When Lanqin was led back to the private room where the Fourth Master was by the innkeeper's wife, she saw a young man and an extremely beautiful woman in the room.
The boy was young, but he didn't have the arrogance and slightly silly haughtiness of the Fourteenth Prince. On the contrary, he was already about the same height as the Fourth Prince, and his voice had already changed. He had a broad forehead and bright eyes, a handsome figure, and a carefree expression, which formed a completely different aura from the Fourth Prince's calm and serious demeanor. However, the intimate relationship between the two was something Lanqin had never seen in the Fourth Prince before. One was active and the other was still, one was cold and the other was warm, which complemented each other and made things interesting.
The stunningly beautiful woman sat quietly beside the young man, listening attentively to their conversation.
"Fourth Brother, is this the legendary 'little sister-in-law'?" Yinxiang had already heard some gossip about Lanqin from the Fourteenth Prince, who was also in the Princes' Quarters, and immediately became curious about this woman in the Fourth Brother's residence who could make the Fourteenth Prince feel so strange.
He learned that Lanqin had also come today when he brought Luo Ge over.
"This concubine greets the Thirteenth Prince!" Lanqin gave a slight curtsy, nodded and smiled at the woman beside the Thirteenth Prince, and then walked gracefully to the Fourth Prince's side.
"Sister-in-law, you are indeed intelligent and kind. How did you know I am the Thirteenth Prince?" Yinxiang's eyes immediately lit up with surprise. He even looked around at his clothes, but there was nothing that could reveal his identity.
The Fourth Prince picked up his teacup, smiled slightly, glanced at Lanqin, and then remained silent. Although he did not intend for one of his young concubines to leave any reputation among the princes, the events at the estate clearly showed that Lanqin was cautious yet meticulous.
(Fourth Master, actually Comrade Lanqin is from another world, so naturally she knows some things that you can't even see! O(n_n)O)
"Who else could speak to you like this, except for the Thirteenth Prince, who is closest to the Fourth Prince?" Lanqin's eyes darted around, and although she was speaking to the Thirteenth Prince, her eyes kept darting to the stunning beauty beside him.
Ah, the desire for beauty is universal, regardless of gender.
"Haha, Fourth Brother's daughter is indeed discerning. Luo Ge, since your sister-in-law is so interested in you, why don't you introduce yourself?" The Thirteenth Prince turned to the woman named "Luo Ge" and said.
She was dressed in a light, white gown, as if she were in a mist or smoke. She looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old. Except for her black hair, her whole body was snow-white, and her face was exceptionally beautiful. However, her skin lacked color and appeared unusually pale.
"Luo Ge greets Consort Niu!" The woman rose and gave Lan Qin a graceful curtsy.
"What a lovely name, what a beautiful woman." Lanqin couldn't help but exclaim in praise. For some reason, she suddenly glanced at the Fourth Master out of the corner of her eye. She saw him drinking tea with his head down, seemingly oblivious to the celestial beauty before him.
"Fourth Brother, we'll be away for another month or two this time. Let's take advantage of being in the capital and enjoy the fine wine and food at Zui Bai Lou." Yinxiang continued, noticing that the dishes on the table were no longer the ones Lanqin had ordered. They had all been replaced with a table of dishes that were a much more balanced mix of meat and vegetables, and had a fresher color. The Fourth Prince wasn't hungry anymore, but he couldn't resist Yinxiang's insistence on changing the dishes, so he agreed to the change.
"Well, this time we'll start with Zhili, then Tianjin, Baoding, Yongping, Shunde, Zhengding, Chengde, and finally Xuanhua. Father Emperor ordered me to start with these seven prefectures and see how they react." The Fourth Prince said slowly, his eyes starting to glaze over, as if he were pondering something.
"Is it the Thirteenth Prince accompanying you this time?" Lanqin asked casually.
"Yes. If it weren't for Fourth Brother's recommendation to Father Emperor, I'm afraid I'd still be without a job, wandering around the capital all day with a bald head." Although the Thirteenth Prince was favored by Emperor Kangxi and even accompanied him on several southern tours, for some reason, Kangxi never assigned him any special duties. Yinxiang was grateful for Consort De's nurturing and for Fourth Brother's support, thus becoming the Thirteenth Prince's most loyal supporter of Yongzheng's ascension to the throne.
"It's also because you are studious and capable; otherwise, Father Emperor wouldn't have agreed." The Fourth Prince was never one to use empty flattery or empty words. He disliked being flattered, hence his nickname "Cold-Faced King," and he wouldn't flatter others. Therefore, if he said that the Thirteenth Prince was capable and studious, then it meant that Yinxiang was indeed like that.
Lanqin naturally knew that this thirteenth prince would later become Emperor Yongzheng's right-hand man. In the early years of Yongzheng's reign, he was granted the title of Prince and became a pillar of the court. Unfortunately, he died young in 1730, just eight years after the fourth prince ascended the throne. Emperor Yongzheng was deeply grieved and specially restored his original name.
"Little sister-in-law, do you not like this food? Why haven't you touched it?" The Thirteenth Prince asked when he saw Lanqin looking lost in thought.
"No, no, I just remembered something. Thirteenth Prince, our master is a workaholic. When you go out, please take good care of him." Lanqin said this in a rare display of virtuousness.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Fourth Master immediately turned his head and said in a somewhat teasing tone, "Workaholic? That's quite insightful! What do you say, Thirteen?"
Yinxiang was also taken aback, thinking to himself: This little princess actually dared to "evaluate" him in front of Fourth Brother. What a bold move! But she is straightforward enough. No wonder Fourth Brother treats her differently.
"Sister-in-law, your assessment is quite accurate. When Fourth Master gets busy, he's as capable as three people." Yinxiang picked up his wine cup and said, "Come, let's drink this cup together and wish Fourth Brother and I a swift success on this mission. Sister-in-law, aren't you coming along this time?"
Fourth Master and the others raised their cups and drank the wine. This time, Lanqin did not answer, but glanced at Fourth Master, leaving it to him to explain.
“This official business is quite arduous. She is young and frail, so it would be better for her to stay in the manor. Also, there’s…” Fourth Master stopped mid-sentence and said no more.
Lanqin, however, was eager to hear his second reason and couldn't help but urge, "Master, what else?"
Yinxiang was also at a loss for words and cast a questioning look at the Fourth Prince as well. Only Luo Ge calmly put down her wine cup and whispered, "I wonder if it's because she's afraid of incurring Niu Shufujin's jealousy by favoring her too much?"
Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.
"This lowly servant has misspoke. Please forgive me, Fourth Prince, please forgive me, Consort Niu, please forgive me, Thirteenth Prince!" Luo Ge slowly stood up and bowed to the three men.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
