; it's bad for your eyes," Cuiyun said, covering her mouth as she yawned.
"It's almost finished embroidered. This magnolia is just a little bit more complete. Go and trim the wick of the lamp and brighten it up," said Uya.
"Yes." Seeing that she couldn't persuade her otherwise, Cuiyun had no choice but to get up and trim the candle wick.
Just as Cuiyun turned around to trim the candles, she found Fourth Master standing at the door.
"This servant greets the Fourth Prince!" Cuiyun said with delight, bowing slightly.
Sitting on the couch with her back to the door, Lady Wuya was unaware that the Fourth Prince was standing there watching her. Hearing Cuiyun's greeting, she quickly turned around and saw the Fourth Prince looking at her.
As the Fourth Prince walked through the doorway, watching Lady Wuya and her servants embroidering by candlelight, he was suddenly reminded of the first sachet Lady Wuya Wanru embroidered for him more than a decade ago. At that time, she too had been in Consort De's palace, head bowed, embroidering an exquisitely crafted pouch for herself.
"Wanru greets the Fourth Prince!" Lady Wuya quickly got off the bed, stood up, and curtsied to the Fourth Prince.
"The light is so dim, you shouldn't embroider anymore; it's bad for your eyes," said Fourth Master.
Uya smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Fourth Prince. Wanru will finish embroidering in a little while. It's alright."
"Where is Mother? Why are you here?" Fourth Master suppressed the ripples in his heart and remembered the reason he came here.
“My aunt is getting old and her energy is waning. I had to persuade her for a long time before she finally agreed to rest for a while. So I stayed here and will wake her up as soon as the Emperor returns to the palace,” said Lady Wuya. She also understood that the more she was valued by Consort De, the more the Fourth Prince would value her.
The Fourth Prince understood, but for a moment he didn't know what to say. He suddenly remembered that Lady Uya had injured her leg some time ago and had been staying with Consort De to recuperate. To avoid suspicion, he hadn't come to visit her, and he felt a little guilty.
"How is your leg injury?" Fourth Master asked.
"I'm all better now. Thank you for your concern, Fourth Prince. It was all my fault for being careless and causing you, my aunt, so much worry. I feel really bad about it, so I've asked to stay and serve you, my aunt," said Lady Uya.
Fourth Master nodded, his gaze towards Lady Wuya softening further.
"Father Emperor is still not sure when he will return to the palace. You should all go and rest for now. I will send someone to inform him as soon as he returns." The Fourth Prince couldn't find any other topics to discuss. Since Consort De had already gone to rest, he also prepared to return to his quarters.
"Fourth Prince, Wanru, having some free time, made a sachet for you," said Cui Mei of Uya Clan in a low voice.
The Fourth Master stared at her blankly, the words of refusal already on the tip of his tongue, but he just couldn't bring himself to say them. After all, she was a woman he had once cared about deeply.
"Go back now, get some rest!" After saying this, Fourth Master turned and gracefully left.
Lady Wuya watched the Fourth Prince's retreating figure with deep longing, but she could no longer speak to stop him from leaving.
"Madam, the Fourth Prince has already left," Cuiyun reminded Wuya, who was standing there lost in thought.
"I know. Cuiyun, I've already made more than half of that sachet. You should finish it tonight." Wuya's expression gradually changed from joy to coldness. She felt an unventable resentment in her heart. That man had once loved her so much, but now she could only look away when she saw him.
Cuiyun knew that Wuya was upset again, so she quickly agreed and didn't dare to say anything more.
Meanwhile, after leaving Yonghe Palace, the Fourth Prince followed the moon all the way south towards Wusuo. As he walked, he reminisced about the youthful days he had spent with Wuya Wanru.
That year, in the red plum grove behind the Imperial Garden, a young girl wore a pink cotton shawl adorned with white plum blossoms, and two bright red beaded flowers adorned her hair. Her fair and rosy face appeared exceptionally radiant and charming amidst the plum grove where the first snow had melted.
Fourth Master sighed. The beautiful past was gone, and he was no longer the proud and profound young man he once was. Wu Yawan was still as gentle and charming as ever, but Fourth Master had someone else in his heart.
While the Fourth Prince was reviewing memorials at the South Fifth Palace, news arrived from the palace gates—Emperor Kangxi had returned to the palace.
The Fourth Prince immediately sent someone to Yonghe Palace to inform them, while he himself rushed to Shenwu Gate to greet them.
Emperor Kangxi entered through the Shenwu Gate in a sedan chair with a curtain drawn by sixteen men. The curtain, which was as large as a small room, was carried all the way to the Qianqing Palace. Both sides of the Shenwu Gate were lined with officials and servants who had come to welcome Kangxi back to the palace.
The princes who had gone to the northern deserts had all returned to their respective residences and did not come in. As soon as Kangxi returned to the Qianqing Palace, he ordered Liang Jiugong to summon the Fourth Prince to see him.
Upon hearing of Kangxi's return, the concubines in the harem who had been anxiously awaiting his arrival immediately sent people to the Qianqing Palace to deliver tonics, but Liang Jiugong turned them all away. The Emperor refused to see anyone and, without issuing an order, forbade anyone to come to the Qianqing Palace to disturb him.
Although Consort De knew this would be the outcome, she still got up and stayed until Emperor Kangxi issued his decree before taking a nap.
Inside the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Kangxi sat on a couch in the West Warm Pavilion, letting the Holy Maiden administer acupuncture. The reason he had been carried directly to the Qianqing Palace in a sedan chair was because his headache had flared up again. The Holy Maiden had been invited by the Fourth Prince, who had come to ask her whether his eye condition could still be cured.
This time, Kangxi's eye ailment flared up again. He could barely see things up close, meaning he couldn't even read memorials.
"Father, are you alright?" The Fourth Prince asked, looking at Kangxi's furrowed brows.
"My head is throbbing! Fourth Prince, go and ask this man you invited for me. If he doesn't tell the truth, I'll kill him!" Kangxi roared. The skilled acupuncturist who was administering acupuncture to him seemed used to such conversations, remaining completely unmoved and steadily continuing to insert the needles into Kangxi's body.
"Father, please calm down! The renowned physician is highly skilled and will surely be able to cure your headache." The Fourth Prince felt a cold sweat break out on his back as he spoke. If the renowned physician could not cure Kangxi, then he himself would also bear some responsibility, after all, he was the one who invited this renowned physician.
"Don't say such nice things, I have a splitting headache!" Kangxi's tone was extremely harsh. He was a monarch, yet he was helpless in the face of illness, forced to rely on others to control his fate. This sense of defeat made Kangxi very uncomfortable.
The once wise ruler was weakened by illness, and what he feared most was who would take charge of the Qing Dynasty if he could no longer see.
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