"No way! I can't let Lao Liu get there first! You need to give me some ideas! Stop fussing over your flowers and plants all day, what good are they?!"

The King of Wu grew anxious and rushed over to grab the Queen's hand.

Princess Wu slapped his hand away and snorted.

"If it weren't for the strawberries I grew before the New Year, you wouldn't even have been able to get through the gates of the East Palace! Who says flowers and plants are useless? Sometimes they can be incredibly useful! Figure out your own problems! Don't bother me! Are all those retainers just there to eat?"

Princess Wu was not afraid of King Wu at all. After giving him a good scolding, she felt refreshed and directly drove King Wu out of the main courtyard.

King Wu stood at the entrance of the main courtyard, feeling depressed for a long time, before turning around and going to the front courtyard.

As soon as March arrives, spring is in full bloom, and people in the capital, from the powerful and wealthy to ordinary citizens, all go to the suburbs for spring outings whenever they have free time.

On the fifteenth of March, outside Donghua Gate, two carriages, escorted by two squads of imperial guards, drove into the wide street and headed north.

Song Xibai sat in the carriage at the front. Hearing the commotion outside, she couldn't help but open the window a crack and look out.

"Be careful of the cold wind blowing in."

The prince, who was sitting next to her, grabbed her arm and pulled her back, and considerately adjusted her cloak.

Song Xibai turned her head: "Which road are we on? I don't think I've been here before."

"Ordinary people are not allowed to enter and leave the East Garden of the Imperial Palace at will, so it's normal that you haven't been here before."

As the prince spoke, he took out a map from a hidden compartment in the carriage and unfolded it for Song Xibai to see.

"This is the road we are taking."

Song Xibai's eyes widened slightly: "You bring a map with you when you go out?"

Although the map is drawn rather abstractly, the markings are very clear and easy to understand.

Song Xibai quickly located Longevity Hill, which was northwest of the Imperial Palace. There was a sizable lake nearby, and a little further west was Fragrant Hill.

"It's quite far from the palace!"

Song Xibai wasn't quite sure about the distance, but compared to the size of the palace, it seemed incredibly far.

"I'm not afraid of the distance. I've already had people prepare at the estate in advance. We'll rest for the night before returning to the palace."

Hearing the Crown Prince say that, Song Xibai felt relieved.

"No wonder His Highness had them prepare so many things!"

Thinking back to the large bags and small packages that Wei Hong and the others had when they left home, Song Xibai couldn't help but sigh.

In the carriage behind sat Dingxiang, Wei Hong, and the newly arrived eunuch Qingxi. Although that carriage was not as exquisite and luxurious as the one Song Xibai and the Crown Prince had, it was still quite large, though most of the space was taken up by luggage.

The carriage traveled at a leisurely pace, stopping frequently along the way. The journey of more than twenty kilometers took a full hour.

Song Xibai was almost dozing off when he suddenly heard the voices of the guards outside.

"Your Highness, we have arrived."

Song Xibai immediately opened her eyes.

"We've finally arrived!"

She was helped down from the carriage by the Crown Prince's hand, and when she looked up, she saw the calm Moonlit Lake.

The lake water ripples and sparkles, and two rows of trees are planted along the shore, just beginning to sprout green buds.

Then, turning around, Song Xibai finally saw his destination – Longevity Hill.

Strictly speaking, Longevity Hill isn't really a mountain; it's more like a gentle slope. The hill is relatively flat, and you can easily see the five-story pagoda at the summit, as well as the square temple below it.

The low hills are covered with peach and plum trees, and now is the season for them to bloom. Pink peach blossoms and white plum blossoms are in full bloom all over the hills, enveloping the mountains in pink and white, like a thin veil, like smoke and mist, making people unable to take their eyes off them.

The carriage behind them also stopped, and Dingxiang and Wei Hong jumped off one after the other and immediately ran to Song Xibai's side.

"This mountain isn't high, but there are quite a lot of trees planted here. Aren't you worried about attracting insects?"

Dingxiang's words were a bit of a mood killer, but Song Xibai didn't mind and said with a smile.

"When summer comes, the mountains will be full of peaches and plums. We'll come back then and eat our fill."

Dingxiang glanced at her and reminded her, "By then your belly will be quite big, and whether you'll be able to leave the palace is another matter!"

Upon hearing this, Song Xibai immediately turned her head, her large, watery eyes gazing longingly at the Crown Prince.

The prince found it extremely amusing, reached out and removed a pink petal that had fallen on her head, and said gently.

"If you want to come again then, I will bring you back."

Song Xibai nestled into the Crown Prince's arms with a beaming smile.

Dingxiang patted her chest.

This relationship smells so sour and rotten!

"Wei Hong, let's go, ignore these two."

Dingxiang took Wei Hong's arm, each carrying a small bundle, and took the lead on the way up the mountain.

Before Wei Hong could even speak, she was dragged onto the road.

Song Xibai couldn't help but laugh out loud. She also took the Crown Prince's arm and slowly walked up the mountain.

The path up the mountain is paved with large bluestone slabs, making it very easy to walk on.

Song Xibai guessed that this road might have been specially built to take care of the Empress Dowager.

"Why would the Empress Dowager travel so far to worship Buddha? Aren't there many temples in the capital?"

Because the late Empress Dowager was a devout Buddhist, her influence spread far and wide, leading to a surge in temple worship and an increase in the number of Buddhist temples throughout the country in recent years. There are several temples in the capital, but none of them are very large. There are even more in the suburbs of the capital. Song Xibai knows of at least five or six of them, the largest of which is Bao'en Temple, and the oldest is Wan'an Temple. In comparison, Huangjue Temple on Longevity Hill is nothing special.

“Grandmother prefers quiet, which is why she specially chose this place.” The Crown Prince held Song Xibai’s hand tightly and explained, “Moreover, the old abbot of Huangjue Temple is an old acquaintance of Grandmother, who saved her when she was a child.”

Song Xibai suddenly realized, "This connection is quite deep!"

The conversation ended there, because the mountain road had come to an end.

There was an open space outside the temple gate, also paved with bluestone slabs, but now a group of unexpected visitors were standing there.

The King of Wu, dressed in a reddish-brown casual robe, walked towards them with a smile on his face.

"What a coincidence! I never expected to run into His Highness the Crown Prince here."

The King of Wu pretended to have encountered the place by chance, but his facial expression was so artificial that it was easy to see through.

Song Xibai turned to look at the Crown Prince and asked in a low voice.

"Did His Highness send him?"

The Crown Prince shook his head: "I only called Xiao Liu."

After a pause, the crown prince turned to the King of Wu and asked, "What are you doing here? Where is Xiao Liu?"

Just as he was asking the question, a frustrated voice came from behind the King of Wu.

"Brother, I'm here."

The sixth prince squeezed out from behind the King of Wu and his entourage, quickly ran to the Crown Prince, and hurriedly explained.

"I had only been here a short while when my third brother arrived. I didn't secretly tell him!"

The crown prince patted his head and smiled.

"I know."

The Sixth Prince secretly breathed a sigh of relief, glared at the Prince of Wu with what he thought was a fierce look, and then noticed Song Xibai's presence. He quickly bowed to her.