A few days later, Fourth Master arrived with his large group of brothers. Contrary to expectations, they arrived on horseback with their personal servants carrying some changes of clothes.
Lanqin and the other women did not go out to greet them; it was all the Fourth Master who took care of them. After they arrived, he ordered the servants to take the gentlemen down to settle in. The horses that had come were also led to the stables and fed with good fodder.
On the first day of arrival, it's always necessary to stay overnight before preparing for the hunting trip. Lanqin also got up early this morning. This time, she didn't linger in bed. Before Fourth Master arrived with his men, she got up and instructed the kitchen to prepare lunch. She only felt at ease after all the servants were in their positions.
"Reporting to Consort Lanqin, His Majesty has come to say that all the princes and nobles have arrived and have been settled into their rooms. They will all dine with us later," Su Peisheng said personally as he came over to Lanqin.
"Where is Master? Why hasn't he come back to rest? He must be exhausted from this early morning." Lanqin was directing Nianxue and Xicha to tend to the flowers and trees in the courtyard. The Fourth Prince hadn't set up a front courtyard for himself here; this first meal would undoubtedly be a banquet for the princes, so Lanchun Courtyard was likely the venue for entertaining them. Sure enough, Su Peisheng came to deliver the message. Logically, the Fourth Prince could have held the banquet elsewhere, but he chose Lanchun Courtyard. Was he going to have Lanqin appear as the lady of the house in front of everyone?
"Reporting to Consort Su, the Master has gone to the stables. The horses for tomorrow's hunt are all ready. He said he wants to go and check them himself," Su Peisheng said with a smile.
"Alright, Father-in-law, go and serve him. He can't live without you." Lanqin saw that Su Peisheng wasn't distant with her, and was worried that he might have a problem with her because of Dachun.
"Yes, this servant will be leaving now." Su Peisheng bowed and then turned to leave quickly, thinking to himself: What a clever mind she has. She's trying to comfort me. It seems that Dachun wasn't deliberately arranged to be by the Fourth Prince's side by the concubine.
"Nianxue, prepare to set up a table. The main room is small, so set it up in the courtyard. Light more braziers, it's still a bit cold," Lanqin instructed, then turned to Sihua and said, "Change me into that scarlet cheongsam, and restyle my hair with a big wing."
"Yes." Nianxue replied with a smile, and Sihua also smiled and helped Lanqin back to the room to comb her hair and change her clothes.
After inspecting the horses in the stables, the Fourth Prince saw that Su Peisheng had returned and casually asked, "What did the Consort say?"
Su Peisheng quickly replied, "The concubine said everything is ready and we can start at any time. As I can see, the flowers, plants and trees in the courtyard have been taken care of, and Nianxue and the others are sweeping the courtyard."
Fourth Master smiled and said, "Let's go to the South Courtyard. Later, you can tell Granny Zhou to send someone to invite everyone to lunch at the South Courtyard. You've been running around all morning, go back and rest first."
Seeing that the horses were ready, the hunting arrows were also prepared, and the servants were all on standby, Fourth Master felt reassured and followed Su Peisheng toward Lanchun Courtyard.
"My lady, the three princesses have arrived," Nianxue reported to Lanqin, who was combing her hair, as she entered the room.
"Oh. Let them all rest in the study on the west side. They can come out when I call them later," Lanqin said, glancing sideways. Nianxue had never seen Lanqin dressed so formally before; she seemed completely different from before. Her crimson cheongsam, embroidered with camellias, featured colorful silk trim on the collar and cuffs, giving her an air of noble elegance. Over this, she wore a pale white shawl trimmed with white fox fur, which perfectly accentuated Lanqin's fair skin and delicate beauty.
“Yes, Mistress looks beautiful today, and the gilded gemstone headdress suits you perfectly,” Nianxue said with a smile.
"Hehe, this thing is really heavy, I feel like my neck can't hold it up anymore," Lanqin said, sticking out her tongue.
Just then, a greeting sounded from outside; the Fourth Master had arrived.
The Fourth Master was wearing an indigo cotton robe with auspicious cloud patterns embroidered in gold thread on the cuffs and collar. He wore a bright blue belt with a four-clawed dragon embroidered in gold thread around his waist, and his head was still covered with a small hat inlaid with black goose feathers.
Upon entering the house, Fourth Master took off his hat and handed it to Nianxue, who was standing to the side, before turning and walking into Lanqin's room.
As soon as he stepped across the threshold, he saw Lanqin, dressed in new clothes, bowing respectfully and saying, "This humble servant greets Your Highness, may Your Highness be blessed with ten thousand years of good fortune and peace."
The Fourth Prince was taken aback. He looked at the little princess's new clothes and the bright gold-plated agate beads on her head. It was indeed the set he had bestowed upon her in the carriage.
"When did you start behaving so formally towards me?" Fourth Master helped her up, pulling her arm as he spoke. Upon seeing this, Si Hua immediately tiptoed out.
"Does it look good? I don't think I've ever dressed up so elaborately before, except when I entered the palace." Lanqin was a woman after all, and seeing that she had put so much effort into her appearance, she naturally hoped to hear a compliment from the Fourth Prince.
A bright pink tassel hairpin dangled from the left side of the young princess, the fine tassels brushing against Lanqin's cheek. Combined with her more elaborate eye and lip makeup than usual, even the Fourth Prince was slightly mesmerized.
"Today, my Qin'er is as beautiful as jade, I can't even look at her in awe," the Fourth Prince murmured in Lanqin's ear.
Instantly, Lanqin blushed, leaned her head against the Fourth Prince's chest, gently patted his chest a few times with her pink fist, and said shyly, "Today I am Your Highness's concubine, and I cannot embarrass Your Highness in public."
The Fourth Prince nodded knowingly and said, "Today, Consort Lanqin is very proper, and I like her very much." After saying that, the Fourth Prince couldn't help but lower his head and plant a kiss on Lanqin's forehead.
"Reporting to Consort Nian, the meal is ready." Nianxue's voice rang out from outside.
"Understood, let them wait. Let the princes and nobles come in and take their seats before serving. It's cold, so serving the dishes first will make them cool down quickly," Lanqin said, lifting her head from the Fourth Prince's embrace.
After the maid outside acknowledged and withdrew, the Fourth Prince squinted at Lanqin and said, "It seems that my concubine is doing a very good job. There's even a tent set up outside, which adds a unique touch."
Lanqin said shyly, "The weather is still a bit chilly in early spring. Setting up a canopy will help keep out the cold. Master, I will bring my three younger sisters to the table in a little while."
Fourth Master nodded and said, "If you're cold, just come out and show yourselves. We can also set up a table inside the house for the women to use."
Lanqin knew that Fourth Master cared about her and was afraid she would get cold, so she nodded gratefully. Fourth Master even specially sent people to find fire-shining stone, which was said to promote blood circulation and generate heat, so that wearing it would keep her warm.
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