Seeing that Lanqin was such a straightforward person, Madam Mao couldn't help but reveal some of her true feelings as well, saying, "This concubine thanks Consort for the gift. But I have taken away someone else's love."
After speaking, she took the ebony hairpin from Lanqin's hands. The hairpin head was carved into the shape of an unknown flower, and the handle was carved like a sharp sword. Lanqin liked it as soon as she saw it.
"Princess Mao, I didn't bring anything valuable. Here, take this kaleidoscope; I just bought it at the shop." Seeing that Lanqin had given her a birthday gift, Shiba wanted to give her one too.
The Eighth Prince smiled and nodded. Even without his approval, Madam Mao would have accepted the gift anyway, saying only, "Thank you for the gift, Eighteenth Prince. I am very pleased with it."
Although they weren't particularly valuable items, they were things that the two of them genuinely liked, and they were more meaningful than gold or silver.
After the dishes were served, Lanqin started eating with the Eighteenth Prince, not giving the Eighth Prince a chance to ask questions. Seeing that they were not reserved, Mao also relaxed.
I had finally managed to have a meal alone with Eighth Master today, but we ran into someone. I was prepared to serve them well, but little did I know that Lanqin was such an easy person to get along with.
Looking at them like this, the Eighth Prince thought to himself: Well, it's not easy to come out with Madam Mao. Meeting Fourth Brother's concubine was an accident, and meeting the Eighteenth was an even bigger accident. I shouldn't think too much about it. It's good to have a happy meal.
Having figured it out, Eighth Master stopped trying to get anything out of Lanqin, and the group peacefully enjoyed the delicious food together.
"Consort Niu, I wonder if I will have the opportunity to visit you in the future. I received your gift today and I feel I must return the favor," said Madam Mao. She was the daughter of Mao Erge, a fifth-rank official. She had only entered the household as a concubine, and her current status as a princess was promoted by the Eighth Prince.
"Come on, sister! Actually, the Fourth Prince's residence and the Eighth Prince's residence are very close, just across the street. I'll send you an invitation when I return to my residence." Lanqin ate happily and liked this straightforward Mao Shi, who wasn't bound by many formalities. Logically, Mao Shi was a princess, while Lanqin was now a concubine; their statuses weren't equal. Mao Shi had no right to give Lanqin gifts. But neither of them seemed to realize this.
Eighth Master looked at Madam Mao and saw that she was quite familiar with Lanqin. He was pleased and kept serving Eighteen dishes while quietly listening to the two women talk.
I thought the meal wouldn't be very good, but surprisingly it turned out to be quite enjoyable.
Seeing that they had almost finished eating, Lanqin said to Eighth Master, "It's quite a coincidence that we met on Princess Mao's birthday today. Don't keep her from coming over. She can come to my courtyard to sit sometime. Eighteen and I thank you for this meal, Eighth Master."
The Eighth Prince smiled throughout. When he heard Lanqin say this, he knew that she was taking her leave, so he flattered her, saying, "It is her good fortune to meet Consort and Eighteenth Brother today. I apologize for any future trouble caused by Madam Mao."
Lanqin cheerfully took her leave with Eighteen, firmly refusing Eighth Master's offer to see her off.
After seeing Lanqin off, Princess Mao noticed that the smile on Eighth Master's face was gradually fading, so she cautiously asked, "Master, did I do well?"
Mao genuinely liked Lanqin and wanted to befriend her, but her social status meant she could never truly become a close friend of Lanqin.
“Well done. Since Niu entered the manor, she has been favored by my fourth brother. It’s good that you’ve established a relationship with her. But why did Eighteen come out with her? Given my fourth brother’s temperament, he would never let her bring Eighteen out alone. It seems she came out secretly.” Ever since Eighth Prince learned that Kangxi had sent Eighteen to Fourth Prince’s villa to recuperate, he had felt a little uncomfortable. Now, seeing how familiar Lanqin and Eighteen seemed, he roughly understood what was going on.
Mao was of humble status, but she was promoted to the rank of princess by the Eighth Prince. She was obedient and well-behaved, knowing when to yield and never acting spoiled. This was what the Eighth Prince liked about her. As for her appearance, she was naturally beautiful, but there were so many beautiful women. Why was Mao promoted, seemingly overshadowing Zhang?
Besides, Lanqin practically fled with Shiba and her two maids. She had no desire to continue sightseeing with Shiba; if they ran into a prince or two, she would have to explain herself all over again.
Once inside the carriage, Lanqin felt a little sleepy and said to Shiba, "Are you tired? If you are, lean against your sister-in-law and take a nap."
The Eighteenth Prince is still alive; she can't very well fall asleep first.
"Thank you, sister-in-law. Yinjie isn't sleepy. If you feel sleepy, please take a nap," Shiba said sensibly, seeing that Lanqin's eyes were starting to droop.
Eighteen is so cute~~
Lanqin propped herself up, but after a while, she fell asleep on Nianxue's shoulder.
The two maids smiled understandingly at the Eighteenth Prince and said, "Eighteenth Prince, if you are sleepy, you can sleep here for a while. We will watch over you."
Eighteen was actually a little sleepy. It had been more than an hour's journey by carriage, how could she not be sleepy?
When the carriage finally returned to Fourth Master Changping's villa, Lanqin and Shiba were woken up. As soon as they got off the carriage, they saw Sihua standing anxiously at the door.
"Consort, you're finally back. The master is here~" Si Hua greeted Lan Qin anxiously.
Lanqin felt uneasy, thinking: Why did they have to come today of all days? What kind of day is this? It's definitely not a good day to go out.
Lanqin turned to Shiba and said, "Go back to your mother now. Remember to tell her that you went to visit the village with your sister-in-law. If your mother asks where you went, just say that you went with your sister-in-law and don't remember where you went."
Shiba had just heard what Sihua said and said worriedly, "Sister-in-law, does Fourth Brother not like you taking me out? If he's angry, then I'll go and apologize to him."
What a good child! He must have inherited all of Wang's intelligence!
Lanqin smiled and touched Shiba's cheek, saying, "It's alright, your fourth brother is just like that, he likes to scare people. Your sister-in-law can handle him, let's go back."
Lanqin gestured to Xicha to take Shiba back, and the latter agreed, taking Shiba's hand as they left.
When Lanqin entered her courtyard, she saw Chen Shou kneeling there with a large porcelain jar balanced on his head.
"Consort, you're finally back. The master is inside," Lan Qi said, rushing to greet Lan Qin as she entered the courtyard.
"What is Chen Shou doing?" Lan Qin asked.
"He was forced to kneel by his master," Lan Qi whispered.
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