Emperor Kangxi was eager to see how Lanqin would finish the dishes, so he nodded with interest. The Empress Dowager and the four concubines, who usually stayed in their own palaces, had very small appetites. They also had to maintain their beauty, so they dared not eat too much. Seeing Lanqin finish a whole pig's trotter and several other dishes by herself, they suddenly felt a little sorry for her.
Lanqin ignored all the stares, picked up her chopsticks, and began to eat diligently. It wasn't something impossible, was it? Finishing these three large plates of food was something she could easily manage!
Lanqin tried her best to make herself look elegant, otherwise it would be very embarrassing for Emperor Kangxi and the concubines in the harem to see that she ate in a bad manner.
In no time, Lanqin had devoured a third of the pig's trotters, leaving the Empress Dowager and the others speechless. They watched as more and more small bones slowly emerged from her incredibly elegant little mouth, until, after she had eaten more than half of it, the pig bones of all sizes had piled up like a mountain.
Emperor Kangxi chuckled at the sight and said to Liang Jiugong, "Go and summon the Fourth Prince. Let's see if he has a concubine who can eat a lot!"
Lanqin almost choked on her words, thinking bitterly to herself: "They have to attract a crowd just to eat a meal. The royal family must be so bored!"
The Fourth Prince had long wanted to find a place to hide. Seeing his concubine eating and drinking so heartily in front of so many people was truly embarrassing.
"Fourth Prince, come and see! Your concubine is something else! She almost ate a whole pig's trotter by herself!" Kangxi exclaimed in surprise to the Fourth Prince, who was bowing to him, as if he had discovered something new.
A bead of sweat dripped from the side of the Fourth Prince's forehead as he replied sheepishly, "Your Majesty, Lady Niohuru has always had a rather large appetite. Please forgive her!"
Lanqin had practically devoured the entire pig's trotter. Hearing Fourth Master's words, she couldn't help but think to herself: Is eating too much a sin?
"Haha, good appetite, very good. I want to eat more now, but I can't. It just so happens that your concubine has such an appetite, which can stimulate my appetite." Kangxi personally held the chopsticks and actually ate quite a bit. Lanqin didn't need to worry, because Kangxi was eating from her hot plate, and the other dishes were already cold and he definitely wouldn't touch them.
The Fourth Prince quickly apologized again, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Father Emperor. It is truly an honor for Lady Niohuru to dine with Your Majesty!"
Emperor Kangxi waved his hand and said, "If you could all be as relaxed and natural in front of me as she is, I would be even happier."
These words left all the concubines and princes present looking astonished. Judging from the tone of the voice, it was clear that the princes were annoyed that their usual excessive respect had alienated them from their family ties.
Immediately, the various relatives of the imperial clan launched another round of toasts, and the princes also began to toast each other frequently. Because of Lanqin, the Fourth Prince was toasted in turn and drank quite a lot.
With special permission from Emperor Kangxi, Lanqin was taken away by the Fourth Prince before she could finish all three dishes. After the palace banquet, the Fourth Prince, with his family, naturally returned to Consort De's Yonghe Palace. In the past, when only Lanqin accompanied the Fourth Prince into the palace, Consort De didn't need to make any arrangements; she would naturally let the Fourth Prince share a room with Lanqin. However, now that Lady Nian had also entered, she couldn't make arrangements and had to arrange rooms for all three of them. The children they brought naturally went to rest with their respective parents.
When the Fourth Prince saw that both of them were secondary consorts and of equal status, he decided not to go anywhere else and went directly to the palace room that Consort De had arranged for him to rest.
Su Peisheng led the Fourth Prince to a side hall behind the main hall of Consort De to rest. Just now at the palace banquet, the Fourth Prince had been forcing himself to be energetic, but as soon as he came down, he immediately felt very dizzy.
"Master, let me tell them to bring you water to wash up!" Su Peisheng said, helping the Fourth Master to lie down on the bed when he saw that the Fourth Master was a little dizzy.
When Fourth Master remained silent, Su Peisheng immediately went out to fetch water.
Before long, two women appeared in the darkness and entered the side hall where the Fourth Prince was staying. "Madam, I heard that the Fourth Prince is resting here," Cuiyun said, supporting Wuya.
“Alright, he attended the palace banquet today, so he must have drunk quite a bit. We’ve been preparing this hangover soup for a while now, so we’ll take it in to help my cousin sober up.” Wu Ya Wan Ru and her maid stood outside the palace where the Fourth Prince was sleeping. They had actually started planning this from the time the Fourth Prince left in such a hurry; tonight was the only time he could stay in Consort De’s palace. Therefore, Wu Ya Wan Ru had to seize this opportunity, otherwise it would be difficult to get close to the Fourth Prince again.
"Madam, please go inside quickly. I'll stay here and keep watch for you. If anyone comes, I can hold them off!" Cuiyun said.
Wearing a black cotton cloak, Wu Yawan had her hair styled in a double bun, deliberately dressing up as she looked more than ten years ago. She was also carrying a food box when she secretly entered the palace.
The hall wasn't usually inhabited, so there weren't many things placed inside. Wu Yawan shrank back, picked up the food box, and walked into the hall.
She went into the small room where the Fourth Master was resting, and saw the man she had been dreaming about all night lying on the bed, seemingly drunk.
"Cousin, Wanru has brought you some hangover soup!" Wuya walked up to Fourth Master and saw that he was asleep with his eyes closed.
When Fourth Master heard someone's voice, he frowned and said, "Quickly help me wash up!" He thought it was Su Peisheng returning.
Upon hearing this, Lady Wuya quickly reached out and hooked her arm around Fourth Master's neck, helping him sit up. She said softly, "Master, drink some hangover soup first, so your head won't hurt so much."
In his dazed state, Fourth Master smelled a faint fragrance and a woman's scent. He tried to open his eyes to see who it was, but only saw the back of a woman. She was pouring herself some hangover soup at the table, and then her figure doubled.
"Come, Master, drink this!" Madam Wuya said gently as she carried the hangover soup to the Fourth Master.
In his dazed state, Fourth Master saw a delicate yet hazy face, his mind slightly clouded. He shook his head with his eyes closed, and the woman's features became clearer; it was none other than the woman he had once been very fond of more than a decade ago.
"Ru'er, is that you?" Fourth Master said in surprise.
Uya was jolted; she hadn't heard those two words in so long. Sure enough, he still cared about me!
"Drink this quickly, and your headache will go away!" Wu Yawanru suppressed her excitement and handed the bowl of hangover soup to Fourth Master's lips.
Fourth Master lowered his head and drank the soup from the hand of the woman he once knew so well.
"Master, lie down! Wanru will watch over you!" After placing the bowl on the round stool beside her, Wuya raised her hand to unbutton the Fourth Master's clothes.
"Wanru!" The Fourth Prince looked at Wuya's delicate face so close to his own and suddenly felt a burning sensation in his abdomen.
“Master, Wanru is here. Wanru misses you so much!” Wuya trembled as she unbuttoned the Fourth Master’s shirt.
Fourth Master grabbed Wuya and pulled her into his arms.
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