When Lanqin came out, Anjia and Lingzhu saw her off.
"Lan'er, come back when you have time!" Anjia, being a woman, couldn't help but say this to her daughter in front of the Fourth Prince.
Alas, women in ancient times, especially those married to royalty, were not even free to visit their parents' home.
"Mother, let's go back. Father, next time, I'll come back with my second sister." Lanqin said this to Lingzhu on purpose.
Lingzhu naturally understood the meaning behind her words, and his heart tightened.
When Anjia saw the Fourth Prince pick up Lanqin and put her on the horse, he put on his riding boots and mounted himself.
With Anjia and Lingzhu watching them go, the Fourth Prince, with Lanqin in his arms, rode away on horseback, while the two maids, Nianxue and Xicha, rode in the carriage Lanqin had come in. Su Peisheng also rode a horse and followed at the back of the carriage.
"Su Peisheng, you should go back first. Don't follow us." After saying that, Fourth Master kicked the horse's belly and galloped off.
Su Peisheng dared not follow, so he took the carriage and headed to the Fourth Prince's residence first.
"Little thing, you've really outsmarted me today! How are you going to make it up to me?" Fourth Master whispered in Lanqin's ear.
Lanqin nestled in Fourth Master's arms, her face flushed, and she raised her chin, asking, "What compensation do you want, Master?"
Fourth Master pinched Lanqin's waist with the hand that was holding her, and whispered, "Come with me to Jingshan Park!"
Jingshan? Isn't that the hill behind the Forbidden City where Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself? What's so interesting about it?
By the time they arrived at Jingshan Park, it was already dusk.
To call Jingshan a mountain would be a bit of a disservice to the word "mountain"; it's more like a slightly higher earthen mound.
Fourth Master helped Lanqin off the horse, and then casually tied the black horse to a tree by the roadside.
"Master, let's hold onto it. What if someone takes the horse away after we leave?" Lanqin said.
"There aren't many people around at this time. Let's go, or we won't be able to see the road properly." Fourth Master pulled Lanqin away.
"Grandpa, how am I supposed to climb the mountain wearing these?" Lanqin said coquettishly, pointing to the flowerpot soles on her feet.
Actually, she wasn't being pretentious. She was just wearing flowerpot shoes, how could she climb a mountain?
Without a word, the Fourth Prince suddenly swept Lanqin up in his arms and began to climb the mountain. Actually, it couldn't really be called climbing, as Jingshan had long been reserved for the imperial family. The path leading up the mountain was almost entirely paved with bluestone steps.
So our Lanqin could have easily climbed up on her own, step by step. But it seems that Fourth Master had no intention of putting her down, and carried her all the way up to Jingshan.
"Master, the moonlight is quite nice tonight." Lanqin felt that something seemed off about the Fourth Master.
The Fourth Prince put her down and then led her to the viewing platform in Jingshan Park, overlooking the entire Forbidden City.
At this moment, the Forbidden City was bathed in the bright moonlight. Lanterns were lit in every palace, and the vast imperial palace was laid out before one's eyes.
Fourth Master silently looked at this home that he once knew so well, but which he had to leave at a young age.
This was also the first time Lanqin had seen the Forbidden City like this. Actually, she had climbed Jingshan Hill with her mentor before, and just now, in the Fourth Prince's arms, she had tried to recall her memories. Unfortunately, she couldn't find anything similar to the scenery three hundred years later; it was practically completely different.
"Looking down over the entire Forbidden City, it seems as if one is looking down over the whole world!" Lanqin said involuntarily.
The man beside her visibly trembled upon hearing this, but quickly recovered, pulling the little princess into his arms.
Fourth Master longed to tell this young woman his true feelings. Yes, those feelings had been bottled up inside him for a long time, never mentioned to anyone, not even Thirteenth Master. Because mentioning them to others would be giving them ammunition, harming not only himself but also others. Therefore, before he had her, he never spoke of his ideals or ambitions to anyone.
That's right, as a prince, he is even more eager than ordinary people to put his ideals and ambitions into practice!
This young woman just now so easily revealed her true feelings.
Fourth Master hugged Lanqin tighter and said in a deep voice, "Master, I used to come here often. Sometimes when I felt angry, I would run here."
Lanqin, guessing at the Fourth Prince's current thoughts, boldly said, "That position is something any prince can strive for. The Emperor also hopes to select the most suitable person for that position."
The Fourth Master's body trembled violently, and he said in a hoarse voice, "You know what I'm thinking."
Lanqin rolled over and hugged Fourth Master's waist tightly, pressing her face close to his chest, and whispered, "Master, go for it. Lan'er thinks you can do it."
Well, our Comrade Lanqin naturally knows that Fourth Master will be the final victor in taking that position, but she still says these words with emotion now.
Nothing could be more exciting than hearing such words from the woman he loved. Fourth Master held Lanqin tightly, as if she were the most precious treasure in the world. He hadn't spoiled her in vain; she truly understood his heart.
“But I am not the Crown Prince,” the Fourth Prince said. In truth, he didn’t care at all whether he was the Crown Prince or not; he just wanted to hear what Lanqin would say. This young woman’s words always surprised and amazed him.
“If the crown prince is unsuitable, he can still be deposed. Throughout history, countless people who were not crown princes have become emperors. Why should you be so fixated on this?” Lanqin said.
"Do you know that if Father Emperor finds out what you said, both you and I will be arrested?" There was no blame in Fourth Prince's words; it was more like doting affection.
"I will only say this to you, sir, and I will not mention it to anyone else," Lanqin said.
"My dear, Lan'er, only you dare to say such things to me now. Only you understand my ambition!" The Fourth Prince lowered his head and looked at the little princess in his arms.
"But Lan'er is jealous now, what should we do? She wants to have a few children with Master, otherwise she won't be able to face anyone in the future," Lanqin said aggrievedly. She always thought she wouldn't care, but when Yan Yu's two children came out, she felt no less aggrieved than the Fujin.
"Alright, I'll have children with Lan'er, three or four, okay?" Fourth Master said, truly fond of this little princess.
"I'm not a sow," Lanqin said with a doting glance, though she was secretly delighted.
This prince of the imperial family is able to coax and pamper me like this. What more could I ask for? To spend my whole life with him, hand in hand, until we grow old together—such words seem too extravagant.
Lanqin couldn't guarantee that the Fourth Prince wouldn't fall for someone else in the future, like the infamous Consort Hua. After all, the Fourth Prince was going to be the Emperor; he definitely wouldn't only favor her.
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