"Lan'er, this is Aunt An. Your mother specially bestowed her upon you after learning that you were pregnant. She has served several concubines in the palace during childbirth and is very experienced. From now on, Aunt An will arrange your diet and rest." The Fourth Prince led her directly to Lanqin's courtyard.
Lanqin was stunned. She wanted to lash out, to say no, but Aunt An just stood there, smiling at her. After the Fourth Prince finished his introductions, Aunt An even curtsied to Lanqin. Normally, someone serving a concubine like her wouldn't need to bow to outsiders, even if they were a prince's concubine.
"Nianxue, go and tidy up the room on the east side next to the study so that Aunt An can stay there," Lanqin said to Nianxue with a kind smile.
"This servant will take her leave now." Aunt An curtsied to the Fourth Master and then left with Nianxue.
Lanqin glared at Fourth Master fiercely before turning and walking into the inner room.
Fourth Master, however, paid no attention and immediately followed him inside.
Xi Cha and Si Hua saw it; even a princess dared to give her master a hard time.
Lanqin walked to the dressing table, not even glancing at the Fourth Prince following behind her, and said angrily, "You've found me a steward, haven't you? I won't be able to be free anymore. If I don't treat Consort De's people with respect, I'll turn around and go back and report them."
Fourth Master saw that Lanqin seemed very resistant and didn't find it funny: This little princess, others would beg for such a favor, but she regarded it as a flood and a beast.
"Laugh, laugh. Anyway, she won't discipline you, but I'll have to listen to the teachings of this Aunt An you invited from now on." Lanqin felt angry when she saw Fourth Master standing there laughing.
"Everyone else is hoping the palace will send someone to take care of them, but you're acting like someone stepped on your tail." The Fourth Prince knew that this little thing was like a cat with its fur standing on end, so he tried to go along with her.
"Others are others, and I am me. I'm pregnant now, so I can't be in a bad mood. Being in a bad mood is more likely to be bad for the baby in my belly. Do you understand?" Lanqin couldn't help but stop referring to herself as "this concubine" and simply said "I" to Fourth Master.
Because the Fourth Prince didn't understand this "I", he could only smile apologetically and say, "Alright, don't be angry anymore. How about I take you boating on the lake?"
Lanqin knew that since Aunt An was already here, she could only vent her anger; it was a fact that couldn't be changed anyway. Hearing Fourth Master say they could go out and have some fun, her anger immediately subsided by half, and she rolled her eyes, saying, "What lake tour?"
It turns out that Fourth Master had already secretly ordered the construction of several two-story "cruise ships" that could be placed on Bixin Lake for boating, and they were delivered yesterday. Two of the ships have already been launched into the water.
"Alright, alright, Master, take me there now. Shall I accompany you fishing on the boat?" Lanqin had completely lost her temper. Since there was no way to change it anyway, getting angry would only make things difficult for herself.
The Fourth Prince smiled happily as he looked at the little princess who was so happy she was about to jump for joy.
Seeing how handsome Fourth Master was with his smile, Lanqin couldn't help but say, "Master, you should smile more often. You look much better when you smile."
"This servant begs Fourth Prince not to take Princess Niu with him. It is not appropriate for Princess Niu to go on the boat at this time." Suddenly, Aunt An's calm but rational voice came from behind them.
When Lanqin saw that it was Aunt An, who should have been settled in her room, she felt a knot in her heart and knew that this aunt was not easy to get along with.
"Aunt An, why not?" Fourth Master asked, afraid that Lanqin would ask the question.
“Your Highness, the ship is rocking a lot. The princess is pregnant now. How can she take any risks?” Aunt An said.
These words left Fourth Master speechless; the other man was absolutely right.
Lanqin immediately pouted and glared at Fourth Master: See? It's all your fault.
"Aunt An, there's no wind or waves today, the boat shouldn't be too bumpy. I'll go check, and at most I won't get on board." Lanqin was still unwilling to give up.
“Your Highness, you haven’t been out of the three-month period yet. Even if there’s the slightest possibility, I can’t let you put yourself in danger. Please stay in the room. If you’re bored, I’ll accompany you for a walk in the garden,” Aunt An said, bowing.
Lanqin suddenly felt like she was back in high school, in the era of that strict and old-fashioned Chinese teacher.
Meanwhile, when the Fujin learned that the Fourth Prince had personally invited a palace maid to come back and take care of Lanqin, she was so angry that she smashed her favorite pink porcelain vase.
"What kind of status does she have that she dares to have someone personally appointed by her mother to take care of her?" The Fujin rarely couldn't hold back, and her fingers trembled slightly with anger.
"Princess, please calm down. It's still uncertain whether she can give birth to that child. Please don't upset yourself," Li Mama advised.
"Granny, think of something! This Lady Niu is winning his favor more and more; it's making me, the Fujin, very worried." The Fujin frowned. She couldn't have her, but another woman had. This was something she absolutely couldn't tolerate. Even before, when she didn't have the Fourth Prince's favor, he treated his other women almost the same. Although Lady Li was favored and had given birth to three sons and a daughter, back then the Fourth Prince would still visit on the first and fifteenth of the month. But now?
“Madam, don’t be impatient. There are plenty of pawns in this inner quarters that we can use. For example, Madam Wang, and Madam Yin who has been confined for more than half a year. They are probably even more eager than you to get rid of Madam Niu,” said Granny Li.
"I can't wait any longer, Granny. That girl Yan Yu has gotten herself into such trouble again. If he finds out, I'm afraid I'll have even less standing in his eyes as his wife," the wife said.
“The Princess Consort already said those words to the Master that day, and I'm sure he understands. Yan Yu and her child cannot be kept alive. Once they are gone, the child will be gone, and Ninth Prince will naturally have no reason to find fault with you again,” said Granny Li.
It turns out that what the Fujin said to Feiyanggu that day, "abandon Zhu to save the king," meant that Feiyanggu should get rid of Liu Shi, and she should find a way to get rid of Yan Yu, so that their Ulanara family would be safe.
What a ruthless thought.
If Yan Yu was merely greedy and willful, then her heart was far more sinister. For the sake of the so-called interests of the Ulanara family, she was willing to kill her own sister, and this was precisely what Fei Yanggu valued in this legitimate daughter.
“I’m just afraid Father won’t be able to bring himself to do it. There’s no need to rush now. Perhaps Yan Yu and that child will still be useful. Let’s keep them for now,” said the Fujin.
"Madam, the Master has built two large boats on Bixin Lake. Why don't you take this opportunity to gather the women of the inner quarters for a boat trip? Lady Niu will surely be there too," Li Mama suddenly said to Madam.
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