"Hongqiao!" Fucha called out, unable to sleep.
"Master!" Hongqiao, who was holding Xia Shouye outside, heard Fucha's call and immediately got up, put on her clothes, and went inside.
"Light the lamp!" said Lady Fucha.
Hongqiao quickly found a tinderbox and lit the two white candles in Fucha's room, instantly brightening the room.
"Master, it's late, you should rest, otherwise you won't have any energy tomorrow," Hongqiao said, trimming the lamp wick with scissors.
"I can't sleep. Hongqiao, that Mu Qingyang is such a blockhead. Liu Shi has harmed him so much, yet he still protects her," Fucha Shi said angrily.
“Master, he’s probably afraid that you’ll punish him too, that’s why he’s not going to do it,” Hongqiao said.
Lady Fucha nodded and said, "That's true. But that woman Liu deceived him like that, doesn't he mind at all?"
Hongqiao said, "Everyone saw that Liu was secretly meeting with her lover while she was pregnant. In recent days, she went to Changyin Pavilion to watch operas almost every few days. If the master knew about Liu's past, he would definitely not favor her anymore."
"But the key is how to let the master know!" Fucha said. "How about we write a superstitious letter and secretly put it on the master's desk?"
“No, Master is very suspicious. He will wonder who did this, and that might implicate the Princess, which would be bad,” Hongqiao said.
"Then what do you suggest we do? We can't just let that bitch Liu get away with this!" Fucha was furious when she thought of how Liu had acted arrogantly in front of her because she was pregnant.
"Master, let's see what Liu will do next. She's more anxious than we are about whether Mu Qingyang will report her!" Hongqiao said.
"Well, she might make a move. Let's just stand by and see what she does. If necessary, we can add fuel to the fire and make it burn even bigger," said Lady Fucha.
The next day, everyone got up, each with their own thoughts. The Fourth Prince got up early and, excited, didn't go to court. Instead, he went to his study, intending to write down Lanqin's views in a memorial and present it to Emperor Kangxi in person.
Lanqin was so tired last night that she slept until the Fourth Prince had already written half of his memorial in his study before she got up.
"Master, the master is in the study. He instructed that he would have lunch with you." Si Hua said as she hung up the mosquito net for Lan Qin.
"Didn't Master go to court?" Lanqin asked, rubbing her eyelids. She put her snow-white feet down, and Jinju immediately put warm embroidered shoes on her.
"No, Master said he wouldn't be attending court today. He went straight to his study as soon as he got up, and even his breakfast was brought in there," Si Hua said, pulling at the blanket.
Lanqin blinked and said to Sihua, "Go and tell Niu Baoquan to make an eight-treasure duck soup, and stew some beef tendons and bones with radishes. It'll be a good, nourishing dish. Autumn is the perfect time to eat these."
After giving these instructions, Lanqin began to wash and comb her hair with the help of her maid.
"Go and summon the head of the Mu Family Troupe. I have something to discuss with him!" Lanqin said, sitting upright in front of her dressing table and looking at herself in the ancient mirror.
She was just bored at the Yuanmingyuan Park and was simply trying to amuse everyone.
When Old Man Liu, the squad leader, stood in front of Lan Qin to pay his respects, Lan Qin was surprised to see him. This old man looked very much like her former superior from her previous life!
"Master Liu, please get up and have a seat!" Lan Qin said with a smile, her tone immediately becoming much more friendly.
"Thank you, Consort! I, an old man, will remain standing here to answer your questions. How could I possibly sit before my master and consort?" Master Liu said shrewdly. He had seen many high-ranking officials and nobles who summoned them to their mansions for performances, and they were all very arrogant and treated them like dirt. Therefore, Master Liu had become accustomed to standing and answering questions in front of these masters.
"Sit down, Si Hua, serve tea!" Lan Qin stood up herself and said to Master Liu.
Master Liu had never met such a kind master as Lanqin, and he was immediately at a loss, unsure whether to sit or stand.
"Please sit down, our master is a very kind person." Si Hua personally brought a cup of tea to Master Liu and then asked him to sit down.
"Master Liu, after watching your performance yesterday, I think the Mu Family Troupe truly lives up to its reputation. Everyone in your troupe has a solid foundation, especially the leading actors, who all sang very well." Lanqin should express her opinion first, like a leader, before she can talk about cooperation.
"Thank you for your praise, Consort. Our Master Mu Qingyang's plays are very famous. We have even performed at Prince Yu's theater..." Master Liu thought Lanqin was praising their plays, so he recounted the glorious history of the Mu family troupe.
“Master Liu, Master Liu!” Lanqin had to interrupt him, “I think the Western opera that followed was very exciting.”
Yesterday, when Master Liu saw that Mu Qingyang insisted on adding such a bizarre so-called Western play, he was so angry that he couldn't sleep well all night. He was afraid of ruining his troupe's reputation, but he didn't expect that the concubine would like it!
Master Liu stared blankly at Lanqin for a while, then immediately smiled like a flower and said, "Thank you for your praise, Consort. That was something Qingyang and the others had just learned. They were just trying it out, and I didn't expect you to like it so much."
"Master Liu, I won't beat around the bush. Here's the thing: I'd like to invite Mu Qingyang and the others from the Mu Family Troupe to stay and perform exclusively at the Yuanmingyuan Garden. That way, they won't have to go out and perform anymore. Is that alright?" Lan Qin said boldly.
Master Liu was dumbfounded. He hadn't understood Lanqin's meaning and stammered, "Does Consort mean that Qingyang and the others will only perform Western plays from now on and stay in this garden forever?"
“Yes, they only perform Western plays and no longer sing anything else. Unless another master wants to listen, they can sing, but here I prefer to listen to Western plays,” Lanqin said.
Master Liu was dumbfounded. He hadn't expected that the Western play that Mu Qingyang had temporarily stopped everyone from performing would be so popular with the concubine. If they went back, who knew if they would be so arrogant? He had been firmly against them learning those foreign things.
"Well? Squad Leader Liu, go back and tell Lord Mu that he's coming to my quarters this afternoon. I have something to discuss with him in detail," Lanqin said.
"Well, well, I'm glad that the concubine favors him so much," Liu, the troupe leader, sighed inwardly and could only say.
When he left Wanfang Anhe, he was extremely frustrated. Although it was a good thing that the Mu family troupe was favored by the concubine, the concubine actually preferred Western opera, which he himself despised the most.
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