"When she was married off, she didn't care about anything. Now that she's gone, why is she caring about her now?" Consort De frowned.
"She said she went to the Qianqing Palace and cried several times, saying that Consort Min had asked her to find the Thirteenth Princess and the Fourteenth Princess, but she hadn't taken good care of them, and she was asking to get the Thirteenth Princess's ashes back!" said Granny De.
"Absurd! The Thirteenth Princess has already married into the family. Now that she has passed away, she should be buried in her husband's ancestral tomb. What is the point of bringing her back?" Consort De said disdainfully.
"That's right. The Emperor didn't agree to it. I heard she caused a ruckus in the palace for a few days afterward, and then there was no more talk of her," said Granny De.
"Send a few more people over there to find out where the Emperor has been going lately," Consort De said. Granny De agreed.
The Fourth Prince sat in Nanwu for an afternoon. After winning the battle, Kangxi was thinking about going on a southern tour again and was already preparing the route. The Fourth Prince thought that he probably wouldn't be taken on the southern tour, and even if he was, he was reluctant to go because Lanqin was pregnant with twins. He was really worried about leaving her away for several months.
"Reporting to Fourth Prince, His Majesty requests your presence!" Just as Fourth Prince was thinking this, a eunuch from Kangxi's side arrived at his door.
The Fourth Prince quickly got up and followed the little eunuch towards the Qianqing Palace, wondering if it was about the Southern Tour.
Upon arriving at the Qianqing Palace, the Fourth Prince saw Emperor Kangxi sitting on his throne looking at a map. When Kangxi looked up and saw the Fourth Prince, he quickly waved and said, "Fourth Prince, I want to go to the south of the Yangtze River!"
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince realized it was indeed the matter and quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I have been checking the silver in the national treasury these past few days. Spring planting is just around the corner, so there are funds to distribute to various regions for spring planting, funds for pacifying the people in different regions, and funds to compensate the families of those who lost their lives in the war."
Upon hearing the Fourth Prince's words, Kangxi knew that he meant the national treasury was empty, and a southern tour at this time would only further deplete the treasury and place an unbearable burden on it. Seeing Kangxi's silence, the Fourth Prince began to feel uneasy. He knew he shouldn't contradict Kangxi at this time, but he couldn't bring himself to disregard the national treasury and the people's sentiments and blindly cater to Kangxi.
"Alright, Fourth Prince, I'll go on an incognito tour. That way, it won't cost much money. I want to visit Mount Wutai!" Kangxi suddenly said. He had indeed felt a little uncomfortable when he heard the Fourth Prince say those words, but after thinking about it patiently, he realized that the Fourth Prince made a good point.
"Your Majesty, when traveling incognito, you should bring enough guards. You can arrange for the governors of various regions to send people to secretly protect you." The Fourth Prince was pleased to see that Kangxi had listened to his suggestion, but he still maintained a respectful expression.
"Very well, then I entrust the arrangement of my travel route to you. Where to rest and eat at each stop, and who to secretly protect me—you shall arrange all of that," Kangxi said.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I obey!" Upon hearing Kangxi's words, it was clear that the Fourth Prince wanted him to accompany the emperor.
"I don't want to bring many people this time. I'll just bring the Tenth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince, and then you. Prince Zhi will stay behind to oversee the country," Kangxi added.
"Your Majesty, I think it's not too late to set off after this cold spring! Your Majesty has just returned from the northern desert, so please rest and recuperate first." The Fourth Prince was excited when he saw that Kangxi had chosen him, but he was also worried about Lanqin's pregnancy. Therefore, he wanted to wait until Lanqin's belly was bigger and the pregnancy was more stable before he could leave with peace of mind.
"Yes, as you say, let's wait until summer to discuss it," Kangxi said.
As the sun set, the Fourth Prince finally left the palace through the Shenwu Gate. Recalling Consort De's words, he sat silently in his carriage, pondering how to speak to Lanqin. Right now, he only wanted to settle Wuya Shi down; he didn't truly want to return to how things were before.
Upon returning to the manor, the Fourth Master was about to have dinner with Lanqin when he saw Nian's maid waiting at the front gate.
"This servant greets Your Highness! Your Highness, the Fifth Prince has suddenly developed a fever!" Cuiling said hurriedly. It turned out that early this morning, Madam Nian discovered that the Fifth Prince had suddenly developed a fever and went to fetch Doctor Lin. Doctor Lin simply said that the Fifth Prince was dressed too warmly and had caught a chill, which caused the fever. Madam Nian felt uneasy thinking that the Fourth Prince had been spending time with her at Lanqin's place lately. Therefore, with the Fifth Prince ill, she felt it was a good opportunity to bring the Fourth Prince to her side, hence Cuiling's words.
"What happened? I went to see the Fifth Prince yesterday, and he was perfectly fine!" the Fourth Prince said, frowning.
“This servant doesn’t know either. Today, the Fifth Prince suddenly started making a fuss, and Your Highness hurriedly went to fetch Doctor Lin. Doctor Lin only said that the Fifth Prince had caught a cold and prescribed medicine for him. But the Fifth Prince is too young, how could he drink such bitter medicine? Your Highness didn’t pay attention at first,” Cui Ling said hurriedly.
Fourth Master frowned immediately, and instructed Su Peisheng to go to the South Courtyard to say something, while he himself went with Cuiling to check on Madam Nian's place.
Actually, the Fifth Prince's fever was simply caused by Nian Shi overdressing him, leading to lung heat and a slight cold. This wasn't a viral fever; the only solution was to let the fever dissipate and give him plain water. He would recover on his own in two or three days. But Nian Shi didn't know this. She thought that fever meant being bundled up, which only made the Fifth Prince's fever worse.
As soon as the Fourth Prince entered Lady Nian's room, he saw everyone gathered around the Fifth Prince, while Lady Nian stood by anxiously watching. He felt a pang of discomfort. The child was sick, and she, as the mother, wasn't going to look after him, leaving a group of maids to care for him.
"Your Majesty, the Fifth Prince's fever won't go down! What should we do?" When Madam Nian saw the Fourth Prince enter, she immediately stood up, walked to him, and said anxiously.
The Fourth Prince ignored Lady Nian and went straight to the Fifth Prince's bedside. He saw the child wrapped in a quilt, his little face flushed.
"Untie them all! A fever needs to dissipate, why are you wrapping the Fifth Prince up so tightly!" The Fourth Prince was immediately alarmed. He remembered what Lanqin had told him: a feverish child should not be wrapped up too warmly, and all four limbs should be exposed, and they should be constantly wiped with warm water.
When Madam Nian heard what Fourth Master was saying, she was confused and said in a panic, "The child has caught a cold. What if he catches a worse cold if we don't keep him warm?"
Fourth Prince said, "Are you sure it's a cold? It's important to bring the child down first. Quickly expose Fifth Prince's limbs, bring warm water, wipe them constantly, and put a damp towel on his forehead!"
Lady Nian had never heard of doing this to a child with a fever before. She was stunned and didn't know what to do. She could only watch as the Fourth Prince directed the maids to start cooling down the Fifth Prince's fever.
After the maids brought the basin of water and towels as instructed by the Fourth Prince, the Fourth Prince personally pulled off the heavy quilt covering the Fifth Prince.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
