That evening, Fourth Master noticed a parrot in Lanqin's room and asked, "Where did this parrot come from?"
Lanqin had already had dinner prepared, and when she saw the Fourth Prince return, she said with a beaming smile, "This was given to me by Consort Li from the Crown Prince's palace."
"Consort Li? Weren't you going to pay your respects to the Crown Princess?" Fourth Prince didn't really care where Lanqin went, as long as she went to the Crown Prince's place.
"Since the Crown Princess was unwell, I went to Consort Li's place. She has quite a lot of genuine antiques in her room!" Lanqin said enviously.
"The real thing?" Fourth Master raised an eyebrow in doubt.
"What I'm saying is genuine. The Crown Prince really spoils her." Lan Qin thought to herself: That room full of things must be worth over a hundred million!
"Even if I don't spoil you, if you want it, I'll still find it for you." Fourth Master raised his hand and flicked Lanqin's forehead.
After the two finished their meal, Fourth Master called for someone to bring in water to wash up and cleanse his face, and then he took Lanqin to bed.
"Master, is the Crown Prince on good terms with you?" Lanqin asked, nestled in the Fourth Prince's arms.
"What's wrong?" Fourth Master was also lost in thought when he was suddenly asked by Lanqin.
"I went to see the Crown Princess today, but I didn't see her. Instead, I saw Consort Li. She asked me what duties you are currently undertaking, my lord," Lanqin said truthfully.
"Then have you spoken?" Fourth Master asked, bowing his head.
“How can you casually reveal what sir’s duties are? I’m just a woman, how could I possibly know what sir’s duties are?” Lanqin said obediently.
"Hmm, good girl~" Fourth Master lowered his head and kissed Lanqin's forehead, feeling very satisfied with the little princess's intelligence.
Fourth Master has already started checking the accounts, and what he found was astonishing!
Among the princes, starting with the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, Fifth Prince, Seventh Prince, Eighth Prince, Ninth Prince, and Thirteenth Prince all borrowed money from the national treasury. Except for the Fourth Prince and a few others like the Fourteenth, Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Princes who were still young and had not yet established their own residences outside the palace and were not currently eligible to borrow money, none of the adult princes could escape this fate.
Among the ministers, from the cabinet ministers to the governors and county magistrates, every single one of them had a record kept in a register.
Sigh, the Fourth Prince isn't afraid to ask these ministers for money, but what about the Crown Prince? How is he supposed to ask the Crown Prince for this enormous debt, especially since the amount is so large? It's truly alarming.
Seeing that Fourth Master remained silent, Lanqin shifted in his arms and turned away, asking, "Master, are you asleep?"
The Fourth Prince was interrupted from his deep thoughts by Lanqin. He lowered his head, kissed Lanqin's hair again, and said, "Go to sleep. I'm a little tired today."
Lanqin looked up in embarrassment, glared at Fourth Master, and said, "He didn't mean it that way, did he?"
Seeing the little princess's shy expression, the Fourth Prince couldn't help but tease her, "What do you mean?"
Lanqin raised her hand and twisted Fourth Master's arm, her pretty face blushing as she asked, "Does Master know what that means?"
"Little girl, how dare you pinch me!" Fourth Master raised his hand and pulled Lanqin into his arms again.
The two quietly resumed their physical labor. Fourth Master was probably preoccupied with chasing after the debt, so he didn't torment Lanqin as usual, only making love once before they fell asleep in each other's arms.
The next day, the Fourth Prince left early as usual. Lanqin had slept well the night before, but hadn't slept long before calling Nianxue in to help her change and wash her face. She planned to visit Holland today; after all, they were sisters, and it wouldn't be right for her to enter the palace and not go see them. There was also someone she absolutely had to see: the Fourth Prince's mother—Consort De.
"Princess, what hairstyle do you want today?" Nianxue asked, amused, when she saw Lanqin's adorable expression in the bronze mirror.
"Let's comb our hair properly, we're going to see our mother-in-law today!" Lanqin said with a drooping mouth.
"Your Highness, Consort De?" Nianxue began to comb her long, flowing black hair with a fine-toothed comb.
"Sigh, actually, I'm not qualified to see her, but since the Fourth Prince has already spoken, I can't very well refuse," Lanqin pouted. It's just that Consort De has always had a bad impression of her, so Lanqin is a little afraid of this empress who controls most of the power in Kangxi's harem.
“This shows that His Highness values the Princess. What should the Princess send to Consort De? She can’t go empty-handed,” Nianxue said.
"Sigh. It's even harder to send gifts to Consort De. She has everything she needs, and I don't have many good things to offer either. I'm so worried~" Lanqin said with a bitter face.
When Nianxue saw Lanqin's appearance in the bronze mirror, she chuckled and said, "Princess, Master has already prepared a gift for you."
"Well, you little brat, you dare to laugh at me!" Lanqin's eyes lit up, and she immediately turned her head to tickle Nianxue.
“Good princess, it was given to me by my master this morning. I was just about to tell you,” Nianxue explained.
"Quickly bring it here, let me see it." Lanqin didn't even bother to comb her hair and immediately asked Nianxue to bring over the gift that the Fourth Prince had prepared for Consort De.
Upon opening the box, a luminous pearl, sparkling with light, lay quietly inside.
Wow, a luminous pearl!
Lanqin stared blankly at the object, larger than a cat's eye, and suddenly felt the whole room was much brighter than before. Nianxue also stared in amazement at the large luminous pearl, her eyes filled with its radiant glow.
Nianxue helped Lanqin back to the dressing table and sat her down, continuing to comb her hair, while Lanqin held the luminous pearl in her hand and admired it for a long time.
When Xicha came in, she helped Lanqin put on a moon-white cheongsam embroidered with blue begonia flowers, paired with the hairstyle she had worn that day, and a pair of coral teardrop earrings. The whole person looked dignified and elegant, yet bright and charming.
Alright, time to go pay my respects to my mother-in-law!
Lanqin, supporting Nianxue's hand, walked out of the gate of the Fourth Prince's courtyard, and then they walked onto the long palace road with red walls on both sides.
"The weather is nice today. Look, the sky is blue with white clouds, and the surrounding area has green tiles and red walls. The scenery is really beautiful!" Lanqin looked up at the sky and then looked around at the magnificent palaces that resembled heaven. She felt quite emotional.
"Princess, how do we get to Consort De's Yonghe Palace?" Nianxue suddenly asked. She realized that Lanqin hadn't even bothered to look for the way, and they were just wandering through the palace paths surrounded by red walls.
"Don't worry, I remember the way." When Lanqin was still Lin Mengyao, she had already explored the entire Forbidden City, so she didn't even consider whether she remembered the way.
Nianxue asked curiously, "Princess, when did you come to the palace? How do you remember it so well?" As far as Nianxue knew, Lanqin had only come twice, once for the imperial concubine selection and once for Consort De's birthday. How could she remember it so well?
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