Fourth Master pulled Lanqin into his arms. He gently smoothed her brow and whispered tenderly, "Don't be afraid, I will support you."
While Shui Ling was helping the Fourth Master wash his face, she briefly told him about Si Hua's situation. The Fourth Master didn't even hesitate; he knew Lan Qin would never allow Si Hua to do such a thing.
Then, the Fourth Master raised his hand and gently stroked Lanqin's back, as if coaxing her to sleep, stroking her gently until she stopped sobbing in her sleep.
The next day, when Lanqin woke up, she immediately noticed someone beside her. She rolled over and put her legs on top of Fourth Master. Fourth Master had already returned late the night before and had patted Lanqin's back to soothe her while she slept for a while before going to sleep himself. Coupled with being busy for two days, he slept quite soundly this time.
Lanqin lay on her side next to Fourth Master, gazing at his handsome profile, her heart filled with sweetness. She had a dream all night long. At first, she dreamt that Lingzhu was imprisoned, and her brothers were implicated as well. Her mother, sisters-in-law, and other sisters could only weep, and she, anxious and helpless, could only cry along with them. Later, Fourth Master arrived, rescued her father, and restored her brothers to their official positions. The whole family surrounded Fourth Master, laughing and smiling. Then, when she woke up, she felt that the man who had been away from her for two days had returned, lying beside her. Lanqin felt that nothing could bring her more peace of mind than having Fourth Master lying in her bed at this moment.
Lanqin recalled her dream from last night, and her worries returned. She still needed to talk to Fourth Master about those things, and at this moment, she really didn't want to cause him any trouble. However, the two people involved in these two matters were people she couldn't ignore.
Lanqin stayed with Fourth Master in bed, awake, until dawn. Finally, she had to get up to hear the steward's report. Fourth Master was still asleep, clearly exhausted.
Lanqin got up quietly, telling the maids to make as little noise as possible so as not to wake the Fourth Master. After Lanqin had breakfast, a familiar figure walked in and greeted her.
"Cui Niang!" Lanqin looked up and saw that it was Cui Niang, who had been gone for almost half a year.
"Master!" Cui Niang's eyes welled up with tears. After learning from Li Wei yesterday that Lanqin had encountered some trouble, she immediately threw the child to Li Da Niang, ignoring their sarcasm, and went into the mansion.
"Why are you here? Where's the baby? He's only two months old!" Lanqin stood up, walked over to Cui Niang, and grabbed her hand to ask.
“My mother-in-law is taking care of the child. I heard from Li Wei that things aren’t going well around the master, so Cui Niang came in immediately,” Cui Niang said.
Lanqin held Cui Niang's hand with emotion and said, "It's not a big deal. Your baby is only two months old and is still breastfeeding. How can you just ignore it?"
Despite the questioning, Cui Niang replied with delight, "I've already expressed my milk into a bottle and had my mother-in-law feed it to him. My mother-in-law loves her grandson and won't mistreat him."
Lanqin nodded in relief and said, "Alright, I feel much more relaxed now that you're here. Cui Niang, you should go back earlier each day, an hour earlier than usual."
"Thank you for your consideration, Master!" said Cui Niang.
"Cui Niang, I have so much to tell you." Lanqin took Cui Niang's hand, and the two began to chat. In the end, Lanqin brought up the matter of Si Hua.
“Master, the master won’t believe her. Liu is nothing but a worm that has died a hundred times over, she just doesn’t dare to do it, and yet she still has to pull this stunt,” said Cui Niang.
“I know. If Master trusts her, then all our years of friendship will be wasted. But Cui Niang, my father's matter is not as simple as a trap set by a few women in the inner quarters. Why did these two things happen at the same time? Nian Shi is so assertive now, she seems determined to succeed. And then there's the Fujin, although she's been neglected by Master for several years, now that Master's future is within her grasp. And there's the restless Fucha Shi.” Lanqin said. Thinking about it, the Ulanara family, the Nian family, and the Fucha Shi—these are all powerful families that cannot be ignored. If they joined forces, taking down a fourth-rank official would be as easy as turning their hand. Lanqin used to disregard these women, thinking their schemes were nothing more than jealousy and rivalry. She believed that as long as the Fourth Master trusted her, their schemes would be futile. But now, with Lingzhu suddenly impeached, Lanqin realized that more trouble was coming. If the three families joined forces, it would be very troublesome for her. They might not target her directly, but they could target her family. The Fourth Prince can't always protect her. For example, this time, it concerns the late Empress Dowager. Can the Fourth Prince plead with Emperor Kangxi on her behalf?
Cui Niang nodded and said, "My lady, our prince is currently very influential. He may be facing many things, and if trouble breaks out in the inner quarters, it will not be a good thing. Therefore, I think that the prince may be in trouble. My lady, please be more understanding."
If it were the old Lanqin, she would never have compromised upon hearing such words. But now, she understands the truth. The Fourth Prince's love for her ultimately couldn't withstand the pressure of circumstances, nor could it overcome the dream in his heart!
After realizing this, Lanqin felt a bit bored. She knew that if she had backed down a little, the Fourth Master might not have been in such a difficult position, and those women might not have been so pushy.
But can I withdraw from this service? How can I do that?
Lanqin felt a heaviness in her heart as she thought about this.
"My lady, there will definitely be a way. Don't worry. The master will find a solution." Seeing Lanqin's expression, Cui Niang quickly comforted her, "My lady is the mother of three children, including the Sixth Prince. The Sixth Prince is very much loved by the Emperor."
Lanqin thought of Hongli, and realized that Hongli would become the Qianlong Emperor. She had never heard of the Qianlong Emperor's maternal clan falling into misfortune!
"Yes, Cui Niang, I'm going to prepare breakfast for Master myself. You go back to your room and tidy up, see if there's anything else that needs to be added." Lanqin said happily, her gloom lifted. Anyway, she was much happier that Cui Niang was back.
Lanqin first went to the kitchen to try the new breakfast with Chef Niu, and then made an extraordinary breakfast for Fourth Master.
When the Fourth Prince got up, Shui Ling went to help him change his clothes. Seeing that Lan Qin wasn't in the room, the Fourth Prince asked, "Where is the concubine?"
"The concubine is in the kitchen!" Shui Ling said while tidying up the Fourth Prince's outer robe.
"Has the concubine not had breakfast yet?" the Fourth Prince asked.
“The concubine has already eaten, and we are preparing breakfast for the master,” Shui Ling said.
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