Lanqin began to wonder: What kind of mother and son were they? The relationship between the Empress Dowager and Kangxi. They were not biologically mother and son, and their ages were not very different. Kangxi's birth mother, Consort Tong, died early, and Emperor Shunzhi's second empress was the current Empress Dowager. She should be considered Kangxi's legal mother, but she was also his stepmother.
"Does Father mean we can't meet openly, but only secretly?" Lanqin asked.
"Hmm. Could you convey my message to him? It would be too conspicuous for my men to go and speak to him. If you are able to see him, tell him that I will meet him at the rock cave in the Imperial Garden the day after tomorrow," Kangxi said.
Lanqin was utterly exasperated. Why was she being sent to relay messages like a secret agent? Kangxi's request was clearly impossible to refuse; she was in deep trouble.
“Yes, daughter-in-law, please tell Prince Indal as soon as possible,” Lanqin said.
"Hmm. I'm tired. You may kneel and rest. I still need to find a way to convey my message to Indal. Go and think about how to get my words to him without the Empress Dowager's notice." Kangxi looked at Lanqin and said in a slightly teasing tone.
"Yes, I'll find a way. I'll take my leave." Lanqin bent her knees and withdrew from in front of Kangxi.
As Kangxi watched Lanqin's retreating figure, a smile curved his lips. He found it quite amusing to see the girl looking so discomfitured.
Hey, Kangxi, what kind of twisted sense of humor is this?! Do you just enjoy seeing our Comrade Lanqin in a difficult position?!
"Your Majesty, why don't I call them in to serve you?" Liang Jiugong said hastily, bowing his head as he saw that Kangxi's expression had softened. Since leaving the morning court, Kangxi had returned with a stern face, showing no respect even to Liang Jiugong, and his expression remained cold until Lanqin arrived just now, which finally thawed his composure.
"Hmm, I'm thirsty. Let's make some tea first," Kangxi said.
Meanwhile, Lanqin walked briskly along the long palace corridor, her mind racing: how exactly was she going to get to Cining Palace to inform Indal? She certainly didn't want to go and pay her respects to the Empress Dowager. She had no one to help her, so she could only send Si Hua to Cining Palace to keep an eye on things and see if Indal would reappear.
As Lanqin was walking, she was about to turn a corner when suddenly someone bumped into her from around the bend.
"Oh dear, oh dear, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" The person immediately went to help Lanqin up.
Lanqin was deep in thought and didn't see someone suddenly rush out from the other side, so the impact made her see stars.
When Lanqin saw who had bumped into her, she immediately calmed down, because her problem had been solved.
"Xiao Luzi, it's you." Lan Qin rubbed her shoulder as she got up from the ground.
"County magistrate, do you remember this servant?" Xiao Luzi said happily when Lan Qin handed over his name. Servants always hoped to be remembered by their masters, regardless of whether they were the masters they served.
"Of course I remember, weren't you the little Lu who served in the Cining Palace!" Lanqin said. "Little Lu, there's something this county needs you to do. How about it, are you willing to do it for this county?"
Seeing Lanqin's smiling face, Xiao Luzi suddenly remembered the beatings he had received, and immediately shrank his shoulders, stammering, "County Magistrate, what can I do for you?"
"Xiao Luzi, take this!" Lan Qin immediately took off a gemstone ring from her hand and stuffed it into Xiao Luzi's hand.
"No, no, this servant has not done anything for the county, how can I accept the county's reward?" Xiao Luzi became more worried when he saw Lan Qin offering a reward, and quickly declined.
"It's nothing serious, Xiao Luzi. I just need you to pass on a message to Prince Indal. Xiao Luzi, aren't you responsible for serving Prince Indal? This county official wants you to deliver a message to him. That's all you need to do," Lanqin said.
Xiao Luzi saw that Lan Qin was talking about such a simple matter, but she wondered to herself why Lan Qin needed to deliver a message to Prince Indal.
“Little Lu, if you help this county, Prince Indal will reward you.” Lanqin patted the little eunuch on the shoulder and said, “And as long as you don’t say anything, no one will know.”
Ever since Xiao Luzi was punished by the Empress Dowager, he has been keeping a low profile. Those who fawn over the powerful and oppress the weak in the Cining Palace are still bullying him.
"Xiao Luzi, you won't even help with such a small thing? Then forget it." Seeing that Xiao Luzi wouldn't budge, Lanqin had no choice but to give up.
"Consort, this servant is willing," Xiao Luzi said, having made up his mind.
"Alright, I knew you were a good person. Xiao Lu, could you please pass on a message to Prince Indal? Come here, come closer." Lan Qin beckoned to Xiao Lu.
As Xiao Luzi approached Lanqin, he lowered his head and listened to her whisper a few words in her ear.
"Just a few sentences?" Xiao Luzi asked.
"Yes, just these few words. Make sure they reach Indal's ears, understand?" Lanqin instructed. She almost revealed the Emperor's intentions, but after thinking about it, she decided not to say it.
“Very well, this servant will certainly handle this matter properly for the county,” Xiao Luzi said.
"Can we keep this now?" Lanqin said, handing the gemstone to Xiaoluzi.
Xiao Luzi finally accepted the reward without hesitation and bid farewell to Lanqin. Lanqin felt much relieved that one matter had been resolved. She walked towards Yonghe Palace.
When she returned to her room, Fourth Master had already gone for his afternoon nap. Lanqin was also tired, and seeing that there was nothing else to do, she immediately told her maid to take off her clothes and got into bed.
"Why did you take so long?" Fourth Master asked, putting his arm around Lanqin's waist.
Lanqin was startled. So this man wasn't asleep yet?
"Father was in a bad mood, so he left Lanqin there to tell a few more jokes. Your Majesty, why aren't you asleep yet?" Lanqin said casually.
"What is it, Father Emperor?" Fourth Prince continued to hold Lanqin.
"I saw a list on the Emperor's desk, and Father Emperor kept drawing circles and crosses on it!" Lanqin said.
“They were all corrupt officials who abused their power and broke the law in the past. How could Father Emperor not be angry that the court’s salary was supporting a bunch of corrupt officials?” the Fourth Prince said.
“Throughout history, there have been honest officials and corrupt officials. The key is to use the greed of corrupt officials to do good for the court,” Lanqin couldn’t help but say. She knew that Emperor Yongzheng had put in a lot of effort to combat corruption in the later years of his reign.
"Can corrupt officials still serve the court?" Fourth Master asked as expected.
“Sir, there’s a saying, ‘If the water is too clear, there will be no fish,’ which is similar to the culture of officialdom. There will always be some greedy people, but as long as they don’t embezzle beyond a certain amount, the court can tolerate them. If it’s just minor corruption, they can still be used,” Lanqin said.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
