When Fourth Master suddenly barged in, everyone was worried for Lanqin, thinking that he had come to punish her.
As the Fourth Prince turned to leave, everyone behind him knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly: "Your Majesty, please calm down! Please don't punish Consort Xi. Whatever wrong Consort Xi may have done, it was unintentional. Consort Xi is a very good person! Your Majesty, please don't punish her..."
The Fourth Prince was bewildered. Seeing everyone pleading for Lanqin, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He had no choice but to stop and deliberately asked, "Why are you all pleading for Consort Xi? Did she promise you any benefits?"
A young palace maid crawled to the Fourth Prince's feet and said, "Consort Xi is the best mistress I have ever had. If Your Majesty wishes to punish her, I am willing to take the punishment in her place. Please forgive Your Majesty..."
"This servant is willing to take the punishment in place of Your Highness, please forgive Your Highness..." The crowd kowtowed again.
The Fourth Prince suddenly laughed and said, "You may all get up. I am not here to punish Consort Xi. She is also my beloved consort. How could I bear to punish her?" At this moment, the Fourth Prince only wanted to see Lanqin as soon as possible. Leaving behind the bewildered servants, the Fourth Prince ran alone to the lakeside.
Lanqin, Bechuk, and several maids including Baoqin and Yuxiao were comfortably reclining on homemade wooden chairs. Beside them stood an oversized paper umbrella. To shield themselves from the sun, Lanqin and Bechuk wore wooden glasses, though without lenses, they were covered with black cloth. From a distance, it looked both strange and amusing.
Bechuk was not used to these "sunglasses" and would occasionally adjust them with his hand.
Lanqin smiled and leisurely picked up the juice in front of her, took a small sip and said, "This is called sunbathing. I used to do it in the Prince's Mansion, and later in the Palace. There were too many rules and restrictions. I've long wanted to sunbathe and fish freely like this."
Following Lanqin's example, Bechuk picked up the fruit, took a sip, squinted his eyes to feel the warmth of the sunlight, and said, "Mother, this is so comfortable. If Father were here too, we could go fishing together, sunbathe together, and even wear the sunglasses you made..."
Lanqin pouted, thinking about what Fourth Master had done before. Although there was a reason for it, she still felt uncomfortable. She said, "Keep a close eye on your fish and don't let them run away."
The Fourth Prince guessed that Lanqin was intelligent and kind, and that she would not have a bad life even if she lived alone in the Yuanmingyuan. The fact that the palace maids had misunderstood the Fourth Prince and pleaded for Lanqin was enough to show that Lanqin was different from ordinary people.
The scene before him still surprised the Fourth Prince greatly. It was far too comfortable. No one disturbed the Yuanmingyuan Garden. Lanqin and her daughter worked at sunrise and rested at sunset, basking in the sun and fishing when they had nothing to do. They could even make small inventions to entertain themselves. The Fourth Prince discovered that Lanqin had unlimited talents that were worth exploring.
Fourth Master stood not far away, overwhelmed with mixed feelings. He kept blaming himself for not protecting Lanqin and her child. In order to take down the Nian family in one fell swoop, he had to deliberately be cold to Lanqin. But when he really couldn't see Lanqin, Fourth Master was extremely sad. Recalling the more than ten years he had lived with Lanqin, Fourth Master realized that he could no longer live without Lanqin.
These days, the Fourth Prince has been searching everywhere for evidence of Nian Gengyao's crimes. As soon as the time is right, he can punish the Nian family and then bring Lanqin back. But before that, the Fourth Prince does not want Lanqin to be in any danger again. Staying away from the palace is the best way.
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