The next day, as soon as Lanqin opened her eyes, she remembered the task that Kangxi had given her.
"Alright, get up!" Lanqin sat up abruptly, touched the pillow that Fourth Master had slept on last night, and pondered for a while.
"My lady, are you going to the Qianqing Palace today?" Si Hua asked as she helped Lan Qin put up the mosquito net.
"I won't go, I have things to do today. I'll go and pay my respects to my mother first," Lanqin said.
After Si Hua helped Lan Qin change her clothes and comb her hair, she helped her to Consort De's palace, only to find that Consort De was not there.
"Where did Mother go?" Lanqin asked Aunt An.
"Her Majesty went to the West Buddhist Hall early this morning. She said that the concubines are exempt from paying their respects," said Aunt An.
"Oh. Isn't it too early for Mother to go and collect the rice?" Lanqin asked in confusion.
"This servant doesn't know either. His Majesty came over and sat down last night," Aunt An said to Lanqin, bowing her head.
Ah! Emperor Kangxi visited Consort De's palace? Lanqin thought to herself.
After leaving Consort De's palace, Lanqin went straight back to her side hall. She couldn't go out at this time; if she ran into someone like the Sixteenth Princess, she would only cause more trouble. It was better to rest in her own palace until she went down to see Indar, settled Kangxi's affairs, and then she would feign illness and return home.
"Master, what should we do now?" Si Hua felt a little uncomfortable seeing Lan Qin sitting alone in the room, neither speaking nor doing anything.
"Sihua, come here, I have something to tell you." Lanqin remembered that she couldn't take Sihua with her, so she decided to make up an excuse for her to go and do something.
"What is it?" Si Hua asked, quickly moving closer to Lan Qin when she finally spoke.
"When I take my afternoon nap, could you go to Shufangzhai and ask around to see where Consort Zheng, who used to live there, went?" Lanqin racked her brains but couldn't find a reason to get Sihua out of the way and stop her from following her. Finally, she thought of Zheng Chunhua, the woman she had inexplicably disappeared from sight. Where was she now? Lanqin had asked a palace maid about her last New Year, but the maid didn't know that such a person still existed in the palace.
Lanqin stayed with Consort De for a while, but didn't have the chance to visit Shufangzhai, nor did she dare to ask anyone for directions.
"Shufangzhai? Your Highness, why do you want to inquire about that Consort Zheng?" Si Hua asked in confusion, unaware that Lan Qin knew Zheng Chunhua from the palace.
“I knew her before, but I never had a chance to visit her when I came in, so I don’t know how she is doing. Could you go and check on her for me, just to find out? If you can’t find out, just come back,” Lanqin said. She subconsciously felt that the Crown Prince’s deposition last time was somewhat related to Zheng Chunhua, but Kangxi hadn’t dealt with the Crown Prince’s household affairs.
"Yes." Si Hua didn't doubt it and naturally agreed.
When it was time for lunch, Lanqin wanted to go and pay her respects to Consort De, but when she went, she was stopped by Aunt An, who said that Consort De was not seeing anyone and did not need her to accompany her for lunch.
Lanqin knew that Consort De was genuinely angry with her. A woman like her, who strived for absolute perfection, would certainly not be able to let go of the Empress Dowager's accusations anytime soon. Could it be that Emperor Kangxi came last night because of this? Good heavens, it was just a child, Chuke, who merely bumped into the princess; how did it cause such a commotion?
Without having to dine with Consort De, Lanqin enjoyed a leisurely lunch alone. After finishing her meal, Lanqin immediately went to rest, while Si Hua, at her behest, had already left.
After Si Hua left, Lan Qin immediately sat up in bed. She glanced at the quartz clock in the room. It was still early before the Shen Shi (3-5 PM) agreed upon by Kangxi and Indal, but to avoid others, this was the best time to slip away.
After getting up, Lanqin found a dark-colored cloak and tied it around her neck. Then she planned to go out through the side gate of the side hall. Because there was hardly anyone guarding it, the door was usually closed. Lanqin pulled the bolt from the inside and went out without any effort.
Along the way, Lanqin deliberately avoided people, choosing instead to walk along the less-traveled palace paths. She didn't want to run into anyone she knew or be seen. Kangxi had instructed her to keep it a secret.
After walking around most of the vast Forbidden City, she finally reached the rocky outcrop of the Imperial Garden from the outermost edge of the Forbidden City. Lanqin estimated that it was almost time, so she found a secluded spot to sit down.
This is a rather secluded part of the Imperial Garden, and hardly anyone comes here. Kangxi chose this place as the meeting location because he knew that almost no one visits this area.
Why make such a fuss about meeting a Tibetan prince? Lanqin sat on a corner of the rock, thinking to herself.
Oh right, Eunuch Liang also said he was coming. When is he coming? Lanqin suddenly remembered what Emperor Kangxi had said about having Liang Jiugong come.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside. Lanqin listened carefully; it sounded like several people. She quickly found a place to hide herself to avoid being discovered.
Sure enough, it was just a few palace servants passing by; they didn't come in, they were just passing through.
Lanqin emerged from her hiding place and continued to wait there.
Before long, another set of footsteps sounded outside. Lanqin listened carefully to the sound; it was the sound of one person's footsteps.
"Your Majesty, Prince Indar of Tibet requests an audience!" The footsteps seemed to have heard the commotion inside and spoke from outside before even entering the cave.
"Prince Indal, come in quickly!" Lanqin called out immediately.
Indal heard a woman's voice coming from outside. He went in and saw that it was Lanqin.
"What? Why is it a prefecture or county? Where is the Emperor?" Indal asked in surprise.
"Your Majesty, it was Father Emperor who sent me. Tell me what you need, and Father Emperor asked me to convey it," Lanqin had no choice but to say.
A hint of disappointment flashed across Indal's face. He had come to see the Emperor, but now he couldn't even see him.
"Just tell me what you have to say quickly," Lanqin urged, seeing Indal's expression.
“I originally wanted to discuss the situation in Tibet with the Emperor. But never mind, I’ll submit a memorial to the Emperor directly when I have the chance later. County Magistrate, I have something to tell you, and you’d better remind the Emperor about it,” Indal said.
"What?" Lanqin looked at Indar's serious expression and knew that he must have something on his mind.
Indal then told Lanqin about what he had overheard when he accidentally stumbled into the uninhabited palace that day.
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