They finally arrived. The three little girls chattered and peeked out the car window. The plate of pastries that Dachun had just handed over had already been devoured by them.
Fourth Master and Lanqin hadn't come down yet, so they didn't dare to come down first. They just watched as they arrived at a house where the red-lacquered gate was already open, and the servants and maids were filing out, lined up in two rows to welcome their soon-to-arrive masters.
Su Peisheng helped Fourth Master and Lanqin get off the carriage before Dachun could. As soon as they stepped off, a cold wind swept over them, and Fourth Master quickly pulled Lanqin into his arms.
"Go and fetch the concubine's cloak." Before the Fourth Prince could finish speaking, Da Chun had already taken the snow fox fur cloak from Nian Xue behind him and handed it to the Fourth Prince.
Lanqin smiled as Fourth Master helped her put on the snow fox fur cloak. Dachun then handed Fourth Master's cloak to Su Peisheng, a move that surprised him slightly. He glanced at Dachun before taking Fourth Master's silver fox fur cloak and draping it over Fourth Master's shoulders.
After everyone had climbed out of the carriage, Fourth Master turned and looked back. The journey hadn't been easy. The snow had just melted, and there were still bits of ice on the ground; the weather wasn't very warm. However, this countryside, far from the capital, had its own unique charm.
Lanqin looked up and saw the straight birch forest on both sides of the road, swaying gently under the azure sky, looking exceptionally spirited and at ease.
"Are you cold? Let's go inside." The Fourth Prince noticed that Lanqin's nose was slightly red and knew she was cold. This time at the Lingzhu Mansion, the Fourth Prince had specifically asked about Lanqin's health from Lady Anjia, finally understanding why Lanqin was so afraid of the cold. It turned out that in the dead of winter before the imperial concubine selection, she had inexplicably fallen into her own family's lotus pond. After being rescued from the water, Lanqin lay in bed for over half a month before she could get up.
"It's beautiful here, but it's still quite chilly in early spring." Lanqin's hands were a little cold, so she tucked them into her sleeves.
Fourth Master waved his hand behind him, then took Lanqin's hand and strode inside.
As the group entered the courtyard, they discovered it was a much larger and more spacious compound than the Fourth Prince's residence. The rooms were spaced apart, unlike the more compact layout of the Fourth Prince's mansion. This was, after all, just a villa, not the meticulously designed Fourth Prince's residence. Here, the paths between the houses were paved with square bricks, and there were more flowers, plants, and trees on both sides than on their last visit.
"Where is the person in charge? Come up and give us your answers." Fourth Master turned around and said to the group of maids who were following closely behind them.
A woman in her thirties walked up. She had neat eyebrows and a kind face. She curtsied to the Fourth Prince and said, "This servant's surname is Zhou. I am a bondservant of the Bordered White Banner. I pay my respects to the Fourth Prince."
The Fourth Prince nodded slightly and said to her, "You are in charge of all the expenses here, right? You will go to the concubine's room every day and report all the expenses to her. Do you understand?"
Granny Zhou immediately turned to Lanqin, curtsied, and said, "Greetings to Consort Lanqin. I will go to Consort Lanqin's courtyard every day at dawn to report the daily harvest and expenses of this estate to you."
Lanqin smiled at the Fourth Prince, knowing that he was starting to put her in charge of the household, which would at least give her some experience. So she said to Granny Zhou, "No need to come so early. I like to sleep. You can come at 9:00 AM every day. Also, I want to put someone in the kitchen, and from now on, everyone in the kitchen will be under his command."
Granny Zhou nodded obediently, thinking to herself that this master didn't seem to be a very strict person, and she would have more time to deal with things.
"Granny Zhou, are the rooms prepared for the three princesses? Please send someone to take them there first," said the Fourth Prince.
"Everything is ready. Mama Lin, come here, you can take the three princesses first," said Granny Zhou to an older woman standing in the group.
So, Xinyi, Shuhui, and Xiuzhu, along with their respective maids who had been helping them carry their bundles, all followed Mama Lin to the left.
"Master, where are we staying?" Lanqin was a little excited. The Fourth Master had specifically said that there was no distinction between front and back yards here, and that he would live with her.
"Please come this way, Consort." Granny Zhou was actually quite familiar with Lanqin; wasn't she the one who accompanied the Eighteenth Prince last time?
Su Peisheng and Dachun, accompanied by servants, carried Lanqin and the Fourth Master's luggage and followed behind. Cui Niang and four maids also came to help the wet nurse carry the children's belongings.
After walking for a while, Lanqin saw a courtyard with three large characters written on the gate: "Lanchun Courtyard".
As everyone entered the courtyard, they were astonished to find that its layout was exactly the same as the South Courtyard, even down to the furnishings. Lanqin, surprised, pulled away from the Fourth Prince's hand and hurried inside, seeing the grapevines, crabapple trees, and vegetable garden that were identical to those in the South Courtyard of the Fourth Prince's residence…
She turned to look at the main house and immediately noticed that the furnishings inside were exactly the same as those in the South Courtyard.
"My lord, this room wasn't here when I last visited. It's been less than three months, how could it be?" Lanqin asked with a smile.
“Consort, construction on this house actually began half a year ago. Every piece of wood here was designed by the Fourth Prince through repeated drawings, striving to make it as similar as the South Courtyard. The Prince was worried that Consort wouldn’t be used to it, so he ordered all the furniture and items in the South Courtyard to be made by craftsmen day and night, trying to make them exactly the same,” Su Peisheng immediately said on behalf of the Fourth Prince.
Fourth Master smiled faintly and said, "Go in and take a look. See what's different, or what needs improvement. You can change it according to your wishes."
Lanqin's face was filled with excitement. She turned around and walked quickly towards the main house. Fourth Master stood quietly at the door, watching the figure. Behind him, Cui Niang and the others all looked delighted and whispered among themselves, but none dared to step forward. Fourth Master clearly wanted Lanqin to tour the new house first.
Lanqin ran into the main house, then into the bedroom on the left, and then to check out the room on the right. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she simply couldn't believe it—everything was exactly the same as in the South Courtyard, even the boxes on the dressing table were identical.
Lanqin was filled with emotion and surprise. She never imagined that Fourth Master would go to such lengths for her.
Seeing that Lanqin had been in the room for a while, the Fourth Prince said to the people around him, "You all go in and start settling the concubine's things. Wuxiha and Xichen will stay in the east wing. The wet nurse can go and settle them in."
Cui Niang agreed, and then led Nianxue, Xicha, Sihua and Lanqi toward the main house. The wet nurse, carrying the child, followed Granny Zhou to the east wing.
"Su Peisheng, you can stay in that small house on the west side, so it's convenient for you to serve me anytime," Fourth Master said.
"It doesn't matter where this servant lives, the key is to serve the master conveniently." Su Peisheng glanced at Dachun smugly and said.
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