Lanqin, unable to bear Nianxue's nagging any longer, had no choice but to entrust the task of watching the child play to Xicha and a few other maids, instructing them to take good care of him, as he was Kangxi's child and they could not afford to bear the consequences if anything happened to him.
As for her, she naturally had to reply to the Fourth Master's letter after being nagged by Nianxue.
“Nianxue, you write it, and I’ll write it,” Lanqin said with a smile.
"What are you saying, Master? How would I know what you and the Master are talking about?" Nianxue blushed slightly when Lanqin teased her.
"Didn't you urge me to write, Master? I had nothing to write. Since you have something to say, then write it down," Lanqin continued teasingly.
"Master~~~" Nianxue stamped her foot anxiously.
Seeing that things had gone well, Lanqin stopped teasing Nianxue and told her to go to the kitchen to check on the lunch preparations. She then began writing a letter to the Fourth Master.
Lanqin sat at her desk, tilting her head, and picked up her pen. She thought and thought, but couldn't think of anything to write. They'd only been apart for a day, and nothing much had happened here. Should she write to the Fourth Prince that the Eighteenth Prince had come to visit Wuxiha and the others?
Lanqin picked up her pen, and then she began to struggle. Originally, she was still a little resentful that he had heartlessly sent her and her son to this villa to keep Lady Wang and her son company, but now that they were living here, she was like a rabbit that had been let loose, and her mind was no longer on him.
“Alright, let’s paint a picture.” Lanqin suddenly had an idea and immediately picked up her brush to start painting.
Meanwhile, Niu Baoquan in the kitchen had already prepared the meal.
The ten dishes brought together the best of both northern and southern cuisines, making everyone's mouths water.
After Lanqin finished her painting, she quickly stuffed it into an envelope while Nianxue was not around and sealed the envelope with paste.
The children were all a bit tired from playing, so Lanqin instructed the maids to call them all into the room to wash their hands and faces. Wuxiha was carried downstairs to drink milk, while Xichen could have some thin porridge with him. The Eighteenth Prince, having grown up in the palace, was very well-mannered, and the maids served him comfortably.
Lanqin originally wanted Lanqi to invite Consort Wang, but then felt it was inappropriate, so she went to the courtyard where Consort Wang lived to invite her herself.
This time, Consort Wang didn't say anything more. Perhaps it was because the Eighteenth Prince was over there, and she had been worried about him for a long time. She didn't know how to go looking for him, so when Lanqin came to invite her to dinner, she naturally agreed.
When Consort Wang and Lanqin arrived, they saw that the Eighteenth Prince and Xichen had already been carried to their seats.
Lady Wang was quite pleased to see that the Eighteenth Prince was sitting quietly at the table waiting, showing no signs of hunger or gluttony.
After Lanqin and Consort Wang were seated as host and guest, the maids removed the large copper lids covering the dishes.
The ten dishes were: Steamed Chicken with Eight Treasures, Whole Lamb Soup, Braised Lotus Seeds, Soft-Fried Silver Carp, Steamed Dried Tofu Strips in Chicken Soup, Braised Mushrooms, Deep-Fried Shrimp, Chestnut Cabbage, Braised Lotus Root Slices with Fermented Bean Curd, and Honey-Glazed Dates.
Lanqin was quite satisfied; the dishes were a good mix of meat and vegetables, all suitable for children. Although Consort Wang had eaten many fine foods in the palace, she was still quite surprised to see that these dishes were of good quality. She and the Eighteenth Prince had been staying here for several days, and the meals served to them daily had never been this elaborate.
"My lord, this was made by the chef that Lanqin brought herself. It's very well made. Would you like to try it?" Lanqin said to Consort Wang.
"Oh, no wonder. The meals from the past few days were nothing like this." Consort Wang said with a smile, and she was beginning to understand Lanqin's status.
Um, is this a complaint that the Fourth Prince didn't give proper instructions to the kitchen?
Lanqin felt a slight displeasure. She was genuinely starting to worry about Consort Wang's intelligence. No wonder the Eighteenth Prince looked so cute, yet someone still tried to harm him.
"Mother, I'm hungry. Can we eat now?" Yinzhi asked.
"Yes, Yinzhi, remember that rule." Consort Wang nodded and said.
When Lanqin saw that Consort Wang had picked up her chopsticks, she couldn't resist either. She first picked up a few golden dates and put them on the plate, then tore off a piece of meat and fed it to Xichen.
But when Lanqin picked up more food, she noticed that neither Consort Wang nor the Eighteenth Prince had touched it. Puzzled, she asked, "Why isn't Consort Wang using any?"
Consort Wang glanced at Lanqin and said, "I wonder which one of you is serving the meal? Look at Consort, are you dining by yourself?"
Lanqin almost sighed, then immediately understood. She quickly chuckled and said, "Lanqin doesn't need them to serve her. She can just pick whatever she wants to eat. If Your Excellency needs anything, please let Nianxue serve you."
The eighteenth prince, perhaps already hungry, blinked his little eyes and said, "Mother, I want to do it myself too."
Lanqin glanced at him with a smile, but Consort Wang thought that the Eighteenth Prince was being somewhat impolite and damaging to the dignity of a prince, so she was immediately displeased.
Seeing the Eighteenth Prince's aggrieved expression, Lanqin quickly smoothed things over, saying, "Come, Xicha, serve the Eighteenth Prince his meal. Give him more food; he's starving."
Xi Cha hurriedly served the Eighteenth Prince his meal, while Nian Xue stood beside Consort Wang to serve him as well.
Lady Wang picked up a piece of dried bean curd from the bowl Nianxue had placed for her, put it in her mouth, chewed it for a long time, and then wiped her mouth with a handkerchief from the table. The Eighteenth Prince did the same, and used only three chopsticks for each dish, refusing to use more than that.
Seeing the mother and son eating like this, Lanqin forced herself to suppress her appetite. She couldn't very well eat without regard for her image in front of them, even though she herself didn't care that much. But now she was representing the Fourth Master's face, so she had no choice but to hold back and eat slowly and deliberately, just like Consort Wang.
"Consort, is this child the Fifth Prince of the Fourth Prince? He looks to be less than six months old," Consort Wang asked.
"Yes. He's only six months old. I'll have the wet nurse feed him some thin porridge to increase his nutrition," Lanqin said.
"How come the Fifth Prince is being kept by the concubine?" Consort Wang asked casually, unaware of the affairs of the Fourth Prince's residence. If she were wise, she wouldn't have asked, and would have kept it to herself. Asking it aloud left her unsure how to respond.
"The Fifth Prince's birth mother has made a mistake, so I will temporarily take care of the Fifth Prince," Lanqin had no choice but to say.
It's easy to imagine that Lanqin was extremely annoyed by the meal. After seeing off Consort Wang and the Eighteenth Prince, she specially asked Nianxue to have Niu Baoquan make her another bowl of noodles, as she was no longer willing to eat the cold food.
That evening, Fourth Master received Lanqin's "letter." When he opened the letter, his usually stern face almost broke into a smile.
On Lanqin's letter paper, there were only a few rabbits drawn. A mother rabbit was leading three baby rabbits playing around. The drawings were very simple, but they looked quite childlike and charming.
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