"What are your requests?" Fourth Master knew that this little princess was always clever and mischievous, and fearing that she might make some overly formal request, he frowned slightly and asked.
"Why the long face? As if I'm about to make some unreasonable request?" Lanqin felt a little annoyed when she saw the Fourth Master's tone and expression.
"You little brat, you're getting more and more audacious, daring to give me attitude!" Fourth Master put down his chopsticks and reached out to pinch Lanqin's cheek.
The maid standing at the door and Su Peisheng, upon hearing the Fourth Master's words, thought the two were having a falling out, but seeing what happened next, they were relieved and even couldn't help but laugh.
Lanqin pouted, and then the Fourth Master pinched a piece of flesh on her face. Her expression and appearance were so funny that even the Fourth Master couldn't help but laugh.
"Did your expression just now tell me that you seem quite unhappy?" Lanqin saw that the Fourth Prince smiled and knew that he was not really angry, so she became more unrestrained in her speech.
"Alright, tell me what your request is," Fourth Master finally said, no longer frowning, but with an expression full of anticipation.
Su Peisheng secretly admired Lanqin more and more. Only she could act like this in front of the Fourth Prince. Although Li Shi was favored and knew how to act coquettishly, she had not reached the point of being able to control the Fourth Prince's mood.
Lanqin picked up a piece of ribbonfish with her chopsticks and placed it in Fourth Master's bowl. Then, with a polite smile, she said, "I'd like to take Fubao with me, is that alright?"
After hearing this, the Fourth Prince was quite surprised that the little princess had made such a request, which was rather "disappointing" to him. Although the request was small, it was a bit troublesome. Traveling with the imperial entourage involved many people and complicated matters, and it was difficult to protect even the people. On top of that, he also had to take care of a dog's food, water, and toilet needs, which was indeed a bit of a hassle.
"What's wrong? Will you agree, Master?" Lanqin saw the Fourth Master's awkward and inscrutable expression, so she took his hand and said coquettishly.
"Then you must designate someone to take care of Fu Bao all the way. You can't let it run around and offend Father Emperor!" The Fourth Prince thought for a moment and then agreed to the little princess's request. Because such a small request was really not a big deal, if he didn't agree, he would seem a bit petty. Besides, he always felt a little guilty towards Lan Qin.
"Yes, Master, don't worry. I've instructed Zi Ran to look after her the whole way." Lan Qin said with a beaming smile, "Master, please eat more. This old duck is stewed until it's very tender and flavorful."
Fourth Master picked up his chopsticks and casually asked, "How many people are you planning to bring? Tell me so I can prepare the carriage."
Lanqin was about to bring up this matter when she saw the Fourth Master ask about it, so she immediately replied, "Master, I'd like to bring a few more people, I wonder if that's alright."
Fourth Master glanced at her, picked up a piece of duck meat, and said, "Are you still afraid? How many people should you bring?"
Lanqin smiled shyly and said, "I'm taking Nianxue, Xicha, Ziran, and Li Shubao with me. That's four in total."
The maids standing at the doorway or in the corridor outside were overjoyed when they heard Lanqin call their names, but those who didn't were secretly resentful. Huanbi, for example, had fully expected Lanqin to take her along on this trip, but upon hearing Ziran's name, she knew she had no chance. Ziran's face showed no emotion, but a subtle ripple stirred within her. Being able to go out with Lanqin was, after all, better than staying in the inner quarters all day.
Fourth Master suddenly said slyly, "Wait a minute, you were supposed to bring five, how come you forgot one?"
Lanqin looked at Fourth Master with a puzzled expression. After thinking for a while, she realized who he was referring to. A smile appeared on her lips as she said, "Yes, and Fu Bao too!"
Hahaha……
Fourth Master and Lanqin laughed heartily, filling the entire South Courtyard with a joyful atmosphere.
"Lan'er, there's something I actually want to tell you. I'd like to add another person to your maidservant group," the Fourth Prince said.
Lanqin was about to put a piece of bamboo shoot into her mouth when she heard that Fourth Master had brought more people. She smiled and said, "Master, I brought four people, that's enough. Do you need to add any more?"
Fourth Master smiled gently and said, "This person is not serving you, but someone that Thirteenth Master brought for him."
Upon hearing this, Lanqin suddenly remembered the Thirteenth Prince she had met with the Fourth Prince at the Drunken White Pavilion that day, as well as the beautiful Luo Ge.
"But Master Ran wants to insert Luo Ge? Isn't that right?" Lan Qin exclaimed.
“Clever, it is indeed Luo Ge. Thirteenth Prince’s principal wife, Zhao Jia, is staying in the manor. Thirteenth Prince doesn’t have many concubines, only one, Chen Shi. Now he only brought Chen Shi with him. To avoid arousing suspicion, he wants me to do him this favor.” Fourth Prince explained briefly.
"Of course. The Thirteenth Prince is truly deeply in love with Miss Luo Ge!" Lan Qin said with emotion, knowing that he was going to accompany the Emperor on his tour and would probably not see her for a long time, so he risked bringing Luo Ge with him.
"It's a pity she's a courtesan. If she were from an ordinary family and a respectable woman, even with a lowly status, she could easily be taken into the household as a concubine," the Fourth Master sighed. A concubine is a woman ranked even lower than a princess; they are only slightly better than maids, as they don't have to serve others, but they are not proper mistresses either. Generally, women chosen as concubines for royalty and nobility are commoners from respectable families, selected from among the maids. Because Luo Ge came from a brothel, she was even lower than a commoner, and didn't even qualify to be a concubine.
"It's probably not her choice. If they were truly in love, why would they care about such a thing as social status? I have an idea. Why don't we have Thirteen find a respectable family for Luo Ge, and then have that family adopt her as their daughter? That way, her birth will be cleared," Lan Qin said. She could come up with this idea because she had seen too many palace dramas where women of low birth who wanted to rise in status were always adopted by high-ranking officials to elevate their social standing.
“Your method is feasible, but Luo Ge is quite famous in Kyoto, and I’m afraid many people know her,” Fourth Master said.
“As long as the Thirteenth Prince does his best, even if some people gossip at first, once the novelty wears off, no one will mention it anymore,” Lanqin persuaded earnestly. She had taken a liking to Luo Ge the moment she saw her, and therefore was determined to bring her and the Thirteenth Prince together.
"You seem quite concerned about Thirteen's matter. Let me speak to him about it," Fourth Master said.
"My lord's good brother, of course I'll take extra care of him!" Lanqin picked up a piece of eggplant with her chopsticks and put it on the Fourth Master's plate.
Upon hearing this, Fourth Master felt even more relieved, because Lanqin was right. Among this group of brothers, only Thirteen truly had the deepest affection for him, even more so than Fourteen, who shared the same mother.
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