Lanqin only learned of all the things that had happened that night when she returned to the manor. She thought that the Fourth Master would stay overnight, but he left without looking back.
With dark eyes, the Fourth Prince arrived at the East Courtyard again. When he reached the Third Prince's room, he saw Granny Ma, Mingyan, and several maids guarding the Third Prince's room.
The Fourth Prince tiptoed to the Third Prince's bedside and saw that the boy's young face had become slightly thinner after suffering from a high fever and rash.
"Your Highness, the Third Prince's fever has subsided, and the rash has almost completely disappeared. Imperial Physician Zhuang instructed that as long as the Third Prince takes the medicine for another three days, he should be fine." Granny Ma, who was sitting by the Third Prince's bedside, hadn't fallen asleep at all; she was just closing her eyes to rest. She woke up when the Fourth Prince approached.
"Hmm. The Third Prince escaped unscathed this time, but that doesn't mean he'll be able to get through it safely next time. All of you who serve the Third Prince, you need to be on your guard, understand?" The Fourth Prince had a good impression of this Granny Ma, but that didn't mean he was a very lenient person. The Third Prince's rash came on fiercely this time, and the fact that he didn't punish these servants was already out of consideration for their hard work.
"This servant will certainly serve the Third Prince with extra care, please forgive me, Master!" Granny Ma said, bowing her head.
After leaving the Third Prince's room, the Fourth Prince went straight back to the front yard.
Gazing at the faint glimmer of dawn on the horizon, Fourth Master was far from sleepy.
That day and that night, he stood there like an iron man.
Early in the morning, he led his wife, Lady Li, and the children into the palace, and then accompanied Emperor Kangxi to the Hall of Supreme Harmony to worship their ancestors and thank the gods of heaven and earth for bestowing upon the Qing Dynasty the endless blessings.
He knelt on the large blue stone slab and listened as Kangxi finished reading the prayer.
He was also straightforward and extremely serious, unlike other princes who would try to cheat by putting a small cushion in their robes or finding a gap in the middle to sit for a while.
After finishing those activities, she rushed back to the mansion to see the Third Prince, and then went back to the palace to ask the imperial physician for help. After finally finishing her work with the Third Prince, she learned that Lanqin had not returned.
Good heavens, this night was so hectic that even Su Peisheng was almost overwhelmed.
"After dawn, go to the South Courtyard and convey my words: Princess Niu is to be confined to her quarters for a month. Without my permission, she is not to step out of the South Courtyard even half a step," the Fourth Master said in a cold voice.
Less than an hour after the Fourth Prince returned to his room to rest, the sky began to lighten. Early the next morning, the Fourth Prince and his wife donned their court robes and went to the palace again. Naturally, Lady Li did not go. The Fourth Prince only sent word to her to stay in her room and take good care of the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince.
Lanqin hadn't even gotten up yet when Su Peisheng came to deliver the message. The maids knew that the Fourth Master had given this order because of Lanqin's unauthorized outing, so they didn't dare to ask any further questions.
When Lanqin woke up, she learned from Nianxue that she had been confined to her quarters. She rolled her eyes at the Fourth Master in her heart, but when she thought about the terrifying hours she had spent yesterday, and how the Fourth Master had found her like the Flash, she could only silently accept his small punishment.
The Fourth Prince instructed the head nanny early in the morning to prevent the news of Lanqin's late return from spreading. Apart from the head nanny and a few others who knew what had happened last night, everyone else in the mansion knew nothing except that the Third Prince had developed a rash.
After lunch, Madam Geng, supported by the railing, came to the South Courtyard.
"Sister's here, and I didn't know what to do! Sister's here, play cards with me, I haven't been able to go out for a month." Lanqin can only move around in the south courtyard now, she can't even go out for a walk. She doesn't know that the Fourth Master's confinement order for her hasn't been told to the rest of the household, at least not to everyone else yet.
"My sister can't go out for a whole month? Why is that?" Madam Geng frowned, keenly sensing the meaning behind Lanqin's words.
"I've been confined by Fourth Master. I can't leave the South Courtyard for a month," Lanqin said, pouting. She had always regarded Geng Shi as the only friend she could open her heart to.
Madam Geng looked surprised and asked in confusion, "My sister has always been favored by the Fourth Prince, why would he suddenly confine her to her quarters?"
Just then, Nianxue came in carrying a basin of charcoal. Upon hearing Geng's words, she quickly gave Lanqin a wink.
"The weather is getting cooler, and the house is getting colder too. Sister Geng, would you like some roasted sweet potatoes? We can put a few sweet potatoes under the charcoal and they'll be roasted perfectly." Lanqin changed the subject at just the right moment.
Seeing that Lanqin was unwilling to say more, Gengshi did not press further and immediately said to Lanqin, "Alright, put some sweet potatoes under the brazier. Sister, you're using charcoal so soon. What will you do when it's the dead of winter?"
As she said this, Geng felt a pang of sadness, as no one had yet notified her to collect the winter charcoal.
"I'm very afraid of the cold in winter, so I'll see if we can get a heating system up," Lanqin continued, oblivious to the strange glint in Geng's eyes.
"Wouldn't that be very warm, the whole house?" Geng said calmly, chatted with Lanqin for a while, and then took her leave.
Lanqin decided to fatten up. Once winter came, she became too lazy to move, but her appetite was surprisingly good. She ate and slept all day long, living a happy life of fattening up.
Meanwhile, Madam Geng remained silent all the way after leaving the South Courtyard.
"Princess, let me accompany you for a walk in the garden. The sunshine is quite lovely," Green Orchid suggested, noticing Madam Geng's displeasure.
"Yes, we went back. That room was so cold and gloomy." Madam Geng said casually, but Green Orchid had never seen such an expression on Madam Geng's face before. She immediately lowered her head and said, "This servant didn't mean that. Please forgive me, Your Highness!"
“You didn’t say anything wrong, so what’s there to forgive? Let’s go for a stroll in the garden. Anyone can go there anyway.” Madam Geng’s expression quickly returned to normal, but only she knew in her heart that she was no longer the Madam Geng she used to be.
As the two entered the garden, a sense of desolation gradually emerged. The winter scenery was no longer as lush and vibrant as in summer, with only a few winter plum blossoms displaying their small flowers.
As the two entered the wintersweet grove, they saw another pair of masters and servants admiring the flowers.
"I didn't disturb Sister Yan's flower viewing, did I?" Seeing that she couldn't avoid it, Madam Geng had no choice but to greet her first.
Yan Yu was being supported by Yun Yuan as they admired the plum blossoms in the winter plum grove.
“No way, it’s just in time for you to come, elder sister. I was feeling a bit bored, why don’t you come and enjoy the plum blossoms with me?” Yan Yu said happily.
She was dressed in an orange-red Shu satin cheongsam, with a scarlet cape with a fur collar, and her skin was as white as snow. Standing in the plum grove, she was truly breathtaking.
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