Yinli immediately sat up straight and said formally, "Fourth Brother, if you need anything, just tell me."
The Fourth Prince nodded, seeing that Yinli's portrait was upright, and he had already approved of him to some extent. He said, "Now there is heavy snow in many parts of the southwest, and some places have already suffered disasters."
Upon hearing what the Fourth Prince said, Yinli immediately said with concern, "Fourth Brother is busy with all sorts of matters for the court, while I am idle in the manor all day long. I feel ashamed. Please give me your instructions, Fourth Brother!"
Fourth Master nodded and said to Seventeenth, "Seventeenth, it's good that you have this idea! I came here today to entrust you with a task. This is not a small matter. I will send an experienced person with you, and you can discuss everything with him."
When Seventeen saw that Fourth Master had indeed come to assign him something, he was immediately excited and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "Please give your instructions, Fourth Brother!"
"Seventeen, I want to appoint you as Imperial Commissioner, to lead three million taels of silver to the southwest for disaster relief," said the Fourth Prince.
"Seventeen accepts the order!" Seventeen stood up and bowed to Fourth Master. No matter what the task was, Seventeen felt it was a sign of Fourth Brother's trust in him, and of the court's trust in him.
"You didn't even ask if this job is easy or not?" Seeing Seventeen's enthusiasm, Fourth Master felt even more favorably disposed towards Fa. Disaster relief was no easy task, and could even be dangerous. A group of disaster victims, when their emotions reached an extreme, were capable of anything. Generally, such tasks wouldn't be assigned to relatives.
“The fact that Fourth Brother personally came to speak with me shows his trust in Seventeen. Seventeen hasn’t even officially started his duties yet, and to receive such high regard from Fourth Brother is already a stroke of luck. How can I be picky? Besides, three million taels of government silver is the hope that the court has given to the disaster victims. This is a great responsibility. If Fourth Brother wants Seventeen to handle it, he must not be able to find any other suitable person,” Yinli said.
The Fourth Prince also stood up abruptly, patted Seventeenth Prince on the shoulder and said, "Yinli, it seems that your fourth brother has found the right person. Seventeenth Prince, you should pack your things in the manor these next few days. I will report to Father Emperor and then the Empress will issue you an edict of appointment. We can discuss the details then."
Seventeen personally escorted Fourth Master to the door; this was the first time the two brothers, who could have been father and son, had talked so much.
Only after the Fourth Prince's carriage disappeared around the street corner did Yinli turn back into the gate and walk inside.
When Fourth Master returned to the manor, he went to find Lanqin. He hadn't expected Seventeenth to be so capable, so he had to hurry and talk to Lanqin.
"Qin'er, I didn't expect Seventeen to be so good. He agreed as soon as I mentioned it. Judging from his appearance, he's a capable person." Fourth Master pulled Lanqin up from behind the desk and hugged her waist.
“The Seventeenth Prince is young and naturally wants to serve the court. If he handles this matter entrusted to him by the Prince well, he might be granted the title of Beile immediately. It is the perfect age to make contributions and establish a career. The Seventeenth Prince is a smart man, how could he miss this opportunity?” Lanqin said with a smile.
"Hmm, if all the relatives in the clan thought the same way as him, then I wouldn't have to worry about not finding a suitable person," said the Fourth Prince.
"Your Highness, the Seventeenth Prince is a good man. You should nurture him and rely on him." Lanqin remembered that the Thirteenth Prince had no successor, and then the Seventeenth Prince became the most capable brother who helped Yongzheng. Therefore, she couldn't help but offer a few more words of advice.
Seeing that Lanqin kept speaking up for Seventeen, Fourth Master couldn't help but ask, "You seem to have quite a good impression of Seventeen?"
Lanqin shoved the Fourth Prince in the chest, rolled her eyes at him, and said, "I'm thinking of Your Highness, but you're so suspicious and boring! Humph!"
After saying that, Lanqin pushed away from Fourth Master's embrace and walked out.
Fourth Master grabbed Lanqin's arm from behind and pulled her tightly into his arms, saying in a deep voice, "Your temper is getting worse. I haven't punished you in a long time. I don't mind punishing you now."
Lanqin's ears turned red instantly after being teased by Fourth Master's words. They could be considered an old married couple now, and they were indeed no longer as indulgent as before. In fact, Lanqin was only over thirty.
"Your Highness is narrow-minded. I had only meant well in recommending the Seventeenth Prince, yet Your Highness spoke to me like that. It truly breaks my heart," Lanqin said, feigning anger. In truth, although she was a little angry when the Fourth Prince asked her that question, she could understand his reasoning.
"I just like you! But it was my fault, I shouldn't have said that. Don't be angry." Fourth Master softened his tone, this was already his limit.
"Your Highness, everything I've done is for Your Highness and the children, for the Qing Dynasty," Lanqin said, turning to the Fourth Prince. Her expression held no hint of jest, for she had already done it. The Lanqin who once only wanted to live the life of a favored concubine had gradually transformed into the Lanqin she was now.
Fourth Master looked at Lanqin, lowered his head, placed a kiss on her forehead, and then said, "I understand."
That night, Fourth Master naturally stayed at Lanqin's place. The two hadn't been intimate for a long time, so they engaged in a long and arduous physical activity.
The next day, Lanqin was too tired to get up, but Fourth Master still got up early as usual. Lanqin couldn't help but admire Fourth Master's extraordinary spirit and energy, but she still instructed the kitchen to stew bird's nest for him to eat when he returned.
The next day, the Fourth Prince went to the South Fifth Palace and began discussing with several ministers of the Cabinet the matter of the Seventeenth Prince going to the southwest for disaster relief. They all expressed doubts and reservations about the Seventeenth Prince's abilities. However, the Fourth Prince still insisted on sending the Seventeenth Prince and even gave them a guarantee.
However, when Consort Chen in the palace learned that her son was going to provide disaster relief, she became restless and immediately had Seventeen summoned to speak with her.
Consort Chen was once a woman favored by Emperor Kangxi. She came from the Han Banner Army and only gained the rank of consort after giving birth to a son. Compared to Consort Wang, who later gave birth to eighteen or nineteen-year-olds, she was not particularly outstanding and thus became virtually invisible in the harem.
"Mother, your son greets you!" Seventeenth son handed over his nameplate and entered the palace, arriving at Yongshou Palace, where Consort Chen resided.
"Seventeen, Mother heard you're going to do disaster relief?" Consort Chen was almost forty years old, but her fair face had few wrinkles, and she looked only a little older than Lanqin.
"Yes, my son has grown up and it's time for him to serve the Qing Dynasty," said Seventeen.
"Seventeen, do you know that going to provide disaster relief is not a good job? In addition, it's the dead of winter, the weather is freezing, and the disaster victims are crazy. What if you get hurt? Your mother only has you. You can't let your mother lose her only hope." Consort Chen said with tears in her eyes.
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