"Does Your Highness already have a plan in mind?" Lanqin turned to look at Fourth Master and saw that his eyes were filled with certainty, as if he had already made up his mind.
"Hmm, who do you think it is?" Fourth Master suddenly wanted to test Lanqin's judgment, and asked mischievously.
"Hmph, does Your Excellency think I'm Zhuge Liang? I have no such divine abilities. However, I suspect the mastermind is among Your Excellency's brothers," Lanqin said.
"Oh, why?" Fourth Master asked.
"Who can devise a plan to scheme against the two princes of the current dynasty? I think that apart from Suo'etu and Mingzhu, there is almost no one in the current dynasty who can do such a thing," Lanqin said.
The Fourth Prince looked at the young woman and nodded, saying, "You're absolutely right, it's very likely the Crown Prince!"
Lanqin opened her cherry-like mouth in surprise and looked at Fourth Master with astonishment.
"I never imagined that the Crown Prince would resort to such a scheme to get rid of Prince Heshuo!" Lanqin couldn't help but exclaim.
"It's too early to say that now. Let's see who's behind this!" Fourth Master said firmly.
"My lord, if this was truly the Crown Prince's doing, then this would be killing two birds with one stone!" Lanqin said to the Fourth Prince. She almost suggested that they take this opportunity to eliminate the two biggest contenders for the throne!
The Fourth Prince looked at Lanqin several more times, feeling slightly agitated: "The Crown Prince has just been reinstated. If Father Emperor knew that he was the mastermind, he would probably be very disappointed."
Lanqin thought to herself: "Kangxi is such an outstanding man, how many people has he seen in his life! He must have been disappointed in this Crown Prince long ago! The reinstatement is just a smokescreen, a shield for the person Kangxi truly wants to establish! He's afraid that if a new Crown Prince is established too early, he'll become a target of public criticism like the deposed Crown Prince, and before he even kicks the bucket, the Crown Prince will be attacked mercilessly." Unfortunately, these were just Lanqin's own speculations, not historical records. Therefore, she dared not speak so rashly to the Fourth Prince.
"My lord, I am hungry. Why don't we go and have dinner?" Lanqin said.
The two walked out of the study together and came to Lanqin's main courtyard. After Cui Niang set up the table, she asked them to start serving the meal.
Lanqin instructed Cui Niang to bring Hongli over, and also to bring Wuxiha and Bechuk. Whenever the Fourth Prince was around, Lanqin would let the children spend more time with him to strengthen their bond.
After having dinner with Lanqin and the children, Fourth Master didn't leave but continued to let the three children play. Looking at the room full of children, and then at Fourth Master's smiling face with them, Lanqin couldn't help but think that this man wasn't just hers. He had other children and other concubines. For example, that Wuya woman, her restless first love, always saw her as an enemy. Even if she didn't provoke her, she would still come looking for trouble.
Lanqin felt a pang of annoyance at these thoughts. She stood up, walked to the front door of the main house, and looked out at the rain-soaked courtyard. The vegetation, which had long been covered in dust, was now washed clean by the rain and looked lush and vibrant.
Meanwhile, Uya was also having her meal. She looked at the table full of food, but had no appetite.
"Princess, you should eat something, otherwise the baby in your belly won't get enough nutrition and won't grow well," Cuiyun said. This meal was already beyond a princess's ration; it was all prepared according to her requests. Although Lanqin hadn't given her a private kitchen, she had been given the right to order.
"Did you go to the South Courtyard as soon as you returned today, Master?" said Madam Wuya.
Cuiyun nodded and said, "Princess, Master has already bestowed so many tonics upon you. The bird's nest and clams you eat every day are all brought from the front courtyard. This shows that Master values you and the child in your womb."
Wuya's expression softened a little, but she still said unhappily, "I'm pregnant with his child now, and he doesn't come to see me more often. Sigh, Nan Xiaoyuan, it's all Nan Xiaoyuan."
Since becoming pregnant, Uya's temper seems to have changed a bit. Before, she didn't dare to make a fuss, but now she seems uncomfortable if she doesn't make a fuss every day.
"My lord, you should have some food. Otherwise, it would be a real shame if the prince went hungry," Cuiyun advised.
"Yes, Cuiyun, go and invite the master over. Just tell him I can't eat," Wuya said coquettishly.
“Master, the master is already in the south courtyard. How can I invite him? Last time, I had to pull him over halfway.” Cuiyun felt utterly helpless about Wuya’s changing temper.
"I just can't eat. Cuiyun, just say I'm vomiting badly and ask Master to come and see me," Wuya insisted. Perhaps it was due to increased pregnancy hormones, making her unusually sensitive and irritable. Perhaps this was her true nature; because she was pregnant, she felt she held a special place in the Fourth Master's heart.
"Master, you're making things difficult for me. Even Consort Niu in the South Courtyard might not let me in." Cuiyun was truly speechless.
“You didn’t go, so how can you say you can’t see him? If he knew I still couldn’t eat, he would definitely come to see me,” said Uya.
Seeing that she couldn't refuse, Cuiyun had no choice but to agree. She originally intended to send some of her maids, but Madam Wuya disliked them and insisted that she go herself, so Cuiyun had to go herself.
After a long and arduous journey, Cuiyun arrived at the entrance of the South Courtyard. Her walk had been incredibly difficult; her legs and feet were covered in mud. A heavy rain had just fallen, and the soil on both sides of the road was soft, making it easy to get muddy underfoot. To take a shortcut, Cuiyun had walked on some unpaved paths, which resulted in her shoes being covered in mud as well.
The gate to the south courtyard was tightly shut. Cuiyun wondered if knocking on that door would actually get her to side with the Fourth Prince and his concubine, Wuya. "That princess is really something," she thought. "Why does pregnancy seem to have dulled her mind? She's already getting cocky; she'll only annoy her master sooner or later." The master didn't dote on her as much as she'd hoped, and he didn't visit her often, mostly out of consideration for their past relationship and the Empress Dowager's instructions. But why couldn't the princess see that even Cuiyun had noticed the Fourth Prince's feelings for Wuya had faded?
Cuiyun stood at the entrance of the south courtyard, hesitating whether to knock. She even considered going back directly to report to Madam Wuya that the Fourth Master refused to come.
"Hey, what are you doing standing here?" Cui Ling, Nian Shi's maid, asked Cui Yun.
Cuiyun turned around and saw that it was Cuiling, a maid from Nian's side. She had no choice but to pretend to be calm and said, "I came to ask my master to go and see our master. What are you doing here?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com