The atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward.
Fucha stood there, her face flushed, as if she had been slapped in the face. But at this moment, she was more worried about what would happen if Lanqin saw what was written on the note.
Lanqin glanced at the troublesome rice dumpling belonging to the Fourth Master, and without thinking, deftly unwrapped it. She saw a small note inside and quickly opened it to read. Everyone followed her gaze, naturally wanting to know what Fucha had said to the Fourth Master that made her so concerned about who had unwrapped the rice dumpling.
Fourth Master, however, didn't care at all and didn't even look at what was wrapped inside the rice dumpling.
Fucha's heart was pounding in her throat. She stared at Lanqin, but Lanqin's gaze remained fixed on the zongzi.
Lanqin stared blankly at the words written on the rice dumpling. She could feel the attention around her; everyone wanted to know what Fucha had said to the Fourth Prince.
"Consort Niu, what blessings did Princess Fucha say to the master?" Lady Nian couldn't help but ask when Lanqin remained silent.
Fucha almost closed her eyes. She wondered if everyone would think she was crazy when they saw the words on the note.
"She wrote 'Wishing you good health and abundant blessings!' Nothing special," Lanqin said casually, crumpling the small piece of paper and looking up at everyone.
Why! She actually lied to the Fourth Prince's face! Lady Fucha looked at Lanqin in surprise. Everyone else, upon hearing this, lost interest, thinking it was something extraordinary that had made Lady Fucha so nervous!
The Fourth Prince smiled slightly and said, "You're too kind, Lady Fucha! Let's begin the play!"
With the sound of gongs and drums, the opera troupe began to perform. The tense atmosphere from just moments before vanished instantly with the melodious strains of the Beijing opera.
"Hongqiao, help me to the toilet!" After listening to the opera for a while, Madam Liu turned to the maid behind her and said.
Hongqiao helped Liu Shi up slowly, and then walked out of the courtyard.
"Impossible! How could it be him!" Liu suddenly said, her face pale. The mistress and servant walked to a secluded place, and Liu couldn't help but grab Hongqiao's hand.
"Princess, that martial arts actor looks like Young Master Yang!" Hongqiao's face also turned pale.
"Yes, you noticed it too?" Liu felt a chill run through her body. She had just been happily going to listen to the opera, but when she looked closely, she found that the martial arts actor on stage looked more and more familiar!
“Yes, how could I be mistaken about Young Master Yang’s appearance!” Hongqiao said.
"How did he come back to Kyoto? How did he end up in this opera troupe?" Liu asked, still incredulous.
“Princess, don’t overthink it. It might just be a coincidence. He used to be an opera singer!” Hongqiao said.
"No, I'm not overthinking it. He did it on purpose, he deliberately came to make me look bad," Liu said, shaking her head.
“Princess, you mustn’t be anxious! If you get anxious, you’ll just expose yourself! You don’t recognize him, so he won’t dare to do anything to you,” Hongqiao immediately comforted her.
“That’s right, he wouldn’t dare do anything! Unless he’s courting death. Who does he think he is, daring to spout nonsense in Prince Yong’s mansion!” Liu seemed to have found a sliver of support, grabbing Hongqiao’s hand and speaking heavily.
Hongqiao's arm throbbed with pain, almost making her cry out. It turned out that before the imperial concubine selection, while in Shaanxi, Liu had nearly eloped with an actor, only to be caught and brought back by her father, the governor. After a period of isolation, Liu regretted her foolish actions and quickly severed ties with the man. But just now, she had seen that familiar face on stage again, and her heart nearly leaped out of her chest in terror. If a woman had pledged herself to someone before the selection, she had violated the laws of the Qing Dynasty. Liu's past actions could not be revealed to outsiders. Therefore, she was terrified.
Meanwhile, on the stage, the Peking Opera was playing "Three Battles with the White Bone Demon," and the audience below was thoroughly enjoying it. Lanqin, however, still didn't like it. She could understand the women of this era; they really had nothing else to do on a daily basis, and watching opera was their rare way to pass the time.
Lady Fucha was restless all night. Although Lanqin did not reveal what she had written on the note, she was still uneasy and would steal glances at Lanqin every now and then.
Lanqin naturally noticed Fucha's gaze, but her mind was still in turmoil, and she didn't want to interact with her. So, Lanqin pretended not to see Fucha's gaze and listened intently to the Peking Opera on stage.
Throughout the night, Fourth Master felt that Lanqin's attitude towards him seemed strange. Although she spoke to him, her expression and body language showed her resistance and aloofness.
"Qin'er, would you like to go for a walk with me? I seem to have eaten a bit too much; let's go out and digest." Fourth Master whispered to Lanqin, turning his head slightly. He didn't like his little woman sulking with him, especially when he felt she shouldn't be.
"Why don't you go see Princess Wuya? She's got a really good appetite lately, she should get out more." Lanqin wasn't in the mood to deal with the Fourth Prince. Her mind was completely occupied with the contents of the note from Lady Fucha.
Fourth Master never expected Lanqin to embarrass him in front of everyone, and even though he had repeatedly expressed his special feelings for Lanqin in front of others, she was still angry.
The Fourth Prince then stood up, walked to Wuya's side, and actually took her hand, taking her out for a walk with him. Lanqin had only said it in anger, but the Fourth Prince actually believed it and even pulled Wuya's hand in front of so many people, which made Lanqin even more indignant.
The Fujin observed every expression on Lanqin and the Fourth Prince's faces, knowing perfectly well that they were at odds. Seeing that Wuya had captured the Fourth Prince's heart, Nian felt increasingly resentful.
Seeing that the banquet was almost over, Lanqin decided to go back. She asked Cui Niang to take the two young girls away first, and then said to the Fujin, "Your Majesty, I am thinking of the Sixth Prince. It would be better if I went back to see him first."
When the Princess Consort saw Lanqin arguing with the Fourth Prince, she was naturally pleased and said generously, "The Sixth Prince is still young. He must be worried because he hasn't seen his mother for so long."
Lanqin gave a slight bow, then stood up and helped her maid out. When she reached the door, she saw the Fourth Master and Madam Wuya strolling in a small garden not far away, and felt as if her throat was blocked with cotton.
“Master, why did you keep arguing with him, only to let that Wuya clan benefit from it?” Cui Niang said, seeing the sadness in Lanqin’s eyes.
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