"Thank you, mistress, Birou!" When Madam Nian saw that the two women who came were Lanqin's two trusted maids, she had her maid give them purses.
Seeing Nian Shi's meaning, Nian Xue immediately said, "We servants dare not accept the reward from the concubine."
Lady Nian laughed and said, "You deserve it! You are all first-class maids by Consort Niu's side, how can you not deserve it!" After saying that, her maids had already taken out two purses and handed one to each of them.
Nianxue and Xicha had no choice but to accept the purse and bow to Nian Shi to express their gratitude.
After Nianxue and Xicha left, Madam Nian's smile faded, and she asked Cuiling, "Well, what did she say?"
“Reporting to Your Majesty, the one in the South Courtyard doesn’t seem angry at all. After listening to what I had to say, she said she would discuss it with Your Majesty before replying,” Cui Ling said.
"Oh? She's not angry at all?" Mrs. Nian said, somewhat surprised.
“This servant didn’t notice she was angry; she just had a faint smile on her face. It was Cui Niang, the maid beside her, who seemed a bit angry,” Cui Ling said.
Lady Nian frowned. Bai Zhi, who was standing to the side, couldn't stand it anymore and immediately said, "Master, you have just been promoted. Shouldn't you not be so ostentatious? Master doesn't mean to replace all the furniture."
"The South Courtyard has been making a fuss about itself for years. Now that I've been promoted, what's wrong with repairing the house or changing the furniture?" Since giving birth to a son, Lady Nian has long felt that Lanqin's two daughters are inferior to her own, and she simply won't listen to Baizhi's advice.
After the Fourth Prince finished his court session, he didn't linger in the palace because the New Year was approaching and there were many things to do at his residence.
Lanqin guessed that the Fourth Prince would come to talk to her about the Nian family moving, so she specially asked the kitchen to prepare the dishes that the Fourth Prince liked. Sure enough, the Fourth Prince came to the South Courtyard as soon as he returned, and saw that Lanqin had already had a table set up and was teaching Wuxiha to read.
"Father!" Ushiha exclaimed joyfully upon seeing Fourth Master arrive.
"How many characters can Ushiha recognize?" Fourth Master asked, then sat down next to Lanqin.
“Ushiha knows hundreds of characters and can even recite Tang poems!” Ushiha said.
"Why don't I recite one for your father?" Lanqin said with a smile.
“I’ll recite it then.” Seeing that Lanqin was testing her, Wuxiha got into the mood. Then, she recited “Sitting Alone on Jingting Mountain” for Fourth Master.
When Fourth Master saw that Wuxiha had finished reciting, he immediately clapped his hands encouragingly, "Wuxiha recited it well. Father has something to give to my little star."
After saying that, Fourth Master took out a small object from his pocket and handed it to Wuxiha. It turned out to be a small white rabbit made of jade.
"Oh my, what an adorable little rabbit! Father, I love it so much!" Ushiha exclaimed in surprise as he took the little rabbit from Fourth Master's hands, dancing with joy.
"Ushiha, go play with your sister over there for a while, then come back for dinner later," Lanqin said to her. Ushiha knew that her father and mother had something to say, so she obediently followed the maid to find Bechuk.
"What, does Master want Wuxiha to become the Moon Goddess in the future?" Lanqin then said.
Fourth Master was taken aback, then laughed and said, "It's just giving her a jade rabbit, why are you thinking so far ahead?"
Lanqin said, "I have to think long-term for my daughter. Who knows if Master will still favor me and my child in the future!"
When Fourth Master saw that Lanqin's tone was sour, he pulled her into a hug and said, "Why do I smell such a strong scent of jealousy?"
Lanqin, who was being held by the Fourth Master, heard this and pushed him away in the chest, saying coquettishly, "Don't you know that women are all jealous?"
“She’s newly promoted, and her place is too small. She should be moved around,” said the Fourth Master.
Lanqin put away her smile and said, "I didn't say anything bad about Consort Nian! On the contrary, I'm going to discuss with you how to renovate the East Courtyard with her."
Fourth Master said, "The parts that need repair can be repaired."
Lanqin gave Cui Niang a wink, signaling her to tell her about Nian Shi's request.
So, Cui Niang truthfully told Fourth Master about Nian Shi's request.
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince's expression gradually darkened. Lady Nian's demands were excessive; she even offered to pay for it herself—was she implying he couldn't afford to renovate a concubine's house? If word got out, wouldn't the Fourth Prince's mansion become a laughingstock?
"Cui Niang, go set the table and call Wu Xiha over to have dinner together!" Lan Qin knew that Fourth Master would definitely be uncomfortable. If Madam Nian was going to cause trouble, then she had no reason to speak up for her!
Even after the dishes were laid out, Fourth Master was still sitting there, angry.
Lanqin sighed inwardly as she watched how the Fourth Prince, whose temper was not usually good, could tolerate Consort Nian so much. She said, "Your Highness, come and have your meal! It's not difficult to satisfy Consort Nian's request. Just move out all the furniture from the East Courtyard, and then move all of Consort Nian's belongings over there. If anything is missing, just have those items repainted, and they'll look brand new."
Fourth Master was completely enraged by Lanqin's words: "No need to move them all out, those are all new. Does she not even use a flower stand or a stool?"
Lanqin saw that the Fourth Master had finally lost his temper: "Master, let's have our meal."
"Have someone repair it according to my instructions. Don't spend any more money or manpower on places that don't need repair. Father Emperor just won a battle. Although we won, the national treasury was depleted. Instead of spending money on these things, it would be better to use the money to help the families of those who died in the war."
Upon hearing this, Lanqin immediately said solemnly, "What you say is absolutely right, sir! While the soldiers are fighting bloody battles on the front lines, we women are enjoying peace and tranquility in the inner quarters. We really shouldn't be too extravagant. We are already fortunate to have such a house to live in because we have become your women. To use gold powder to decorate the beams and pillars would be far too extravagant."
The Fourth Prince was already dissatisfied with Lady Nian's lack of modesty after her promotion, and now, upon hearing that she wanted to use gold powder to paint the roof, his dissatisfaction with her intensified. Lanqin knew that she was indeed trying to sow discord among Lady Nian, but why not take advantage of the reason she offered herself? Besides, she was indeed too arrogant. She had only been promoted to the rank of concubine for a few days, and she was already acting like she owned the place, showing no respect for others.
"Call Wuxiha over for a meal!" Fourth Master decided to stop thinking about Lady Nian's matter.
Seeing that the eye drops had been applied enough, Lanqin nodded to Cui Niang and asked her to bring the two princesses over.
Meanwhile, Lady Nian felt a pang of resentment upon learning that the Fourth Prince had returned and come to the South Courtyard. Now that she was a concubine, her meals were naturally different from when she was a princess. Looking at the table full of delicacies, she felt no appetite. Although the Fourth Prince had promoted her rank and promised to move her to a different room, it still wasn't as good as having the lady in the South Courtyard accompany her for dinner.
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