"Why do you suddenly want to bring the Third Prince over? You still have Wuxiha and Xichen here. If the Third Prince comes over, he will pass on his illness to the two younger ones." The Fourth Prince was obviously unwilling. Firstly, Lanqin was already taking care of the two children, and secondly, the Third Prince was already being raised by Madam Yin. It would be inappropriate to move him over now.
Lanqin knew what the Fourth Master was thinking, and naturally had no intention of blaming him for refusing. Besides, such thoughts were merely her own inner unease. But was the scene in Li Shi's dream so vivid?
"You should go visit him more often. The Third Prince has always liked you. Tell him a few jokes to cheer him up and help him recover from his illness faster." The Fourth Prince pulled Lanqin up and helped her tidy her stray hairs.
"Okay, I'll go visit often, that's good too." Lanqin wrapped her arms around Fourth Master's waist, nestled in his embrace, and felt more at ease and at peace as she inhaled the unique scent of sandalwood emanating from him.
Winter always arrives suddenly in Beijing overnight, with the north wind howling through the streets and alleys like a beast just released from its cage. It blows away the last remaining golden hues of late autumn and shatters the last vestiges of warmth in people's hearts.
The Third Prince's health had been fluctuating, and with the arrival of winter, his condition had worsened.
Lanqin would visit Madam Yin's room from time to time. She had almost never been to Madam Yin's room before, but now she would go to see her every two or three days and bring some trinkets to cheer up the Third Prince.
On this day, the sky was overcast, and braziers were lit everywhere. Madam Yin was not entitled to use red charcoal in her room, but Fourth Prince, out of consideration for Third Prince's illness, allocated some from his own rations for him.
After having breakfast, Lanqin carried a wooden box and, with Nianxue's help, came to the West Courtyard.
"This humble servant greets Consort Lanqin," said Lady Yin, naturally going over to pay her respects upon seeing Lanqin arrive.
"How is the Third Prince today? Make sure he eats something light and avoids anything that might cause internal heat," Lanqin asked. She always inquired about the Third Prince's diet and daily life whenever she came.
“Yes, I’ve been giving the Third Prince nourishing food every day. But for some reason, his health hasn’t been getting better, and he coughs more at night.” Madam Yin stood respectfully in front of Lanqin and said, noticing a dark bluish tint around her eyes, clearly caused by staying up too late.
"Princess Yin, you should also take care of your health. I'll go check on the Third Prince. You should go and rest," Lanqin said. She had never paid much attention to Lady Yin, and after that incident, Lady Yin seemed to avoid her. The two rarely communicated, and their only interaction was when she paid her respects to the Fujin (Prince's wife).
"Thank you for your concern, Consort. I am not tired. However, since you are here to see the Third Prince, I will not disturb you any longer." Lady Yin curtsied and then withdrew with her maids.
Lanqin glanced at the departing figure, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes, which she quickly suppressed.
As soon as she entered the Third Prince's room, she smelled a strong medicinal odor and heard the Third Prince coughing.
"Third Prince!" Lanqin sighed inwardly, vaguely recalling the untimely death of the Third Prince Hongjun, wondering if it was now.
"Auntie, what fun things did you bring me today?" The Third Prince was young and did not know his own health condition. Because he was sick, he was more spoiled than usual.
"Yes, Auntie brought some nice things for the Third Prince today." Lanqin walked to the bedside, took Nianxue's hand, and sat her down on the edge of the Third Prince's bed.
"What good stuff, Aunt? I'm so bored lying in bed taking medicine every day. Aunt, can you take me out to play? Aunt Yin won't let me go out, saying it's cold outside and bad for my health," Hongjun said with a smile. It seems that Madam Yin is quite good to him; the Third Prince has been smiling much more often in the past six months.
“Aunt Yin is right, it’s very cold outside. You can’t catch a chill, so you should stay inside, okay? Auntie brought you something to play with, come and see.” Lanqin reached out and touched the Third Prince’s little face before turning around to take the wooden box that Nianxue handed over.
"What is it?" the Third Prince asked in surprise. Children are always happy when someone tries to make them happy, especially since Lanqin's gifts are always different from what others bring.
Lanqin opened the wooden box and took out a square block of wood. Each of the six sides of the box depicted a picture. The pictures were all childlike, showing children playing with crickets, kicking shuttlecocks, or reading and practicing calligraphy together.
"Third Prince, this thing is called a 'Magic Puzzle.' All these blocks can move! Try it. Your aunt has scrambled them; try to put them back together as they are now. It's a bit of a brain teaser." Lanqin had put in a lot of effort to explain the principles of the Rubik's Cube to her "personal" carpenter. To be honest, Lanqin didn't even know if Carpenter Wang could make it, but he did, which really excited her. Having this thing would really help pass the time when she had nothing else to do.
As expected, the Third Prince was completely captivated by the Rubik's Cube, snatched it from Lanqin's hand, and started playing with it.
Lanqin quietly watched the Third Prince begin to play. Seeing his focused concentration, she began to examine his bed. She noticed that his curtains were embroidered with numerous grape and peanut patterns, all symbolizing good fortune in Manchu. Looking at the Third Prince's pillow and bedding, she saw that the pillow was made of Suzhou satin, appearing extremely soft and warm; the quilt also had a Suzhou satin cover. Lanqin touched the quilt; she couldn't tell what material was used inside, but it felt very soft.
"So soft. This quilt?" Lanqin couldn't help but exclaim.
"This was sent by my stepmother, who said it was to keep me warm," the Third Prince said without even looking up, still focused on the Rubik's Cube in his hand.
Lanqin was taken aback, then touched the quilt again. It was indeed smooth and soft, even softer than Lanqin's own quilts.
"Third Prince, why did your stepmother give you a quilt and pillow?" Lanqin asked.
"It was brought over a few days ago, and my aunt changed it for me. She said it was a token of her mother's affection, so she changed it for me." Hongjun raised his head and looked at Lanqin blankly.
"It's nothing, Auntie is just asking. Tell Auntie, what do you eat every day?" Lanqin asked again.
"Nothing special, mostly fish and meat, which is said to be warming and nourishing, and some dishes made with cucumbers, radishes, and greens. Hongjun used to love eating mutton, but Aunt Yin said it was too 'heaty' and wouldn't let me eat it anymore," the Third Prince said.
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