Lanqin's belly was growing bigger and bigger, almost six months along. Fourth Master specially granted Lanqin permission to skip all greetings and rest peacefully in the South Courtyard. He still often accompanied Lanqin for dinner, but he also began to rest elsewhere in the evenings.
Song, Wang, Wu, and Geng, as well as Yin and Yan Yu, all began to receive the Fourth Prince's favor. They even visited the main courtyard once or twice. The Fujin (Prince's wife) remained unchanged; she still couldn't arouse the Fourth Prince's interest, only engaging him in sexual activity.
In fact, apart from Lanqin, the Fourth Prince's feelings for other women were pretty much the same.
I went there and was well taken care of. I spoke cautiously, watching his expression. It was comfortable, but ultimately a bit bland.
Song and Geng were acting differently than usual. Song, in particular, used to be always cautious, afraid of not serving him well. Now that the Fourth Prince was here, she would take the initiative to talk to him about the eldest princess and tell him interesting stories from her conversations with Lanqin. After a while, the Fourth Prince visited her more often, and Song was clearly showing signs of regaining his favor.
Another place she frequented was Wu's. Wu was charming and beautiful, and she seemed to have shed the restless, arrogant, and foolish air she used to have. Ever since Li's death, she had felt isolated. Now, she had experienced the coldness of human relationships and her mind was clearer and more discerning.
I visited Lady Yin a few times, mostly because of the Third Prince. The Princess Consort said the Third Prince often spoke with Lady Yin, so the Fourth Prince naturally developed a better impression of her, especially since of Chenxiang. Lady Yin herself wouldn't be bad off.
Ultimately, Geng Shi's appearance was mediocre, so the Fourth Prince didn't visit her often. She also understood that no matter who was favored in the inner quarters, the fact remained that she wasn't favored, and she couldn't blame anyone else.
The Fourth Prince still rarely visited Lady Wang. Actually, Lady Wang was quite beautiful, even rather strikingly so, and the Princess Consort had secretly tried to entice her, but the Fourth Prince simply didn't like going to her. Later, the Princess Consort concluded that perhaps Lady Wang, like herself, was disliked by the Fourth Prince in matters of the bedroom.
Yan Yu, however, visited the least. Once, the Fourth Prince stayed overnight at her place, but left halfway there. Yan Yu was so ashamed that she didn't leave the house for several days. Later, the women in the inner quarters all guessed the reason, and even the Fujin (the Prince's wife) found it truly unexpected. Indeed, Yan Yu was no longer fit for important tasks.
That day, Fourth Master rested at Lanqin's place again. Because his belly was getting bigger, the baby inside him was becoming more active. To strengthen the bond between Fourth Master and the baby, Lanqin often took Fourth Master's hand and let him touch it. Lanqin even deliberately lifted her clothes so that Fourth Master could see her large belly.
As he touched the baby, Fourth Master couldn't help but touch it frequently. Touching the baby through the belly was a truly wonderful feeling.
Sometimes, the baby in her belly would playfully raise its fist and punch Lanqin's belly in a circle, leaving a small bump on her belly.
"Master, quickly touch him, he's moving again." Lan Qin leaned against the cool couch in the study, while the Fourth Master leaned against the couch inside, pretending to doze off.
Upon hearing this, Fourth Master immediately placed his hand on Lanqin's belly and leaned in close to listen to the sounds inside.
"It's probably a prince, always running around in your belly. Is he going to be a general?" Fourth Master's moon-shaped head was pressed against Lanqin's belly, shining like a light bulb.
Lanqin couldn't help but stroke the bright "light bulb," pouting as she said, "If she were a princess, she would be a heroine like Mu Guiying."
Fourth Master looked up and laughed, then said with a smirk, "If I were like you, I'd be in real trouble."
Lanqin bit her lip, tapped the Fourth Master's "third wheel," and said angrily, "What's wrong with you, Master?"
Fourth Master grabbed Lanqin's hand and suddenly said in a deep voice, "That guy down there has been suffering for months. When can we comfort him?"
Oh my, our Fourth Prince is really speaking bluntly now. Is this still the same cold-faced prince?
Lanqin discovered that ever since she stopped clinging to Fourth Master, he had become increasingly clingy towards her.
Although Fourth Master started occasionally staying overnight elsewhere, no woman could give him the same feeling as Lanqin.
This only made our Fourth Prince even more eager to do *that* with Lanqin.
Besides, pregnant women have a unique kind of beauty. In addition to her belly, Lanqin's face was also rounder, making her even more pleasing to the eye than before.
"It's not like you're starving or thirsty, as if I'm forbidding you from going anywhere else?" Lanqin deliberately rolled her eyes at Fourth Master.
"I just like Lan'er's taste, alright!" Fourth Master's hands began to wander over Lan Qin's body, gradually slipping inside her clothes.
Hearing this, Lanqin was naturally happy. Anyway, she was six months pregnant, and if she was careful and didn't put pressure on her belly, she could do that kind of thing.
"Sir, be gentle. Otherwise, your son will meet you sooner than expected." Lan Qin, no, it should be Lin Mengyao, suddenly remembered a dirty joke from the past and couldn't help but say it.
Fourth Master was taken aback, clearly not understanding. Seeing the little princess curled up there laughing to herself, she naturally knew it wasn't something nice. She immediately leaned in and said fiercely, "Still dare to laugh? See how I get my revenge on you."
They continued their passionate encounter for a couple of hours. For the first time, Fourth Master was so exhausted by Lanqin's presence that he almost fell asleep. The key was that he had to satisfy himself, avoid the little princess's belly, and also make the little princess comfortable—a very difficult task indeed.
The two were making a ruckus in the study, while the servants outside were blushing with embarrassment. Aunt An was anxious, but she couldn't very well barge in. According to her teachings, it was best for the Fourth Master not to touch Lanqin's body at times like this.
The two were so exhausted that they fell asleep immediately. The servants outside, not daring to go in unless called from inside, were naturally too afraid to enter.
Lanqin slept until the sun had set before she opened her eyes and saw that she and Fourth Master were haphazardly covered with a thin quilt, with hardly any clothes on.
Oh dear, Aunt An is going to start nagging again soon.
After the Fourth Prince woke up, the two of them put on their undergarments before calling someone in to help them change. The Fourth Prince felt better, so there was no need for him to go anywhere else.
After dinner, the two went for a walk in the yard to aid digestion.
These days are not bad, but will things still be this peaceful after the baby is born?
In the main courtyard, the Fujin was also looking at the same full moon. After listening to Li Mama read out the list of the Fourth Prince's overnight stays over the past two months, she stopped talking.
"Niu's belly is already as big as a gong, and the master is still with her?" The Fujin originally thought that she could take advantage of Lanqin's pregnancy to push Yin and Wang to the top. But looking at the list of concubines, Yin was still barely acceptable, but Wang was completely unacceptable.
"I never expected that Song Shi, who is almost thirty, could still serve the master?" said Granny Li.
"She's always been a vixen! Don't you remember when she first entered the Fourth Prince's household, wasn't it her who was constantly pestering him?" the Fujin said angrily. Thinking back to ten years ago, when she had just married into the family, neither Song nor Li was ever quiet.
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