"Consort, Her Majesty requests your presence for dinner. The Fourth Prince is also there!" a palace maid reported.
Ah, so the fourth one really came! Lanqin sat on the edge of the bed and stretched.
"My lady, let me help you comb your hair and change your clothes!" Si Hua said quickly when she saw Lan Qin looking so lazy.
"No need to change your clothes, and your hair is fine too. Just do it casually. Don't make a big fuss." Lanqin didn't want to dress up specially for someone named Si.
"Master, didn't the Prince say he was going to take you somewhere tonight?" Si Hua muttered.
"..." Lanqin was pulled out of bed by Sihua like a puppet. This little devil remembers things better than she does!
At Lanqin's insistence, her hair was finally styled into a double bun and adorned with a set of pink gemstone jewelry. She didn't change her clothes, as blue did suit Lanqin's fair skin.
After getting ready, Lanqin moved gracefully towards Consort De's main hall.
"Daughter-in-law greets Mother and Father!" Lanqin saw the mother and son sitting there, seemingly discussing something.
"Yes, come and sit down," said Consort De.
When Lanqin sat down opposite the Fourth Prince, she glanced at the food on the table and felt she didn't have much of an appetite, but because Consort De was there, she had no choice but to eat some.
"Fourth Prince, you just said that your Imperial Father has entrusted you with the task of the Autumn Imperial Examination?" Consort De asked.
Lanqin was startled, and her ears involuntarily perked up.
"Yes, Father Emperor told me that the important matter of all nations paying homage to the emperor would be handled by the Crown Prince, as he was afraid the Crown Prince would be too busy. Therefore, he asked me to take the lead in the autumn imperial examinations," the Fourth Prince said, taking a sip of soup.
"I am aware of this matter as well. As the heir apparent, it is only natural that he should receive these delegations. You should focus on your studies for the autumn imperial examinations and avoid causing trouble for your father and the crown prince," said Consort De.
Lanqin listened to the mother and son's back-and-forth banter and found it amusing. It was laughable that the Crown Prince had accomplished such a grand undertaking—merely receiving a foreign envoy. The Ministry of Rites would handle that; the Crown Prince would at most make an appearance and say a few words—it wasn't a big deal at all. Conversely, the Fourth Prince's presiding over the autumn imperial examinations was the real priority. Ostensibly, it was for selecting talent for the court, but it was also a way for him to cultivate his own followers. Who wouldn't deeply respect the Fourth Prince, who had shown them such kindness? As the saying goes, "By bestowing favors and power, one wins hearts!" Hmph, they were clearly profiting, yet they insisted the Crown Prince was undertaking a far more important "greater undertaking"! This mother and son's convoluted arguments were exhausting to listen to!
"Mother, I'm done eating. I want to go and see Hongli." Lanqin put down the silver chopsticks in her hand.
"Very well, go and take a look. I have a few questions to ask the Fourth Prince," said Consort De.
Lanqin immediately stepped outside and took a breath of the fresh air outside the palace. She looked up at the sky and saw tiny diamonds adorning the black, downy sky, sparkling in the shadows.
When Lanqin arrived, she had already stopped by Hongli's room to take a look. He had already eaten dinner and was playing with building blocks with Lanqi. Lanqin just wanted some peace and quiet, so she walked slowly along the palace path in Yonghe Palace under the moonlight, enjoying her time alone.
Seven years! I've been in this space for seven years now. I wonder what it's like in the other space seven years from now? I've been "dead" for seven years, and my parents have been without me for seven years. What's become of them now?
Lanqin thought about those past "memories," memories belonging to another time and space, as if she were recalling the first half of her life.
“You can’t eat those stars!” someone’s voice rang out from behind.
Lanqin tilted her head back, still gazing at the stars in the sky, and said, "How does Your Highness know I haven't eaten enough?"
"The food in the palace can't possibly satisfy your appetite. I'll take you to eat something delicious, do you want to come?" the Fourth Prince said with a smirk. He knew that using food as bait was always a sure way to succeed.
"Isn't Your Highness going to take me somewhere?" Lanqin turned her head and looked at the Fourth Master behind her.
"Isn't this just me taking you there?" Fourth Master said.
"..." Lanqin stared at the Fourth Prince. She hadn't actually eaten enough. The food simply wasn't to her liking. In fact, during her stay in the palace, aside from the occasional meal she could get from Emperor Kangxi, the food served at Consort De's residence was almost entirely unpalatable. Consort De was, after all, an elderly woman who paid great attention to health, so her meals were mostly light and boiled or steamed. This made Lanqin feel utterly stifled. The only thing she missed about the Fourth Prince's residence, besides her two daughters and Madam Song, was Niu Baoquan's cooking.
Fourth Master grabbed Lanqin's hand and led her into narrow passages, some so narrow that only one person could pass at a time. The darkness only added to Lanqin's unease.
"Master, where are you taking me?" Lanqin couldn't help but ask.
"Let's find something to eat!" Fourth Master didn't turn around or show any pity for Lanqin; he just pulled her forward.
Fortunately, palace lanterns were hung everywhere in the palace, so they weren't walking in complete darkness.
Lanqin followed the Fourth Master aimlessly for a while, and finally the two stopped in front of a palace.
Lanqin rubbed her eyes and looked at the large characters on the plaque above the entrance to the hall. She immediately became furious. The characters read "Fengxian Hall," which meant that this was a place to enshrine ancestral tablets.
"It's pitch black, what are you doing bringing me here, sir!" Lanqin said irritably.
"Of course, it's about eating, eating really delicious food!" Fourth Master turned to Lanqin and gave her a mysterious smile.
"Could it be that this is a place to eat the memorial tablets of the dead?" Lanqin blurted out in anger at the Fourth Master's smile. She knew that this place was dedicated to the ancestors of the Qing Dynasty imperial family, including the previous emperors and their empresses. There was really nothing here but memorial tablets!
"Don't talk nonsense!" Fourth Master grabbed Lanqin and pulled her inside.
Lanqin felt a chill run down her spine and couldn't help but shiver. In her mind, she cursed that guy Si a hundred times over.
"Why are there no guards here? How did we just walk in like that?" Lanqin couldn't help but mutter.
“They’re slacking off! They’ve all gone off to play somewhere since no one’s coming at this hour,” Fourth Master said. “But it’s a good opportunity for the two of us to come in.”
"Master, what food is available here?" Lanqin was reluctant to go in; she had no interest in those memorial tablets.
"You'll know once we're inside." Fourth Master refused to let Lanqin go, grabbing her hand and dragging her inside.
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