Lady Nian's face immediately darkened, and she said angrily, "It must be that vixen Niohuru. Let's see how long she can keep up her seductive ways."
“Consort, there’s no rush. If we join forces, given the complex relationship between our two families, taking down Lingzhu, her elder brother, and her half-brother will be a piece of cake,” said Lady Fucha.
Lady Nian nodded and said, "Sister Fucha, why don't I go and talk to Master? Let's go out and visit a temple. Let's pray for the well-being of the household. Didn't you want to go back to your parents' home? Take this opportunity to go back; no one will know."
"Thank you for your consideration, Consort!" said Lady Fucha.
Now, the Fourth Prince decided to take Lanqin somewhere, so he had the maids help her put on a cloak and went out with her.
"Master, where are we going?" Lanqin nestled in Fourth Master's arms and asked.
"Thirteenth Master!" Fourth Master said, embracing Lanqin.
The Thirteenth Prince? The Thirteenth Prince who was imprisoned by Emperor Kangxi in the Bee-Raising Alley? It's been five years already!
"Master, are you trying to plead for the Thirteenth Prince?" Lanqin asked.
"No, we're going to see his family. They've suffered a lot during the years Thirteen has been imprisoned," Fourth Master said. "I can only offer them some material assistance."
“Master, perhaps Father will realize that the Thirteenth Prince was merely a scapegoat back then. Now the deposed Crown Prince has already been imprisoned for two years. It is said that Father treats him and his family very well, so why can’t Father be more lenient towards the Thirteenth Prince?” Lanqin said.
It seems that the Thirteenth Prince was only released a year before Kangxi's death, so it's clearly impossible for him to be released now. Lanqin knew that the wheels of history could not be changed, and even if she used extraordinary strength to change things, in the end, history would still develop in the predetermined direction.
"That's exactly what I meant. But right now, I can't plead for Thirteenth Prince," Fourth Prince said.
Lanqin nestled in Fourth Master's arms, knowing that this man was more shrewd than ever before. He was telling her to be tolerant, yet he dragged her to see Thirteenth Master's family—was he trying to tell her he wasn't such a heartless person? But she still loved this man so much, even though he was full of schemes, even though he wanted her to compromise, he was still so captivating.
The carriage stopped in front of the Thirteenth Prince's residence. Few people came here anymore. With the Thirteenth Prince punished by Emperor Kangxi, everyone else avoided him like the plague; no one would bother to visit his family. Only the Fourth Prince, who had once been on good terms with the Thirteenth Prince, would come. Moreover, whenever anything was issued from the palace, the Fourth Prince never forgot to send some to the Thirteenth Prince—Lanqin knew all this.
Despite it being the Lunar New Year, there was hardly any festive atmosphere at the entrance of the Thirteenth Prince's mansion. No red decorations were hung at the door, only a pair of New Year couplets were pasted on it. The gate was tightly closed, and the red paint on it was already wet from the rain, mottled and peeling off in some places.
"My lord, has the Thirteenth Prince's wife entered the palace this year?" Lanqin asked.
"No, Mother said she didn't see her go to the palace. She just sent someone to give her some handmade headbands, underwear, and socks as a token of her filial piety. Mother won't blame her. Thirteenth Prince didn't own any estates or shops, and he had no maternal relatives. He relied entirely on his salary. Now that his salary is gone, Thirteenth Prince's wife has been supporting the Thirteenth Prince's household all these years. I don't know how difficult it must have been for her," Fourth Prince said.
"That's why the master often sends grain and silver to the thirteen prefectures," Lanqin said.
Fourth Master took Lanqin's hand and walked up the steps, then personally raised his hand and knocked on the door. After a long while, the door slowly opened from the inside, revealing an old face.
"Who are you?" an old man asked in surprise, looking at Fourth Master and Lanqin. He didn't recognize Fourth Master, let alone Lanqin.
"Prince Yong has come to see the Thirteenth Princess Consort. Go in and inform her quickly!" Lanqin couldn't help but remind him.
The old man was probably new to the job and didn't recognize anyone. When he heard Lanqin say that, he quickly said "oh, oh," and then turned and ran inside. Fourth Master and Lanqin stepped across the threshold hand in hand and saw that there was no festive atmosphere inside.
"Why does it feel so deserted?" This was Lan Qin's first time visiting the Thirteenth Prince's residence. The houses inside didn't seem much different from the Fourth Prince's. However, the further she followed the Fourth Prince inside, the more she could see the difference between a prince without maternal support and one with it. Although Consort De was of bondservant origin, she was greatly favored by Emperor Kangxi, so the Imperial Household Department dared not neglect the Fourth Prince. The residence they built for him was not only geographically advantageous, but also meticulously designed and decorated. But when it came to the Thirteenth Prince's residence, although it appeared to be a large courtyard with interconnected buildings and gardens, a closer look revealed a much simpler design and layout than the Fourth Prince's. Clearly, the Imperial Household Department hadn't put much effort into building the Thirteenth Prince's residence.
"They must have laid off a lot of people," Fourth Master said.
Thirteenth Princess Consort, accompanied by several maids and servants, finally came out to greet them. She wore a light autumn-colored brocade robe, but her headdress was not as precious as Lanqin's.
"This concubine greets the Fourth Prince!" Lady Zhaojia immediately bowed to the Fourth Prince.
Lanqin also bowed to Zhaojia, but Zhaojia helped her up and said, "I am so happy that Fourth Brother and Consort Zhaojia could come. It's just that the mansion doesn't look like it's New Year's at all. I hope Fourth Brother and Consort Zhaojia will forgive us."
"No need for formalities, Thirteenth Sister-in-law. Have you delivered the gifts from those years?" Fourth Master asked.
"Thank you so much, Fourth Brother, for taking such good care of the household every year. If Thirteenth Brother knew, he would surely say that only his Fourth Brother remembers him." Madam Zhao couldn't help but have tears welling up in her eyes.
Lanqin approached and noticed that Zhaojia was only wearing a thin cotton-padded robe in such cold weather. She felt a pang of sadness and said, "Master, even though the Thirteenth Prince has been sent away by Father Emperor, did you say that the Thirteenth Prince's household would not receive any salary?"
"Father Emperor said he would halve it. Thirteen stipends were already not much, and supporting so many people was already a struggle. If it were halved, it would definitely be very difficult. In addition, the Imperial Household Department deliberately cut back, so it was even more insufficient," the Fourth Prince said.
"Oh, Fourth Brother, Consort, please come in. Why are you saying all this?" Lady Zhaojia hurriedly invited Fourth Master and Lanqin into the room.
After Lanqin followed the Fourth Prince into the front courtyard, the Thirteenth Princess Consort could not allow the Fourth Prince to go to her back courtyard. She could only instruct people to prepare wine and dishes, while she chatted and laughed with the Fourth Prince and Lanqin alone.
Lanqin carefully examined Thirteenth Prince's main room. Judging from the furnishings and the quality of the furniture, it was inferior to Fourth Prince's. The Imperial Household Department really did discriminate based on social status. They were skimping on Thirteenth Prince's things, and he couldn't possibly complain to Emperor Kangxi that those servants were looking down on him and giving him inferior items.
Sigh, being a prince isn't easy; you have to put up with all these servants!
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