As the night deepened, the Fourth Prince noticed that the Thirteenth Prince and his wife were still standing nearby, so he said, "Thirteenth Prince, you should take your wife to rest. There's nothing more to do here. Consort Xi, I'm here enough..."
Thirteenth Prince was naturally unwilling and tried to decline, but Fourth Prince frowned and said sternly, "Don't say anymore. You're all tired. Go and rest..."
Thirteenth Prince's wife gently tugged at him from behind, shaking her head softly. Thirteenth Prince looked at Fourth Prince with concern, no longer refusing, but simply instructing, "Your Majesty, don't push yourself too hard. Call me anytime if anything happens..."
The Fourth Prince nodded and smiled wryly, "I'm fine, don't worry..." After saying that, he patted Bechuk's head and said, "You should go and rest too. Your eyes are all swollen from crying. Your mother loves you to look pretty, and you don't look pretty at all like this..."
Bechuk looked up at the Fourth Master with red eyes and cried, "If Mother wakes up, Bechuk will definitely listen to her and do whatever she says..."
The Fourth Prince nodded and said, "Good child, go and rest. Lady Zhaojia, take Bechuk away..." Lady Zhaojia bowed and helped Bechuk up, advising, "Let's go, don't be stunned. Rest well and come back to relieve the Emperor..."
Bechuk left with tears in her eyes, reluctant to part. The Thirteenth Master did not take them back to their residence to rest, but arranged for them to stay in other rooms of Yingzhou Hall. This suited Bechuk's wishes perfectly, as she could rush over to Lanqin as soon as she woke up.
Only Fourth Master, Su Peisheng, and the others remained inside. After Fourth Master dismissed Thirteenth Master and the others, he said to Baoqin, "You may leave now, all of you may leave..."
Upon hearing this, Baoqin was terrified and knelt at the Fourth Prince's feet. She mustered her courage and pleaded, "Your Majesty, please don't send me away... I will stay with Her Highness. I will not go anywhere else. Her Highness's kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain. Even if I die, I will follow Her Highness..."
Yu Xiao also knelt down, choking back tears, and said, "Your Majesty, we feel the same way. Please let us stay here..."
The Fourth Prince was slightly moved. Seeing how loyal the two palace maids were to Lanqin, even willing to risk their lives, he could imagine how Lanqin treated them in private. Lanqin was just that kind of person, treating everyone with sincerity. The more the Fourth Prince thought about it, the more heartbroken he felt.
Knowing that the Fourth Prince wanted to be alone with Lanqin, Su Peisheng stepped forward and said to Baoqin and Yuxiao, "You two shouldn't talk nonsense. What do you mean by 'following her even in death'? Consort Xi is blessed with good fortune and a long life, how could anything happen to her... Since you don't want to leave, then wait outside with me. If anything happens to the Consort, you can come in anytime..."
Before the Emperor could speak, Baoqin and Yuxiao excitedly kowtowed and cried out, "Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Fourth Master remained silent, which was tacitly agreeing with Su Peisheng's statement. He waved his hand, and Su Peisheng left the inner room with Baoqin, Yuxiao, and other servants. The imperial physician could not leave and had to kneel not far away, waiting for orders.
When only Lanqin and Fourth Master remained in the room, Fourth Master finally couldn't hold back his tears and they flowed down his cheeks.
The Fourth Prince had always been holding back his tears, because he was the emperor, the ruler of the country, and could not easily shed tears, let alone in front of others. Even when he was bullied, framed by his brothers, and lost his child, the Fourth Prince swallowed his pride and never shed a single tear.
This man, who would rather bleed than shed tears, finally shed his toughest armor when no one was around. He could no longer hold back, and holding Lanqin's hand, he silently shed tears.
Fourth Master had never cried like this before; he was truly terrified of losing Lanqin.
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