The Ma family rose to prominence again due to Princess Wenyi's return to the capital. Consort Rong's Yanxi Palace was renovated, and even the Imperial Household Department went out of its way to send fine fabrics and jewelry to Consort Rong.
The palace servants who used to frequent Yonghe Palace and Yikun Palace all turned to the usually quiet Yanxi Palace.
Outside the palace, the residence of the Third Prince Yinzhi has become a new hot spot with a constant stream of visitors. In comparison, the residences of the Fourth Prince and the Eighth Prince are much quieter.
Such days continued until the end of the year. Apart from attending court every day, the Fourth Prince did not go anywhere else. He spent his time playing with Wuxiha with Lanqin, giving Lanqin a good taste of what it was like to live a secluded life.
As the year drew to a close, Lanqin assisted the Fujin (principal wife) in preparing the New Year's gifts for the Fourth Prince's residence. Every day, the head nanny sent people to inquire about matters, and the Fujin herself sent people to inquire about matters; in short, Lanqin was busier than ever before.
After taking a two-day break, Fourth Master simply stayed in the South Courtyard. Perhaps because Wuxiha resembled Fourth Master so much, and was especially favored by him, Fourth Master would sometimes watch Wuxiha crawling, playing, laughing, or crying at him on the warm couch.
The Fujin (Prince Consort) was to record everything that entered the manor, and she entrusted Lanqin with this task. Lanqin couldn't say anything; as a secondary Fujin, she had to obey her orders. Lanqin and Cui Niang were checking the Fourth Prince's charcoal tribute and the harvest from the estate. Every year at the end of the year, lists of gifts from officials at all levels across the country to the princes would be continuously sent to the manor.
To put it bluntly, this is the time to pull strings and get things done through back channels.
Local officials or those in the capital, having taken a liking to a particular prince, would stake their entire families and future promotions on gifts. Some would stake on more than one family; after all, giving gifts was never wrong. This year, the Third Prince Yinzhi's mansion would probably be overflowing with the annual tributes and charcoal gifts he had received.
The number of gifts sent to the Fourth Prince's mansion this year is indeed less than in previous years. However, Lanqin has been busy sorting out these New Year's gifts from local officials for the past few days, and she hasn't had a moment's peace.
Fourth Master was playing horsey with Wuxiha inside the house. Fourth Master was the horse, and Wuxiha was the rider, currently riding on Fourth Master's back, holding Fourth Master's braid, and making cooing noises.
My goodness, only Ushiha would dare to ride on the backside of the future Yongzheng Emperor. Lanqin glanced at the father and daughter, and saw that the Fourth Prince was overjoyed, showing no sign of being a "disfavored" prince.
Cui Niang watched Lan Qin stare blankly at the Fourth Prince crawling all over the room, then smiled and said, "It seems like the Master has become a different person in your presence. Before, he wouldn't say a word to us servants. But now, is the Master still that cold-faced Fourth Prince?"
Lanqin turned around triumphantly and said to Cui Niang, "Actually, no one likes wearing such a cold mask. The reason why the Fourth Prince is called the cold prince is just because he is too lazy to wear a gentle mask. Since everyone wears different masks, it is the prince who has become the cold-faced prince. It's really ridiculous."
"Oh dear, Wuxiha peed!" Fourth Master suddenly shouted, but it was too late. Our Wuxiha decisively peed a stream of hot urine down Fourth Master's neck.
The wet nurse was too frightened to move, while everyone else stared in astonishment at Ushiha, who was chuckling.
"Put Wu down, Nianxue, quickly prepare water, I need to take a bath." Lanqin suppressed a laugh, stood up from the main bed, walked to the Fourth Master's side, squatted down and looked at the Fourth Master's depressed face, saying, "From now on, no one will dare to pee on my neck anymore. I've finally experienced what it's like to be a wet nurse. Come on, let's go take a bath."
After all, she was his own daughter, so how could the Fourth Master bear to lose his temper, especially since he was the one who wanted her to be.
Although it was already the dead of winter outside, and Fourth Master had accompanied Lanqin to search for plum blossoms in the snow several times, it didn't stop her from taking a bath at all. The house had already been heated by the underfloor heating system, similar to modern water heating. Then a large wooden tub filled with hot water was brought in, and to prevent the heat from escaping, the tub was placed in a corner surrounded by gauze curtains on all four sides.
Lanqin hadn't bathed with the Fourth Master in a long time. Watching him gradually take off his outer clothes, she didn't want to bathe with him, but he wouldn't let her out.
"My lord, I still need to check the account books!" Lanqin said coyly.
"I'll watch it with you tonight, and now you'll accompany me to take a bath," Fourth Master said, unmoved.
"Master, it's broad daylight, and all the maids are outside," Lanqin said, blushing.
"What's there to be embarrassed about, my lord, embracing his concubine in his own mansion? Tell all the maids to wait outside," the Fourth Prince insisted.
"But, sir, I've gotten my period!!!" Lanqin finally blurted out the truth.
Fourth Master was stunned, and there was probably a basket of sweat dripping down his forehead, but he still refused to let go of Lanqin and said, "Then you serve me your bath."
Lanqin had no choice but to agree, but serving the Fourth Master during his bath was a worthwhile thing. You see, our Fourth Master is an absolute handsome man, and his physique is also excellent, absolutely no less than those male gods.
Only after Fourth Master walked naked into the wooden tub did Lanqin dare to look up at him. Just moments before, when he removed his undergarments, Lanqin hadn't dared to look. She felt that this man wasn't an ordinary man, and seeing his entire body so closely in broad daylight was incredibly shameful for her.
"You've seen it before, why are you looking so embarrassed?" Fourth Master teased, looking at Lanqin's face, which was as red as an apple.
"I've never seen it like this before. I always washed in my undergarments the other times," Lanqin said honestly.
"Qin'er, this time Father Emperor has been so kind to Third Brother, do you think he is truly disappointed in the Crown Prince?" Fourth Prince asked, holding Lanqin's small hand as she washed him.
"My lord, this is a matter of great importance to the court. Lanqin is merely a woman confined to the inner quarters; how could she possibly presume to know the Emperor's intentions?" Lanqin wasn't unwilling to speak, but rather afraid to. She feared that if she spoke too much, the Fourth Prince would truly regard her as a sorceress in the future.
"It's just you and me here, so please feel free to speak," Fourth Master insisted.
Lanqin hesitated for a moment, but still couldn't help but say, "The Third Prince is actually not that outstanding. He's just good at writing and can compose poems. But the highest decision-makers of the Qing Dynasty certainly don't need someone like that. Now that Father Emperor is promoting the Third Prince, he naturally has his own reasons. These reasons are beyond Lanqin's comprehension."
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