Chapter 30 The bright lotus seed arrived at the West Garden, like entering a monster-hunting adventure…

Arriving at the West Garden was like entering a completely new map in a game. Cheng Qianyue immediately became excited and couldn't wait to explore and appreciate the charm of the royal garden after Yinreng had breakfast and left.

Xiao Jizi eagerly gave her directions, saying that there were large patches of lotus flowers planted on the west side of the garden, and they were in full bloom now. She also said that there was a boat dock to the north, and she could take a boat trip on the lake if she wanted.

Q: What's the most abundant thing in the park? A: Water, of course! Since we can take a boat trip on the lake, let's go!

Before the sun was high in the sky, Cheng Qianyue led her entourage to the dock. Upon hearing that it was the Second Prince's princess who wanted to go boating, the boatman quickly untied the ropes and launched the boat into the water without hesitation. The group rowed and held umbrellas, heading west from the east, and soon saw the lotus pond.

It's such a huge expanse, with lush green lotus leaves and white lotus flowers tinged with pink, all densely packed together, and the fragrance of lotus blossoms fills the air when the wind blows.

Cheng Qianyue was admiring the lotus flowers when she saw a small boat emerge from it. A large bunch of freshly cut lotus flowers and leaves on the bow of the boat caught her eye, and she couldn't help but glance over there.

The boatman and the young eunuch who bumped into her saw a person sitting at the bow of the opposite boat, with a palace maid holding an umbrella beside her. They knew who it was and hurriedly bowed to her, saying apologetically, "We are here on a errand for the Princess. Her sister requested lotus flowers for a vase this morning." This was an order from their mistress, and they couldn't very well give it to her.

"Then hurry up and deliver it over there," Cheng Qianyue said to them. After the small boat left, she thought the vase with lotus flowers and leaves would look beautiful, and she wanted one too, so she instructed, "Let's go inside and pick some flowers."

Since she had given the order, the boatman dutifully led her to the lotus flowers. Sitting at the bow, she could easily reach out and grab a flower bud. There were scissors and other tools readily available on the boat, so Cheng Qianyue happily became a flower-cutting artist.

However, after cutting many lotus flowers and leaves, her thoughts changed.

Look what she saw!

Lotus pod! A lotus pod about the size of a palm! Inside, there were bright green lotus seeds, like jade beads! Ah, such big lotus seeds must be delicious. Thinking this, she happily began to eat the lotus pod.

Ruoyun, who was standing under an umbrella, had a better view than Cheng Qianyue, so she said to her, "Princess, I see a big one over there." After a while, she said again, "Oh, there's one over there that's even bigger than this one!" Whenever Ruoyun pointed, the boatman would row in the direction she pointed, and then Cheng Qianyue would neatly and efficiently take small scissors and cut off the huge lotus seedpod.

The group spent more than an hour exploring the lotus pond. As the sun rose high overhead, Cheng Qianyue felt tired and they finally took their day's findings and headed home.

Back at Donglizhai, the lotus flowers were left to the palace maids to care for, while Cheng Qianyue herself began peeling the lotus pods. With a quick snap, the lotus seeds inside shot out like bullets. She quickly picked them up, peeled off the thin green skin to reveal the tender white seeds. Without washing them, she tossed them directly into her mouth.

Fresh lotus seeds are crisp and crunchy, even the core inside is sweet, with a more delicate fragrance than tender peanuts. They are crunchy, tender, juicy, and the more you eat, the more delicious they become.

Cheng Qianyue was happily eating when she heard someone outside say that Yinreng had returned. She stopped eating and hurried out to greet him.

When Yinreng entered, he saw a table full of lotus flowers and seedpods and smiled. As he went to the inner room to change his clothes, he asked knowingly, "Did you go out to play?"

Cheng Qianyue's eyes sparkled as she said, "Yes, I went for a stroll by the lotus pond this morning. I personally cut all the flowers and lotus pods." She paused and then shared with him, "Fresh, tender lotus seeds are especially delicious."

After changing his clothes, Yinreng said, "How delicious is it? I'd like to try it too." Although he said that, as soon as he came out, he started arranging the lotus flowers and instructed his servants, "Go and fetch a pair of painted koi-patterned white-glazed Guanyin vases." When the vases, which were about half an arm's length tall, were brought back, he became a florist, taking scissors to trim the lotus flowers and leaves, and then inserting them when they were trimmed to the appropriate height.

Cheng Qianyue sat beside him watching him tend to the flowers and plants, while she went back to her old ways and peeled lotus pods. She peeled two at a time, eating one herself and feeding the other to him.

After a while, the two flower arrangements were finished, and they looked beautiful with their varying heights.

Cheng Qianyue opened her mouth to praise him, "It looks really good." Yinreng smiled and asked her what was good about it, and what she thought was good about it. Cheng Qianyue was speechless for a moment. What else could be so special about it? It just looked good, right? But he was still waiting for her reply. She racked her brains and could only come up with the words "the red and green colors complement each other well" and "it has a sense of depth." But Yinreng wouldn't let it go and insisted that she give him another explanation.

Cheng Qianyue thought to herself, "I know you're learned, but can you please not make things difficult for me?" And then she remembered how he had scared her yesterday. "Hmph, I'll settle both old and new scores," Cheng Qianyue thought, her anger rising, and she decisively stuffed a lotus seed into his mouth.

Don't ask anymore, just go eat your food!

Seeing her puffed up like a frog in a pond, Yinreng's tense and worried feelings dissipated, and he burst into laughter.

Laughing, she didn't even care about choking on her saliva. Cheng Qianyue mischievously chewed the lotus seeds in her hand as if they were his.

After lunch, Yinreng took a nap on the couch, next to the lotus flowers he had tended himself. Cheng Qianyue sat beside him, gently fanning him with a fan, letting the fragrance of the flowers waft towards him. Then she noticed that Yinreng's brows were deeply furrowed, and there were dark circles under his eyes. When she looked directly at him, his worried expression was immediately apparent.

Cheng Qianyue suspected he must have run into trouble outside, but he never told her about it, so she knew nothing. Sometimes she thought that keeping things bottled up inside like this would eventually ruin him. But when she thought about it privately, she seemed to understand why he didn't tell her. One reason was that he cared about his reputation and didn't want to lose face in front of her; another reason was that telling her wouldn't help—she couldn't do anything to assist him.

Cheng Qianyue was particularly discouraged, as if she had nothing else to do but eat, drink, play, and have fun. Her ambitions and the meaning of her life were all so illusory, like a mirage without any substance.

But she didn't want to trouble herself with such things. Why dwell on it? The more she thought about it, the more she'd drive herself crazy. As long as she had food and happiness, that was enough. She could just live each day as it came. Who knew if she'd see the sun or an imperial edict appointing and deposing the crown prince twice the next day?

Currently, Emperor Kangxi clearly still cares for Yinreng, so their lives are relatively comfortable. It's estimated that their family's treatment will reach its peak when Yinreng is reinstated as Crown Prince. However, it's hard to say how Kangxi will treat them after his second deposition of the Crown Prince, but their treatment will certainly plummet. Further down the line, when a new emperor ascends the throne, they might have to be subservient to others, and even if they wanted to enjoy their privileges, they wouldn't have them anymore.

Gradually, she came to understand that life is short, so she should enjoy it while she can. Thinking this, she calmly looked at Yinreng in his sleep and unconsciously reached out to smooth the furrow in his brow.

Fine, since he's having troubles outside and doesn't want her to know, then she'll just pretend she doesn't know. She'll just be more considerate of him at home; providing emotional support also requires skill, after all.

Cheng Qianyue tiptoed out and softly asked Chen Heyinreng how he was doing lately.

Chen He lowered his eyes and a smile appeared on his lips, but he did not reveal anything about how Yinreng slept or ate. He only said, "The garden is not as strict as the Forbidden City. It is very convenient to buy many things. The people in the kitchen follow the princess's orders closely."

Upon hearing Chen He's words, she knew that Yinreng had indeed been eating and sleeping poorly lately. Cheng Qianyue thought for a moment, and it seemed that lotus seeds had a calming effect? ​​So she said, "There are still quite a few lotus pods left. Have someone send them to the kitchen tonight to make a calming and nourishing soup." She added, "It's hot in the summer, so serve some cold dishes, like smashed cucumber, vinegar-dressed daylily buds, pig's ears, etc. Let them decide what to serve."

Chen He agreed in a deep voice and then promptly told Jing Shun to go to the kitchen to deliver the message.

Yinreng slept until 3 p.m. before waking up. Lately, he had been having trouble sleeping at night. Last night, he finally managed to fall into a deep sleep, but he was startled awake in the middle of the night by a dream. After waking up, his mind kept wandering, and he couldn't fall back asleep. Now, after a long afternoon nap, it seemed that even his tense temples had relaxed a bit.

Cheng Qianyue was doing needlework beside him. In the summer, people sweat easily and use many handkerchiefs; she was currently embroidering one. She was concentrating intently on her work when she heard a deep voice beside her ask, "What time is it?"

Cheng Qianyue put down the needle and thread in her hands and said with a smile, "Master is awake, I reckon it's around three o'clock."

Yinreng got up and, with Jingshun helping him put on his shoes, asked Chen He, who was standing beside him, "Is there anything happening outside?"

Chen He replied, "I did not answer your question, sir."

Yinreng let out a long sigh and slowly said to her, "Then I won't leave." He then ordered someone to bring a book to read. Before long, he was holding a book, but after a quarter of an hour, Cheng Qianyue noticed that his gaze had drifted away from the book, and it was clear that he was thinking about something else. She didn't disturb him and took the small basket containing her needle and thread back to continue embroidering her handkerchief.

In the evening, the dishes Cheng Qianyue had ordered were served: four hot dishes, four cold dishes, and a soup. She personally ladled out a bowl of lotus seed and pork rib soup and placed it in front of Yinreng, saying with concern, "It's been hot lately, and you look so dark under your eyes; you probably haven't been sleeping well for a few days. This lotus seed and pork rib soup is the best for calming the mind and soothing the nerves; please try it."

Yinreng stared blankly at the clear broth in front of him for a moment, then drank it all down in one gulp as if it were something precious. After finishing, he looked gently at Cheng Qianyue and asked, "Did you use lotus seeds that you picked yourself this morning?"

Cheng Qianyue nodded and said yes, and then she saw that Yinreng's gaze towards her became even gentler.

Yinreng thought it was the right thing to call her over, because she was the only one who truly thought of him and missed him; she had even thought of picking lotus seeds for him when she went out to play that morning. He praised her highly, and then showed her the rewards, mentioning the materials provided by the Imperial Household Department, the newly delivered porcelain and jade, and a whole bunch of other things.

Cheng Qianyue was stunned by his generous gift and hurriedly said, "I just gave the order. The food was prepared by the kitchen staff. I really don't dare to take credit." She felt really guilty about receiving such a large reward.

Yinreng was in a good mood and waved his hand, saying, "Reward them all. Reward the cook who made this soup with twenty taels of silver, and the other cooks with ten taels each."

Cheng Qianyue finally breathed a sigh of relief. Since everyone else had received a reward, she felt more at ease accepting it herself.