That night, it even started to rain. The already shaky official road immediately became muddy and difficult to traverse, making travel in such weather much slower than on a sunny day.
Fourth Master left Lanqin's tent early in the morning, and our poor Lanqin was "ravaged" by Fourth Master last night and was so weak that she couldn't muster any energy. But she still had to travel. She silently cursed Fourth Master for a while in her heart!
The weather was absolutely terrible. It was drizzling all night, but by Chenshi (7-9 AM), it was as if the heavens had been punctured, and a torrential downpour poured down, making it almost impossible for the imperial carriage to move.
Even horses are unwilling to continue in the rain, let alone the palace servants and guards who have no carriages to ride in. Fortunately, the emperor had brought raincoats and straw hats with him. The emperor ordered people to take out all the raincoats and straw hats from the chest and distribute them one by one. Naturally, the guards were given them first, then the eunuchs and palace maids. When there weren't enough, umbrellas were put up. Still not enough, some people had to squeeze in with others, while others simply hid under the carriage.
The most pitiful were the palace servants who served in various places. Out of pity for them having to work, the Fourth Prince specially kept their raincoats and straw hats and let them put them on so they could continue working.
Lanqin finally opened her eyes amidst the pattering sounds. Seeing Nianxue's face covered in raindrops, she exclaimed in surprise, "You look like you were pulled out of the water!"
Nianxue wiped her face with her sleeve and said, "Princess, the rain outside is so heavy. I was just trying to get some hot water for you, and I almost got soaked." Servants like her who served in the carriage naturally didn't get to wear raincoats or straw hats.
"Has it stopped walking?" Lanqin rubbed her head and got up. Nianxue helped her up and then took out the prepared comb and bronze mirror and placed them on the edge of the carriage in front of Lanqin.
“Yes, the rain outside is too heavy. The horses won’t move, and people can’t walk either,” Nianxue said while combing Lanqin’s hair.
"Where is Master?" Lanqin thought of the Fourth Master's madness last night. Although she felt a little resentful, she was still worried about him. As the temporary head steward of the imperial court, he was probably the busiest person at the moment.
“The master left early this morning wearing a raincoat and cloak. Just now, I saw the thirteenth prince riding a horse wildly in the rain, seemingly heading in the direction of the emperor,” Nianxue said.
"Why is the rain so heavy? It looks like it's going to rain for a while." Lanqin raised her hand and opened the small window a crack. Seeing the continuous rain outside, she sighed, "Luckily, this carriage has a layer of wooden planks on the outside, otherwise I'm afraid it wouldn't last much longer."
"Princess, your breakfast is here. Would you like some?" Nianxue had already styled Lanqin's hair.
"I'm not hungry. I ate too much over there last night." Lanqin felt her stomach was bloated and she had no appetite at all.
The rain continued to fall until noon, when the eunuchs in the kitchen began cooking in the makeshift shed. Fortunately, they had received a batch of coal from Shuntian Prefecture, otherwise they would have been out of firewood.
After a busy morning, Fourth Master arrived at Lanqin's carriage at noon. Nianxue had no choice but to get out of the carriage and go to Ziran and the others to take shelter from the rain.
"Master, please take off your court robes." Lanqin noticed that the Fourth Master's face was gloomy and his clothes had several wet patches from the rain.
Fourth Master glanced at Lanqin and said in a slightly calmer tone, "I will take some men to patrol later to see if there is a place to take shelter from the rain. At this rate, it may last for several days, so we need to find a place to take shelter as soon as possible."
Lanqin nodded and then fell silent. She was still feeling a bit weak. The Fourth Master's actions last night had really gone too far, and she was still a little scared when she thought about it.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Are you afraid of me?" Fourth Master asked, staring at the little princess's lowered eyes.
Lanqin bit her lower lip, intending to say, "Exactly, Master, you went too far last night. I couldn't take it anymore." However, when she saw the Fourth Master's almost mocking gaze, Lanqin swallowed her words and instead said softly, "Master seems to be feeling a bit stifled. I wonder what it is?"
Seeing that the little princess not only didn't complain but still cared about him, the Fourth Prince felt a warmth in his heart, and his gaze seemed less frightening. He said, "It's nothing, I'm just a little tired. I'm also worried that you might say something carelessly and anger Father Emperor."
Lanqin nodded and said, "My lord, don't worry, I know what's important."
Just then, Liang Jiugong's voice suddenly rang out from outside: "Fourth Master, is Princess Niu here?"
Fourth Prince was surprised to hear his voice. He frowned and asked, "Eunuch Liang, is there something you need, Father Emperor?"
Liang Jiugong immediately said, "His Majesty has caught a cold and has a slight fever. He asked me to have Consort Niu come over. His Majesty keeps calling out 'Girl, girl,' and I remember that he called Consort Niu that all night last night."
Upon hearing that Kangxi had a fever, Lanqin immediately thought of the reason why she had stood with Kangxi on that earthen mound for too long yesterday, and now that it was pouring rain, she must have caught a cold from the wind and air conditioning.
"Has the doctor been sent over? I'll take her there to see her right away!" Fourth Master said.
Liang Jiugong quickly left, holding an oil-paper umbrella, while Fourth Master fell into deep thought.
Lanqin was a little worried about Kangxi at the moment, so she didn't see the expression on the Fourth Prince's face and said, "Let's go, let's go see the Emperor."
Seeing her so anxious, the Fourth Prince couldn't help but ask, "What exactly did you and Father Emperor talk about outside that made him so infatuated with you?"
When Lanqin heard the last few words, she was stunned and speechless for a moment. Her appearance made the Fourth Prince even more suspicious. Although he was also worried about Kangxi at the moment, he knew that the doctors accompanying the army were the best in the palace, and a little fever was nothing. However, a feeling in his heart grew wildly like weeds, which he could not suppress.
"I never imagined that the old man with a fever is Your Majesty's father. Isn't it only right that I show some concern? I wonder what Your Majesty is really thinking!" For the first time, Lanqin felt disappointed in the Fourth Prince and angrily turned her head away from him.
"Father has never treated a woman outside the palace like this before. Yesterday was already unusual, so why is he calling for you now while he has a fever!" When the Fourth Prince said these words in a cold voice, he was actually feeling very sad inside.
Lanqin naturally knew why, but she had promised Kangxi that she would never mention it to anyone, otherwise it would be considered disobeying the imperial decree!
"My lord, when I am able to speak again, I will tell you in person, okay?" Lanqin said, her heart aching slightly.
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