In the quiet of Changchun Palace at midnight, Lanqin's body was so heavy that she couldn't move. She struggled to open her eyes and met the Fourth Prince's deep and passionate gaze. Startled, Lanqin tried to get up, but the Fourth Prince forcefully pressed her back into the quilt and held her tightly.
"Just fall asleep like this. It's been so long since I've watched you fall asleep." Fourth Master affectionately touched Lanqin's forehead and said to her with a smile.
Lanqin could only shrink further under the covers. Thinking of the embarrassing scene just now, her face turned red, and she chuckled.
The two looked at each other for a long time before the Fourth Prince lazily spoke: "Qin'er, you know how tired I felt these days without you. Fortunately, now that you're in the palace, I feel at ease."
Fourth Master's voice wasn't loud, but Lanqin could hear the hardship in it.
"Your Majesty, what is troubling you?" Lanqin looked at the Fourth Prince with concern. The Fourth Prince sighed and said with a bitter smile, "It's still about the Empress Dowager. She doesn't want to move out of Yonghe Palace."
Lanqin suddenly remembered the day when Consort De came to her in the snow to plead for the Fourteenth Prince. It seemed that Consort De still hadn't let it go and was using the palace relocation to pressure the Fourth Prince.
Lanqin stirred, sat up, and leaned against the Fourth Prince's chest. She hesitated whether to plead for the Fourteenth Prince, but finally gritted her teeth and made up her mind. She whispered, "Your Majesty, can you listen to my advice?"
The Fourth Prince remained silent, and Lanqin, taking his silence as agreement, spoke up: "What deep-seated hatred could there be between a mother and son? She was only concerned about... about the Fourteenth Prince. I know the Fourteenth Prince has hurt Your Majesty's feelings, but I still want to advise Your Majesty not to kill the Fourteenth Prince."
The Fourth Prince stiffened, clearly displeased. Lanqin, knowing she had already spoken, couldn't turn back and patiently continued, "I'm not pleading for the Fourteenth Prince; I'm thinking of the Emperor. The Emperor has just ascended the throne, and his power is unstable. If we kill the Fourteenth Prince now, it might give people something to say, that the Emperor can't tolerate his own brothers, or even brand him with a cruel reputation, creating an opportunity for chaos. That would only destabilize the Qing Dynasty and unsettle the people. Besides, there's the Empress Dowager; she'll definitely blame the Emperor. And there's the Emperor Father, who has just been buried; he doesn't want to see that either..."
After listening, the Fourth Prince gradually calmed down. Lanqin's words made a lot of sense, but he still couldn't let go of his anger. "Qin'er, what do you think I should do to punish the Fourteenth Prince?"
Lanqin understood that if the Fourteenth Prince was released, the Fourth Prince's anger wouldn't be appeased, and he would still remember it later. Therefore, although the Fourteenth Prince was doomed to die, he wouldn't escape punishment. She paused, then sat up and faced the Fourth Prince: "Fourth Prince, why not exile the Fourteenth Prince..."
“Exile? My mother-in-law won’t let this go…”
“Your Majesty, there is more than one way to exile someone. Send him to a place, keep him in a nice house, give him beautiful women to accompany him, but don’t give him a fief or a military designation, and then send people to keep an eye on him,” Lanqin said.
After pondering for a moment, Fourth Master pulled Lanqin into his arms.
The next day, when Lanqin woke up, Fourth Master was no longer there. Lanqin touched her forehead and couldn't remember what had happened the night before. Baoqin helped Lanqin get dressed with a strange smile, which puzzled Lanqin.
"Does Your Majesty know? Everyone in the palace knows that the Emperor didn't go to the Empress's place last night, but came to our Changchun Palace instead. Now, all the maids and eunuchs in our palace are walking around with their heads held high, looking very imposing." Baoqin knew what Lanqin was wondering about, and said with a smile.
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