Lanqin then inquired about matters within the Fourth Prince's residence. The Fourth Prince recounted in detail how Lady Wuya had framed him by claiming he had accidentally killed his own child. He also mentioned that she had been sent to Zhanghua Terrace for confinement. However, he made no mention of the matters concerning the Fujin (Prince's wife) and Lady Nian.
Lanqin listened intently, her heart filled with sorrow and regret for Wuya's cruelty and absurdity. She couldn't help but think of Cui Niang, to whom she had secretly given instructions, wondering how the investigation was progressing.
"Then who exactly gave Wuya the appetite-stimulating powder?" Lanqin asked. "She couldn't have given it to herself, could she?"
Fourth Master paused, pondering whether or not to tell Lanqin about Nian Shi. If he did, would she understand his decision not to punish Nian Shi?
There were only a few people in the inner quarters. The only ones who could make a move against Lady Wuya were either the Fujin (the wife of the Fujin) or Lady Nian! The Fujin had committed so many crimes, but in the end, she was only neglected and not even sent to Zhanghua Terrace for seclusion.
"Is it the Fujin (wife of the emperor)?" Lanqin asked.
"Qin'er, can you please not ask who it is? Anyway, I've made up my mind, it's not you. You are still my most beloved concubine, and still the head of the Fourth Prince's household." The Fourth Prince said.
Lanqin looked at the Fourth Master, her heart sinking deeper and deeper. "Is it Lady Nian?"
Fourth Master didn't want to deceive Lanqin, but he was afraid she wouldn't be able to accept not dealing with the Nian family's matter, so he shook his head and said, "No, Qin'er, I assure you, I will definitely deal with those unruly people."
"My lord, it's getting late. Why don't we go back? I'm afraid my mother will worry if I stay out too long." Lanqin didn't want to continue talking to the Fourth Prince. She knew in her heart that this was another person she couldn't deal with.
"Qin'er, you should know in your heart where I am and what position I hold. Otherwise, you wouldn't have said those things just now, right?" Fourth Master grabbed Lanqin's arm as she was about to turn and leave, and said urgently. He had never wanted this woman's understanding and forgiveness as much as he did now, but he also felt very ashamed. When had he ever asked a woman for forgiveness?
Lanqin stared at Fourth Master, feeling extremely conflicted. She was the one who had been wronged, yet she was expected to forgive him. It was incredibly frustrating!
The two of them were thus pulling at each other, each hoping the other would give in.
"My lord, I must return now. You cannot force me to do so, can you?" Lanqin said.
Fourth Master gradually released Lanqin's arm. He used to be such a proud and aloof king, but now, for the sake of a woman's forgiveness, he refused to let go in the Fengxian Hall where the ancestral tablets were placed.
As Lanqin's figure disappeared into the darkness, Fourth Master's heart sank deeper and deeper.
For several days, the Fourth Prince did not come to Lanqin to recount what they had said that day. With the Golden Banquet approaching, preparations for the international tribute began, and the autumn imperial examinations were scheduled for after the festival, so both the Fourth Prince and Lanqin were busy. The Fourth Prince was preoccupied with discussing methods of cheating with the officials supervising the examinations. Besides serving Emperor Kangxi daily, Lanqin also had to occasionally help Consort De with preparations for the international tribute banquets.
"Your Highness, please rest for a while. This servant will go down and check on her again later," said Granny De, noticing that Consort De looked somewhat tired.
"No, this banquet with all nations paying tribute is a matter of national pride, and there can be no mistakes. Consort Yi is in charge of the music and dance, while I am in charge of the food, wine, and servants at the banquet. Every detail of that day must be considered," said Consort De.
Lanqin sat beside her, glancing at the menu and the names of the utensils in Consort De's hands. Clearly, to impress the foreign delegation, Kangxi was truly serious this time; the utensils used to serve the dishes were all rare antiques. No wonder Consort De was so nervous; those items were all antique treasures, some even unique pieces. The Qing imperial family was also a family that greatly loved collecting antiquities from previous dynasties, but looking at the list of utensils, Lanqin was bewildered. They were all long strings of names, impossible to remember, mostly consisting of rare items, including gold, silver, and porcelain. Looking at the menu, it was a collection of rare birds and beasts from the air, land, and sky; just by looking at the names of the dishes, one could never guess what they were made of.
Lanqin thought to herself: How much gold must this palace banquet cost? The food and tableware are all incredibly expensive. Is it really necessary to flaunt the wealth and power of the Qing Dynasty like this? Is it just a display of lavishness at the dinner table, or is it just putting on a show? In reality, after years of war, the national treasury isn't very rich. Is it really wise to display our wealth to foreigners?
"Girl?" Consort De called out as she saw Lanqin sitting there in a daze. After spending this time together, Consort De's attitude towards Lanqin had gradually changed, probably because Lady Wuya had disappointed her too much.
"Mother." Lanqin came back to her senses.
"What are you thinking about? Why are you standing there in a daze? Come and help your mother check the positions, the number of people, and the quantity of supplies," said Consort De.
"Yes." Lanqin immediately moved towards Consort De and couldn't help but say, "Mother, is it really necessary to use such precious cultural relics and antiques to entertain these foreigners?"
"In order to demonstrate the strength of our Great Qing Dynasty, His Majesty must naturally make sure to save face," said Consort De.
“However, these are all rare and unique items. If they are accidentally broken, it would be a great loss. I think that when dealing with foreign guests, it is enough to be polite and there is no need to use such precious antiques. On the contrary, we should not show them how wealthy we are, but rather show them the strength of our military. In this way, foreigners will be in awe and will not dare to easily offend our Great Qing,” Lanqin said.
Consort De seemed to have never heard such remarks before, and found Lanqin's words quite novel. In fact, she was also worried about what would happen if those things were broken or secretly hidden away.
"Mother, why don't we just talk to Father about it?" Lanqin said, noticing Consort De's hesitation.
"Your father probably won't agree; he hates those red-haired, green-eyed foreigners the most," Consort De said.
"Why don't you go and talk to Father Emperor?" Lanqin suggested.
"Very well, but you must be careful. The Emperor's temper is becoming increasingly unpredictable. If he is displeased, you must never force him to agree," said Consort De.
"Yes, Mother, don't worry. Lanqin knows what she's doing," Lanqin said.
When Lanqin went to fetch Hongli, she specially prepared a dish of wild vegetable cakes from Consort De's kitchen and took it to Qianqing Palace.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com