“Your Majesty, you will be leading the expedition in person, so you will need to bring some women with you. I would very much like to go with you, but Goger and Sasar still need someone to take care of them.” Lanqin came to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and said to the Fourth Prince, who had already begun preparing for the expedition.
"I know that everything in the harem depends on you. I won't bring any female relatives. Su Peisheng will come with me, along with a group of eunuchs to serve me." The Fourth Prince walked out from behind the dragon desk and took Lanqin's hand.
Although more than 20 years have passed, Niohuru Lanqin is no longer the beautiful and delicate young girl she once was. Having walked hand in hand with the Fourth Prince for so many years, the two have long regarded each other as a part of themselves.
However, Lanqin understood that deep down, she still hoped to grow old with the Fourth Prince, without anyone else. But as the Empress Dowager, she had to say such things, after all, the Fourth Prince did not belong to her alone; he was the ruler of the country, to all the emperors.
"Since Your Majesty has said so, then I will not make any arrangements," Lanqin said with a smile after thinking for a moment.
"If you make arrangements, I'll suspect you've changed your mind. How can you push your man into someone else's arms?" The Fourth Prince teased, pulling Lanqin close and putting his arm around her waist.
"Your Majesty, I am worried about you and Hongli. I wish I could go with you." Lanqin leaned against the Fourth Prince's chest and said.
"Don't worry, I'm fine," the Fourth Prince said, patting Lanqin on the back.
"Your Majesty," Lanqin said hesitantly, "Hongshi has been missing for several months. Has Your Majesty sent anyone to look for him?"
Originally, Lanqin wanted to say that she suspected Jingren Palace and Hongshi, but she didn't say it out loud and could only say this.
"Don't mention that unfilial son. I'll pretend I never had him." The Fourth Prince suddenly roared. Whenever Hongshi was mentioned, he would think of the Eighth Prince, so the Fourth Prince could never forgive Hongshi in his heart.
"If His Majesty is pleased or angry, and His Majesty intends to personally lead the expedition, then I will manage affairs in the inner palace and pray to Buddha to bless His Majesty and Hongli with a safe return, and for the Qing army to return victorious," Lanqin hurriedly said.
"Alright, don't worry, I will definitely quell this rebellion," the Fourth Prince said confidently.
Meanwhile, the troops that the Fourth Prince was personally leading had begun to assemble, and they were responsible for protecting him as he safely reached the Northwest battlefield. In order to avoid attracting attention, the Fourth Prince did not intend to make a big fuss, but rather to advance silently.
Lanqin suggested to the Fourth Master that they disguise themselves as a merchant caravan for better concealment. The Fourth Master initially thought it was unnecessary, but after Lanqin's repeated persuasion, he finally agreed.
Meanwhile, Lanqin had accumulated an unbelievable amount of money from running her hot pot restaurant. Lanqin ordered Cui Da and Cui Er to lead a team to transport a batch of grain to the Northwest, and had Fourth Master and the soldiers protecting him disguise themselves as a merchant caravan and head northwest.
Fourth Master never expected Lanqin's business to grow so large, even to the point of having her own chamber of commerce. He had never paid any attention to it, but he never imagined that this little woman could build her own business empire.
The Fourth Prince, accompanied by three thousand guards and an unknown number of secret agents, departed with a merchant caravan. Even the civil and military officials were unaware of his whereabouts; the only public announcement was that he had gone to Rehe for recuperation. Several noble ladies from the harem were also sent to Rehe as a cover. Only Lanqin knew where the Fourth Prince had gone. Of course, several important ministers in the court also knew.
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