Lanqin instructed Xicha and the others to take the lobsters they had caught to Niu Baoquan for cooking. She had already told him how to make braised lobsters in oil. To ensure it suited his taste, Niu Baoquan had already prepared a small plate of the dish according to Lanqin's secret recipe for her to try. Lanqin's mood improved considerably upon tasting the long-awaited braised lobsters in oil.

They fished all afternoon, catching more and more fish. Only when the sun was setting did Lanqin say to the still-enthusiastic group, "That's all for today. We can go eat braised prawns now. You can fish while I have him cook them."

"It's all done?" Mrs. Song said in disbelief.

"Yes, Sister Song, the first net of shrimp you caught has now become a delicious braised shrimp dish," Lanqin said with a smile.

After everyone put down their shrimp fishing rods and washed their hands with the help of the maids, they followed Lanqin to the pavilion by the lake for their meal.

The aroma of braised prawns was already wafting through the room; even before entering, the rich fragrance had already drawn everyone in.

"It smells so good!" Mrs. Nian couldn't help but exclaim.

"Cui Niang, go and fetch that apricot blossom wine!" Lanqin said. "We all had a great time catching lobsters today, so why not have another drink?"

Three large platters of braised prawns were already laid out in the gazebo by the window. Just looking at their color, each one was bright red, glistening with oil, and exuding a wonderful aroma.

"How are we supposed to eat this?" Wu asked, looking at the large prawns.

"Eat it like this! Watch!" Lanqin picked up a large shrimp, snapped it in half with a snap, and then expertly peeled off the shell on the tail, revealing the tender white shrimp meat inside.

Everyone stared in astonishment as Lanqin put the lumpy white shrimp meat into her mouth. They had never eaten like this before.

"Eat with your hands? Isn't that too unrefined?" Nian looked at Lanqin as if she were a monster.

"Qin'er, it doesn't look very nice to eat like that," said Madam Song.

"You guys are always so bound by those rules. It's not satisfying to eat lobster like this! Drinking apricot wine while peeling lobster, that's one of life's greatest pleasures!" Lanqin ignored them and picked up another lobster to start peeling.

Seeing how quickly Lanqin was peeling the lobsters, Wu Shi sat down and started peeling the lobsters from the plate.

"The master hasn't even arrived yet, and you've already started eating?" The fourth master's sudden arrival startled all the women.

"Greetings to the master!"

"Greetings to the master!"

"Greetings, Master!" Lanqin quickly put down the half-eaten lobster in her hand, stood up, and bowed to the Fourth Master.

"What are you all standing there for? The concubine has already started eating. You should all learn from Ruyue." The Fourth Prince walked past the group of women and stood next to Lanqin.

As the Fourth Prince walked past Lady Nian, she couldn't help but pout, feeling quite resentful. When the Fourth Prince passed by Lady Wuya, Lady Wuya felt a little nervous. She hoped that the Fourth Prince would stop and look at her, but he didn't stop or even glance at her.

"Please sit down, Master!" Lanqin quickly offered her seat to the Fourth Master when he approached her.

"I was thinking of you guys catching lobsters, so I came to check. I didn't expect you to have caught quite a lot." Fourth Master sat down and gestured for everyone else to sit down as well.

After everyone was seated, the Fourth Prince said to Lanqin, "Today, let's enjoy the taste of braised prawns here with Consort Niu. I've had them on the estate before, and they were delicious."

“Master, this is too crude of you to eat like this,” said Madam Nian, gazing tenderly at the Fourth Master.

"Make yourself at home. We're used to being waited on by maids, so let's do it ourselves today." Fourth Master picked up a lobster and, just like Lanqin, broke off its head.

Seeing that Fourth Master was protecting Lanqin, Nian Shi was unhappy and could only pout and remain silent. The others then picked up the lobsters and began to eat.

When Lanqin saw these women, who used to be reserved and considered themselves elegant, finally succumbing to the delicious braised prawns, she suddenly felt a special sense of pride, proud of the charm of the braised prawns.

"Master, what do you think about us opening a restaurant specializing in braised lobsters? We could sell lobsters like that." Lanqin suddenly said to Fourth Master.

"Your words are surprising, Consort Niu. Who are we? Your Highness is the dignified Prince Yong. Why would you ask him to become a merchant?" A pile of shrimp heads had already been piled up in front of Lady Nian.

“Yes, my lord is a prince, and also the Prince Yong of the court. He is really not suitable to go out and do business,” Madam Song said to Lanqin.

"Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—merchants are the lowest class of people," said Uya.

Fourth Master let them talk without replying. Lanqin, seeing their disdain for merchants, had her own ideas but didn't respond either.

After the braised prawns were completely devoured, the women took their leave. Some of them tried to seduce the Fourth Master, but seeing him holding Lanqin's hand, they couldn't say anything and had to leave dejectedly.

The maids cleared away the shrimp heads and shells from the table, and Lanqin sat with Fourth Master by the window, enjoying the gentle night breeze.

“Say it now, you clearly had something to say, but you didn’t finish.” Fourth Master said, putting his arm around Lanqin’s shoulder.

"The concubines and princesses all think that merchants are the lowest of the low. If I were to say that, and the master were to be ridiculed as a lowly person in the future, wouldn't I be guilty of a great sin?" Lanqin said, crossing her arms and watching the white birds skimming across the lake.

“They are them, and you are you. I have never considered you to be one of them,” Fourth Master said.

Lanqin smiled and said, "I am just a humble woman, not as extraordinary as you claim. I was simply thinking that if lobsters are not eaten, they have no natural predators. They will multiply and grow in large numbers. In rice paddies and ponds, they will gradually cut off wheat seedlings or lotus roots, causing a reduction in grain and vegetable yields. Therefore, I suggested that you open a restaurant serving braised lobsters, so that people will know that this can be eaten in this way. Once they all know that lobsters are edible, the lobsters in the fields can be effectively controlled."

After listening to Lanqin's words, Fourth Master remained silent for a while before saying, "I think your idea is excellent. If people know that lobsters are edible and delicious, they will catch them themselves. This will solve the problem of lobster overpopulation that I was worried about."

“You’re a smart man, Master. You understand so quickly. Now, due to the drought, large areas of farmland have suffered reduced yields. If the damage caused by these lobsters further reduces the wheat yield, wouldn’t that be adding insult to injury?” Lanqin said.

“That’s right, that’s exactly the point. First, let people from all over catch lobsters and hand them over. Then give them silver to encourage them to catch them in the fields!” Fourth Master said.