Nianxue had no choice but to hand the letter from the Fourth Prince to Lanqin. Lanqin simply crossed her legs, completely disregarding the demeanor of a concubine, and held up the letter to read it.
"Princess, it's getting chilly, you should put your legs under the covers." Nianxue felt embarrassed when she saw Lanqin's right foot, which was only showing half of its calf.
Well, in the Qing Dynasty, a woman's feet were naturally considered a private part of her body and were not easily shown to others.
"Nianxue, find me that set of men's clothing. Today, I, the concubine, am going horseback riding. Why stay cooped up in the house when you're out having fun?" Lanqin saw that the Fourth Prince's letter was nothing more than instructing her to take good care of the two children and to visit Consort Wang and her children from time to time. There was nothing else to write.
Anyway, Lanqin didn't expect Fourth Master to suddenly have an inspiration and write her a love letter.
"Princess, you're not here to play around!" Nianxue was one of the few maids who knew why Lanqin had been sent here by the Fourth Master; in fact, it was only the four maids who knew.
"I can't possibly stay with Consort Wang every day. She and her child are doing well, and I don't know them well. It would be bad if I went over and disturbed their rest. Look how clear and refreshing it is outside. It would be such a waste not to go horseback riding." Lanqin sat cross-legged on the smooth brocade quilt.
"What will happen to the little princess? What will happen to the young master?" Nianxue was worried when she saw Lanqin in such a playful mood. With their master not around, if Lanqin made a mistake, the rest of them would be in trouble.
"The two little ones can just be held and played with by their nanny. They don't need to bring all those toys with them." Lanqin naturally realized that Nianxue was using the two little ones to suppress her and prevent her from going out.
“Your Highness, the Eighteenth Prince has arrived. He says he wants to pay his respects to the Consort.” Si Hua’s voice rang out at just the right moment.
What? The eighteenth prince has arrived?
Lanqin was quite surprised. She had only briefly met the Fourth Master yesterday in Consort Wang's courtyard. He was a very handsome and delicate-looking boy.
"Is there only the eighteenth prince?" Lanqin looked at herself in her undergarments, her hair disheveled. It wouldn't look good if she met Consort Wang like this.
"Yes, the eighteenth prince was brought by the wet nurse. She said he wanted to play with the concubine's younger brother and sister," Si Hua said.
"Alright, let him in. He's just a kid, it's alright." Lanqin felt relieved; thankfully, Consort Wang hadn't come.
The eighteenth prince, dressed in a brown robe and wearing an orange shoulder cape, walked in holding the painter's hand.
"The Eighteenth Prince greets his concubine!" The little boy's innocent voice, coupled with his adorable little face, was simply too cute.
"Come, come here quickly so your sister-in-law can take a look. Your name is Yinxi, right?" Lanqin quickly put on her shoes, got off the bed, walked to the eighteenth prince, squatted down, and took his little hand to ask.
"Hmm. Mother said that my sister-in-law brought a little brother and a little sister. Can I play with them?" Yinxi's little face felt cool to the touch, and his complexion was too pale.
"Of course you can! Go play with the little brothers and sisters, how about that?" Lanqin immediately took a liking to this child who was destined to die young.
Yinxi smiled happily, bowed to Lanqin again, and then let Sihua lead him out to find Wuxiha and Xichen to play.
Lanqin sighed. What a polite child, it's just a pity he doesn't have a good mother to protect him.
Consort Wang appears to be shrewd, but her actions are actually quite poor. The day Lanqin watched her palanquin head towards the Qianqing Palace, it was likely far beyond the standards for a consort.
It is impossible for a noblewoman to have her own sedan chair, which shows that it was a special privilege granted to her by Emperor Kangxi. Furthermore, a noblewoman could not go to the emperor's office without being summoned by him.
It's clear that Consort Wang has somewhat abused Emperor Kangxi's favor. Such a lack of discretion has likely offended many people in the palace.
Lanqin suddenly realized that by recruiting such a task for the Fourth Prince, she might offend even the Consort De.
Fortunately, Kangxi kept this a secret from the palace, and the Fourth Prince also kept it a secret very well. It's likely that even Consort De wouldn't know about this matter. Besides, Lanqin getting the Fourth Prince to take on this task earned her a lot of goodwill from Kangxi.
Little did people know that Emperor Kangxi would occasionally summon his son, the Fourth Prince, to the Qianqing Palace for a chat and to inquire about state affairs, which shows that the relationship between father and son was gradually growing stronger.
Seeing that the eighteenth prince had arrived, Lanqin could no longer bring up the matter of going out for a horseback ride alone.
Well, since it's a rare occasion for the Eighteenth Prince to come, Lanqin decided to treat him well and prepare a sumptuous lunch for him. She would also invite Consort Wang over to join them, as a way of showing the Fourth Prince's hospitality.
The wet nurse, along with little Wuxiha and Xichen, played with the toys Lanqin had brought out in the courtyard with the Eighteenth Prince. Lanqin personally went to the kitchen and instructed Niu Baoquan to use whatever ingredients were available and do his best to prepare a meal that suited the child's taste.
Niu Baoquan naturally dared not be negligent. He had already inquired about the produce of this estate and started preparations last night.
When Lanqin returned to the courtyard, she saw the Eighteenth Prince accompanying Xichen to the little wooden horse. Xichen sat on the horse, the Eighteenth Prince followed behind, and the wet nurse supported Xichen. The three of them played until they were covered in sweat.
"Wipe their sweat so they don't catch a chill," Lanqin instructed the wet nurse standing nearby.
"Consort, you haven't replied to the master yet!" Nianxue reminded her from the side.
Lanqin glanced at Nianxue and said, "I don't have time to reply. I have to play with the children. Besides, there's nothing much to write about."
Nianxue was anxious. Her master's temperament was becoming more and more capricious, and sometimes she couldn't even figure out Lanqin's attitude towards her master.
If I say I care, I seem to never care about these little things; if I say I don't care, I still wouldn't let go when my master left yesterday.
"Xichen, let Brother Yinxi play for a while, okay?" Lanqin said when she saw the Eighteenth Prince pushing the little horse from behind.
Sigh, the generational hierarchy is all messed up. Calling him "brother" is actually incorrect. According to the generational hierarchy, Xichen should call Yinxi "Eighteenth Uncle".
But Lanqin just couldn't bring herself to say it; the two children were only three years apart.
When the wet nurse heard Lanqin say that, she naturally took Xichen down from the carriage. The little guy was kicking and struggling unwillingly.
“Sister-in-law, if my little brother doesn’t want to, then forget it. It’ll be the same if Yinxi pushes him.” the Eighteenth Prince said.
“Riding a horse and pushing a horse feel completely different, Yinxi, why don’t you try it? Your sister-in-law will push you along.” Lanqin felt sorry for the child; he was just too polite.
The eighteenth prince was already four years old and could sit in the carriage and play without anyone's help. Lanqin pushed him from behind, and he found it extremely fun; there was nothing like this in the palace.
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