The palace banquet did indeed start a little late, but Emperor Kangxi was in high spirits. Having just alleviated a severe drought, the entire imperial family felt a sense of relief. Kangxi seemed to be in a very good mood, frequently offering wine to his relatives.
Because the Fourth Prince was highly regarded by Emperor Kangxi during this rain-praying ceremony, he received the most imperial wine, which made his brothers green with envy. In addition, a steady stream of relatives and ministers came to toast the Fourth Prince.
In contrast, the Prince of Heshuo and the other princes seemed to have fewer visitors.
The Third Prince's wife finally saw her cousin, so she took a wine cup and walked up to the Fourth Prince's wife, saying, "Cousin, I'm so glad to see you."
Ulanara hadn't attended such royal banquets in a long time. Although she had been confined to the main courtyard by the Fourth Prince for over a year, she knew quite a bit about what was happening outside. Yet, she hadn't seen anyone else come to visit her.
"I thought the Third Princess Consort had forgotten about me." Her tone was not very pleasant.
Seeing her displeasure, Dong Eshi immediately said, "Cousin, actually, my eighth brother's wife and I have been saying we want to visit you, but your fourth master has not agreed."
Ulanara inwardly despised the Third Prince's wife's intelligence; how could she say such things to her? It was like rubbing salt into a wound, adding insult to injury. So, she changed the subject, asking, "Is your Third Master still at Changchun Garden?"
Upon hearing this, Dong Eshi knew that the Fourth Prince's wife was mocking her for not being valued by the Third Prince and for having only the title of the First Prince's wife.
Just as the two cousins were exchanging sarcastic remarks, the Eighth Prince's wife came over and greeted Ulanara.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, Fourth Brother is now a favorite of Father Emperor, and he might even be made Crown Prince," the Eighth Prince's wife whispered to Ulanara.
"Eighth sister-in-law, you're really joking. How can you say such things so casually?" Ulanara thought to herself, secretly surprised. When did the Fourth Prince become a popular candidate for Crown Prince? Not only that, but the female relatives of the imperial clan also came up to her to speak. Lady Nian in the back row also received a lot of compliments from the concubines.
The Prince of the First Rank and his wife sat to the lower right of Emperor Kangxi, but few people went to greet them.
"See? The fourth prince is now their preferred candidate!" Prince Yinqi said in a low voice to Lady Jueluo beside him after taking a sip of wine in silence.
"Your Highness, things are not yet settled, you don't need to do this. Why don't you contact those relatives more often? If they don't come, you can take the initiative to go up and offer them a toast!" Lady Jue Luo smiled faintly. Ever since the incident with Bao Yue, Yin Ti had been completely obedient to Lady Jue Luo.
Yinti had no choice but to pick up his wine cup and toast and joke with his uncles and nephews. Even the once high and mighty princes had to bow their heads at this moment. After being toasted a few times, the Fourth Prince felt that he had drunk a bit too much.
Emperor Kangxi gazed silently at his sons, torn between two difficult decisions. The position of Crown Prince could not remain vacant indefinitely, but should he appoint the Fourth Prince now? Would he suffer the same fate as Yinren?
The auspicious stars for civil and military affairs, as calculated by Ji Changming, fell upon Niohuru, the concubine of the Fourth Prince. So, did the Fourth Prince propose to become the crown prince at this time?
After the palace banquet ended, the Fourth Prince had drunk quite a bit. He was about to return to his residence with his Fourth Prince Consort and Consort Nian when Emperor Kangxi stopped him again and asked him to come see him alone.
The Fourth Prince was preparing to go to Consort De to discuss the matter that Emperor Kangxi had mentioned, but before he could even see her, he was summoned by Emperor Kangxi again.
"Your subject greets Your Majesty!" The Fourth Prince bowed to Emperor Kangxi, who was reclining in the left side room of the Qianqing Palace.
"You've arrived. Fourth Prince!" Kangxi was clearly a bit drunk.
"Father, you've had too much to drink. I'll have Eunuch Liang go and get you some hangover soup." Although the Fourth Prince was also a little dizzy, he didn't dare to let loose too much in front of Emperor Kangxi and was still jumping around.
"No need, you've had your share of drinking too. I can handle this much. I called you here to ask you again about that matter, have you thought it through?" Kangxi said.
The Fourth Prince knew that Emperor Kangxi had summoned him to inquire about the child, and he prepared himself mentally, saying, "Your Majesty, I would like to discuss this with Lady Niohuru after she gives birth. Your Majesty wishes to raise a grandson; it would be a blessing for her."
Kangxi nodded. He couldn't tell the Fourth Prince what was on his mind, so he said, "I had a dream about a white deer. Then, I had someone interpret the dream for me. It said that having a well-behaved and intelligent child by your side would bring good fortune and longevity. I was thinking that no one in the harem is pregnant, and since your concubine is carrying twins, bring one of them over and I will raise it for you."
"It is my duty to share the burdens of Father Emperor," said the Fourth Prince.
"Yes. Tell your concubine that I think that girl is quite clever. I will not mistreat her son," Kangxi said.
After leaving the Qianqing Palace, the Fourth Prince was no longer intoxicated. He pondered the dream that Emperor Kangxi had told him about—a dream of a white deer, a very auspicious omen. But why then would he want to keep a child by his side to bring him good fortune and longevity?
After the Fourth Prince and his entourage returned to the manor, everyone in the household was already asleep. The main gate and the head nanny, among others, were naturally on guard.
Lady Nian gracefully tried to persuade the Fourth Prince to stay overnight at her place, but the Fourth Prince pretended not to understand and refused to respond to Lady Nian's words.
After Su Peisheng and Fourth Master had finished washing up, just as they were about to make his bed, Fourth Master said, "Go to the South Courtyard!"
Lanqin was already asleep. When Fourth Master arrived, Granny Wang, who opened the door, seemed to be sleepwalking as she watched him walk in.
Si Hua and Shui Ling were on night watch. When they saw the Fourth Master arrive, they both put on their clothes and served him with surprise.
Fourth Master told them they didn't need to do anything more. He walked into Lanqin's room as if he knew the way well, took off his clothes, and crawled into the mosquito net.
Seeing that Lanqin was fast asleep, Fourth Master quietly lifted the thin blanket and lay down beside her.
Fourth Master had his arm around Lanqin's waist from behind, his hand resting on her belly. He could feel the baby moving slowly inside her!
Why did the Emperor insist on raising Lanqin's child? With this question in mind, the Fourth Prince soon fell asleep next to Lanqin.
When Lanqin was woken up by her child in the middle of the night, she realized someone was sleeping beside her. Without a doubt, it was Fourth Master. She hadn't expected him to come here tonight, and without waking her. Was this some kind of compensation for not spending the Mid-Autumn Festival with her?
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Fourth Prince's mansion began preparing for the Second Princess's marriage. Lanqin was due to give birth at any time, so this matter was also entrusted to Madam Nian. In any case, since the Second Princess was marrying into the Nian family, Madam Nian would do her best to manage everything.
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