"Your subject greets Your Majesty!" the Fourth Prince asked Emperor Kangxi.
"Yes, Fourth Prince, come, sit down!" Kangxi said.
Seeing Kangxi's kind attitude, the Fourth Prince felt relieved.
"How is Hongli now?" Kangxi asked. "I miss him a bit. Let's bring him to the palace to stay for a while!"
Fourth Prince never expected that Emperor Kangxi had summoned him to the palace for Hongli's sake.
"Your Majesty, Hongli is doing very well now and can already walk and talk," the Fourth Prince said.
"Bring him into the palace to stay for a while. The place I prepared for him is still preserved. I miss Hongli very much," Kangxi said.
The Fourth Prince was taken aback, not knowing what Kangxi meant by "staying for a period of time." He wondered if his father was going to keep Hongli by his side again.
"Your Majesty, Hongli is now inseparable from his mother. If we suddenly bring him back to the palace, I'm afraid Hongli will find it very difficult to adapt." The Fourth Prince knew that going against Kangxi's wishes was not wise, but he knew that Hongli and Lanqin could not be separated no matter what, so he risked displeasing Kangxi by speaking out.
Kangxi paused, then smiled and said, "Why don't you let your Consort Niu come and stay with us too? I also remember that the girl's temperament is quite similar to that of my Third Princess."
The Fourth Prince was now finding it difficult to refuse, since Emperor Kangxi had made a concession in his proposal.
"How about it? You still can't bear to let Niu'er go to the palace for a few days?" Kangxi asked with a smile.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will go back and speak with Lady Niohuru, asking her to bring Hongli into the palace to stay with Father Emperor for a few days. However, it is not appropriate for them to stay in the Qianqing Palace..." the Fourth Prince said.
"Of course, let Niu'er stay in your mother's palace, and Hongli can stay there too. I'll go visit her whenever I have time," Kangxi said.
The Fourth Prince was a little confused. He didn't know why Kangxi suddenly mentioned wanting Hongli and insisted that he and Lanqin stay in the palace for a few days.
After leaving Kangxi's side, the Fourth Prince remembered what Consort De had said about bringing Lady Wuya into the palace to recuperate, so he immediately went to Yonghe Palace to discuss with Consort De the matter of Lanqin and Hongli entering the palace.
When Consort De saw that the Fourth Prince had returned, and after he explained Kangxi's meaning, both mother and son fell into silence.
"Does His Majesty mean that Hongli and Niohuru should both come and stay here in this palace?" Consort De asked.
"Judging from Father Emperor's words, he only wanted Hongli to move back to the Qianqing Palace. However, I feel that it would be bad for both Hongli and Niohuru to separate so suddenly," said the Fourth Prince.
Consort De glanced at the Fourth Prince and said with a light smile, "Hehe, you still have Niohuru in your heart!"
The Fourth Prince paused, feeling slightly uneasy. When he first heard Kangxi say that Hongli would come to live in the palace, his first thought was that Lanqin would be reluctant to part with him, and only secondly that Hongli would not be comfortable. After Consort De's mention, the Fourth Prince immediately realized this.
"Since Niohuru is here, Wanru doesn't need to come in. Have someone take good care of her health. Take some of the tonics I have here back with her, and tell her not to overthink things," said Consort De.
"Yes. Mother, Father Emperor, is there something wrong with suddenly suggesting that Hongli be brought into the palace?" The Fourth Prince was worried that if Hongli entered the palace, someone would have designs on him again, such as the last incident, which still hadn't been investigated.
“Your Imperial Father always has his reasons for everything he does, but he hasn’t mentioned it to me. Let them, mother and son, move in. I’ll see if this Niohuru woman is good or bad. Hongli’s future is something you can’t even imagine. If Niohuru isn’t a good person, Hongli shouldn’t be entrusted to her to raise,” said Consort De.
The Fourth Prince left the palace with a belly full of worries. Su Peisheng saw that the Fourth Prince looked troubled and did not dare to say anything. He silently helped the Fourth Prince into the carriage.
Upon returning to the manor, Fourth Master thought he should immediately tell Lanqin about Kangxi's decree, which meant he could immediately enter the palace. However, he hadn't yet sorted out the legal matter within his own household.
"Go to the South Courtyard!" Fourth Master hesitated for a moment before saying.
When the Fourth Prince's figure came into Lanqin's sight, she was having a meal with her two daughters and Hongli. Usually, she would make sure her children ate first, and she would wait until the Fourth Prince returned to eat. But now, when she thought the Fourth Prince wouldn't come, he still came anyway.
"Father!" Ushiha immediately threw down his chopsticks and ran towards Fourth Master. Fourth Master hadn't come for several days, and Ushiha missed his father terribly, so he rushed over immediately.
"Good boy! What did Ushiha learn at the primary school today?" Fourth Master picked up Ushiha, who was already up to his belly.
“Father, today Ushiha learned to play the guqin with Bechuk. Father, the guqin sounds so beautiful, but Ushiha can never play it well.” Ushiha said coquettishly, hugging Fourth Master’s neck.
“Then play slowly. I’m sure I can play Ushiha well. Bechuk and I will learn from our master. Then we can play it for Father, okay?” Fourth Master said.
“Okay…” Ushiha and Bechuk said in unison, drawing out their words.
Cui Niang immediately gestured for Si Hua Xi Cha to take the three children away, and they all quickly withdrew as well. Judging from the Fourth Master's demeanor upon entering and his conversation with Wu Xi Ha, it seemed that the Fourth Master's visit today was not to quarrel with Lan Qin.
When only Lanqin and the Fourth Master remained in the room, Lanqin felt a little awkward and said, "If Your Highness hasn't had dinner yet, I'll tell them that we can eat in a little while. Wuxiha and the others have almost finished eating."
The Fourth Master felt slightly uneasy when he noticed that Lanqin's expression hadn't changed since he entered. The Lanqin who used to rush towards him the moment he walked in was gone. Now, Lanqin seemed just like those other women who sat in the back courtyard waiting for him to favor them; her lively spirit was gone.
"I have something to say!" Fourth Master said.
Lanqin then looked up at the Fourth Master and said, "Is Your Highness here to ask about that matter again? My answer is the same. If Your Highness insists that I was the one who did it, please provide evidence."
Seeing that Lanqin remained seated, Fourth Master suddenly felt a sense of panic, fearing that Lanqin would never be the same Lanqin again. Fourth Master suddenly felt somewhat irritated; he disliked this feeling and also disliked Lanqin's aloof and unapproachable demeanor.
"I didn't come here today to talk about that matter. I will investigate that matter thoroughly," Fourth Master said.
Lanqin's eyes flickered, and she said, "May I ask what brings you here, sir?"
"Today, Father Emperor spoke with you, saying he wanted Hongli to stay in the palace for a while. Considering that Hongli and you can no longer be separated, you specifically mentioned it to Father Emperor. In the end, Father Emperor said that you and the child could stay in the palace together for a period of time," the Fourth Prince said.
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