When the Fourth Prince entered, Lanqin was chatting with Consort De and Consort Cheng. The entire west wing was filled with laughter and conversation, and there was no scene as he had imagined that Lanqin would displease Consort De.
The Fourth Prince walked in with some surprise, only to hear Lanqin talking about the funny story of him changing Wuxiha's diaper. Even Consort De was surprised by this. Instead of scolding Lanqin, she laughed. In Consort De's mind, the Fourth Prince was always serious and aloof. It was really novel that he could change Wuxiha's diaper.
This little princess... A bead of sweat slid down the side of the Fourth Prince's head.
"Your son greets Mother and Consort Cheng!" The Fourth Prince, as if he hadn't heard Lanqin's words, walked in and greeted Consort De and Consort Cheng with a stern face.
"Fourth Prince, your concubine is truly remarkable, even managing to get you to change the baby's diapers yourself." Consort Cheng laughed until tears almost streamed down her face, unable to contain her joy.
Fourth Master glanced at Lanqin, unsure how to respond.
Consort De looked at him and said, "It's good to enjoy family time with the children. Fourth Prince, take your concubine to thank your father. I'm tired too. If you come again, I'll prepare lunch for you. If you don't come, Consort Cheng and I will just have something to eat."
Upon hearing this, Lanqin thought to herself: "Sigh, this is also a mother and son. No wonder the Fourth Prince has always felt awkward about Consort De. The mother is putting on airs, and the son is putting on airs; the affection between them has been completely destroyed by this obsession with saving face."
"Mother, my husband and I are here to have a meal. Otherwise, if Father Emperor sends us away, we'll have to go back hungry. Please have pity on us and give us some food," Lanqin said eagerly.
Fourth Master glanced at Lanqin again, but this time his gaze was one of appreciation.
Seeing that Lanqin had already said so much, it would be too disrespectful of her to refuse to serve her son a meal. So, Consort De instructed the two of them to go and thank Emperor Kangxi before returning to dine.
After the two left, Consort Cheng said to Consort De, "This Lady Niu is a very genuine girl. I think Your Highness's fourth son truly likes her."
Consort De glanced at Consort Cheng and said, "But he is not from an ordinary family, and he can marry someone he likes. Now that he has been made a secondary consort, it is already considered too much. As for your seventh son, whether he chooses according to his own temperament or not, it is up to His Majesty to decide. I can only offer my advice from the sidelines."
Consort Cheng originally wanted to say a few more good words for Lanqin, but upon hearing that her son was going to remarry, she dared not say anything more.
Meanwhile, the Fourth Prince and Lanqin walked hand in hand on the palace road, with Nianxue and Xicha following far behind.
"Master, are we going to the Qianqing Palace to express our gratitude to Father Emperor?" Lanqin asked.
"Yes, Father Emperor always rests there after court, reading memorials," the Fourth Prince said.
"Master, if you see Father later, please pay more attention to the Eighteenth Prince. He's so young, yet he's already suffered so much misfortune," Lanqin couldn't help but reveal the secret. As she spoke, she worried that Heaven might punish her.
Seeing that the weather was fine and sunny, with no sign of rain or thunder, Lanqin finally felt relieved.
When the Fourth Prince heard Lanqin suddenly mention the Eighteenth Prince, he couldn't help but ask, "How do you know that the Eighteenth Prince has suffered so much misfortune?"
Lanqin smiled and said, "When I went to the Fourth Prince's residence, I saw many palace servants going in and out, and it was very chaotic. I guess something must have happened to the prince inside."
The Fourth Prince naturally had no affection for his little brother, who was only a few years old, and rarely saw him. Therefore, he could not possibly have the same affection as Emperor Kangxi.
It's understandable that the Crown Prince didn't show much grief over the death of his eighteenth son. Emperor Kangxi had so many sons that some of his concubines were still pregnant when he died.
Fourth Master quickly understood Lanqin's intention. He took her hand, kissed it, and said, "Eighteenth Brother is my own brother. It's only natural to ask him a few questions out of concern. You don't need to worry about it."
Seeing that Fourth Master understood, Lanqin said no more, after all, revealing too many secrets could bring unwarranted disaster.
When they arrived at the Qianqing Palace, Liang Jiugong saw that the Fourth Prince had brought Lanqin with him. He just had a bitter face and gestured for them to slow down.
"Eunuch Liang, is Father Emperor here? Why won't he let us in?" Fourth Prince asked, puzzled.
“The Emperor is here, but Consort Wang is inside crying and complaining to him. It might be inappropriate for the Fourth Prince to go in now,” Liang Jiugong said.
As expected, they've come to the Qianqing Palace! Lanqin thought to herself.
"Is it because of the Eighteenth Prince?" the Fourth Prince couldn't help but ask.
"The Fourth Prince knows that the Eighteenth Prince has always been in poor health. That's why Consort Wang came to request the Emperor's permission to take the Eighteenth Prince back to care for him. But she is only a Consort and has no right to raise a prince. The Emperor is in a dilemma," Liang Jiugong said.
“My eighteenth brother has been in poor health since childhood. It is only natural that Consort Wang would like to take him back to care for him,” said the Fourth Master.
Liang Jiugong nodded helplessly.
Lanqin suddenly thought of something and said to Liang Jiugong, "Eunuch Liang, could you go and tell Father that the Fourth Prince wants to take the Eighteenth Brother to the estate for recuperation? You can ask Consort Wang to go with him. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"
When Fourth Master heard this, he was taken aback by Lanqin's bold idea, but after thinking about it again, he felt that what she said was indeed a good idea.
Liang Jiugong looked at the Fourth Master noncommittally, and only dared to go in and report after seeing the latter nod.
Sure enough, the Fourth Master and she were quickly invited inside.
Emperor Kangxi was sitting behind his desk, while Lady Wang looked dazed. The rouge on her face had faded considerably, clearly washed away by tears, and she quickly wiped her face dry.
"Your subject and concubine greet Your Majesty, wishing Your Majesty continued blessings and good health." The two knelt down in unison and kowtowed.
"Tell me, you've come up with a way to satisfy Consort Wang's demands without violating ancestral rules. Tell me about it," Kangxi said directly to Lanqin.
Lanqin composed herself, stepped out from behind the Fourth Prince, bowed again to Kangxi, and said, "I have heard that Consort Wang cherishes my Eighteenth Prince, which is truly the heart of a loving mother. Now that I am a mother myself, I know the pain of separation between mother and child. Therefore, I humbly request Your Majesty to grant permission for my Eighteenth Prince to recuperate at Your Majesty's estate, with Consort Wang accompanying him. This way, mother and child can be reunited, and the Eighteenth Prince can receive better care."
Kangxi glanced at Lanqin, then at Consort Wang. Before he could speak, Consort Wang knelt down with a thud, weeping, "Your Majesty, I beg you to do as Consort Niu wishes. As long as I can see my son well, I will do anything."
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