Seeing that the Fourth Prince had left, everyone lost their appetite and made excuses to leave, leaving only Madam Wang and Madam Geng behind.
"This servant thanks you, Madam!" Madam Wang bowed respectfully to Madam Wang.
"This servant thanks you, Madam!" Madam Geng quickly followed and bowed.
"You two serving Prince well is the best way to thank me. This trip has been arduous, so you must get along well and not disturb Prince's business." Although the Fujin was talking to them, she was still thinking about why the Fourth Prince hadn't asked Niu Shi to accompany him this time, but just now he had pulled her away alone in front of everyone.
Meanwhile, the Fourth Prince took Lanqin directly back to the South Courtyard and instructed his attendants, "Change your princess into some casual clothes."
"Master, shall we go out?" Lanqin asked with a smile. She suddenly felt a connection with the master. She had lost her appetite after seeing the feast prepared by the wife, and she didn't want to make her presence known under the wife's nose, so her expression remained indifferent.
"Hmm. You clearly didn't eat much just now. Let's go to 'Drunken White Pavilion' and then check out the night market, okay?" Fourth Master said affectionately. He was probably going to be away for a month or two. He had originally wanted to take her with him, but then he thought that he had just taken her out, and taking her out again would tire her out. He was also worried that she was young and weak, and this mission was quite strenuous, not a sightseeing trip. If she got sick while he was away, it would be a loss. Therefore, he decided to bring two older concubines to serve her with her meals and daily needs.
"Yay, Master is so good." Lanqin was so excited that she wanted to hug the Fourth Master's neck and kiss him. But with the servants present, she could only grab the Fourth Master's arm and lean on his shoulder, laughing foolishly.
Nianxue and Xicha went to the inner room to find Lanqin a simpler set of clothes for her to change into. Her hair was already simply styled, so they didn't bother to re-dress her. Su Peisheng had already ordered someone to run back to the front yard to fetch a set of casual clothes for the Fourth Master to change into.
After getting ready, the two walked together through the side gate of the Fourth Prince's mansion, where a carriage was already waiting.
Oh yeah, just the two of us! No need to keep up with a bunch of chattering women, that's great.
Su Peisheng nudged a young servant beside him, signaling him to come over and serve as a "bench" for the Fourth Master and his entourage when they got into the carriage. Sigh, these little eunuchs, they're still way from reaching his rank.
Lanqin glanced at the eunuch, who was only a teenager, lifted her foot and gently stepped onto his back before getting into the carriage. Then, she saw the Fourth Prince step onto the somewhat immature back and felt a pang of pity, saying, "Coachman, please remember to bring a small stool in the future, so that I won't have to use it as a stool."
The coachman immediately nodded. Su Peisheng thought to himself: This Princess Niu is indeed kind-hearted, but in this Prince's mansion, the kindest person is often the one who suffers the most.
After the Fourth Prince was seated, Su Peisheng walked to the carriage window and asked, "Master, this servant will wait here at the door. You and Princess Niu must be careful. There are all sorts of people outside during the festival. This servant is really worried that someone might cause trouble..."
"Alright, enough nonsense. What could possibly happen to a grown man like me?" Fourth Master interrupted Su Peisheng, though he was a little impatient, his expression was very gentle. Su Peisheng had been with him for over a decade, and the tacit understanding and affection between them had long surpassed the bond between master and servant.
Lanqin glanced at the eunuch, who was in his early thirties. Although he was only a few years older than the Fourth Prince, he looked much older. She knew that after Yongzheng ascended the throne, Su Peisheng became the chief eunuch in the imperial court. Although he was just a castrated man, he was one of the few people who could speak to Yongzheng.
"Eunuch Su, you should go back and rest too. It will only take an hour or two for you to be back. Just come and open the door on time," Lanqin said considerately to him.
Su Peisheng immediately smiled and respectfully replied, "This old servant thanks Your Highness for your consideration. Please don't worry about it, Your Highness. This old servant will rest here in this side room."
The Fourth Master lowered the curtains, and Su Peisheng said to the coachman, "Drive the carriage more steadily. You must be careful for the safety of the master and the princess. If anything goes wrong, you know what the consequences will be. I don't need to say anything more."
The driver readily agreed and immediately became extremely cautious.
The carriage started moving smoothly. This was the first time that Lanqin and the Fourth Master were without any servants, not even the Fourth Master's "shadow," Su Peisheng. She smiled dreamily, grabbed the Fourth Master's arm, and leaned against him.
"You're this happy just from taking you out to eat? You're such a foodie!" Fourth Master glanced at the little princess nestled on his shoulder and couldn't help but tease her.
Hearing the Fourth Master use the word "foodie," Lanqin found it even funnier, and Jin couldn't help but laugh even harder.
"I'll be away for at least two months this time, and you're laughing so happily without me?" The Fourth Prince found himself a little amused when he said this. The little princess hadn't even complained yet, and he was already complaining on her behalf! However, the Fourth Prince really liked Lanqin's attitude; she didn't complain or show any dissatisfaction, but happily accompanied him.
"My lord has his reasons for not taking me. But what if I miss you after not seeing you for a month or two?" Lanqin tilted her head and blinked her two big, dark eyes as she asked.
Seeing her adorable little face, Fourth Master couldn't help but hug her tightly and said gently, "If you miss me, just write to me. This business trip will involve a lot of troublesome things, and I'm afraid that taking you with me will distract me."
"My lord, are you blaming me for always distracting you, or are you praising me for being able to distract you?" Lanqin looked up and rubbed her forehead against the Fourth Prince's chin.
What a mischievous little thing! After being provoked by her, Fourth Master couldn't wait to pounce on her and "punish" her properly.
The little princess's words really stumped the Fourth Prince. For a moment, the only sound in the carriage was the tender whispers of the two of them.
"My lord, Lanqin would like to ask for your grace. After you leave, I would like to go back to my parents' home for three days to visit my mother, father, brothers, and sisters." Lanqin thought that since the Fourth Prince was not here, it should be okay to go back to the Ling residence for three days (she did not know that this was actually against the rules).
The Fourth Prince thought to himself: The young princess's request isn't unreasonable; the two residences aren't far apart. However, it's not entirely appropriate according to custom. Generally, princesses who marry into a prince's family aren't allowed to frequently return home unless there's an important reason. Their bodies and lives belong to the royal family, even those princesses and concubines not recorded in the imperial genealogy. In ancient times, a woman's reputation was more important than her life. A prince's wife was different from ordinary people; she was a woman of the imperial family, and no eventuality that could harm the royal family was tolerated.
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