CHAPTER 152: CHAPTER 152: CAUGHT RED-HANDED

By the time they rowed back from the center of the lake, the small boat was already filled with lotus pods.

The Second Prince was extremely excited, and he quickly patted Qiu Ming on the shoulder and said.

"Mr. Qiu, let me down."

"Yes."

As soon as his feet hit the ground, he ran in small steps toward the lotus pods.

Seeing the lotus pods still covered with dewdrops lying there quietly, the Second Prince was more excited than ever.

"This is the first time I’ve seen lotus pods, Lady Lin, are the seeds inside them?"

"Yes, when we get back, let’s shell them together, how about that?"

"Great, great. I’ve never shelled lotus seeds before, is it like making peach jam?"

"Yes and no. Later on, watch how Chunqi does it and learn from her."

"Mmm mmm."

The Second Prince nodded repeatedly. At this moment, even if he were asked to carry all these lotus pods back to Huifang Courtyard by himself, he would probably agree.

Lin Wanyi glanced around; the sun had already risen.

The daylight was not only bright, but the warmth of the morning sun had already spread across the earth.

"Let’s hurry back lest we run into someone!"

"Mmm."

Chunqi, Xia An, and Xiao Luzi all began to pack the lotus pods into baskets.

The Second Prince also pitched in to help.

In no time, they filled up five full baskets.

Xiao Luzi, being young and strong, naturally carried two baskets, one in the front and one in the back.

The remaining three were assigned one each to Chunqi, Xia An, and Qiu Ming.

The Second Prince wanted to carry one, but the baskets were half his size in weight, so he couldn’t manage it.

Carrying them would even make him unable to walk.

So he just took hold of two in his hands, and cheerfully ran ahead to lead the way.

This trip was quite a gain; on the return trip, Nanny Du also picked up the palace lantern that had been left by the roadside.

The group swiftly headed to Huifang Courtyard, not wasting any time.

As soon as they entered the gates, they exchanged smiles.

No one noticed, better that way!

"I’ll go get a basin of water, the fresh lotus seeds need to be soaked in water. If you and the Second Prince want to eat some, you can, but don’t overindulge!"

"What happens if we overindulge?"

"You might end up with an upset stomach."

Saying that, she pointed to the location of the privies, scaring the Second Prince into dropping the idea immediately.

He couldn’t handle running back and forth to the privy, so he decided to hold back his cravings.

As they spoke, several of them walked into the courtyard.

Who would have thought that someone was already standing there, looking at them with a somewhat angry expression.

Qiu Ming and Nanny Du were the first to react and immediately knelt to pay their respects.

"Your servant (I) greets Your Majesty, wishing Your Majesty good health."

Inside, their hearts were beating like a drum, full of worry.

Seeing them kneel, everyone else finally reacted.

Chunqi, who had suggested the outing, was the most frightened. If she had known the Emperor would come so early, she wouldn’t have dared let her young master and the Second Prince go.

Shock aside, Lin Wanyi and the Second Prince remained relatively composed.

They stepped forward and paid their respects as well.

"Your son greets Father, wishing Father good health."

"This concubine greets Your Majesty, wishing Your Majesty good health."

The people behind, like Xiao Luzi, were already prostrate on the ground, barely daring to breathe.

Afraid of provoking the Emperor, knowing they themselves would suffer the consequences.

The Emperor looked at this group who had been chatting and laughing so freely, now as silent as cicadas in the cold.

His initial anger was held back.

"Where did you all run off to so early in the morning? Not a single one to serve in the whole place!"

The Emperor’s statement wasn’t entirely accurate.

There were a few servants, but they were in the back courtyard doing some hard labor under Nanny Du’s orders.

They usually dared not easily show themselves in the front courtyard.

Seeing everyone’s fear, Lin Wanyi had no choice but to step forward with some courage.

"In response to Your Majesty, the lotus flowers at Lotus Lake are in full bloom, and this concubine thought fresh lotus seeds would be perfect for making porridge, so I took the Second Prince along to pick them. It’s all my fault; it was my oversight."

"Oversight? You, too, can have oversights?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the Emperor somewhat regretted them.

Lin Wanyi, however, found it strange. How come the Emperor’s temper seemed to have grown over the past few days?

Could it be that Ming Changzai didn’t serve him well?

So, was this a visit to Huifang Courtyard to find fault with them?

Thinking of this, she comforted herself not to take it personally.

The ancient saying goes that women and petty men are hard to deal with.

In her mind, clearly, Emperors are the hardest to deal with.

Still, on the surface, she maintained a humble and receptive attitude, and continued to speak to the Emperor.

"I acknowledge my mistake, Your Majesty. Please don’t upset yourself."

The Emperor looked at her thin body kneeling on the ground, not even daring to lift her head. Even with all his anger, at this moment, he couldn’t bear to act on it.

He reached out and pulled her up, touching her palm and cheek.

Just as expected, they were ice-cold.

The fire he’d managed to suppress flared up again.

"Didn’t I tell you to take good care of your health? Running outside at dawn, what if you catch a cold again?"

Then he gave a sweeping glance at those kneeling on the ground.

Every one of them felt a chill from head to toe, kneeling even more subserviently.

"Hmm, such incapable caretakers for Lin Changzai, perhaps a few strokes of the board will teach you the rules."

He then issued orders to Dong Yuzhong.

"Dong Yuzhong."

"Your servant is here."

"Ten strokes for each person, excluding Nanny Du, execute the punishment!"

Ten strokes won’t kill, but it would take a few days to recover.

All those present were the palace maids and eunuchs who took care of Lin Wanyi daily. If they all ended up bedridden, wouldn’t Huifang Courtyard fall into chaos?

Just as he was pondering how to respond, Lin Wanyi suddenly went limp and collapsed into the Emperor’s arms.

She had fainted outright.

"Qianqian!"

Seeing her like this, the Emperor couldn’t think of anything else. He immediately scooped her up in his arms and headed indoors.

Then, with a serious but slightly anxious expression, he said.

"Summon the Imperial Physician!"

"Yes!"

Because of Lin Wanyi’s fainting, the board strokes naturally weren’t carried out.

Some were sent to summon the Imperial Physician, others to heat water, while others prepared the bedding.

They all started attending to their duties right away.

Lin Wanyi, however, was now in a predicament, trapped in the Emperor’s arms, not daring to move a muscle.

Her fainting spell was merely a tactic.

If getting some lotus seeds led to a roomful of people being punished, who would dare let her go out in the future?

With that thought, she couldn’t help but move her lips a bit.

The Emperor, initially worried, immediately noticed the oddity.

How could someone who’d fainted have twitching eyelids? Obviously, she was faking it!

Just as he was about to get angry, he felt the person in his embrace tremble slightly, snuggling closer to him.

Clearly looking scared.

At this moment, she appeared so meek and dependent, yet usually, she was such a cold-hearted woman!