CHAPTER 151: CHAPTER 151 MORNING LOTUS PICKING

"Isn’t that right? Without expectation, there is no disappointment. The Emperor is not only the Emperor of Huifang Courtyard, but also the Emperor of the entire palace. Understand?"

This sentence enlightened Chunqi.

Perhaps life had been too easy in the past, making them forget that their young master’s husband was not an ordinary man, but the ruler of the world.

Understanding this was a matter of an instant.

They had all experienced life in the Prime Minister’s Mansion and once hoped that the Prime Minister would be kind to the main house.

But later, even though he didn’t look after the main house, didn’t the main house continue to live on?

Instead of living in constant fear, why not have peace of mind.

When the Emperor comes, they live their lives.

When the Emperor doesn’t come, they still live their lives.

Finding this original intention again, Chunqi felt much more at ease.

She immediately put down what she was doing and spoke to Xia An.

"I see the lotus flowers in Lotus Lake are almost fully bloomed, and the lotus seeds should be ready to eat. Let’s pick some tomorrow morning and make lotus seed porridge for the young master, to clear the mind and ease the fire, what do you think?"

Seeing her as lively and enthusiastic as before, Xia An finally felt at ease.

"Good! If there’s nothing going on tomorrow, I’ll go with you."

"Isn’t that inappropriate? If you go, who will serve the young master?"

"Don’t worry, if the young master knows you’re going to pick lotus seeds, she might want to go too!"

Chunqi thought about it and agreed!

Even if not getting into the water, just standing by the shore would greatly improve the mood.

So she said to Xia An.

"That’s right, that’s right. Let’s ask the young master then. If many are going, we should prepare a few more baskets to save running back and forth."

"Alright."

The two discussed and went to ask Lin Wanyi for her opinion.

She was naturally delighted and wanted to tag along!

The nearby Second Prince, seeing this, was hardly willing to stay in the courtyard, thus making the lotus picking trip suddenly more complicated.

The two of them were both recovering from supposed illness, and going out together might cause trouble if caught.

After a lot of thinking, they decided to go early and return early.

How early was early?

Around the time of dawn, when the first light begins to appear, they would set off.

At that time, not just concubines but even palace attendants would hardly be awake that early.

Moreover, it’s beside the Lotus Lake.

(Nanny Du and Eunuch Qiu Ming stood in the corridor, listening carefully to Lin Wanyi and the Second Prince discussing.)

(One moment planning the route, the next figuring out how many baskets to bring, it was quite amusing.)

(They exchanged a glance but did not stop them.)

As always, the thought was that even if the Emperor doesn’t come, life must go on.

Guarding this small piece of paradise for too long, if not becoming as thin as a dried flower, one’s heart becomes as sharp as a blade!

Perhaps having this anticipation, before daylight even broke the next day,

the palace of Huifang Courtyard had scattered palace lanterns lighting up.

Soon enough, everyone was ready to go.

The Second Prince was especially energetic today.

Wearing a light blue small outfit with a lake blue silk belt embroidered with Ruyi cloud patterns around his waist.

He wore small deerskin boots, impervious to water splashes.

Over that was a dark hooded cloak to wrap up if it got cold outside.

Seeing him dressed like this, Lin Wanyi was quite pleased.

"Nanny Du is meticulous, preparing the best for you."

The Second Prince smiled, not refuting this statement one bit.

That was indeed the case.

Since Nanny Du came to care for him, he finally had something to look forward to in life.

Lin Wanyi was dressed simply too.

For some reason, she chose a light green outfit today, complementing the Second Prince harmoniously.

In the summer, the day’s light brightened quickly; the further they walked, the clearer the path became.

Initially, Xiao Luzi carried a palace lantern, but eventually placed it by a tree on their way back,

to avoid the hassle of carrying it.

He planned to retrieve it on their return journey.

Along the way, as Lin Wanyi had guessed, they didn’t see a single person.

When they reached Lotus Lake, the eastern sky merely showed a hint of dawn.

Looking closely, the sunrise was still suppressed beneath the clouds.

Chunqi excitedly said,

"Lotus seeds are best picked in the morning, while the dew is still on them. Young master and Second Prince, wait here; I’ll go down now."

After speaking, she tied her shoes and sleeves with cloth strips.

Together with Xiao Luzi and Xia An, she boarded the small boat already prepared.

They rowed into the Lotus Lake.

This traveling palace’s Lotus Lake wasn’t the only one; there were several others as well.

But this was the largest.

A small boat rowing inside quickly disappeared from view.

Lin Wanyi, being relatively tall, could still see the three as she stood on her tiptoes.

But the Second Prince struggled.

Even after stepping back a few paces, he could only see lotus leaves, not the people.

Frustrated, he stomped his foot.

"Lady Lin, where did they go? I can’t see anything!"

His small face, once full of excitement, now bore anxiety.

Lin Wanyi turned back to look at him with a smile and said,

"Stop stepping back; you still can’t see anything. Why not have Mr. Qiu carry you, then you can see!"

"Good idea, but can Mr. Qiu handle it?"

The Second Prince stared at Qiu Ming, and despite how thin Qiu Ming was, he couldn’t refuse at this moment.

Moreover, he wasn’t someone frail.

Carrying for a while shouldn’t be a problem.

So he bent down and squatted, saying to the Second Prince,

"Rest assured, Second Prince, I will be careful!"

Hearing this, even if the Second Prince were to fall, he’d still be happy.

Cheerfully, he climbed onto Qiu Ming’s shoulders.

Nanny Du supported him from the side, urging Qiu Ming to be extremely careful.

Once the Second Prince was safely perched, he quickly stood up.

With that, his view was much broader.

Not only could he see the trio’s small boat, but even much further beyond.

Overjoyed, the Second Prince was filled with excitement, looking left and right, utterly delighted.

"Slow down, Second Prince, slow down!"

Although Nanny Du didn’t stop him, she never let go of the hand supporting his back.

Afraid that if Qiu Ming wasn’t careful and dropped him, there would be trouble.

But Qiu Ming, unusually, smiled and said,

"Rest assured, nanny, I am careful."

To his surprise, the Second Prince was lighter than he imagined, he thought it would be hard.

Unexpectedly, he was so light and nimble.

Feeling a tinge of pity in his heart.

Clearly six years old, yet his frame resembled that of a three or four-year-old child.

Feeling the Second Prince’s excitement, he, serving as a "base," was also happy.

Lin Wanyi spent the morning glancing between Chunqi and the Second Prince, quite busily.

Chunqi and her companions were quick, swiftly clearing out the finest lotuses from the lake’s center.