As the days went by, Lanqin's belly grew bigger and bigger, her movements became more and more inconvenient, and she became less and less energetic, especially sleepy.
Under the care of Consort Wu and Consort Yehe, the Fujin (principal wife) gradually recovered. Around the time of the Mid-Autumn Festival, she specifically suggested to the Fourth Prince that a small family banquet be held in the inner quarters. The Fourth Prince merely agreed; he had never objected to such activities, nor was he particularly enthusiastic about them.
Emperor Kangxi, far away in the northern desert, had to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival outside the palace. Perhaps because he had been away for more than half a year, he was still concerned about the affairs of the palace. Therefore, he issued an imperial decree to send the Crown Prince to the northern desert for the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Fourth Prince would temporarily oversee the country in place of the Crown Prince.
The imperial edict caused an immediate uproar throughout the capital. Officials from all walks of life, observing the changing winds, were increasingly unsure of Kangxi's true intentions.
On this day, after the Crown Prince dismissed the court, he specially asked the Fourth Prince to stay behind and invited him to drink at Minqing Palace.
The Fourth Prince knew that the Crown Prince was not feeling well. Although Kangxi had asked him to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with him, which seemed like a sign of affection, in reality he was stripping the Crown Prince of his power and allowing the Fourth Prince to take over the Crown Prince's power of overseeing the country.
As a result, the Fourth Prince became even more humble. When he came to his Minqing Palace with the Crown Prince, even though the Crown Prince kept politely inviting the Fourth Prince to drink, he still maintained the proper etiquette between the monarch and the Crown Prince and refused to overstep the bounds.
"Fourth Prince, I will be visiting Father Emperor in a few days. You have a heavy burden on your shoulders. The memorials from various departments every day are making my eyes blurry. I can't finish reading them even if I read them from morning till night," the Crown Prince said, taking a sip of wine.
"I can only do my utmost to achieve even a fraction of what the Crown Prince has done. I eagerly await his return. Father Emperor misses the Crown Prince, which is why he sent him to accompany him. I can't help but envy him," the Fourth Prince said humbly.
"Fourth Brother, you are too modest. I know your abilities, and you have always been highly regarded by Father. This time, you were able to procure military provisions for the army in time, which is a great achievement. I will take this opportunity to talk to Father about it." The Crown Prince still regarded the Fourth Prince as one of his own. He was just a little uneasy at the moment. He had originally grasped the reins of power, but now, after Father's imperial decree, he had been forced to step down from that position.
"Your Highness flatters me. I have never forgotten Your Highness's kindness and support. Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will certainly live up to your expectations." With that, he picked up a cup of wine, tilted his head back, and drank it down.
The Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince drank and chatted until nightfall before the Crown Prince allowed the Fourth Prince to return home. The Crown Prince himself, however, supported his personal eunuch, Eunuch Bao, and headed straight for Chonghua Palace.
As night fell, lanterns were lit throughout the Forbidden City, and the city appeared somewhat eerie in the ethereal glow of the palace lanterns.
A woman dressed in gorgeous clothes, supported by a palace maid, secretly drifted into Chonghua Palace.
The woman wore a conical hat on her head. Once inside the palace, she lifted the hat, revealing her exceptionally beautiful face.
"You've arrived!" The Crown Prince was sitting upright on a bamboo couch in Chonghua Palace, drinking wine by himself.
"Your Highness, be careful not to drink too much, it will harm your health." Zheng Chunhua immediately rushed over and grabbed the Crown Prince's arm, stopping him from pouring more wine.
"It's better to be injured; perhaps then we won't have to go to the northern desert." The prince's eyes were glazed over, and he was already showing signs of drunkenness.
"You may all leave now. Abao, fetch some hot water for His Highness," Zheng Chunhua said to Moyun and Abao.
"Come here and have a drink with me." The Crown Prince grabbed Zheng Chunhua by the waist and pulled her into his arms.
"Your Highness, what is it that makes you debase yourself like this?" Zheng Chunhua asked, her delicate brows furrowed.
"In a few days, I will be leaving the palace for that godforsaken northern desert," the Crown Prince said sullenly.
"Ah, did His Majesty send Your Highness?" Zheng Chunhua sat up in surprise from the Crown Prince's arms, looking at him in horror.
"You don't need to panic. We're being so careful that no one knows. I don't know what Father Emperor is up to. Suddenly, an imperial edict came, saying that I should go and spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with him, and that my fourth brother should oversee the country." The Crown Prince said in bewilderment and resentment.
Zheng Chunhua pondered for a moment, then her surprise turned to joy as she said, "Your Highness, perhaps the Emperor is just missing His Highness the Crown Prince. After all, they've never been separated for so long before."
Upon hearing her words, the Crown Prince gave a slightly mocking smile and said, "Miss me? Heh, do you think I'm a three- or four-year-old child? I'm already eighteen, aren't I?"
Upon hearing the Crown Prince's words, Zheng Chunhua abandoned her previous thought and instead asked, "Does Your Majesty have some dissatisfaction with the Crown Prince?"
The Crown Prince shook his head and said, "I don't know. The most terrifying thing is that I have no idea why Father Emperor summoned me to accompany him."
Seeing the fear on the Crown Prince's face, Zheng Chunhua felt a little disappointed and comforted him, "Your Highness need not worry. If something really happened, they probably wouldn't have asked you to accompany them like this."
The Crown Prince was actually always afraid of Emperor Kangxi, because Kangxi had always been very strict with him, acting like a stern father. This wasn't entirely Kangxi's fault; the Crown Prince was born the Crown Prince, and he couldn't be treated like the other princes. However, the Crown Prince felt that Kangxi was too strict with him, constantly placing a heavy burden on him for over thirty years. He had grown extremely weary of this feeling of being above everyone else, second only to the emperor.
That night, the Crown Prince and Zheng Chunhua were deeply entwined, as if he wanted to tear her to pieces. They made love until very late before finally falling into a deep sleep. Zheng Chunhua, however, couldn't sleep. Lying in the Crown Prince's arms, she began to worry about what the ultimate fate of their clandestine relationship would be.
The Dutchman was able to be carried to the imperial mausoleum with dignity, but what about me? If Emperor Kangxi found out, would I be subjected to slow slicing?
A few days later, the Crown Prince, along with his personal guards and servants, went to the northern desert. The Fourth Prince, who was temporarily acting as regent for the Crown Prince, became busy again, leaving early and returning late every day.
Because Lanqin was heavily pregnant and unable to be cared for, the Fourth Prince mostly stayed in the front courtyard, occasionally staying overnight elsewhere. Through the madam's mediation, Yehe and Nian were the most favored, followed by Wu and Geng, who gradually began to receive some of the Fourth Prince's attention.
However, as the days passed by without leaving a trace, the Fourth Prince visited Yehe's room more and more often, which naturally attracted the attention of all the women in the inner quarters, including Lanqin.
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