After having dinner at Wan'an Fanghe, the Fourth Prince returned to the palace. He had to attend the morning court session the next day, so he couldn't stay overnight.
After washing up with the help of the palace maids, Lanqin summoned Bechuk.
"Mother!" Bechuk sat down opposite Lanqin, her face beaming with smiles. This was the day she had seen Lanqin smile the most.
"Beichuk, your mother and father have discussed it and will choose a consort for you from among the successful candidates this year," Lanqin said, taking Beichuk's hand.
"Mother!" A blush rose on Bechuk's fair face. She was now of marriageable age, and choosing a husband was only a matter of time.
"Beichuke, don't be shy. This matter concerns your entire life. Your mother doesn't want you to be forced into an arranged marriage, so I'll persuade your father to let you investigate these people's character yourself," Lanqin said solemnly.
Bechuk nodded, then hesitated and said, "Mother, I don't know them. How can I investigate?"
"It's precisely because we don't know each other that you can use your own methods to investigate. If they all knew you were a princess of the Qing Dynasty, would they still expose their true character and integrity to you? Do you understand what your mother is saying?" Lanqin said.
Bechuk looked at Lanqin with a half-understanding, then scratched his head and finally understood what Lanqin meant.
"Mother, then I'll disguise myself as an ordinary woman and see what kind of people these are," Bechuk said with a smile.
"Yes, do whatever you want. Your mother will send a guard to protect you secretly," Lanqin said.
Bechuk nodded. She was destined to have a sleepless night, her mind filled with thoughts of what kind of person her future husband would be.
Meanwhile, the Fourth Prince returned to the palace and learned that Su Peisheng had been beaten by the Empress, so he went to Su Peisheng's room to see him in person.
"Your Majesty!" Su Peisheng, lying in bed, was surprised to see the Fourth Prince come to his bedside and quickly got up from the bed to say.
"Why would she hit you!" Fourth Master said, his brows furrowed with displeasure.
“Your Majesty, this servant is Your Majesty’s personal eunuch, yet I cannot say where Your Majesty is. I deserve to be punished. Her Majesty the Empress’s punishment of this servant is also justified,” Su Peisheng said.
"You insisted you wouldn't tell her where I was, so she hit you?" the Fourth Prince asked.
Su Peisheng nodded and said, "Today, the Third Prince's wife brought the young prince to the palace, saying they wanted to see the Emperor. This servant could only make excuses for them, but then the Empress herself came to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and this servant..."
The Fourth Prince nodded and said, "You did the right thing, but you can't let this beating go unpunished. I will bestow upon you a yellow riding jacket and a hundred taels of gold."
Su Peisheng immediately knelt down to express his gratitude, saying, "This servant is only fit to serve Your Majesty. This little thing is nothing at all. This servant is unworthy of such praise."
"Alright, I've bestowed this upon you, so accept it. However, I cannot punish the Empress for your sake, do you understand?" the Fourth Prince said.
"This servant understands, this servant was wrong, Her Majesty the Empress was not wrong. Your Majesty, please calm down!" Su Peisheng knew very well that he had been beaten for nothing; the Emperor could not blame the Empress on his behalf, nor could he. Because the Emperor could not tell the Empress where he had gone. However, he was acting for the sake of Consort Xi and the Emperor, so he felt no resentment. The Fourth Prince bestowed the name Hongpu upon Hongshi's son, the Little Prince, overnight.
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