The two sat down according to their status as host and host, and a palace maid served them tea. Lanqin picked up the blue and white porcelain cup with intertwined branches, brought it to her lips, and gently smelled it. She said, "This is the finest Imperial Longjing tea. I suppose the Emperor is very fond of you, otherwise why would he bestow such tea upon you?"
Hearing this, Holland smiled smugly and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Sister, you seem to know a lot about this tea. The palace only sends a total of twenty catties of it as tribute each year. The Empress Dowager gets five catties, the Emperor gets three catties, the four concubines each get two catties, and the remaining four catties are naturally given to whomever the Emperor wishes to bestow upon."
Lanqin smiled, took a sip, and immediately felt a refreshing fragrance fill her mouth and nose, which was incredibly pleasant. Actually, she also had a pound of tea given to her by the Fourth Master, but there was no need to mention it in front of Holland. Therefore, Lanqin cooperated and said, "It is indeed good; I'm afraid not many people can taste such fine tea."
Holland chuckled smugly, "If you like it, little sister, I have half a pound here. I'll pack some up for you to take home."
Lanqin immediately put down her cup and said, "Thank you for your kindness, elder sister, but Lanqin cannot accept it. This tea was personally bestowed upon you by the Emperor, elder sister, and I really cannot accept it."
Holland smiled and said, "We're sisters, why be so formal! Huian, give half of that tea bag to your sister to take with her!"
Lanqin wanted to stop her, but she couldn't find a way to refuse. Could she say that she had a pound of it herself?
"Sister, I heard that the Emperor has been frequently summoning you to speak lately, and the other day when he had a fever, he kept calling you 'little girl,' was he referring to you as my sister?" Holland asked, trying to suppress the jealousy in his words and showing a hint of intimacy on his face.
Lanqin looked at Holland, her heart filled with conflict: this woman was the original owner's older sister, and had even harmed "herself," yet she was indeed from the Niohuru family. If she didn't fare well in the palace, she might bring disaster to the Niohuru family. She feared that for her own selfish gain, she might commit an irreparable mistake, be stripped of her title by the emperor, and implicate her entire family. Even if Anjia wasn't her biological mother, she was still her legal mother. And although Lingzhu was selfish, he was still the original owner's father. Therefore, Lanqin ultimately couldn't bear to see them implicated because of Holland's gains or losses in the palace.
"Sister, you've misunderstood. The 'girl' the Emperor spoke of isn't my younger sister, but Princess Rongxian." Although Lanqin hated Yang for harboring malicious intentions towards her, she couldn't disregard Anjia and the entire Niohuru clan. She even considered that the Fourth Prince would become Emperor, and if her maternal clan were exiled or suppressed, it wouldn't be good for her or for the future Qianlong Emperor.
"Oh, is that Princess Rongxian?" Holland was clearly surprised, and she also learned that the third princess had passed away and had been posthumously honored as Princess Heshuo Gulun by Emperor Kangxi.
"Yes, His Majesty once said that I resemble Princess Rongxian, which is why he likes me to keep him company." Lanqin told him everything she knew. She knew that Holland didn't have much sisterly affection for her; he just wanted to find out Kangxi's thoughts from her. However, considering the Niu family, Lanqin felt somewhat helpless but didn't hide anything.
Holland, his almond-shaped eyes wide open, was so shocked by Lanqin's words that he sat there speechless.
After a long while, she murmured, "So that's how it is. The Emperor thinks my sister looks like the deceased Princess Rongxian?"
Lanqin shook her head and said, "It shouldn't be that we look alike. Judging from the Emperor's meaning, it should be that my personality is similar to that of the Third Princess."
Holland frowned slightly, but then immediately pulled Lanqin up and said, "Come on, now that my sister is here, why don't we go and pay our respects to the Emperor? Since my sister bears some resemblance to the late Princess Rongxian, the Emperor will surely be pleased to see you."
Holland had initially worried that Lanqin would be favored by Emperor Kangxi, but after hearing her explanation, she realized the truth and saw it as a favorable development. If Lanqin gained the Emperor's favor as a result, it would also be a good thing for her, her elder sister.
Lanqin, unaware of her thoughts, nodded in agreement.
Holland and Lanqin walked out of Guanlan Garden hand in hand, chatting intimately as they passed each other. Those who saw them assumed they were inseparable sisters. Lanqin was somewhat unaccustomed to Holland's intimacy, but given her current status as a noblewoman, she couldn't go against her wishes too much.
The two walked hand in hand to the Mingzheng Hall, where the Emperor was temporarily residing. Kangxi's personal eunuch, Liang Jiugong, seeing Consort Lan and Princess Niu arrive together, immediately went in to announce their arrival. Consort Hui, having flattered Kangxi the previous night, had been kept there by him and had not yet left.
"Your Majesty, Consort Lan and Princess Niu are outside!" Liang Jiugong saw that Kangxi was looking at the calligraphy and paintings sent in by the Prefect of Jinan Prefecture behind a long table, while Consort Hui was standing to the side fanning herself and quietly watching. It was a beautiful picture of a beautiful woman gently waving a gauze fan.
Upon hearing this, Kangxi immediately looked up and said, "Let them in." Consort Hui behind him twitched her eyelids and involuntarily pursed her lips.
After a while, Holland and Lanqin appeared before Kangxi. After exchanging greetings, Kangxi specially ordered Lanqin to come over and look at the calligraphy by Mi Fu, which he had just been admiring. Consort Hui and Holland could only stand aside and watch Kangxi and Lanqin admire the calligraphy together.
"Girl, do you think this calligraphy is by Mi Fu?" Kangxi asked, squinting. During his many conversations with Lanqin, he was surprised to discover that this young girl had a considerable knowledge of calligraphy, painting, and historical figures.
"This calligraphy is powerful, with the style of the Wei and Jin dynasties, and also possesses the charm of the great masters Wang Xizhi and Su Shi. It is truly unrestrained, unconventional, vigorous and refreshing. It is indeed the calligraphy of Mi Fu." Lan Qin looked at the signature, seal, and the words "Fangyuan Temple Record" and was convinced that it was an authentic work.
Emperor Kangxi chuckled and stroked his beard, saying, "You've only looked at it for a short while, and you can already determine that this is a genuine work by Mi Fu? Nowadays, there are countless fakes imitating the masters."
Lanqin said calmly, "I observe that this calligraphy is very gentle and has the characteristics of Mi Fu's calligraphy. If someone can truly imitate it to this extent, then he can be considered a master. It is not unjust for Your Majesty to take a look. I have determined that this calligraphy is an authentic work of Mi Fu based on this seal. If the calligraphy can be imitated, then this seal cannot be faked."
When Kangxi heard her say that, he followed her finger to a mark the size of a fingernail at the bottom of the work, on which were engraved the two characters "Mi Fu" in seal script.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
