"So what? Don't forget, this is the Fourth Prince's residence. The women in your residence and mine were all chosen by the Four Consorts through the imperial concubine selection process. What can we do to her?" The Eighth Prince's wife wasn't as impulsive as Mingyue. She also felt hatred, but she still knew that this was someone else's place.
"Let's teach her a lesson. I don't think Fourth Sister-in-law can do anything about her. Why don't we come up with a way to mess with her?" Mingyue said unwillingly.
"Don't be ridiculous. This isn't your Tenth Prince's residence. Besides, she's not here. Where do you think you're going to tease her?" said the Eighth Prince's wife.
“Let’s just go visit her. We are both principal wives, so how can we go to the courtyard of a secondary wife? She should come out to greet us immediately,” Mingyue said.
"What did you say when you went to her place? What did you intend to do?" asked Mingxia, the Eighth Prince's wife.
"Alright, stop fooling around. We'll go back after a while. Don't cause trouble here. Fourth Prince is not your Tenth Prince," said Eighth Prince's wife.
Seeing that she had been scolded by her sister, the Tenth Princess Consort said nothing more, and the two of them continued to sit and drink with her.
Since most of the digital army was absent, the Fourth Prince finished quickly, and people like the Fujin had already started returning home in twos and threes. The Fujin sent people to escort them to their carriages at the door. Princesses like Lady Nian naturally returned home with their mistress.
By the time the Nian family saw off the last group of people, it was already close to dusk.
After a busy day, she was so tired that she could barely stand. She asked Zi Ning and Tao Hua to fetch water, while she leaned back on the couch and let Cui Ling and Bi Rou massage her ankles and calves.
"I never imagined that entertaining guests would be so tiring," Madam Nian complained. She had been thinking about the rumor all along. The Fourth Prince hadn't come to see her for the past few days, which made her feel that she had to find out about the rumor immediately, otherwise the Fourth Prince would misunderstand.
"No, I have to go and explain this to the Fourth Prince. Who is so malicious?" Madam Nian thought about how even Lady Tongjia had said such things, which showed how widespread the rumor had become. If the Fourth Prince heard it, who knew what he would say to her?
"Cui Ling, quickly check me over. Do I need to change my clothes? Is there something wrong with my clothes? I need to go to the front yard to see Fourth Master." Madam Nian jumped up from the couch and said hurriedly.
“Master, you must be exhausted after a long day. Why not talk about it tomorrow?” Cui Ling said.
"No, I can't wait a moment longer," said Madam Nian, refusing to wait any longer.
Seeing that she couldn't dissuade her, Cuiling had no choice but to help Nian Shi clean her face again, apply makeup, and then help her to the front yard.
Fourth Master was resting in bed. He had entertained so many people today, and although no one dared to force him to drink, he still had some. He was slightly drunk, so Su Peisheng helped him to rest. However, he didn't fall asleep; he was just a little dizzy.
When Lady Nian arrived at the front gate, she asked the gatekeeper, who said that the Fourth Master was resting inside the house.
“Princess Nian, our master is a little drunk. You should come another day,” said the gatekeeper, Xiao Zhu.
"Then you should make some hangover soup. The master is drunk and needs someone to serve him. You may leave now, I'll go check on him." Madam Nian was not about to leave just like that.
Xiao Zhuzi was in a dilemma because he couldn't figure out how to deal with this Nian Shi, just as others were unsure about how Fourth Master treated Nian Shi.
Seeing him hesitate, Lady Nian stepped inside. It wasn't until she reached the door of Fourth Master's bedroom that she saw Su Peisheng standing guard there.
"Eunuch Su, how is the master?" Madam Nian asked as she approached.
"Oh. Master is feeling a bit dizzy and is lying down. You..." Su Peisheng was surprised to see Nian Gege walk in like this, but he also knew that this wasn't the first time Nian Gege had barged in like this.
“Alright, then this princess will go in and see the master,” said Madam Nian.
Su Peisheng couldn't stop her, so he had to push open the two doors and let Nian Shi in.
Nian entered the dimly lit bedroom alone and saw that the Fourth Prince was lying on the bed, still wearing his clothes.
When Nian walked to the bedside, she saw that Fourth Master's face was a little red and his brows were tightly furrowed.
"Master, Master!" Madam Nian called softly twice, but the Fourth Master did not respond.
Lady Nian bit her lip, stepped forward to pull back the quilt for the Fourth Master, gently placed it on his body, and then stayed by his side for a while before leaving.
When Lady Nian left, she instructed Su Peisheng to go in and help the Fourth Master take off his clothes, and then give him some water.
Once the noise outside the door had subsided, the Fourth Master on the bed slowly opened his eyes. He knew that Madam Nian had just come, but he wasn't in the mood to say anything to her; he just wanted to lie there and think things through.
He had naturally heard the rumor circulating in the manor, but he had never hinted at wanting to promote Lady Nian. Could it be that she herself said it to put pressure on him?
The Fourth Prince was quietly thinking about these things. In fact, he was not particularly attracted to Lady Nian at the moment, nor did he dislike her. In addition, given his relationship with Nian Gengyao, he might promote her to a higher position after she gave birth to a child, but not in this way.
"Su Peisheng, wash your face," Fourth Master called from the bed.
Upon hearing this, Su Peisheng immediately understood that the man from earlier must have been fooled by the Fourth Master.
Fourth Master scrambled to his feet, washed his face with Su Peisheng's help, and then walked out of the front yard and headed towards the south courtyard.
At that time, Lanqin was having dinner. Those banquets were neither filling nor good, so she was enjoying a dinner prepared separately in her own small kitchen.
A greeting sounded outside; it was the Fourth Master. Hearing this voice, Lanqin felt a strange warmth in her heart.
"You certainly know how to enjoy yourself. Is there any for me?" Fourth Master had already reached the door.
"Whenever you come, there will always be a share for you." Lanqin smiled as she got off the couch to greet Fourth Master.
The maids added a bowl and chopsticks for the Fourth Master, and then quietly withdrew.
"Did you drink a lot, Master?" Lanqin looked at Fourth Master's face and, seeing nothing unusual, asked.
"You only realize now that you care if I've had too much to drink? Someone just goes to check on me." Fourth Master deliberately provoked Lanqin. Actually, he was reluctant to let her go, as Lanqin was pregnant and he didn't want her to keep running back and forth.
"Yes, Master has so many princesses, and they all care about him." Lanqin continued eating the meat in her bowl, unconcerned.
"Have you heard the rumor?" Fourth Master asked.
Lanqin paused for a moment and said, "The Nian family is about to be promoted, and that's when I heard about it."
Fourth Master stared at Lanqin for a moment and said, "It's just a rumor. I have no such intention."
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