Lanqin relaxed, picked up her chopsticks, and said to Madam Dong and Madam Geng as if nothing had happened, "I'm fine! Let's eat, there's so much good food."
At that moment, only heaven knew how embarrassed and ashamed Lanqin felt. She could feel the way the primary wives at the table were looking at her. Normally, no primary wife would truly like her husband's concubine, especially after the Third Princess had brought up such a matter. Was Holland so favored in the palace? Would Kangxi even know that his favorite concubine's sister had married his son? Had the Third Princess lost her mind, actually gossiping about Kangxi at her own family banquet?!
The three of them ate in silence for a while, then left the banquet. Since their masters were drinking and practicing martial arts, and their wives were still talking, the young princesses were temporarily left unattended.
Lanqin, Dongshi, and Gengshi went to a small garden in the backyard to admire the water lilies and red carp.
Lanqin held a few grapes in her hand and was feeding the greedy red carp in the water with Geng. Dong, however, was not very interested. She sat on the wooden bench in the pavilion, leaning against the railing and watching Lanqin and the others.
"Sister Qin, how are you doing at the Fourth Prince's residence?" Dong Shi was straightforward, and without much thought, she asked Lan Qin in front of Geng Shi.
"I'm fine, how about you?" Lanqin didn't want to boast about how much the Fourth Master favored her in front of Madam Geng.
"Oh, I miss my mother and father so much. If only I hadn't been rejected back then," Dong Shi said, pouting.
"Missing home? Seventh Prince should be easy to get along with, right?" Lanqin handed the grapes in her hand to Gengshi, then walked into the pavilion and sat down next to Dongshi.
Lanqin knew that Kangxi's seventh prince, Yinyou, was a rather special prince. He didn't belong to the Fourth Prince's faction, nor to the Eighth Prince's faction, and was one of the few princes who lived into the Yongzheng and even Qianlong reigns. His birth mother, Consort Cheng, of the Daijia clan, suffered a difficult childbirth, and the seventh prince was born with some difficulty walking. In other words, the seventh prince, Yinyou, was a disabled person, and among Kangxi's other princes, he was basically invisible.
"The master is alright, he doesn't have a bad temper. It's just that the Fujin (Prince Consort) is a bit domineering, and the secondary Fujin, Nala, is also a woman of her own mind. They often quarrel with each other, making us little princesses suffer in the middle." Dong clenched her fists and pressed them together.
“I understand, but you should still focus on Seventh Master. If you rely on either of them, you'll just be a pawn in their hands. Only when you become the one in Seventh Master's heart will you have nothing to fear from anyone,” Lanqin whispered in Dong's ear.
Regardless, Dong had once auditioned with her, and Lanqin saw her as a classmate, so she couldn't help but share her experiences with her.
"Yes, Sister Qin is right. But how can I become the one who is most beloved by the master?" Madam Dong asked.
Lanqin glanced at Dongshi, pondering how to impart her "insights." In truth, it was still uncertain whether she herself had become the Fourth Prince's darling; she had merely offered words of encouragement to Dongshi. But Dongshi was a straightforward person, determined to get to the bottom of things.
"Treat him sincerely, and don't become his slave!" Lanqin whispered.
...
Meanwhile, after the Fourth Prince left with his wife, Lanqin, and Gengshi, Wushi couldn't sit still in her room. She had originally thought she would go out with the Fourth Prince, because the maidservant from the wife's quarters had hinted at it, but for some reason, Gengshi ended up going instead.
When Lady Wu arrived at Consort Li's courtyard, she saw Consort Li playing with the Fourth Prince. She stood aside and watched, feeling a pang of sadness. She had been in the Fourth Prince's residence for two years, yet her belly remained flat. If only she could be like Consort Li, bearing the Prince's child, she wouldn't be bullied like this.
The Fourth Prince was carried by the maids to drink milk. After Li Shi had her hands washed by Mingyan, she said quietly, "Sister, what brings you to visit me, a person under house arrest, today!" Since Li Shi was placed under house arrest, those who had hated her before, or those who had been dependent on her, have become more cautious than before.
"Oh dear, Consort, what are you saying? I've been being watched by that man, and I wanted to come see you, but I never had the chance. They're all out today, so I came." Wu took the dry towel from Mingyan's hand and handed it to Li.
Madam Li smiled slightly, wiped her hands with the towel, and then slowly said, "Sister Wu, why did the Fujin bring Geng Shi, that invisible person, this time?"
"I just don't understand. Since she arrived, Geng Shi has never been favored by the master, but this time she was able to go with that Niohuru Shi," Wu Shi said resentfully. In the past, she was able to play both Li Cefujin and the master's wife, and was favored by the fourth master several times a month. But now, for more than a month, she hasn't even gotten close to the fourth master.
“It seems it wasn’t the Fujin who changed her mind, but rather the Master’s,” Li said, narrowing her eyes.
"You mean the master sent Geng Shi along?" Wu Shi still looked puzzled.
"Master sent Geng Shi because of Niohuru Shi. It's to make her feel more at ease. If it were you, you probably wouldn't get along with Niohuru Shi." Li Shi turned her head and looked at Wu Shi and asked.
"It seems that this Niohuru woman has truly caught the prince's eye?" Wu Shi glanced at Consort Li and said cautiously.
Consort Li raised her hand, examining her nail guards and looking at the gems on them. She said softly, "Isn't there a princess on your side who's already pregnant with the prince's child? These days, the fourth prince values offspring the most. If that Princess Yin accidentally miscarries, do you think the fourth prince will be heartbroken?"
Upon hearing this, Wu's expression immediately tensed up. She knew that this Consort Li was always ruthless and cunning. On the surface, she appeared to be a charming and alluring red peony, but deep down she was a blood rose with thorns! In the past, two of the Fourth Prince's concubines had died at her hands without anyone knowing.
"Sister, the master values offspring the most." Wu couldn't finish her sentence. She wasn't stupid; this Consort Li wanted to use her as a tool to get rid of those who threatened her!
"Silly sister, I'm telling you to transfer this task to that Niohuru clan member. That way, will she still be favored by the Prince?" Li Shi smiled slightly, her words carrying a deeper meaning. She disliked the child Yin Shi had given birth to the most. She knew that once Yin Shi gave birth, the Fujin (Prince's wife) would definitely take the child to raise, meaning her side would have another child, another bargaining chip to compete with her and her child for the Fourth Prince's title and future. She already had two sons and a daughter; the Fourth Prince couldn't forget her, nor could he erase her. No matter where the Fourth Prince went in the future, she would become an indelible part of his life, and they had raised three children together. This was something even the Fujin hadn't accomplished. As for these newly arrived young princesses, she hadn't even considered them a threat yet.
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