"Master, how about I send Shuiling to the front yard again to ask if Master has had dinner?" Cui Niang said from the side. Fourth Master is used to having dinner at Lanqin's place, so if he leaves without eating, there won't be any food left.
"Maybe he's having a meal in another courtyard right now, Cui Niang, don't worry about it." Lanqin looked at the table full of exquisite food prepared for the Fourth Master and began to eat heartily.
“Master! I’m just afraid that someone might see you arguing with the master and take advantage of the situation! Last time, that Wuya clanswoman really tried to sneak into our area!” Cui Niang said.
“They are all his concubines too. It’s time for Fourth Master to go and see them. We can’t keep Fourth Master all to ourselves, right?” Lanqin said nonchalantly.
“My lady, please don’t say such hurtful things. Don’t forget that Lady Wuya and the Fujin have been secretly seeing each other all along,” said Cui Niang.
Lanqin ate two sauerkraut pancakes and drank a bowl of pigeon soup in one go, and immediately felt that her depressed mood had dissipated a lot.
“His feet are his legs; I can tie them down for a while, but not forever. Wherever he wants to go, I can't stop him. Now that we've eaten, we'll go to the palace together tomorrow to reason with Father Emperor!” Lanqin knew she had gone a bit too far. If Kangxi refused to see her, she would be powerless. But for Hongli's sake, she planned to go to the palace with the Fourth Prince tomorrow to pay her respects to Kangxi and speak to him, asking him not to separate her and her son, since Hongli was still too young.
“My lord, the Emperor has not summoned you. If you go in like this, I’m afraid you won’t even get to see the Emperor!” said Cui Niang.
"Then I'll go see my mother and pay my respects to her, is that alright?" Lanqin said, her eyes flickering a few times.
"My lord, why don't we discuss this properly with the master? The Sixth Prince is both your son and the master's son," Cui Niang advised.
Lanqin ate a few more pieces of pickled cucumber before feeling full. Judging from Cui Niang's words, she had indeed been too naive. The imperial family was the place devoid of kinship. Although Kangxi was her father-in-law, he was also the emperor of the entire nation. He wasn't someone she could simply see whenever she wanted.
After Cui Niang's advice and her own reflection, Lanqin knew she probably wouldn't see Kangxi. The Fourth Prince said that even before the child was born, Kangxi had already decided to adopt one. This shows he had planned to adopt one long ago, but what caused Kangxi to suddenly become so interested in her child? Was it truly preordained?
Meanwhile, Lady Wuya was dining with the Fourth Prince. The Fourth Prince hadn't eaten his own portion for a long time, and although all the dishes were laid out, he had little appetite. Seeing that the Fourth Prince was eating in a sullen mood, Lady Wuya took the initiative to ask, "Your Highness, is something bothering you? You might as well tell me. Although I can't relieve even a fraction of your troubles, talking about it will make you feel a little better."
Seeing how well-behaved and sensible Wuya was, Fourth Master felt that Lanqin was a bit immature.
"Father wants to raise Hongli by his side, but the concubine feels sorry that the child is too young and is not very willing," said the Fourth Prince.
"It's understandable that Consort Wu is reluctant to part with the Sixth Prince and the Seventh Prince, since the Consort has just given birth to them. However, His Majesty wants to raise the Sixth Prince by his side, which is a blessing for him. I think Consort Wu will understand." Seeing that the Fourth Prince was uncomfortable because of Lanqin, Consort Wu was jealous, but she pretended to be virtuous and magnanimous.
"If a concubine were like you, then I wouldn't be in such a difficult position." The Fourth Prince was indeed very satisfied with Lady Wuya.
That night, the Fourth Prince stayed at Lady Wuya's place, and Lanqin was even angrier when she found out. They had already argued because of Hongli's situation, but he turned around and went to sleep with another woman.
"Men are all scum!" After coming to this conclusion, Lanqin stopped thinking about it and immediately went to sleep while looking after her two children.
Although the Fourth Prince stayed with Lady Wuya, he had something on his mind and only slept, without touching her.
Wuya knew that the Fourth Prince was thinking about Lanqin, so she didn't dare to make a move on him. The Fourth Prince hated being disturbed when he was thinking. So she could only lie quietly to the side.
The next day, the Fourth Prince got up very early. Wuya helped him get dressed, and then he told her to go back and rest before leaving.
"Madam, the master has left. Why don't you go back to sleep for a while?" Cuiyun had also gotten up early, but she still felt sleepy.
"I finally made it here, but my mind is full of thoughts about the Niohuru clan," said Uya, disappointed.
“Madam, at least when Master is feeling down over there, he will think of you. This is a good thing. Madam should take this opportunity to quietly win over Master’s heart,” Cuiyun said.
“That’s right, Lady Niohuru must hate the Emperor for being so heartless as to send the Sixth Prince into the palace. Let’s go and comfort Lady Niohuru,” said Lady Uya.
"What does Madam mean?" Cuiyun asked, puzzled.
“The master stayed at my place yesterday, and I’m sure everyone in the courtyards knows that. You must think Consort Niu must be very upset right now. We should go and pay our respects to her. We should also tell her that the master is very dissatisfied with her,” said Lady Wuya with a light smile.
“Madam, it’s still early. Why don’t you go back and take a nap?” Cuiyun said.
Uya nodded and, with Cuiyun's help, went back to sleep.
Meanwhile, Lanqin got up, calculating the time. She asked Cui Niang to invite the Fourth Prince to the South Courtyard for breakfast, hoping to enter the palace with him.
Fourth Master had planned to have breakfast in the front courtyard. Although he had been with Lady Wuya yesterday, his mind was entirely on the affairs of the South Courtyard. Unexpectedly, Si Hua came to invite him early in the morning.
Fourth Master wasn't truly angry with Lanqin, so when her maid came to invite him, he naturally went to the South Courtyard immediately.
"Why are you up so early?" Fourth Master looked at Lanqin, who was already dressed and sitting at the dining table, where breakfast was steaming hot.
"I wish to go to the palace with you, Your Highness. I wish to pay my respects to my mother." Lanqin served the Fourth Prince sweet potato porridge and also gave him a spring roll.
"You want the Empress Dowager to plead for me? It's no use. I've already said that to her, it's really no use," the Fourth Prince said.
"My lord, I just want to see the Sixth Prince more," Lanqin said.
Seeing Lanqin's moved words, the Fourth Prince also said with emotion, "Don't worry, I will definitely ask Father Emperor to let you enter the palace to see the children."
Lanqin nodded blankly, knowing that the Fourth Prince's promise was probably no match for imperial power.
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