The pleasure boat was already prepared.
Apart from a middle-aged eunuch responsible for rowing, two young eunuchs skilled in swimming were also arranged on board to prevent the masters from falling into the water.
The boatman stood at the stern, propelling the vessel, while the two young eunuchs waited on the same side.
Inside the cabin, Jie Yu inspected various utensils and the fruits and pastries sent from the Imperial Kitchen, occasionally glancing towards the bow.
There, the Little Princess was comfortably lying on a felt mat that nearly covered the entire bow, while Zhang Su sat upright just an arm’s length away.
The boat had traveled some distance, but the boy’s figure seemed never to have moved.
Qingyang enjoyed lying down and gazing at the sky like this, so she wanted her specially invited companion to enjoy it too.
“How can I make you lie down?”
With both hands behind her head, Qingyang looked at the straight back in front of her.
Zhang Su: “There is a distinction between ranks. This humble servant does not dare.”
Qingyang: “Then do you like accompanying me on the lake? Or is it that you don’t actually wish to be here either?”
Zhang Su: “…… This humble servant is willing to remain here to protect Your Highness.”
Qingyang: “There’s no danger here. I don’t need your protection. Everyone else is still sleeping in, and I knew you must get up early, so I called you over to keep me company.”
Zhang Su nodded at the deck, and since the Little Princess asked no further questions, he fell silent again.
Qingyang found him quite dull.
After lying for a while, she sat up and looked back to gauge the distance between the boat and the shore.
She called toward the cabin, “Jie Yu, stop the boat.”
Once the boat came to a halt, Qingyang had Zhang Su help her bait the hook and cast the rod.
Zhang Su’s flaw was his taciturn nature, but no matter what Qingyang asked him to do, he obediently complied.
He was more obedient than Second Brother and more capable than Third Brother, which was why Qingyang liked being with Zhang Su.
Zhang Su quickly finished casting the line and handed the rod to the Little Princess.
This rod had a small hook, so there was no fear of a large fish pulling the Princess into trouble.
Qingyang looked at another fishing rod.
“You fish too. That’s all right, isn’t it?”
Zhang Su didn’t refuse again.
The boatman was skilled at anchoring, positioning the boat so the Little Princess sat with her back to the sunlight at the bow.
The lake water was clear, and in the distance were mountains, islands, dikes, and pavilions half-hidden among flowering trees.
Fishing amid such scenery would not leave one bored.
The slender tip of the rod dipped.
Qingyang’s eyes brightened.
After waiting a moment to confirm a fish was on the line, she jerked the rod upward, reeling in a palm-sized silver fish.
Zhang Su put down his rod to help, but Qingyang waved him off, moving her own rod back so the little silver fish came closer.
During the process of reeling in, the silver fish barely moved.
But as Qingyang reached out to grab it, the fish suddenly thrashed, spraying both of them with water.
Zhang Su quickly seized the fish, then glanced with concern at the Little Princess, who had used her sleeve to shield her face.
The sleeve lowered, revealing the Little Princess’s moist, smiling black eyes.
Just as Zhang Su looked away, the Little Princess laughed harder and pointed at his face.
“How did you get so wet?”
Only then did Zhang Su use his sleeve to wipe his face.
The silver fish was placed into the Little Princess’s wooden bucket.
Zhang Su picked up his fishing rod again, but saw the Little Princess kneeling before the bucket, head lowered to look at the fish.
As she gazed, she even spoke to it.
“If I can’t catch a bigger one, I’ll have you stewed for Father Emperor and Imperial Concubine.”
Zhang Su: “……”
As more fish bit in the lake, the Little Princess’s childish talk grew ever livelier.
Zhang Su felt at ease.
Yesterday, Chancellor Yan’s words were so harsh that he’d worried the Little Princess might feel aggrieved or depressed.
They fished through the morning.
At midday, they rested indoors.
When it cooled in the afternoon, Qingyang called Third Brother and Zhang Su to ride horses on the grasslands.
Qin Ren, who’d slept until lunch, was finally well-rested and in good spirits.
But he wasn’t interested in horse-riding and preferred walking beside Zhang Su, who was leading his younger sister’s horse, idly chatting with her.
“Princess, we’re here!”
A sweet voice called from afar.
Qingyang, seated high on her horse, looked back and saw Yuan Shenli’s younger sister, Yuan Jie, running toward them excitedly.
Chancellor Yan’s granddaughter, Yan Zhenzhen, lagged a few steps behind, followed lastly by their two maids.
Qingyang had Zhang Su turn her horse, but showed no intention of dismounting.
Yuan Jie ran all the way over, cheeks flushed with exertion, but still smiling as she looked at Qin Ren first.
Qin Ren was already fourteen.
He’d heard Yuan Xiuli brag to Second Brother about matters with the household maids two years ago.
Though Qin Ren felt such things weren’t proper topics, Yuan Xiuli’s words had indeed made him aware of relations between men and women.
With Eldest Brother married and Second Brother bestowing marriage, the elders had begun to joke about his own marriage as well, and Imperial Concubine had even hinted that Yuan Jie might have an interest in him!
Qin Ren enjoyed wedding banquets, as on those days he didn’t have to rise early to study.
But he’d never thought about marrying, and certainly had no interest in marrying Yuan Shenli’s younger sister.
He exchanged a look with his younger sister and smiled.
“Then you girls play together. Zhang Su and I will go ahead.”
Qingyang cooperatively dismounted.
Yuan Jie blocked Qin Ren, proposing, “What can three people play? Let’s play hide-and-seek with all five of us!”
Qin Ren: “No thanks, Second Highness is waiting ahead. I’ll go find him.”
With that, Qin Ren nimbly mounted his sister’s horse and rode off without looking back.
Zhang Su looked at the two horses tied beneath a tree a dozen zhang away—his and Third Highness’s.
Qingyang: “Go after Third Brother. Keep an eye on him so he doesn’t fall.”
Zhang Su excused himself, riding one horse and leading the other in pursuit of the Third Prince.
Qingyang gave him a faint look, then turned to Yuan Jie and Yan Zhenzhen.
Yuan Jie seemed disappointed by Third Prince’s departure, while Yan Zhenzhen, holding a handful of wildflowers she’d picked along the way, asked, “So, are we picking flowers or playing hide-and-seek?”
Yuan Jie had no interest in either and asked the Little Princess directly.
“Did Third Highness run away because he doesn’t like me?”
Lü Wenrong had become Taizi Consort, Meng Yao the future consort of the Second Prince, and only the Third Prince remained—still so handsome that Yuan Jie didn’t want to miss her chance.
The Little Princess looked blank.
“What did you do to offend Third Brother?”
Yan Zhenzhen, holding her wildflowers, also looked over in confusion.
Two nine-year-old girls, two pairs of clear and innocent eyes.
Yuan Jie bit her lip, realizing she couldn’t communicate with them, and simply dropped the subject.
Qingyang then accompanied Yan Zhenzhen to pick wildflowers.
Upon returning to the palace, Qingyang wanted to give the wildflowers to Imperial Concubine, only to find Father Emperor there as well.
“Imperial Concubine, is it pretty?”
Qingyang leaned close, holding up the carefully chosen wildflowers, selected in a mix of colors.
Consort Li smiled.
“It’s beautiful. A gift for your Imperial Concubine?”
Qingyang nodded.
On the other side of the luohan bed, Emperor Xingwu watched the mother and daughter with a smile, then suddenly spoke.
“Why give it only to your Imperial Concubine? Why not to your Father Emperor?”
Qingyang split a few flowers and placed them before her Father Emperor.
Emperor Xingwu took them, pretended to sniff, and asked, “Did your Third Brother help you pick these?”
Qingyang shook her head, saying she’d picked them with Yan Zhenzhen.
Emperor Xingwu smiled, instructing Consort Li to fetch a vase.
Then he pulled his daughter to sit beside him, speaking softly.
“Chancellor Yan scolded you yesterday. Why are you still willing to play with his granddaughter?”
Qingyang, who had already forgotten, hesitated.
“…… Chancellor Yan was the one who scolded me. Zhenzhen did nothing wrong. Why should I ignore her?”
Emperor Xingwu: “Then if you met Chancellor Yan outside, would you still greet him?”
Qingyang: “Of course. He’s your Prime Minister and an elder. I can’t be rude.”
Emperor Xingwu was surprised.
“You’re not angry with him? If Father Emperor listened entirely to him, your Gold Waist Token might have been taken back, and you’d have been neglected for a time.”
Imagining herself neglected, the Little Princess glanced at Father Emperor.
“If Father Emperor ignored me just because of someone’s complaints, then I would ignore Father Emperor too.”
With that, the Little Princess scooted to the other end of the luohan bed, turning away.
Emperor Xingwu laughed, following her to sit side by side.
“Lin’er, don’t worry. Father Emperor will never neglect you in this lifetime.”
How many years did he even have left?
Whether he’d live to see his youngest daughter marry was still uncertain.
Qingyang heard the sigh, looked up, and noticed the lines at the corners of Father Emperor’s eyes.
She hugged his arm, leaning against him.
“Then I’ll be filial to Father Emperor too—my whole life.”
Emperor Xingwu patted his daughter’s head.
“Yesterday, Lin’er was wronged.”
Even if Yan Xizheng’s caution was for the future of Great Qi, he shouldn’t have said such things in public.
His warning was sharp, but if the Crown Prince were petty, how could Lin’er endure in the future?
Qingyang: “It was a bit unfair, but I know Chancellor Yan was thinking of state affairs and fulfilling his duty as Prime Minister. I don’t blame him.”
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Emperor Xingwu tightened his hold on his daughter’s small shoulders, then smiled after a moment of silence.
“They say a Prime Minister’s belly can hold a boat. Even though Lin’er is only nine, your tolerance rivals a Prime Minister’s.”
The Little Princess didn’t really like that.
“Why compare me to a Prime Minister? I’m Father Emperor’s daughter—my status is nobler than a Prime Minister’s. Of course, my tolerance should be greater too.”
Consort Li, who had just found a suitable vase, heard the Emperor’s laughter.
“Right, they should all learn from our Lin’er!”
***
The monarch and his ministers rested for three days.
Next came the time for reviewing memorials and returning to duty.
The Little Princess had nearly forgotten the unpleasantness at Listening Spring Hall, but at her Father Emperor’s reminder, she donned her Gold Waist Token on the first day the officials resumed court and strode proudly to the small Grand Secretariat in the palace, heading straight for the office of the two Prime Ministers.
Qin Hong was also there.
Seeing his sister in a light yellow skirt, her pale face and dark eyes bright, his mood improved.
With both Prime Ministers present, and knowing his sister would leave soon, Qin Hong only smiled at her before lowering his head to continue reading his documents.
Right Chancellor Dai Lun did the same.
Yan Xizheng’s face remained expressionless as he glanced at the Little Princess.
Just as he was about to look away, she unexpectedly walked up beside him and stopped.
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Yan Xizheng immediately closed the memorial on his desk.
@ Limitless good stories, all at Jinjiang Literature City
Qingyang: “I didn’t mean to look.”
She then had a maid bring in a chair, placing it on the left side of Yan Xizheng’s desk, convenient for observing his face but impossible to read the memorial’s words.
Yan Xizheng: “Princess, what do you mean by this?”
Qingyang: “Chancellor Yan fears I’ll interfere in state affairs and get close to high officials. So I’ll sit quietly by his side and let him supervise me directly.”
Yan Xizheng: “…… If the Princess is willing to remain quietly in the inner palace and not step into court, why should I worry?”
Qingyang: “But I came to court to observe the style of the founding ministers—especially since I admire Chancellor Yan. If I see him one day less, I miss him a day more. I can’t bear it. All right, Chancellor Yan, please continue. Don’t let me delay state business.”
Yan Xizheng: “……”
Such talk of surpassing others in intelligence and perseverance—this was clearly a nine-year-old troublemaker, deliberately seeking revenge!