Emperor Kangxi's headache persisted until the end of the year, and the court issued numerous notices summoning renowned physicians to the palace. For a time, Kangxi was confined to the palace to recuperate, and the matter of establishing a crown prince was put on hold, as no one dared to displease him.
Prince Zhi was made a Prince of the First Rank and frequented the palace daily, even searching far and wide for doctors who could cure Emperor Kangxi's headaches and sending them to the palace. Unfortunately, many not only failed to gain the emperor's favor but also lost their lives.
When the Third Prince heard that the Eighth Prince had been stripped of his title by Emperor Kangxi and demoted to a bald prince, he began to feel a little better. Moreover, the Prince of Zhi had only been promoted to a prince of the first rank and had not been made crown prince. The Third Prince was no longer so depressed and simply spent his time in the mansion drinking and listening to music with his concubines, or inviting some literati to the mansion to compose poems and essays.
The Fourth Prince was no longer as busy as before, because with Kangxi's return, he no longer needed to manage so many affairs and naturally had more free time. He began to spend more time in the inner quarters reading and writing, and didn't frequently visit Kangxi. Lady Nian gave birth to a son, and given Nian Gengyao's influence in the army, the Fourth Prince arranged for her to become a secondary consort, allowing her to raise her son. Lanqin knew that Lady Nian becoming a secondary consort was inevitable, so she wasn't too concerned. However, her maids worried that Lady Nian's promotion would make her an equal to Lanqin and cause her to interfere in the inner quarters' affairs. But the Fourth Prince seemed to have no intention of allowing Lady Nian to interfere in the inner quarters' matters, so Lanqin remained the head of the Fourth Prince's household.
After returning to his residence, the Eighth Prince remained secluded. It is said he even fell seriously ill, and his wife busied herself caring for him while also attending to various social engagements, striving to keep the residence from becoming too desolate. The Ninth Prince was the only one who frequently visited the Eighth Prince's residence, often bringing him news from court affairs.
The 48th year of Kangxi's reign was fast approaching, and Lanqin was busy with the year-end preparations again. For example, the Fourth Prince would report the year's income from his various estates, fields, and shops to Lanqin. The mansion also needed to prepare various New Year's goods, distribute New Year's wages to the servants, and give New Year's gifts to the empresses in the palace and the brothers.
"Master, I heard that Madam Nian is planning to move to a new courtyard with you." Cui Niang instructed Shui Ling to make the brazier in the left side room burn brighter, because Lan Qin had been too busy to eat these days.
"She's been promoted, so naturally she wants to move to a different position. I expected that." Lanqin was sitting on the warm couch, looking at the New Year's gifts for the various ladies in the palace.
"I heard that Consort Nian wants to move to the old East Courtyard of the Li family!" said Cui Niang.
Lanqin then stopped, turned around and glanced at Cui Niang, saying, "That place has been empty for a long time; perhaps it's time to welcome a new master."
“My lady, if she moves there, it will be much bigger than our place. You have so many children to raise here and you hold the power in the inner quarters, yet you live in a place that is not as nice as hers. It’s really not fair,” said Cui Niang.
Lanqin knew that Cui Niang was upset on her behalf, but she disagreed with Cui Niang's words, saying, "I am very comfortable living here, and it is big enough. Why does it have to be so big? Now that Nian Shi has been promoted to the rank of Consort, it is reasonable for her to want to change courtyards. Master will definitely agree."
Nianxue quickly asked, "Why would Master be so sure he would agree?"
Lanqin continued looking at the account book and said, "This year, her famous brother Nian Gengyao will probably come to the capital to report on his duties. If he comes to the Fourth Prince's mansion and sees his sister, a dignified concubine, living in such a small courtyard, he will definitely be displeased. So the master will agree, and she will move there soon."
Cui Niang nodded before saying, "What you say is true, Master. The East Courtyard has been in disrepair for many years and probably needs some repairs."
Lanqin stopped reading the ledger and said, "Well, let's wait until Master decides before we talk about this. There's no need for me to curry favor with her."
"What's selling well?" Suddenly, Madam Song, who was standing at the door, looked at Lanqin with a smile, and Madam Geng came over as well.
"You two sisters have come at the right time. Come and look at the accounts together and help me with the burden," Lanqin said immediately upon seeing that it was Madam Song or Madam Geng.
“Sister Song, look at Consort Geng, is she teasing us?” Geng said.
"I'm not kidding you! I'm so busy I'm almost dizzy. It's just in time for you two sisters to come and share the burden." Lanqin put down the account book, got up from the warm couch, and took the hands of Song and Geng.
“We’ve come to cling to your leg,” Song sighed.
"What's wrong?" Lanqin asked, noticing the slight displeasure on Song and Geng's faces.
"It's that new concubine! She's only been promoted a few days ago, and she's already acting all high and mighty!" Geng said on behalf of Song. It turned out that Song and Geng had encountered Nian in the central garden of the Fourth Prince's residence on their way to the south courtyard. Nian, accompanied by her four maids and her son, was sunbathing there. Upon seeing Song and Geng, she instructed them to greet her. Although Nian had been promoted to concubine, Song and Geng were obliged to pay their respects. However, Nian's tone and attitude made Song and Geng feel particularly embarrassed. Especially since they were far more senior than Nian, being mocked and belittled like that was truly unpleasant.
Lanqin listened silently to Geng's account before saying, "Nian has just been promoted, so it's inevitable that she's become a little complacent. Please don't take it to heart, sisters."
“We didn’t bother with her. But looking at Nian Shi’s attitude, she was just too arrogant. It was as if she thought that now that she had a son, she would replace you, my sister,” Geng Shi said.
“Yes, Qin’er. I noticed that Nian’s tone made it sound like she thought she was something special, completely disregarding the South Courtyard,” said Song.
"Don't worry, sisters. Lanqin isn't the kind of person who would bite someone and then not fight back. Nian Shi has just gained the master's favor, and it's also due to the power of her family. Sisters, Nian Shi's momentum will likely remain strong for quite some time to come." Lanqin knew in her heart that Nian Shi would continue to be powerful, so she could only comfort Song Shi and Geng Shi.
"Qin'er, why are you saying that too? Are you afraid of her?" Madam Song said.
"It's not that I'm afraid of her. It's just that her momentum won't subside anytime soon. That's the situation. Since we're in this situation, we should respond proactively." Lanqin couldn't explain the future of the Nian family to the two of them, so she could only say this.
"Qin'er, what I'm hearing is that you mean we should avoid Nian Shi a bit in the future?" Madam Song was used to Lanqin's exclusive favor in the inner quarters, and now even she didn't dare to offend Nian Shi easily, so she was a little worried.
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