"My lord, I know my place," Lanqin said, taking the Fourth Prince's hand and placing it near her face.
The Fourth Prince gently touched her face, which was slightly cool, and said tenderly, "Go, Mother won't make things difficult for you. When I get back, I will take good care of the two little ones."
Lanqin gave Fourth Master a big smile before helping Nianxue leave. Fourth Master had come specifically to find her because he was worried that she had been wronged. Even though she had come to his mother's place, this pity and concern was something many men in the 21st century couldn't do.
Men often prefer to remain neutral when it comes to choosing between their mothers and wives, don't they?
When Lanqin and her maid arrived at Yonghe Palace, it was already late afternoon. As the palace servants led Lanqin inside, Consort De was instructing people to prepare the meal.
Seeing that Lanqin had only just arrived, Consort De was already quite displeased. She ignored her and simply told her to stand at the door and wait.
After the meal was ordered, the palace servants, each responsible for their own tasks, went to their respective posts. Since Consort De did not allow Lanqin to enter, Lanqin had no choice but to stand at the entrance of her palace.
After waiting for a long time, Lanqin finally couldn't wait any longer, so she stepped inside, walked to Consort De's bedside, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
Consort De leaned back on the cushions, dozing off. Hearing Lanqin's voice, she said indifferently, "No manners! I didn't let you in, so why did you come in?"
Lanqin, neither humble nor arrogant, half-squatted and said, "When Mother is ill, it should have been me who came to visit. But I didn't hear from her, so Mother had to summon me herself. It was truly my fault. I came in on my own because I felt that Mother shouldn't have to summon me again. As a daughter-in-law, I should take the initiative to serve her."
Consort De then opened her eyes, glanced at Lanqin's attire, and finally said, "Get up. A concubine can wear red and green. Why are you dressed so old and somber today? Purple doesn't suit you."
Lanqin smiled slightly and said, "Mother is ill, how could I dress so brightly? Purple brings tranquility. I am here to attend to you, not to stroll in the garden. Tranquility will allow me to better serve you."
Consort De said, "You have quite the silver tongue; no wonder the Fourth Prince likes you."
After speaking, Consort De suddenly coughed a few times. Upon hearing this cough, Lanqin knew that Consort De was probably suffering from an old ailment, chronic pharyngitis, which is most likely to flare up in autumn and winter.
This disease is actually related to age and early experiences. In her early years, Consort De was a palace maid who served tea and water, and she must have suffered a lot, which left her with a chronic condition. As she got older, her throat was like a broken part that had been neglected for a long time. As it aged, the problem naturally appeared.
Being a woman who serves tea and water is no easy task. Sometimes, she has to stand for hours while attending to her master, without even getting a sip of water herself. Chronic pharyngitis is caused by not drinking enough water.
"Mother, is this a chronic illness? Does your throat feel particularly dry and sore?" Lanqin asked boldly.
"Alas, I'm old and useless. I get it every year. The imperial physician only says to protect my voice, and I often drink things that are good for my voice, but it still doesn't work." Consort De coughed a few more times as she spoke.
Lanqin saw a teacup on the round table in front of the bed, so she immediately went over, picked up the kettle, poured a cup of water, and brought it to Consort De.
"Mother, drink some water to soothe your throat," Lanqin said.
Consort De glanced at Lanqin, gesturing for her to personally bring her water and feed her. Lanqin understood, immediately stepped forward, and knelt on the bed board where the shoes were placed to feed Consort De water.
After serving her water, Lanqin took a handkerchief and wiped Consort De's mouth.
"I didn't expect you to be so good at serving others," said Consort De.
Lan Qin thought to herself: At Lingzhu's residence, the nanny who taught etiquette had taught me. After entering the palace, I would inevitably have to serve others, so naturally I would not be lacking in these things.
"Before I was married, Father had a nanny teach me manners. Mother, is there anything else that's bothering you?" Lanqin asked after putting away the items.
"No, what do you mean by asking that?" Consort De asked.
"If Mother doesn't have any other ailments, why doesn't she get up and move around a bit? Also, the smell of medicine in this room is a bit strong; could you please open the window? Mother only has a dry, sore throat; it doesn't affect her normal activities," Lanqin said.
After hearing what she said, Consort De looked at her carefully for a few moments, but what she said was true. Whenever she felt unwell, she would feel listless and reluctant to get out of bed.
"Go and open those windows," said Consort De.
Lanqin stepped on the bottom of the flowerpot, walked to the window, reached out and pushed the window open, then propped it up with a bracket.
"Is the Eighteenth Prince recuperating in the Fourth Prince's villa?" came Consort De's voice from behind.
Lanqin was admiring the begonias outside the window when she was suddenly asked this question by Consort De. She had no choice but to withdraw her lingering gaze, turn around and walk to Consort De, saying, "The Eighteenth Prince did indeed go to the Prince's villa."
Emperor Kangxi initially stated that the 18th prince went to the villa of the Fourth Prince, and that Consort Wang went to Huangjue Temple to pray for the 18th prince's well-being.
Consort De stared at Lanqin and said, "Only eighteen?"
Lanqin could feel the scrutiny and questioning in those eyes. Meeting Consort De's gaze, she said firmly, "Only the eighteenth brother. Why does Mother ask such a question?"
Looking at Lanqin's clear eyes, Consort De sighed and said, "Yesterday, I ran into Consort Yi in the Imperial Garden. She actually said that in order to please the Emperor, I even had my son go to please your father's favorite."
After speaking, Consort De coughed a few more times, a hint of disgust flashing in her eyes. She said angrily, "Consort Yi relies on bearing two sons for the Emperor and is favored by him. I have tried my best to avoid her, but these words really chill my heart. The Fourth Prince doesn't even care about his mother in order to please his Imperial Father?"
Lanqin suddenly felt a pang of sorrow for Fourth Master. His own mother couldn't understand him and even joined outsiders in questioning him. Alas. This estrangement between mother and son had reached such a point.
"How could Consort Yi say such things? I don't know if she's trying to sow discord between Mother and Father, or if she's jealous that Father has the Emperor's trust in our son. How could Mother believe her?" Lanqin thought of Ninth Prince. It must have been him and Eighth Prince who deliberately spread rumors in the palace, trying to drive a wedge between Fourth Prince and Consort De. Their intentions were truly sinister.
Consort De was only acting out of anger and believed Consort Yi's words to some extent. After Lanqin's words, she began to wonder if she had fallen into Consort Yi's trap. Fortunately, she did not ask the Fourth Prince directly.
Seeing that Consort De was indeed only somewhat suspicious, Lanqin quickly said, "Noble Lady Wang went to Huangjue Temple to pray for the Eighteenth Prince on the Emperor's orders. Mother can send someone to ask the abbot there. He is a recluse and does not lie. He will surely be able to answer Mother's doubts truthfully."
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