The following day, Lanqin put Ushiha and Bechuk on a carriage to the Ling residence. Lanqin was going to enter the palace this year and had a lot of things to do, so she didn't have time to look after the two girls. Therefore, she sent them to Anjia's place to be looked after by their maternal grandmother, which made Lanqin feel more at ease.
As the year drew to a close, Lanqin not only had to manage affairs in the inner quarters, but also review the annual business summary reports for the Daqing Hot Pot Restaurant. This was a requirement she had made of the four head stewards, who were obligated to submit the annual reports for each of the restaurants under their management.
Not only that, Lanqin will also be going to the palace in a few years. She doesn't plan to take them with her, since the palace doesn't require it. Hongli is already in the palace, so she's too lazy to take care of the two girls; she'll save herself the trouble if she can.
A few days later, the Fourth Prince, along with his wife, Lanqin, Lady Nian, and several princes, entered the palace. The girls did not go, as they were all too old and it was not as convenient for them as it was for them when they were younger.
On New Year's Eve, Lanqin had lost count of how many times she had spent the eve of the Lunar New Year in Consort De's palace. As usual, the Fourth Prince went to the Hall of Preserving Harmony to host a banquet for Emperor Kangxi and his trusted ministers.
The wives and daughters of the various princes and noblemen gathered in their respective mothers' palaces throughout the inner palace. It is worth mentioning that this year, Emperor Kangxi specially ordered that all his grandsons who had reached the age of ten also go to the Hall of Preserving Harmony, where Hongshi, Hongsheng, Hongli, and Hongzhou were already present.
Only Consort De, the Fourth Prince's Consort, the Fourteenth Prince's Consort, Lanqin, Lady Nian, and Lady Chen remained in Yonghe Palace. Lady Chen was the Fourteenth Prince's secondary consort, a newly promoted one. Her father was a newly appointed Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and her ancestral home was the prominent Chen family of Jiangnan. For so many years, Wanyan had almost exclusively favored the Fourteenth Prince's Consort's household, but now she finally had to accept her husband's new secondary consort. The reason for this was undoubtedly related to the struggle for the throne.
Lanqin looked at the quiet Chen Shi with a keen eye. Her appearance was gentle and charming, a typical Jiangnan woman, but she seemed more considerate than Wanyan Shi.
"Mother, I've heard that Chen is a good singer. Why don't we have her sing a song to liven things up?" Wanyan was indeed very intolerant of Chen, actually embarrassing her in front of so many people. A concubine being asked by her own mistress to sing for entertainment?
"Jinzhi, don't be silly. Where is Hui'er?" Consort De frowned almost imperceptibly and asked about the eldest son of the Fourteenth Prince.
"Letting the maid lead her to play outside!" Wanyan said unhappily.
Wanyan is indeed still too arrogant to take Consort De seriously. How has the Fourteenth Prince endured all these years? Guarding such a person?
"Shilan, are you feeling any better?" Consort De ignored Wanyan's martial prowess and left her to ask Nian.
"I'm much better now, thank you for your concern, Mother," said Madam Nian with a sweet smile.
Lanqin pondered Consort De's intentions. It would be wise for her to remain neutral at this time. Both sons were her own flesh and blood; she couldn't possibly be unaware of this.
Lanqin found their bland conversation utterly boring, so she stood up and said to Consort De, "Mother, I need to relieve myself."
Consort De smiled kindly. The New Year's gift Lanqin had given her had left a deep impression: a complete set of eighteen Arhats, Buddha, and Guanyin statues, each the size of a thumb in white jade. Each piece was exquisitely crafted, breathtakingly so. The whole set, placed on the table, captivated Consort De's gaze. Knowing Consort De's fondness for Buddhism, Lanqin had specially sought out and spent a fortune to purchase a fine, priceless piece of mutton-fat jade. She then commissioned the best sculptor of the time to create this set, spending tens of thousands of taels of silver to present it to Consort De as a New Year's gift.
Although this set of gifts wasn't the most expensive New Year's present Consort De had ever received, it was the one that pleased her the most. Therefore, Consort De was exceptionally kind to Lanqin this year. Regardless of her true thoughts, this set of gifts certainly pleased Consort De.
Lanqin, supported by Sihua, walked out of the main hall of Yonghe Palace. Near the gatehouse, several children were playing. The palace maids and eunuchs recognized them as Wanyan's eldest and second sons. She certainly had the right to be arrogant, having given birth to two sons for the Fourteenth Prince. Last year, Chen, who had also given birth to a son, was recently granted a title. Her son was still a three-month-old infant and hadn't come today.
As Lanqin was pondering the affairs of the Fourteenth Prince's household, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her. She saw Madam Chen helping her maid out.
"Consort Niu, I also need to relieve myself. Why don't we go together?" Chen's gentle and charming voice rang out, making it impossible for anyone to refuse.
“Consort Chen, judging from your accent, you must be from Yangzhou, right?” Lanqin readily agreed and asked as she and Consort Chen walked toward the washroom.
"How did Consort Niu know that I am really from Yangzhou?" Madam Chen was clearly a little surprised. In fact, when she gave birth, Lanqin had visited the Fourteenth Prince's residence and mentioned it herself at the time, but she had obviously forgotten about it.
“I went to see the baby when you gave birth to the Third Prince, the Fourteenth Prince, last year. He was such a lovely child. Why didn’t you bring him today?” Lanqin asked.
"She's too young, Mother, please excuse her. I'm afraid she'll catch a cold if she comes." Madam Chen smiled, looking like a happy young girl. She was clearly a woman raised in the inner chambers of a wealthy family and didn't know much about the dangers of the inner quarters.
Lanqin found it strange that Wanyan, with her fiery temper and having already given birth to two sons, could tolerate the gentle and tender Chen giving birth to the Third Prince for the Fourteenth Prince.
"However, since we moved to the capital, it has been very difficult to go back," Chen said, as if reminiscing about the past.
"I'm afraid the Fourteenth Prince dotes on Consort Chen. It's not impossible that one day he might ask the Fourteenth Prince to let her go back to Yangzhou for a visit," Lanqin advised.
"The Fourteenth Prince is away from the capital most of the year, so I'm afraid I can only stay by his side most of the time," Madam Chen said with a worried expression.
"The Fourteenth Prince is stationed in the Northwest, protecting our Great Qing. How could Consort Chen not follow him out?" Lanqin said.
"I would like to go, but the Fujin (wife of the emperor) won't allow it and sent a concubine instead." A hint of helplessness flashed in Chen's eyes as she mentioned Wanyan.
"Oh. We've arrived at the washroom." Lanqin noticed the annoyance in Chen's eyes just now.
The two relieved themselves with the help of their maids, and then went together towards the main hall of Yonghe Palace.
"The fireworks in the capital are truly beautiful," Chen remarked, glancing up at the cannons exploding in the sky.
“Yangzhou was a prosperous city during the Six Dynasties. There’s a saying that goes, ‘Above is heaven, below are Suzhou and Hangzhou,’ but Yangzhou was even more prosperous than Suzhou and Hangzhou,” Lanqin said.
“Yes, in my hometown, every year on the fifteenth of the lunar calendar, and also on the first, second and third days of the Lunar New Year, there are all kinds of temple fairs and street markets. Goods from all over the country are on display, and you could spend several days browsing them all,” Chen said.
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