The next morning, the princess's entourage was ready to depart.

This time, besides the three imperial heirs, he only brought fifty elite cavalrymen.

Although the number of people is small, even the lowest-ranking among them are sixth-grade martial artists.

Qin Zhaoyue's maids were all present, and even Ping An accompanied her.

To outsiders, her persona appears quite stable, always surrounded by a dozen maids whenever she goes out.

Plus, Ping An is a bit silly, which makes me feel very at ease.

Unless you know the inside story, it's hard to be wary of her; she's extremely deceptive.

Suimu glanced at the princess leaning on her shoulder out of the corner of her eye, her mind filled with questions.

Since returning from the Crown Prince's place last night, the Sixth Princess has been feeling listless.

Although she was like that normally, Suimo, who spent every day with her, could still tell the difference; she seemed to have lost interest in everything.

Even last night when Mo Shier made roasted meat, he only tasted a few pieces.

You should know that Mo Twelve had made ample preparations, replenishing all the spices and medicinal herbs she needed in Bailu County.

Qin Jingzhan volunteered to lead the way, looking as smug as if Bailu County were his own home.

It wasn't far, only twenty or thirty miles away, and we arrived at Prince Rui's Manor in no time.

The Golden Pillar Gate was wide open, with a golden plaque bestowed by the emperor hanging above it. The silver dragon pattern held in the mouth of the Jiaotu door knocker rippled like water in the morning light.

Eight gatekeepers in crimson robes stood on either side, each holding a jade-handled whisk.

Two other people stood in the middle, namely the chief clerk and the registrar of the manor.

Having sent a visiting card yesterday, I was waiting at the door early in the morning.

"This must be His Highness the Crown Prince." The two quickly stepped forward to greet him and introduce themselves.

Qin Zhaoyue composed herself and, with Sui Mo's help, got off the carriage.

At first glance, good heavens, the outer wall of this manor is definitely more than a kilometer long.

Qin Jingzhan stayed in the garden for some time and became quite familiar with the people there. The person in charge introduced the two sides, and then the subordinates respectfully led the way.

Turning past the glazed screen wall depicting five blessings and longevity, the view suddenly opens up, revealing a thirty-acre lotus pond.

Twelve jade cranes stand between the white marble railings, their long beaks cascading down as they create ripples on the surface of the pool.

Passing through the hanging flower gate, the covered walkway winds like a green dragon.

The golden bamboo blinds sifted the blazing sun into fragments of jade, and the banana leaf-patterned shadows spread on the golden bricks of Chengni swayed in the wind.

Passing through the covered walkway, the tangy aroma of plum drink suddenly wafted from the moon gate, as a servant boy walked across the winding bamboo bridge in wooden clogs.

Hidden among the rocks by the bridge is a flowing water channel, where two young boys squat in front of the Green Bamboo Grove, using fresh ice wrapped in lotus leaves to cool down the white parrots under the eaves.

Qin Zhaoyue walked and looked around, feeling that she couldn't see enough.

She had visited the gardens of Suzhou before, but those were tourist attractions, not as vibrant or luxurious as the manor before her.

Finally, the group arrived at the reception hall.

The Mingde Hall, with its five rooms and nine bays, had all twelve beechwood partitions removed and replaced with bamboo curtains hanging to the ground.

The five-zhang-square blue bricks in front of the hall were splashed with well water, and there are still damp marks.

"Your Highness, please be careful, the ground is a bit slippery."

Upon entering the hall, behind eight screens with intertwined peony patterns and ice crackle designs, one can see a landscape screen carved from a single piece of green jade.

The gilded lion-shaped incense burner in front of the screen exhaled fragrant steam, which mingled with the chill seeping from the ice walls.

As soon as Qin Zhaoyue stepped inside, she felt a cool breeze, which was much more comfortable than using an ice chest; it was like air conditioning.

"Please wait a moment, everyone. I will go and fetch the Prince."

Just as the clerk was about to leave in a hurry, a sound came from outside.

The one at the front had a full, round face with a slight blush on his cheeks, as if he hadn't recovered from a hangover.

He was born with smiling eyes, his lower eyelids were full of lustrous flesh, his nose was like a hanging gall bladder, and he had a short beard on his chin.

He wore a sky-blue silk cloak with a gold-embroidered pattern of a hundred children playing in spring, and was lined with crimson silk.

Instead of a jade belt around her waist, she wore a five-colored silk sash; she wore gold-embroidered deerskin boots with cloud patterns on them, but the heels were removed to make them slippers.

Without a doubt, this must be Prince Rui.

"Prince Rui".

Qin Zhaoqiong led everyone in bowing, but Prince Rui waved his hand, saying, "No need to be so polite, I don't care about those formalities."

As he spoke, he yawned, as if he had just woken up. "Have you had breakfast yet? Have some with the old man."

Breakfast?

When making a visit, the timing is important; it is best to do so between breakfast and lunch.

Qin Zhaoqiong chose the right time, arriving at the manor around 9:00 AM, neither too early nor too late, just right. She hadn't had breakfast yet at this hour…

Breakfast was prepared, and at the prince's command, it was all brought in.

Twenty or thirty servants quickly filled the space to the brim.

"What are you standing there for? Sit down."

"Yes, elder sister, please sit down."

Qin Zhaoqiong: ...

In the blink of an eye, her fifth younger brother and sixth younger sister had taken their seats and were looking up at her.

Fifth Brother, at least, stayed in this village for a while, so it's understandable that he's friendly and easygoing. But Sixth Sister...

Prince Rui pointed at Qin Zhaoyue and laughed loudly, "This must be Xiao Liu. She suits my taste perfectly, good!"

Looking at the dazzling array of dishes before her, Qin Zhaoyue smiled and said, "Your Highness's laughter sounds like you're in very good health."

Amidst the King Rui's loud laughter, Qin Zhaoqiong had no choice but to sit down.

Putting everything else aside, knowing that they were there to investigate a case of counterfeit currency, she was able to chat so freely and make them smile with just a few words. She really didn't have that skill, and it even eased some of her nervousness.

The laughter subsided, and Prince Rui pointed to the plates on the table.

"I'm not very ambitious; I can never give up my appetite."

The garden employs eight chefs, capable of preparing cuisines from all over the country.

These are twelve flavors from all over the country:

Longjing shrimp soup dumplings, three-shrimp noodle topping, and chilled water shield and silver fish soup;

Smoked pigeon with lychee wood, coconut milk mango glutinous rice balls, and cold sandworm sashimi salad;

Sichuan-style shredded chicken rolls, spicy Zhong dumplings, and well water jelly;

Sesame salad with shredded camel hump, grape jelly, and vegetarian dumplings with matsutake mushrooms.

In addition, there are nine seasonal seafood dishes, eight kinds of summer snacks, and four drinks.

When it comes to food, he knows it like the back of his hand.

After everyone washed their hands, Prince Rui waved his hand and said, "Come, come, I don't have the custom of serving food here. Start eating your chopsticks."

"Okay!" Qin Zhaoyue agreed readily.

They say they don't follow the rules, and then they don't; they just pick up their chopsticks and start eating.

This is definitely a luxurious version of dim sum, not to mention it brings together styles from all over the country, many of which I've never tried in my past life.

Qin Zhaoyue ate heartily, and if she couldn't reach the food, she asked those nearby to use serving chopsticks to pick it up. She even asked Prince Rui to help.

Prince Rui was overjoyed. He not only helped her serve the food, but also kept telling her about the different cuisines the chefs in the garden were good at.

Qin Zhaoqiong: ...

Qin Jingzhan: ...

It seems like he's a new guest, while Sixth Sister has been living here for quite some time.

Qin Zhaoyue couldn't help but sigh in her heart: Look, this is the kind of life she should be living!

They were of noble status, lived in seclusion in a garden of six or seven hundred acres, and led a stable and luxurious life.

Prince Rui... he's truly an idol!