Chapter 280: Admiring the Lotus Flowers
Chapter 280: Admiring the Lotus Flowers
When Sunshi heard that the Grand Princess was not in the room, her vision darkened once more.
How could she find one only to lose another?
Although Sunshi was uncertain, she remained calm and replied with a smile, "I'll go in and have a look first."
The Grand Princess was not a child who could get carried away and hide without anyone knowing where she had gone.
Queen Qi was not overly worried either.
Soon, they bid farewell to Sunshi and followed Lu Xinglan towards the lotus pond.
The pond was surrounded by a crowd, mostly children.
Children loved lively scenes and were drawn to novel things.
The spring in the capital this year had been slightly cooler than usual.
As a result, the lotuses and other plants bloomed later than expected.
Normally, they would start to bloom in the latter half of May, but now, at the beginning of the month, they were already in flower. Naturally, the children were curious and wanted to take a look.
Among them was Feng Xuanrui, a prominent young master in the capital and the second young master of the Wang Manor. Just from this introduction, one could grasp the nobility of his identity.
Many of the children recognized him and greeted him with bright smiles.
With so many people, the area became crowded.
However, everyone was considerate enough not to jostle the adults, and the children gathered together, chatting excitedly.
Shunyang Princess sat at a distance from them, and her servants had cordoned off an area to keep others away, allowing the princess to admire the flowers in peace.
Two servants held umbrellas over the princess, following her every move to shield her from the sun.
The children couldn't sit still, running here and there to explore.
In the short time Queen Qi had been observing, Shunyang Princess had already changed seats several times, and the two servants with umbrellas had to scurry from one end to the other and back again.
Witnessing this scene, Queen Qi was moved. She turned to her aunt and murmured, "Let's also arrange for two people to hold umbrellas for Suisu when we get back. The sun is getting stronger, and we can't let the delicate child get sunburnt."
Her aunt nodded in agreement and suggested bringing the child over, but Queen Qi refused, "I want to hold her a little longer."
It made a difference to others whether the child was held by Queen Qi herself or by a servant.
Whether a child was favored or not, and to what degree, could be discerned from such details.
Therefore, Queen Qi wanted to hold Suisu a little longer in front of everyone, letting them know how much she cherished and adored her daughter.
At that moment, Suisu was curiously leaning forward to gaze at the lotuses in the pond.
The lotuses in Lu Manor were pure white like snow, and even in their initial bloom, they exuded a sacred radiance.
The flowers were not large, but the leaves spread out, covering almost half the pond.
Layer upon layer of lush green foliage created a spectacular sight, making the pond a delightful spectacle.
Suisu was intrigued by these flowers and whispered, "We don't have these at our home."
"Our home."
These three words sounded like celestial music to Queen Qi.
They represented a sense of belonging and acceptance.
Suisu had already acknowledged the Qi Manor, and more importantly, she had accepted Queen Qi as her mother and King Qi as her father in her heart! Queen Qi felt that these were the sweetest words she had heard all day.
Delighted, she lifted the child slightly and said with a smile, "If Suisu likes them, I'll ask your father to arrange for some when we get back."
There were lotuses in the manor's pond, but not in large numbers.
In the past, there had been many, but with so many children in the manor, and such mischievous ones at that, despite the servants' constant admonishments, they couldn't always keep an eye on them. Sometimes, the children would playfully jump onto the lotus leaves.
It was hard to say how much weight that thing could bear...
So, it was very easy for someone to fall into the water and then drown.
Previously, Feng Xuanbo had fallen into the water once. After investigating, there was no conspiracy involved; it was simply due to the mischievous nature of children.
Fortunately, there were many people around, and he was quickly fished out, so there was no major issue.
Otherwise...
Given Consort Ren's temperament, she could have turned the entire Qi Wang Manor upside down.
Not long after Little Five fell into the water, Consort Qi had ordered the lotus flowers in the pond to be mostly cleared out, leaving only a small portion that could barely be considered a scenic spot, and it was a pond farther away from the South Courtyard.
However, if Suisu liked it, then it was time to make arrangements.
Consort Qi was already considering which family had the best and most beautiful lotus flowers that were also easy to care for. Then, she could ask for a few stocks to be brought over, and with some careful tending, perhaps they could be admired during the summer.
Just as she was pondering this, she heard Feng Xuanrui exclaiming from behind, "Let's go, let's play!"
Although Feng Xuanrui wanted to go and play, he didn't dare to run off without his mother's consent. At that moment, he looked up at her with eager eyes.
Consort Qi: ...
At that moment, the children playing with Feng Xuanrui were all from the Grand Princess's manor.
Everyone was relatively familiar and had a good relationship.
Although there were times when they argued, children's arguments were just like that—most of the time, they would argue and then, the next moment, they would be happily eating pastries together.
Consort Qi felt assured about these children, and she nodded to Feng Xuanrui, "Go on, but watch your younger brothers."
Upon hearing his mother's consent, Feng Xuanrui still asked with a glimmer of hope, "I want to bring my younger sister along."
Consort Qi hesitated for a moment before shaking her head, "First, take your younger brothers along, and watch Xiao Qi. Don't cause any trouble."
Hearing this outcome, Feng Xuanrui looked a little disappointed, "Oh, alright then."
Although he couldn't bring his younger sister along, Feng Xuanrui still waved excitedly at Suisu, "Wait for me, Sister! I'll come back for you soon, and then I'll bring you along too!"
Feng Xuanbin was not about to be left behind either, "And I, too! We'll be back soon!"
A group of half-grown children were about to find an empty space to spin their tops.
Who would just stand there and look at flowers?
They were not going to do that!
They were going to do something more befitting of young men!
So, spin away!
Feng Xuanrui and his friends quickly left, creating a cheerful ruckus as they went. Consort Qi carefully observed them, wanting to confirm the identities of the children playing together to set her heart at ease.
Seeing her like this, Lu Xinglan couldn't help but smile, "Rest assured, Junzi is there, and she will keep an eye on the younger brothers."
Consort Qi looked for a while, then withdrew her gaze and hesitated before asking quietly, "I noticed a child in the crowd who looked unfamiliar. Which family is he from?"
Upon hearing Consort Qi mention an unfamiliar child, Lu Xinglan turned her head to look as well.
Unfortunately, the children were playful and quick on their feet, and their figures soon blended together, especially since they were all seen from the back. Furthermore, it was challenging to discern their features clearly, so it was indeed difficult to identify them.
Lu Xinglan furrowed her brows, not understanding, and turned to ask the maid beside her.
The maid observed for a while and then recognized them, "The one the Consort mentioned is probably the young master of the Wei Manor."
The young master of the Wei Manor?
The Hou of Huaiyang, Wei Manor?
Lu Xinglan's eyebrows knitted together as she pondered this, "I recall the young master of the Wei Manor to be eleven or twelve years old. But that child doesn't look that old; he looks to be around four or five years old, and I'm worried he might be too young and get jostled by the older brothers."
Second update at 7:00 pm.
(End of Chapter)
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