The carriage entered the city smoothly.
"Thank you!" Hongli was somewhat hesitant to look at Xueying.
"Where does the Fourth Prince want to get off?" Xueying asked, her head bowed.
"Take me to a clothing store. Could you lend me some silver?" Hongli had no choice but to ask shamelessly, as he didn't want to go back to see Fourth Master and Lanqin like this.
Around midnight, the steward of Prince Yong's residence made his usual rounds. As soon as he opened the gate, he saw Hongli and a stranger walking into the residence. Having not seen his young master for several months, the steward was so excited that he couldn't speak. He stood there pacing back and forth, unsure whether to go in first to inform the Fourth Prince and his wife, or to visit the Fourth Prince whom he hadn't seen for many days.
Hongli pointed in the direction of Lanqin's residence and said breathlessly to the steward, "Quickly, go and inform my mother first. She must be so worried. I've returned safely!"
The steward then bowed and ran into the mansion with a big smile, shouting as he ran, "The Fourth Prince is back! The Fourth Prince is back!"
Lanqin received the news that Hongli had returned, so she rubbed her hands and paced back and forth in the room, her eyes fixed on the door. She turned her head to look at the entrance of the South Garden. Finally, when Hongli called out "Mother" and rushed in, Lanqin happily went to greet him, took his arms, and looked him up and down carefully, not even missing his feet.
Lanqin looked at Hongli with heartache and said, "Hongli, you're finally back. Let your mother take a good look at you. You've suffered so much these past few days!"
Lanqin touched Hongli's face; his skin was rough, and his complexion was dark and sallow. A flood of thoughts washed over her, and tears welled in her eyes: "My son has lost weight and become so dark; he must have suffered greatly..."
Hongli quickly grasped Lanqin's hand and said with feigned indifference, "Mother is joking. I am a man, and this little hardship is nothing to me." After saying that, he showed Lanqin his figure, "Look! I haven't lost weight, I've actually gotten quite strong."
Lanqin smiled through her tears and gently patted Hongli: "Alright, alright, I know! A mother worries about her son even when he's far away; I'm always worried about you when you're away!"
Fortunately, Hongli was afraid that Lanqin would feel sorry and worried if she saw his disheveled appearance, so before entering the mansion, he found a clothing store to change into a clean set of clothes and tidied himself up.
"Mother, your unfilial son has caused you worry. I have returned safely and have come to pay my respects to you..." Hongli took a step back, respectfully bowed deeply to Lanqin, and knelt down to kowtow several times.
Lanqin finally felt relieved. She helped Hongli up and pulled him to sit beside her. She ordered someone to bring out various snacks and fruits that Hongli usually liked. She watched as Hongli ate them all without stopping. To please Lanqin, Hongli ate everything with relish, just like when he was a child, smiling at Lanqin as he ate.
Just as Hongli picked up a bowl of bird's nest soup and tilted his head back to drink it all in one gulp, Lanqin, with her sharp eyes, suddenly noticed a scar on Hongli's arm inside his sleeve. She quickly pulled it over, wanting to lift it up to examine it: "What kind of injury is this? What happened?"
Hongli withdrew his hand and hid it behind his back, acting coy and not letting Lanqin see.
"No...nothing...Mother, are you sure you didn't see wrong?" After saying that, he changed the subject with a smile: "Mother, the food outside can never be as good as the food you make for me. I even saw the Lantern Festival in Hangzhou this time..." The more Hongli tried to hide it, the more Lanqin felt sorry for him.
"Hongli... are you trying to make your mother worry to death? What exactly happened to you outside?" Lanqin interrupted Hongli angrily, staring at him.
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