After Lanqin and the other girls finished their meal, they rested together in Lanqin's side room. This was a warm pavilion, usually where Fourth Master and Lanqin would rest when they were tired; it wasn't a proper place to sleep. The side room contained some books that Lanqin liked to read, as well as a desk for Fourth Master to use for painting and calligraphy in his spare time.
"I see you're all tired, why don't you go back and rest? They're still drinking, who knows how long they'll keep going." Lanqin herself was a little tired, so she wanted to send the three girls back first.
"Yes, sister is tired, so we'll all take our leave." Xin Yi could tell that Lan Qin was tired, so she quickly said.
Cui Niang led the three away through the covered corridor. The princes, sitting in the large tent in the courtyard, seemed oblivious, continuing to drink. Several girls glanced over there intentionally or unintentionally a few times, then followed Cui Niang out of Lanchun Courtyard.
Lanqin couldn't hold on any longer, so she sent someone to tell the Fourth Master. Then, Nianxue helped her back to her bedroom, where she took off her hair, washed her face, and took off her clothes to rest for the afternoon.
The hunting is tomorrow, and today is just a welcome feast for the princes. There won't be any activities this afternoon. She doesn't care where the Fourth Prince takes them to play. It's so cold, and the Fourth Prince wouldn't want her to go out in the cold wind.
Lanqin didn't know how long she had slept when she suddenly felt a cold draft, followed by a body that smelled slightly of alcohol pressing against her.
Lanqin didn't even need to think about it; it was definitely the Fourth Master.
The Fourth Master had drunk a little too much, and at that moment he was slowly nibbling at Lanqin's neck, making Lanqin ticklish and unable to help but laugh.
"Ugh, I hate it. I want to sleep," Lanqin said, still with her eyes closed and pouting.
But Fourth Master wasn't about to stop; his hands had already started to wander.
Lanqin's body began to go limp from his kneading, and she said coquettishly, "You're so annoying, you can't even let me sleep in peace."
Fourth Master turned Lanqin's sideways body and pressed down on her, saying in a hoarse voice, "Just sleep. I'll take care of you."
Gradually, Lanqin felt she couldn't take it anymore and opened her eyes slightly. She saw that Fourth Master's face was flushed, probably because he had drunk too much.
"Sir, have you had your hangover soup yet?"
"You are my hangover cure," Fourth Master said, kissing Lanqin's lips.
Lanqin gave a couple of quick pinches before dodging Fourth Master's kiss, saying, "No, Master, go drink some hangover soup and then get some good sleep."
When Fourth Master saw that Lanqin refused, he immediately became a little angry. This little woman was willing to refuse him. In this respect, our Comrade Fourth has always been rather proud and arrogant, subconsciously feeling that his woman should never be refused, nor should she be refused.
But Lanqin really didn't want to be with Fourth Master in London at this time. He was drunk, and doing it would be harmful to his health and lack of restraint. Lanqin only felt it was a way to vent, and there was no love involved in the London encounter. She didn't want to do it!
"How dare you push me away?" Fourth Master roared.
“Master is drunk. He should drink some hangover soup and then go to sleep,” Lanqin insisted. She shrank back.
"My dear, I want you right now. You look so beautiful today. I wanted you the moment I saw you," Fourth Master said, gazing at Lanqin with a dreamy look in his eyes.
"Master, would you like Lanqin to stay with you for a while? You've had too much to drink, so Lanqin will keep you company and talk to you." Lanqin looked at the Fourth Master and said in a gentler tone.
In the end, Fourth Master did not force Lanqin, and lay down on the bed with her.
"Master, what are the prospects for my sisters?" Lanqin asked.
"The Tenth Prince has taken a liking to Shuhui. The Third Prince seems to have some feelings for your cousin," the Fourth Prince said.
Lanqin glanced at the Fourth Prince in surprise and murmured, "The Tenth Prince is simple-minded, but his wife is the sister of the Eighth Prince's wife. I'm afraid that if Shuhui goes in, she will inevitably suffer because of me."
Fourth Master frowned. When that sliver of malice surged up in his heart just now, he really couldn't suppress it.
No wonder there's an old saying, "Drunkenness leads to loss of control." Fourth Master, who always prided himself on his excellent self-control, actually lost control a bit after drinking a little too much today. He recalled what Master and Ninth Master had said at the dinner table, and felt a vague unease in his heart.
"Qin'er, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." Fourth Master felt fortunate that Lanqin stopped him in time, otherwise he really didn't know what he might have done.
"My lord, what's wrong? Everything's fine. I'm happy to see them too." Lanqin nestled in the Fourth Prince's arm.
"Hmph. This time, the Eighth Prince understands Father Emperor's intentions. He's been wary of him in every word. He even wants to get involved in the Seventh Prince's affairs. He really thinks he's some kind of wise prince," the Fourth Prince said resentfully. He hated the mask the Eighth Prince wore and wished he could remove it.
“Master, Eighth Master and Ninth Master are in cahoots and have been plotting for years. It won’t be easy to figure out their strength. Even my father has received favors from Eighth Master and speaks highly of him,” Lanqin said truthfully.
"So he's doing quite well in the Imperial Household Department now, and he's starting to handle things in the palace. Plus, the Tenth and Fourteenth Princes are following them around. It seems we need to find evidence for those things Your Highness investigated in Hangzhou back then," the Fourth Prince recalled.
"Is the Master talking about those things at the bottom of West Lake?" Although Lanqin didn't go directly with him, the Fourth Master had told her about them later.
“And Li Wei’s younger brother, and Miss Ding’s older brother. Many young men from that generation have gone missing. Fan Zhongqi regularly sends messages to you by carrier pigeon, and we’ve already made some progress,” Fourth Master said. “Give me a bowl of hangover soup.”
Lanqin gave Fourth Master a coquettish look, then sat up and called out to the door a few times. She ordered Nianxue to bring in some hangover soup and serve it to Fourth Master. Then she had Xicha and Sihua help Fourth Master clean his mouth and make noodles before settling him in.
"Master, you must take more people with you on the hunt tomorrow," Lanqin said. She was afraid now, afraid of losing Fourth Master, afraid that something might happen to him, so she wanted to think of every danger she could imagine.
"Don't worry, there aren't any big insects in the woods, maybe just wild boars at most," Fourth Master said with a smirk. He was quite pleased that the little woman was worried about him.
"Master, you're not a prophet. How would you know if there are any tigers in the forest? What if another black bear comes out?" Lanqin recalled the first time she went hunting with Fourth Master on this estate. That time, if Fourth Master hadn't acted decisively and shot the black bear, they probably wouldn't have been able to retreat safely.
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