The Fourth Prince looked at his wife again and again, sighed silently, and stood up and said, "Tomorrow, have Moyaqi sent to Song's place. I will go directly to Song's place for dinner when I return in the afternoon. Please inform Song first. Moyaqi may really have to go and fulfill her 'mission' in the future. I'm sure you can't bear to see her and her birth mother never see each other again."
The princess immediately stood up, suppressing the trembling in her heart, and curtsied. Before she could utter a sound, the hem of the fourth prince's robe disappeared through the doorway.
Upon hearing the sound of the main courtyard gate being bolted, the Fujin (Prince Consort) slumped onto the couch, remaining silent for a long time. She knew she had never truly reciprocated the Fourth Prince's feelings; from the moment she lifted her bridal veil, his gaze had never lingered on her for long. She also knew she wasn't as adept at charming and flattering as Lady Li, nor did she possess the delicate and alluring beauty of Lady Song, Lady Wang, or Lady Wu. She, Nara Xiayu, didn't want to change herself for anyone; she only wanted to protect the First Prince. Even if it displeased the Fourth Prince, she didn't regret what she had just said. As illegitimate granddaughters of the Emperor, Moyaqi and Erlinzhu were destined from birth to be used as political pawns.
“Madam, they are not your own daughters after all. You shouldn’t have said those things in front of the Fourth Prince. You should have shown some reluctance. Only the master can say the harsh words. You can just persuade him.” Granny Li said to the dazed Madam as she entered the room.
"Granny, he may not like it, but what can he do? If he had a way to stop Moyaqi from going, he wouldn't have come to me," the Fujin said coldly. After the incident with Lady Yin, Lady Nara hated Lanqin more and more. The Fourth Prince practically went to the East Courtyard every day, while her own quarters became a cold palace in name only. How could she not hate him!
"Madam..." Granny Li was about to persuade her again, but Madam Fu refused her request.
"Granny, I'm tired. Tell Xiahe to bring in some water." With that, the Fujin stood up and walked into the inner room.
Looking at the back of the girl she had coaxed and raised since childhood, Granny Li could only sigh inwardly, thinking to herself: "Perhaps this is how the Fujin and the princes are; otherwise, what would become of the princess?" As long as the eldest prince is there, the Fujin's position is secure. In addition, with the Nara family's nearly sixty years of cultivation, although they may not be the most powerful family in the Qing Dynasty, their intricate connections inside and outside the court are enough to steadily support the Fujin.
What Granny Li didn't realize was that it was precisely her perceived family background that made the Fujin (wife of the fourth prince) so stubborn and unwilling to back down from the prince, which was exactly the root cause of the discord in Nara's marriage with the fourth prince.
Meanwhile, Fourth Master, still seething with anger, came out of the main courtyard, unsure of where to go. Lanqin's courtyard must have already been locked. He stood at the fork in the garden path, momentarily at a loss for where to go.
Su Peisheng stood beside Fourth Master with the gas lamp in hand. Seeing that he didn't move, he had no choice but to stand still as well.
"Let's go to Lady Song's!" The Fourth Prince, recalling Moyaqi's sleeping face, suddenly remembered the time he spent with Lady Song. However, he had only just begun to understand matters of the heart when his father, the Emperor, bestowed upon him two princesses, Lady Song and Lady Li. If there was any first impression, it was Lady Song. Therefore, he favored Lady Song first. At that time, Lady Song was gentle and charming, beautiful and skillful, perfectly matching the Fourth Prince's youthful ambition. Lady Li, in contrast to Lady Song, was lively and bright, and also quite favored by the Fourth Prince. The two were equally beautiful until Lady Song gave birth to her first child, who died young due to her weak health, displeasing the Fourth Prince, who gradually distanced himself from her. It was around that time that Lady Li began to receive the Fourth Prince's exclusive favor, and then gave birth to his first prince, who unfortunately also did not survive. Next came the arrival of the Fujin (Prince Consort). To save face for his father, the Fourth Prince initially treated Lady Nara with great respect, spending almost half the month in the main courtyard. He spent the rest of his time with the Li family, while the Song family's favor dwindled.
Before long, Fourth Master and Su Peisheng arrived at the North Courtyard, where the gate was surprisingly not closed. This was probably because two princesses lived there, and in the sweltering summer heat, they didn't even have the privilege of using ice, so they were too hot to sleep.
When the gatekeeper saw the Fourth Master arrive, she was so startled that she immediately knelt down, her words of greeting slurred, "This old servant greets Your Highness... May Your Highness be blessed with ten thousand years of happiness and peace!"
Fourth Master nodded slightly, then walked past the kneeling nanny and headed straight for the door of the house on the west side of the courtyard.
Because of the heat in the room, Madam Song was still awake, fanning herself with a palace fan on a bamboo couch in the inner room. Her maid, An'er, was already snoring loudly beside her. Because Madam Song was out of favor with the emperor, she was quite kind to her servants, never harsh with them in such situations. Her life in the mansion was already rather ordinary; if she offended her servants, her life would likely become even more difficult. Unlike Madam Li, whose family lived in the capital, Madam Song's father, Song Wenlian, was merely a prefect in a small town. Since entering the palace, he rarely contacted his family. Therefore, she couldn't possibly have a substantial source of income. Lanqin's wealth was due to Anjia giving her 20,000 taels of silver as private savings. Relying solely on Madam Song's allowance, she only received 20 taels of silver a month. She needed to manage various affairs and make offerings at temples, so she always needed some silver on hand for unexpected needs.
Qingping was still in the outer room tidying up Song's clothes when she was about to take them out when she noticed that Fourth Master had come in.
"This servant greets Master!" Qingping dropped everything in her hands to the ground.
"Where is Ya Ru?" Fourth Master called out Song's maiden name.
"This servant will go and call him right away. Please wait a moment, Master." Qingping dared not delay and immediately turned around and went into the inner room to call Song Shi.
Upon hearing that it was Fourth Master, Madam Song immediately sat up. Qingpu had already woken An'er, and the two of them hurriedly combed Madam Song's hair. Not wanting to keep Fourth Master waiting, Madam Song came out wearing only her undergarments.
"This concubine greets Your Highness!" Madam Song was so excited that she almost dared not look up, as if she was afraid that the Fourth Master would suddenly disappear from here.
"Get up, are you asleep?" Fourth Master asked gently. He had only been in the room for a while and felt sweat starting to appear on the back of his neck.
"I'm not asleep yet. Master, let me make you some tea." When Madam Song was serving the Fourth Master, she always made him tea herself.
"No need, it's late, I want to rest. You help me change my clothes." Fourth Master saw that it was already late and didn't want to say anything more. He had come today because of the eldest princess, which reminded him of Madam Song.
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