Ms. Nian couldn't help but yawn; she was simply too sleepy to stay awake any longer. With Cui Ling's help, she stood up, about to give up, when she heard footsteps outside the house, and the sound of someone greeting her.
"Cui Ling, go quickly and see if it's Fourth Master?" Madam Nian asked in surprise, pulling Cui Ling's hand.
"Yes, yes, this servant will go and see." Cui Ling suddenly felt pain in her wrist because Nian Shi had suddenly exerted force, making her wrist hurt.
Cui Ling hurried to the door and, by the light of the lantern, vaguely saw two figures approaching. After a moment, she realized it was indeed Fourth Master, but something about him seemed strange!
"Is it Master?" Madam Nian asked anxiously.
“Yes, Master, but Master seems a little drunk!” Cui Ling said.
Nian walked quickly to the door with suspicion, only to see Su Peisheng helping the Fourth Master approach.
“Princess Nian, come quickly and help the master! He’s drunk, but he’s worried about you and is waiting for you, so he insisted that I come.” Su Peisheng could also speak.
"Cui Ling, hurry!" Madam Nian was secretly delighted and quickly called Cui Ling to help support the Fourth Master. She herself went forward to replace Su Peisheng and helped the Fourth Master inside.
"Help him straight to his room. He's so drunk. Zi Ning, quickly fetch some water to prepare for his bath," Madam Nian instructed briskly.
Seeing that Nian Shi said this, Su Peisheng had no choice but to stand in the main room and dared not enter Nian Shi's room.
After helping the Fourth Master to bed, Madam Nian was so exhausted she could barely breathe. Her four personal maids busied themselves undressing and washing him. Madam Nian went outside and said to Su Peisheng, "Is Eunuch Su supposed to be on night watch? Why don't you come to my west wing to rest? The Master is so drunk, I'll have them keep watch."
Upon seeing this, Su Peisheng quickly thanked him, nodded, and bowed as he withdrew from the main house of the Nian family.
After settling the Fourth Master in, he was already fast asleep with his eyes closed. Seeing that the Fourth Master she had been hoping for was like this, Madam Nian felt a little annoyed, but then she remembered that he was still thinking of her even when he was drunk, so she didn't dwell on it. She instructed the four maids to take turns keeping watch at night, and then she took off her clothes and got into bed.
Lady Nian lay down next to Fourth Master, only to smell a strong odor of alcohol. She frowned slightly and moved a little further away from him. She glanced at Fourth Master's handsome profile and thought to herself: Is this how my first night with Fourth Master, Nian Shilan, is going to be?
The next day, news that Lady Nian had been favored by the Fourth Prince spread throughout the inner quarters.
After returning to the front courtyard, the Fourth Prince thought that he would be going to the palace in seven days to oversee the country with the Crown Prince, and he was afraid he wouldn't have time to see Lanqin again. He knew he could bring someone into the palace, but Lanqin was no longer alone, and it would be tiring to drag the two children back and forth, so the Fourth Prince decided not to bring Lanqin in.
Therefore, Fourth Master decided to find someone to deliver it to Lanqin today. It just so happens that Thirteenth Master usually likes to go to those elegant places, so maybe he can find a suitable person there.
Meanwhile, the gifts for Lady Nian had already been sent over. It was also the day to pay respects to the Princess Consort. After Lady Nian got up, she recalled the events of the previous night, and her expression turned slightly sour. Cui Ling and Bi Rou helped her wash and prepare her clothes. Seeing that Lady Nian seemed unhappy, they said, "Princess, the Master's gifts have arrived again. Seeing that you hadn't gotten up yet, we kept them for you. They are all very exquisite jewelry; I'm sure you'll like them."
"Alright, put it on in a bit. Today is the perfect day to pay my respects to the Fujin." Madam Nian was slightly happier.
Cui Ling and Bi Rou didn't know what was wrong with Nian Shi either, since the Fourth Master had come over last night.
Meanwhile, the Fujin already knew about what happened to Lady Nian yesterday; it was naturally a message secretly sent by Hongling.
“Madam, let’s see if this Nian Gege can win over our master. If she can keep him at her place for a few more days, the one in the South Courtyard will probably get anxious.” Lingxiu was showing the jewelry in her hand to the Madam who was sitting in front of the dressing table.
"This Lady Nian seems to be quite capable. I think she's very clever. If we win her over properly, she should be very useful." The Fujin turned her head and saw that she had fine lines at the corners of her eyes and her complexion was slightly yellow.
“Yehe Shi seems easier to manage than her, but unfortunately she’s a blockhead and doesn’t know how to get close to the master. Nian Gege beat her to it, which is a real waste of the Fujin’s efforts.” Lingxiu held up a peony tassel hairpin to the Fujin’s temple and said.
"Lingxiu, is the bracelet that I intend to bestow upon Princess Nian ready?" the Princess suddenly asked.
"It's all ready. It will only be effective if Princess Nian wears it regularly," Lingxiu whispered.
"After they've finished paying their respects, let Lady Nian have her dine here. I need to have a good talk with her," the Princess said.
Just then, the cicadas outside the house called out, "The princesses have all arrived."
The princess turned her head, her eyes as black as a stagnant pool in an ancient well, unfathomable and eerie.
When the Fujin (princess) came out wearing a light blue qipao embroidered with peonies in gold thread, all the princesses were already seated in their respective places.
"Today, all the younger sisters have arrived in full force. Princess Nian, did the master stay at your place last night?" The Fujin smiled kindly.
All eyes turned to Lady Nian. She was wearing a moon-white qipao embroidered with acacia flowers, and her hair was styled in a soft, updo adorned with the pearl hairpins recently bestowed upon her by the Fourth Prince. The quality and style were clearly not those of a princess's allowance, and everyone understood immediately.
"Thank you for your concern, Madam. The Prince stayed at my place yesterday." Madam Nian blushed slightly, seeing Madam Nian mention this in front of so many people. She didn't know that the Fourth Prince hadn't visited any other concubines' rooms for a long time, almost exclusively favoring Lanqin. Now that she had finally broken this pattern, Madam Nian had deliberately brought it up in front of everyone. Her intention was to reignite everyone's fighting spirit and prevent Niohuru from monopolizing the Fourth Prince.
Yehe felt a little disappointed. She had thought that her fleeting glance that day would catch the Fourth Prince's attention, but he still hadn't thought of her afterward. She spent her days playing the zither and embroidering in her room in the North Courtyard, wondering when she would see the Fourth Prince again.
"Sister Yehe, you and Princess Nian entered the manor at the same time, so you must pay close attention to how to serve the Fourth Prince well and produce offspring for the royal family." As the Fujin swept her gaze across the crowd, how could she not have noticed Yehe's mood?
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