The next day, the Fourth Prince went to the front courtyard. He realized that the Third Prince, Hongjun's, upbringing had indeed been neglected. The child had become unusually sensitive and fragile after a series of events. The Fourth Prince, preoccupied with palace affairs, had also neglected his upbringing. Yesterday, he heard from his wife that Lady Yin often played with the Third Prince for a while, and he developed a new impression of her.
After returning to the front courtyard, Fourth Master specially ordered Su Peisheng to deliver the reward to Madam Yin.
Meanwhile, Lanqin was letting Nianxue comb her hair. Seeing Lanqin's somewhat listless appearance, Nianxue felt anxious. She knew that the princess was thinking about monogamy with her master—how could that be possible? Since ancient times, men could have multiple wives and concubines; monogamy was unheard of. Where did the princess get these strange ideas from?
"Nianxue, go and call Sister Song and Sister Geng later," Lanqin said.
“Yes, Princess. Let’s give birth to the little prince peacefully, so that you will have someone to rely on in the future,” Nianxue couldn’t help but comfort her.
"What if it's not a prince?" Lanqin naturally knew what Nianxue was thinking.
“If it’s not a prince, the princess can have more children later.” Nianxue thought to herself, what else is there to say? Of course, she should keep having children until she can’t have any more.
"What if I just can't have a son, and then the master finds a new favorite princess and stops coming to the South Courtyard?" Lanqin pressed Nianxue as if she were asking her seriously.
Upon hearing this, Nianxue immediately said, "Princess, don't worry. This servant believes that Master treats you very differently. Given the current situation, you can definitely have more children in the future, and even if you don't give birth to a prince, you'll still have several younger princesses to rely on."
Lanqin sighed, rubbing her forehead.
She knew that what Nianxue described was the life of aristocratic women in this era: bearing children for men to secure their future. Until that man stopped coming, they would continue to bear children as long as they could.
"Go ahead, let Si Hua come in and help me comb my hair." Lan Qin knew she couldn't make things difficult for Nian Xue. She was from this era, and naturally, her mind held the same thoughts as ordinary women of this time.
Before long, Madam Geng and Madam Song entered one after the other.
"How is my sister today?" Madam Song asked, sitting down and fanning herself with a round fan.
“The little one moved slightly inside. Her belly was showing.” Lanqin stood up, straightened her clothes, and showed them to the two of them.
"Guess what I saw when I came out of the yard?" Geng couldn't help but ask.
"Did the master send someone to reward Lady Yin?" Lanqin asked calmly. The Fourth Prince had personally told her that if Lady Yin could get along well with the Third Prince, he would let the Third Prince go. The child was still too young, and he didn't have a caring mother to look after him, so she was really worried.
"What, why?" Song turned her head away, and the silver tassels under the hair ornament in her hair rustled sparsely.
"It should be a reward for her good guidance and care for the Third Prince. In any case, Madam Yin wants to take the Third Prince into her household," Lanqin said calmly.
Ahhhhh
Song and Geng couldn't help but exclaim in unison.
"Why should she? Yin Panchun acts like she's a cut above us the moment she appears. How can she adopt the Third Prince?" Madam Song was indignant. If anyone should be adopting, it should be her who does.
"Just because she has already gained the Third Prince's trust and has the support of the Princess Consort," Lanqin said calmly.
"I really underestimated this woman before. She actually managed to get the Third Prince pregnant, so she'll be a father to someone now. Even if the Master doesn't remember her, he'll still remember the Third Prince," Madam Geng said quietly.
“Since we’ve already lost the initiative, let’s each think of our own way to deal with the rest,” Lanqin said.
"Your Highness should have stayed at my sister's place yesterday. I think your sister's favor is unmatched. Even if she takes the Third Prince, she might not be able to keep Your Highness here," Madam Song said after thinking for a moment.
“As long as she has the Third Prince in her grasp, she has the opportunity to send the Fourth Prince to see the child at any time,” Geng said.
“Sister Song, if I keep clinging to Fourth Master, people will start talking about it in the palace. Niohuru, you are pregnant with Yun, yet you won’t let Fourth Master go elsewhere to relieve his worries. This is truly against the virtues of a woman!” Lanqin said, genuinely admiring that the Fujin (Fourth Prince) could think of so much.
Upon hearing Lanqin's words, Geng and Song's eyes immediately lit up with excitement. After all, they were both the master's women, and they naturally understood why Lanqin had summoned them.
"My two elder sisters, I won't beat around the bush with you. Now that the Fourth Prince is here with me, I'm afraid some people will start spreading rumors and slandering me because I'm pregnant and won't let him go anywhere else. I'm afraid even the ladies in the palace will find out that I'm narrow-minded and jealous of the other concubines. They might then pin some kind of crime on me, and I'll become the target of everyone's criticism," Lanqin said.
"The Princess Consort is truly thoughtful," Song said sarcastically. "Now that she sees you're pregnant, she's immediately released Lady Yin, going to great lengths to get the Prince into her bed. And now she's encouraging the Third Prince to join Lady Yin's side, naturally to give her more leverage in the competition for the Emperor's favor."
"Your own sister is failing, and you're already busy finding this pawn. The Fujin is truly magnanimous," said Madam Geng.
"It's good that you two sisters understand. Now that I can no longer serve the Fourth Prince, I ask you two to put in some effort. Of course, the good things won't go to outsiders. Sister Song and the Prince have known each other since they were young, and the Prince actually has feelings for Sister Song. Sister Song, you can't be so indifferent anymore. In principle, the Third Prince should be raised under your care. If you are willing to fight for it, Lanqin can also speak to the Fourth Prince on your behalf," Lanqin said.
Song blushed, knowing that Lanqin really needed their help at this moment, and nodded.
"Sister Geng, you don't need Lanqin to say anything. You just need to put some effort into changing your decorations and it will look much better. In a little while, let Nianxue comb your hair," Lanqin said to Geng.
"Sister, Fourth Master only has eyes for you. We are all dispensable to him. Actually, I've lost interest in you." Madam Geng understood that she was of average appearance, her family background was far inferior, and she wasn't particularly lively or outgoing. Naturally, Fourth Master didn't pay much attention to her.
"Xi Cha, go to my cabinet and get the qipao that would suit Sister Geng," Nian Xue instructed.
Sigh, our Comrade Lanqin is not happy at all while she is "forming cliques".
However, if the Fujin makes repeated moves and he doesn't respond, not only will it be difficult for the Fourth Prince, but he himself will also be accused of being a concubine who is overbearing on the emperor's favor, which will certainly damage his reputation.
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