Lanqin understood that the Emperor was a symbol for the Forbidden City. The Fourth Prince had stayed in the Yuanmingyuan for a long time, and no one in the court had any objections because he had always been in the capital. The officials would not have too many suspicions. If they knew that the Fourth Prince had left the capital, they would be powerless to stop him. Even with Hongli, the Seventeenth Prince, Qin Mo and others in the court, it would inevitably arouse some suspicion from those with ulterior motives.
The following day, Hongli, who was handling state affairs in a side hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, received news from the Fourth Prince that he was summoned to the Yuanmingyuan Garden as soon as possible. Hongli then hurried to this grand banquet hall.
"Your subject greets Your Majesty and Your Majesty." As soon as Hongli entered, he immediately bowed to the Fourth Prince and Lanqin.
The Fourth Prince waved his hand, signaling Hongli to stand up and sit down.
After Hongli took his seat, he looked at the Fourth Prince at the head of the table and asked, "Father, why did you summon me here in such a hurry?"
The Fourth Prince took a sip of tea and said slowly, "I will be going out with your Empress Mother soon."
"What?" Upon hearing the Fourth Prince's words, Hongli's pupils trembled slightly, his face froze, and his expression was full of disbelief.
Hongli hurriedly said, after all, this was completely unexpected, "If Father Emperor were not in the capital, and if there were major events in the court that your son and Seventeenth Uncle could not handle, what should we do?"
Before the Fourth Prince could reply, Hongli said with concern, "If the Fourth Prince is not in the capital, the people in the court are not under my control. During the time I have been acting as regent, although the ministers have not raised any objections, it is because the Fourth Prince has always stayed in the capital. I am somewhat uneasy."
The Fourth Prince, of course, knew what Hongli was thinking, so he slowly said, "I am still 'in' this Yuanmingyuan. You just need to do your job, and there will be a solution."
Upon hearing this, Hongli pondered for a moment, then suddenly understood and said, "What Father Emperor means is that you will travel incognito this time, creating the illusion that you are still in the capital. If anything major happens, I will still send you memorials from the court every three days. Those senior officials in the court will not say much, after all, this is based on your opinion of 'staying' in the capital."
The Fourth Prince nodded in satisfaction, his eyes full of admiration as he looked at Hongli. "That's right. The most important aspect of the art of rulership is the control of people's hearts. Only in this way can one grasp the overall situation."
"Your subject understands."
Seeing that the Fourth Prince and Hongli were having a very smooth conversation, Lanqin, who was sitting to the side, did not want to disturb the Fourth Prince from teaching Hongli the art of being an emperor, so she quietly took Cui Niang out.
Lanqin looked at the empty sky in the distance and slowly said to Cui Niang standing to the side, "Cui Niang, you don't need to go out with me this time."
Upon hearing Lanqin's words, Cui Niang was taken aback and said with great confusion, "Your Highness, if this old servant does not go with you, others will know that Your Highness is not here."
"This is easily resolved. I can grant you permission to return home and live a life of luxury."
"Your Majesty, are you no longer going to abandon this old servant?"
Lanqin said, "You have served me for many years, and you should take care of your own family. I cannot let you go out with me. The journey is long, and you will suffer from the hardships of travel."
Upon hearing Lanqin's words, Cui Niang knew that Lanqin meant well, but she was still worried.
Seeing the worried look on Cui Niang's face, Lanqin knew that Cui Niang was worried about not having capable servants around her, so she comforted her, "The maids around me are all very capable, so don't worry."
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