She wasn't the only one with the same worries as Geng. At that moment, in Li's courtyard, two indignant princesses were also sitting, namely Wu and Wang.
"Madam, if Yan Yu is truly to enter the household, you will certainly do your utmost to help her gain the Prince's favor. I think she's far more charming than you, Madam; I'm afraid I'll have to bow to her!" When Madam Wu heard that Yan Yu was about to be taken as a concubine by the Fourth Prince, she was practically bursting with rage. She hated Madam Madam to the core; the damage the musk had caused her body couldn't be easily erased. Madam Wu had been taking the medicine under Li's arrangement for some time, but there was still no effect. Every time she thought of how Madam Madam had bestowed this upon her, Madam Wu's teeth itched with hatred; naturally, hearing that Yan Yu was to enter the household only intensified her resentment.
"How could I not know? Why do I need your guidance?" Li Shi glanced at Wu Shi, but she was actually more furious than anyone else. She was so close to success, but the Fourth Prince had inexplicably wiped it out.
"That's not what I meant, Consort. Please don't misunderstand. I'm just worried that in the future, your sister might use your position to bully others," Wu said cautiously, seeing Li's displeasure.
"Indeed, I have also done my part. We have not received much favor to begin with, and now Yan Yu has come. I wonder if we will still have a place to stand in the future." Madam Wang continued to complain. In fact, they all hoped that Madam Li could deal with Yan Yu. Since they could not do anything themselves, they hoped that someone else would eliminate the impending threat.
Li Shi closed her phoenix eyes slightly. This time, she really couldn't figure out what the Fourth Master was planning. Did he really have feelings for that Yan Yu and that's why he did this?
"Alright, I understand what you're thinking. Actually, the one who should be most worried isn't you, but that one." After thinking for a moment, Li Shi gradually came up with an idea and said casually.
Madam Wu and Madam Wang were well aware of who she was referring to, and for a time, the entire inner quarters of the Fourth Prince's residence were in a state of extreme tranquility. Yan Yu finally left the residence under the arrangement of her wife. Upon returning to the Ulanara residence, she immediately conveyed the Fourth Prince's intentions to Fei Yanggu and Wu Ge. Coupled with the wife's letter, Fei Yanggu and Wu Ge began preparing Yan Yu's dowry, awaiting only the arrival of the Fourth Prince's wedding sedan chair to fetch her.
That evening, after returning from the palace, the Fourth Prince went directly to the South Courtyard. After finishing her dinner, Lanqin began to read. During her recent period of bed rest, she had gradually become fascinated with reading all sorts of books. Since there was no television or computer, reading was one of Lanqin's ways to pass the time in the inner quarters without the Fourth Prince's company. She played with Fubao during the day and read various folk tales at night. After finishing a batch, she asked Uncle Li to take his waist token and go out of the mansion to buy more. She bought mostly books about talented scholars and beautiful women. After reading a few more, Lanqin instructed Uncle Li to buy some strange and unusual stories to read.
When the Fourth Master entered the main room, Nianxue was about to bow, but was stopped by him. Lanqin, engrossed in reading on the couch, was unaware of anyone entering. She was absorbed in a book about various folk tales, completely oblivious to the Fourth Master's quiet approach!
"You still enjoy reading these kinds of unofficial and miscellaneous books?" Fourth Master couldn't help but ask after he saw the book Lanqin was reading from behind her.
"You scared me, Master! You appeared behind me so suddenly, it was really frightening!" Lanqin shuddered as she realized it was the Fourth Master. Although she scolded him, she was actually relieved. Earlier that day, Madam Geng had told her about the Fourth Master's plan to take Yan Yu as a concubine, but Lanqin hadn't taken it to heart. Therefore, upon seeing the Fourth Master, a knowing smile immediately appeared on her face.
The Fourth Prince watched this unfold and couldn't help but think to himself: "So when she heard that I was talking about the Na Yan Jade, she didn't seem to mind at all!" Thinking of this, the Fourth Prince stared at Lan Qin's face and couldn't find a trace of resentment or suspicion. He was quite pleased and sat down beside Lan Qin to read the book with her.
Gradually, the Fourth Prince truly became engrossed in the reading. The two naturally nestled together as they read, while the maids quietly retreated to the doorway, leaving the two of them in a tranquil space. Time flowed quietly through the summer night, the Fourth Prince spending the entire evening reading with Lanqin, and Lanqin thoroughly enjoyed this quiet time of reading with the Fourth Prince late into the night, not asking about Yan Yu at all.
In the following days, every time the Fourth Prince returned from the palace, whether he went directly to the South Courtyard or visited other women, as long as he didn't stay overnight there, he would almost always go to see Lanqin. Sometimes the two would snuggle together and quietly read for a while, and sometimes they would talk about things in the palace. Neither of them mentioned Yan Yu, who was about to enter the mansion.
However, finally, on the 25th day of the seventh lunar month, Ulanara Yan Yu, wearing a red veil and riding in a bridal sedan chair, entered the mansion through a side gate. Naturally, Yun Yuan accompanied her as part of her dowry. The Fourth Prince held a banquet in the inner courtyard, and Yan Yu's bridal chamber was set up in the west wing of the main courtyard. After drinking a few cups of wine, the Fourth Prince excused himself and left. Everyone presented their gifts and then found their own reasons to leave; no one wanted to linger. Yan Yu left Yun Yuan to sit in the bridal chamber while the Princess Consort busied herself sorting through the congratulatory gifts. The Fourth Prince, after returning to the front courtyard, never set foot in the main courtyard again, and naturally, he did not consummate his marriage with Yan Yu that night.
"Princess, it's already past midnight. Why don't I help you wash up and rest?" Yun Yuan watched as Yan Yu's excitement and joy turned into frustration and irritability, and now into silence.
"Go ask your elder sister where the master is resting today?" Yan Yu raised her hand and lifted her red veil herself. It must be said that her beauty was comparable to that of Li Shi and Yin Shi.
Yun Yuan hesitated. Firstly, it was so late, and the Fujin (wife of the emperor) might have already gone to bed. Secondly, even if she found out the truth, what could she do? She couldn't just go and snatch the person away!
Seeing Yun Yuan standing there motionless, Yan Yu said coldly, "What's wrong? What are you standing there for? Hurry up and go!"
Seeing that she couldn't persuade Yan Yu otherwise, Yun Yuan had no choice but to take a lantern and go find the Fujin (principal wife). Sure enough, the Fujin had already retired for the night. Helpless, she then went to find Granny Li and asked about the Fourth Prince's whereabouts.
"Tell your master that the most important thing in this backyard is to do your duty. Let the princess rest as soon as possible; the master probably won't be coming over tonight," Li Mama advised.
Yun Yuan relayed Li Mama's words to Yan Yu, but instead of persuading her, it only provoked Yan Yu to throw a tantrum before blowing out the red candle and going to bed.
That evening, Fourth Master still went to Lanqin's place and spent some time with her looking at various notebooks he had collected from the market before leaving and returning to the front yard.
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