As soon as Fourth Master entered the house in the evening, he came to the South Courtyard immediately. Lanqin also learned that Fourth Master had spent the night at Madam Song's place the previous night, and that the eldest princess had been taken to Madam Song's room by Granny Li early this morning.
While Huanbi and Xicha were discussing in the courtyard, Lanqin wasn't unaware of what they were saying, but she pretended not to hear. These past few days, she had been lounging in her study reading leisurely books, such as "The Peach Blossom Fan" and "The Peony Pavilion," which were books she had brought in from outside when she went back to her parents' home last time.
"Greetings to Master!" Several maids immediately curtsied as the Fourth Master entered.
Hearing the greetings from outside, Lanqin guessed that it was the Fourth Master. After reading the last word, she put it down and immediately went to the door, opened it, and said, "Master, come and keep me company while I read. Huanbi, bring the Fourth Master's plum juice over."
Because he had given Song Shi some compensation, Fourth Master's mood was noticeably less gloomy than yesterday. Upon hearing Lan Qin call him to read, he immediately walked to the study door with interest and said to Su Peisheng, "Go and tell Song Shi and the eldest princess that I will not be having dinner today. Tell the eldest princess to stay and keep Song Shi company. I will have breakfast with them tomorrow."
"Does Master plan to have dinner with Sister Song and the eldest princess today?" Lanqin asked immediately upon hearing this.
"Yes, but I'd like to talk to you right now," Fourth Master said, almost stepping inside.
“Master, why don’t you go to Sister Song’s place? It’s best to keep the promise you made to the child.” Lanqin thought for a moment and then added, “Master can go after you’ve finished speaking.”
Hearing Lanqin say this, the maids in the courtyard were a little confused. Why was the princess pushing the fourth master away?
Fourth Master was taken aback, then waved to Su Peisheng, telling him not to go and deliver the message, and then took Lanqin's hand and stepped into the study.
"What are you reading?" Fourth Master asked, glancing at the books spread out on the desk. He walked to the table before Lanqin, picked up one of the books, and saw that it was The Peony Pavilion. He then picked up another book, The Peach Blossom Fan, and said to Lanqin, "These are the two books you're reading?"
"Yes, I have nothing to do, so I'm just reading to pass the time," Lanqin continued. "Your Highness spends all day reading official documents from various places; perhaps you should give your mind a break!"
"I don't need to use these to change my mind. I have Lan'er, and that's enough for me," the Fourth Prince said affectionately.
"Your words have become as sweet as honey, but I love hearing them. Tell me, how was your day in the palace? What did the Emperor say?" Lanqin asked.
"Today, the Third Prince took the initiative to mention to Father Emperor that he wanted his eldest daughter to enter the palace." The Fourth Prince took Lanqin's hand and walked around behind the desk, then pulled Lanqin to sit on his lap, while he himself naturally sat on the armchair behind the desk.
"Third Prince, you're really willing to spend so much!" Lanqin couldn't help but sarcastically remark, but then added, "His Majesty is deeply worried about this, and since Third Prince has taken the initiative to offer this, His Majesty must be very pleased."
"Hmph, I think he's mostly doing this for himself. His eldest daughter isn't born of the principal wife; her birth mother was just a concubine," the Fourth Master said.
“Regardless of the mother’s status, the child belongs to the Third Prince. Your Highness, I feel that it is too inhumane for women of lower status than concubines to raise their own children. Sister Song carried the child for ten months and gave birth to the eldest princess, but now the eldest princess probably treats Sister Song like a stranger.” Lanqin finally seized the opportunity to say what had been weighing on her mind.
Fourth Master's gaze darkened, and he raised an eyebrow, saying, "Are you questioning the rules set by our ancestors?"
Lanqin said without fear: "Rules are all made by people, and the 'rules' of our ancestors are not necessarily immutable. For example, during the Shunzhi era, intermarriage between Manchus and Han Chinese was forbidden, but now, that 'rule' has long been abolished."
The Fourth Prince focused his gaze and slowly said, "Lan'er, once you give birth to my child, I will grant you the position of a secondary consort and let you raise our child yourself."
Lanqin was moved by these words, but said, "Lan'er is very lucky to have the master's favor, but women like Sister Song still cannot be with their children. I still think such rules are too inhumane."
The Fourth Prince already felt guilty towards Madam Song because of Moyaqi's matter. He felt guilty as well when he heard Lanqin say this. He said, "The Ancestor did not allow too many women to raise children in order to prevent them from having improper thoughts. If they all had children and could raise them themselves, then the threat to the eldest son would immediately increase."
Lanqin was speechless for a moment. After thinking about it, she realized that it was indeed difficult to say who was right and who was wrong about the issue of the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children that had plagued China for thousands of years.
The Fourth Prince eventually went to Madam Song's place and had dinner with Moyaqi and Madam Song. Afterwards, Moyaqi told the Fourth Prince that she had to go back. Madam Song's expression darkened, and she could only look longingly at the Eldest Princess.
"Moyaqi, you can come and learn needlework from your mother every day from now on. Your mother's needlework is the best in this backyard." The Fourth Prince could see that the eldest princess was not close to Song Shi, just as Lanqin had said, the rift between mother and daughter was already deep. The Fourth Prince then thought of his own relationship with Consort De, and felt even more pity for Song Shi.
Upon hearing this, Madam Song immediately stood up and prepared to bow to the Fourth Master, saying, "This concubine thanks Your Highness for your consideration."
When the eldest princess saw that her father had said so, and had given her special permission to come here to learn needlework every day, and that Song had been very kind to her that day, granting her almost every request, unlike the restraint she felt at the wife's place, she nodded and said to Song, "Auntie, don't be sad. I'll come and learn from you whenever I have time."
"'Aunt?' Moyaqi, she is your birth mother, you should call her 'Mother'." Fourth Master said with a frown.
“But I already have a mother, how can I have another mother?” Su Yaqi looked up at the Fourth Master and said.
Upon hearing this, Song felt as if a thousand needles were piercing her heart. Hearing the eldest princess say such things was truly unbearable for her.
"Moyaqi, listen carefully, she is your mother, the Fujin is only your legal mother. She is the one who gave birth to you, do you understand?" The Fourth Prince raised his hand and patted the eldest princess's shoulder.
Song was already sobbing uncontrollably. The Fourth Prince had finally spoken to the First Princess in person in front of her, how could she not be excited?
"My lord, if the eldest princess doesn't want to call me 'mother,' then so be it. I'm already used to it anyway. As long as I can see her every day, I'll be content," said Madam Song, holding back her tears as she looked at the eldest princess.
"Moyaqi, your father hopes you can spend more time with your mother in the future. As for the Fujin, your father will speak to her himself. Let's go, come back with your father." The Fourth Prince took the eldest princess's hand and walked to the door, where Madam Song followed.
The eldest princess looked back at Song Shi. Perhaps it was the bond between mother and son, but the initial awkwardness had long been melted away by the deep affection between them.
"Mother, I will come to see you often." When Madam Song heard these words, the eldest princess had already walked out of the courtyard with the fourth prince.
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