Chapter 118 Leisurely Chat by the Lake
He could not and should not blame his maternal clan for committing such a heinous crime; it was all because of him. He was the incompetent crown prince who could not bring glory to his humble family.
He was the crown prince personally appointed by his father, yet his father was always on guard against him.
He was helpless and puzzled. He could only try his best to please his father, but things never went as planned.
"Your Highness, please do not worry. Fortunately, I rescued the eldest son of the Ding family, and I also discovered that the second daughter, Ding Yunxiang, was sold to the capital by human traffickers."
"As long as we are within this capital city, I believe we can find it soon. The Ding family bloodline still exists, so Your Highness has not broken your promise."
Qi Heng slowly sat down and sighed, "That's good then." "Make sure all those involved clear their names, and don't cause any more trouble in the coming days."
"So as not to give others any leverage against us."
"It is Your Highness."
Shen Lin bowed and clasped his hands in greeting before turning and leaving.
As night deepened, he thought of the many women in the manor he needed to deal with, and a headache came over him.
Everyone is caught in the vortex of chaos, with men vying for power and women for favor. Upon closer reflection, it can be quite tedious at times.
For some reason, a vivid and lively face suddenly appeared in his mind.
Qi Heng got up, pushed open the door, and went out.
With the autumn hunt approaching, everyone was busy preparing for the emperor's departure from the capital, and the curfew in the capital was relaxed considerably.
Occasionally, you can see a few pedestrians hurrying by.
Unbeknownst to him, he walked alone to the south street of the city. At that moment, the sound of a carriage rolling over the bluestone slabs echoed through the quiet street.
At this time, there is a curfew, and even though it has been relaxed somewhat, it is still not permissible to openly drive a carriage.
Who dares to be so audacious as to not be afraid of the Imperial City Guard?
Qi Heng frowned, turned around, and suddenly a hint of joy flashed in her eyes.
Tao Tao drove the carriage back from the north street of the city.
Business has been booming these past two days, and the newly developed pet funeral service has also yielded results. She plans to open two more branches and has gone to investigate the business.
It cannot be opened in a busy city center, nor in a deserted place.
She spent the entire afternoon driving the carriage around searching.
She found some shops, all in decent locations, but as soon as people heard it was for funeral services, they wouldn't even rent them to her. So she thought she might as well buy the shops.
She didn't have enough money, so she pawned all the jewelry she had bought when she had money recently.
I bought it just for fun, without thinking of wearing it out, but now it's finally come in handy.
Another thing is that when Chen Jinghe came to her shop, he specially brought her a square box, which was so heavy that she almost dropped it when she picked it up.
When asked what it was, he wouldn't say, only that it was a birthday gift. After he left, they opened it and found it was a box full of gold and silver ingots.
At the time, she even thought she had misjudged the situation.
After calming herself down for a long time, she opened the package and found it was true. Overjoyed, she immediately bought the two shops.
She returned late today, and she avoided the patrols the whole way.
Suddenly she noticed someone staring intently at her from the roadside not far away. She frowned in confusion, and only when she got closer did she realize that it was an old acquaintance.
She immediately stopped the carriage, looked around in confusion, and found that there was no one beside him.
"Your Highness, why are you here all alone?"
His eyes were gentle, and a smile played on his lips: "I'm just taking a walk since I have nothing else to do."
Are you going back?
"Yes."
He nodded knowingly and said nothing more.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Tao Tao didn't want to leave directly, and he himself didn't seem to have any intention of leaving.
She glanced around, thought for a moment, and realized that Wangyang Lake was just ahead, so the two of them could take a stroll.
"Would Your Highness like to take a stroll by the lake to clear your mind?"
Qi Heng's eyes brightened slightly, and her smile deepened: "Okay."
"Come up." She looked at the seat next to her and gestured for him to sit down.
His Highness the Crown Prince is of unparalleled nobility. He travels in and out of carriages or palanquins, using human stools or, at the very least, horse stools.
I've never sat outside the carriage before; it's usually the driver's seat.
Tao Tao casually brushed the dust off the person beside her and looked at him with a radiant smile.
Qi Heng was taken aback for a moment, then sat down without any hesitation.
She drove the carriage to the lakeside, tied it to a secluded tree, and then secretly led him in a different direction.
It's also by the lake, but this corridor is rarely visited.
Qi Heng had never imagined that he would do something so improper. For a moment, she was a little excited and felt a sense of exhilaration at breaking the rules.
She released his sleeve and casually found a step to sit down.
Seeing this, he sat down as well.
The silvery moonlight shimmered on the water, the leaves rustled, and a cool breeze created ripples that felt pleasant and comforting on the face.
The night sky tonight looks gentle and delicate, yet it is also quite extraordinary.
He hadn't felt this calm in a long time.
"It's quite nice that His Highness the Crown Prince occasionally comes down to inspect the people's conditions."
Tao Tao rested her cheeks on her hands and said with a faint smile.
He was slightly surprised, turned to look at her, and suddenly understood what she meant. He just smiled.
“I think so too, but… since there is no Crown Prince here, you should call me Yanli.”
"ah?"
She turned to look at him, her eyes slightly confused. Was he saying that she shouldn't treat him like the crown prince now?
Qi Heng smiled without saying a word, simply staring intently at her.
Since he had already said that, Tao Tao didn't care and said softly, "...Yanli."
"Yes, Xiaotao."
"Do you always come home this late? It's dangerous at night, you should be careful, you're a young lady."
"No, it's just that today is a special day. Besides, we're under the emperor's nose, so nothing should happen."
He lamented, "Even under the emperor's nose, there are many unseen things. The capital... is a place where people can easily lose their way."
"Want some candy?"
She unfolded the oil paper in her hand, revealing square, pale yellow sugar cubes.
"It's very sweet; it's pear syrup candy."
She picked up a piece with her fingertips and put it in her mouth, feeling the sweet taste on her tongue. This pear syrup candy was exceptionally well-made, without any of that cloying sweetness.
It's a bit expensive, so only someone who earns money can afford to buy this stuff; ordinary people can't even afford it.
He looked down and paused, his gaze lingering on the candy in her hand.
The meals served in the mansion are all appraised and tasted by a special person before being served.
The meals are different every day, and even favorite dishes will not appear the next day, in order to prevent anyone with ulterior motives from finding out the Crown Prince's preferences and doing something detrimental to him.
Another point is to prevent the crown prince from indulging in gluttony.
Sugar, being such an inexpensive commodity, was almost never seen on the tables of royalty or nobility.
Tao Tao looked at his stunned expression and wondered if the Crown Prince looked down on it. Well, they had eaten all sorts of things, so it was normal for them to look down on these common folk foods.
Just as she was about to withdraw her thoughts, a large hand appeared in her vision.
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