On this day, in the Yuanmingyuan Garden, after the Fourth Prince and Lan Qin finished running by the lake, they returned to their palace for a light breakfast. The Fourth Prince then went into his study, while Lan Qin went to the lake to admire the flowers alone.
Just as Lanqin was admiring the flowers by the lake, Cui Niang stepped forward and said to Lanqin, "Your Highness, the Thirteenth Prince's Consort, Lady Zhaojia, has sent someone to tell you that the Taoist priest has been found and will be able to come to Yuanmingyuan today."
Upon hearing Cui Niang's words, Lanqin, who had been worried for several days, was overjoyed and quickly asked Cui Niang, "Really? Where are they now?"
"Your Majesty, the Thirteenth Princess and the Taoist priest will arrive here shortly," Cui Niang said respectfully to Lan Qin after a moment's thought and calculation of the time.
"Very well, now come with me to the courtyard to wait." With that, Lanqin got up and walked towards the place where she usually rested in the Yuanmingyuan Garden.
No sooner had Lanqin returned to the courtyard than a maidservant led the weary Thirteenth Princess and a Taoist priest with an air of otherworldly wisdom into the hall.
This Taoist priest was the hermit in the mountains who had helped the Thirteenth Master prolong his life for four or five years. After all these years, the Taoist priest had not changed at all and was still the same as when he was seen several years ago.
After several days of travel, the Thirteenth Princess entered the hall and saw Lanqin sitting at the head of the table. She slightly curtsied and greeted Lanqin, saying, "This humble woman greets Your Highness, the Vice Empress. May Your Highness be blessed."
Seeing the Thirteenth Princess Consort's reaction, Lanqin quickly waved her hand and said hastily, "Please rise quickly, Thirteenth Princess Consort, you don't need to mind these formalities."
Seeing the Thirteenth Princess looking so travel-worn, Lanqin knew that it must have taken her a lot of effort to invite the Taoist priest out. So she quickly asked her to get up and gave Zhaojia a grateful look.
Then, Lanqin first looked at the Thirteenth Prince's wife and the Taoist priest following behind her and said, "Please sit down, both of you. The journey has been long and arduous, and you must be very tired." Then she turned to the maid beside her and said, "Quickly serve tea to the two of you."
"Yes, I'll go right away." Then she turned and left.
After the three sat down, Lanqin said to the Taoist priest who had not said a word, "Taoist priest, there is no need to stand on ceremony. You are a person who is above worldly affairs and are not affected by worldly rules."
Upon hearing Lanqin's words, the Taoist priest nodded to her and asked directly, "I wonder, how is His Majesty's health now?"
Even before the Taoist priest arrived, the Thirteenth Princess Consort already knew the purpose of his visit to the Yuanmingyuan. Therefore, the Taoist priest did not ask any further questions and directly inquired about the health of the Fourth Prince, Lanqin.
When Lanqin heard the Taoist priest ask directly, she immediately began to inquire about the Fourth Prince's ailments, "His Majesty has been suffering from frequent headaches lately, often feels easily fatigued, and also experiences pain in his lumbar and shoulder vertebrae."
In Lanqin's view, these were all ailments that Fourth Master had developed over the years. If they were in modern times, they could go to the hospital for a checkup, since there are many ways to treat them in later generations. But here, with such chronic illnesses, all he could do was endure it.
In Lanqin's view, her daily morning runs with the Fourth Prince could not completely cure his illness. As the time of the Fourth Prince's death drew closer, Lanqin became increasingly anxious, which is why she thought of this Taoist priest.
After listening to Lanqin's words, the Taoist priest pondered for a moment and then said, "Your Majesty's condition is due to years of accumulated illness. As long as Your Majesty follows the method I have suggested for recuperation, you will gradually recover."
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