After shaving and eating his special beef noodles at Lanqin's, the Fourth Prince was summoned away by a young eunuch sent by Emperor Kangxi. The lunches of princesses like Lanqin weren't delivered until late afternoon, indicating the palace was in disarray. With the Emperor suddenly arriving with such a large entourage, they had to hastily prepare food for the Emperor and his entourage first, followed by the imperial guards. Although their status wasn't particularly high, their safety directly impacted the Emperor's well-being, so their meals needed to be provided immediately. Next came the princes and the princesses and maids like Lanqin, and finally, the general servants.
After Fourth Master left, when lunch was served, Lanqin ate some with Nianxue and the others, and then went back to her bedroom to catch up on sleep, as she was sore all over from the bumpy ride in the carriage these past two days.
At dusk, the Fourth Prince sent Su Peisheng back to deliver a message, saying that he would be accompanying the Emperor that evening and that Lanqin and the others should rest after dinner. Of course, Yan Yu received the same message.
After a busy half-day, the kitchen finally figured out how much food this large group needed, so the evening meal was delivered on time. Lanqin slept until the eunuch delivering the food box put it down, at which point she woke up.
"Princess, you're so quick to wake up! Dinner just arrived and you're already awake!" Xicha said with a smile as she saw Lanqin yawning as she walked out of the bedroom.
"You're making fun of me too!" Lanqin said with a laugh. "But I don't have much of an appetite right now. I ate too much at noon and haven't digested it yet! You guys eat, I'll eat when I'm hungry."
"Princess, let me comb your hair. The bun at the back is a bit messy," Nianxue said.
"Hmm, change your clothes with me again. I want to go out for a walk. It's so boring staying here anyway." Lanqin saw that the night outside the palace was as bright as day, with four kinds of lanterns hanging everywhere, illuminating the palace at the foot of Mount Dai, which had been deserted for a long time, exceptionally bright.
"Princess, that won't do. It's already night, and this is our first time here. We can't wander around aimlessly. I'm afraid you'll get lost and cause trouble." Nianxue became anxious when she heard Lanqin was about to go out again.
"What could be wrong? I'm just going out for a walk to digest my food. Why don't you eat quickly and then come out with me?" Lanqin said dismissively, unconcerned about Nianxue's anxiety.
"Let me help you change your clothes and comb your hair first." Seeing that Lanqin insisted on going out, Nianxue had no choice but to go along with her.
"Let Zi Ran help me change and comb my hair. You go and have your meal first. That way, we can make the most efficient use of our time." Lan Qin pulled Zi Ran towards the bedroom. Seeing this, Nian Xue had no choice but to quickly have her meal with Xi Cha.
After everything was settled, Lanqin helped Nianxue out of her room. The various courtyards of the palace were connected by corridors, and it must be said that even the lanterns everywhere were made with great ingenuity in order to win the emperor's favor. Lanqin admired the various lanterns along the way, which reminded her of the lanterns she had seen in Xizha when she visited Wuzhen before. Compared to these, they were nothing! Each lantern, with its unique shape, had a red candle burning inside, and the lantern paper was decorated with all sorts of patterns, such as auspicious clouds and flying immortals, flowers and fruits, green mountains and clear waters, playful children and ladies, etc. Lanqin was so dazzled by the sights that she lost her way as she walked.
"Princess, where is this place? I can't remember which direction we came from," Nianxue said worriedly.
"Don't panic. At worst, we can just go inside and see who lives there. We haven't left the palace, so why should we be afraid of not finding our way back?" Lanqin said nonchalantly, still admiring the lanterns hanging under the eaves.
“Princess, let’s go back. It’s getting late, and what if Master can’t find you when he gets back?” Nianxue had no choice but to bring up the Fourth Master, otherwise, given Lanqin’s personality, who knows how long she planned to stay before going back.
"Master has already sent someone to say that he won't be coming tonight. Besides, I slept too long at noon, and I probably won't be able to fall asleep until very late tonight. Good Nianxue, just let me have some fun. If I go back now, I won't be able to do anything but sleep." Lanqin had finally arrived in a new place, and with no one to supervise her, she might as well take the opportunity to have some fun.
"Princess!" Nianxue was about to try to persuade them again, but the door behind the two of them suddenly opened, and a woman who looked like a palace maid walked out and glared at them.
"Where did you two come from? Why are you making such a racket and disturbing our noble lady's rest? Do you think you can take responsibility for this?" The woman stepped out of the door and scolded Lanqin and her servant.
"Princess and I will leave immediately, please calm down, Aunt!" Upon hearing the words "noble person," Nianxue's heart skipped a beat. She immediately stepped in front of Lanqin and pleaded with the palace maid who had scolded them.
"Hurry up, luckily my noble lady is kind-hearted, otherwise you wouldn't be so lucky if you met Consort Lan." The palace maid waved her hand and said.
Lanqin was about to leave when she heard the mention of "Noble Lady Lan," and immediately guessed that it referred to Holland, who was clearly another of Kangxi's consorts living there. Although Holland was indeed treacherous and ruthless, Lanqin couldn't help but ask, "May I ask, Aunt, is Noble Lady Lan very strict with people?"
The palace maid was surprised that Lanqin dared to ask so many questions. After glancing at her up and down, she immediately realized that Lanqin was not dressed as the woman who had just spoken. She must be a member of some family. So she softened her tone and said, "Pretend you didn't hear about Consort Lan's matter and leave quickly."
"Suoqiu, who are you talking to?" A delicate voice came from inside the room, followed by the sound of flowerpots being stepped on blue bricks. Before the palace maid named Suoqiu could answer, a woman dressed in an apricot-colored cheongsam with autumn leaf patterns walked to the door, where she could see Lanqin and the other woman.
"Your Excellency, I am urging these two women who have gotten lost to leave quickly!" Suoqiu immediately turned around, curtsied, and said, "What are you two standing there for? Pay your respects to Consort Hui!"
Lanqin paused, realizing that this beautiful, graceful woman was indeed Consort Hui of Emperor Kangxi. At this moment, the only two people traveling with Holland were the two of them.
"Greetings, Consort Hui! May Consort Hui be blessed!" Lanqin pulled Nianxue along and bowed.
"No need for formalities! Whose family are you? Why are you wandering around here at this hour?" Consort Hui said gently. Her voice was extremely pleasant, and Lanqin immediately took a liking to her soft, melodious voice.
“Your Excellency, my daughter and I were just playing around. We were looking at these lanterns and wandered here aimlessly. We apologize for disturbing your peace,” Nianxue replied.
"Princess? Which household do you belong to?" Consort Hui asked.
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