Chapter 34
After a night's rest, Gu Yanling couldn't lie down anymore and wanted to go horseback riding.
Xiao Xinghan refused on the grounds that he needed to rest, but finally gave in and accompanied him on a boat trip on the lake.
Gu Yanling rowed the boat in a messy manner, and the boat wobbled to the center of the lake. The lotus flowers were in full bloom at this time of year. Gu Yanling threw the oars to Xiao Xinghan and began to pick lotus flowers excitedly.
"Master, there are more beautiful ones over there! Row over there!"
Xiao Xinghan: "..."
Gu Yanling glanced at him, threw the flowers into his arms, and said disdainfully: "What a young master, he doesn't know anything."
Xiao Xinghan scolded, "You're becoming more and more unruly."
Gu Yanling took the paddle and was no longer afraid of him: "Unruly and presumptuous, those are the only two words."
Xiao Xinghan said indifferently, "How good is your own rowing? It's just this good."
Gu Yanling couldn't bear to hear him scold her: "Just row the boat and pick the lotus flowers, can you?"
Xiao Xinghan stood up upon hearing this.
Gu Yanling looked at him blankly: "What are you doing?"
Xiao Xinghan jumped up from the boat, lightly touched the water with his toes, and picked the lotus that Gu Yanling had just pointed at not far away. His figure was as graceful as a startled swan, and he landed on the boat in the blink of an eye. His boots were dry and his feet were not wet.
Gu Yanling was completely dumbfounded.
Xiao Xinghan handed a bunch of lotus flowers to Gu Yanling: "Come back to your senses."
Gu Yanling's eyes widened as she subconsciously took the lotus and looked at Xiao Xinghan in admiration: "Master, your Qinggong is so good! It's amazing! Can I learn this?"
Xiao Xinghan pointed out mercilessly: "You are too old. You should start practicing martial arts from a young age."
Not to mention that Gu Yanling cannot endure hardship and is used to being lazy and slacking off. Even if he really wants to learn martial arts, he will only be enthusiastic for three days.
Gu Yanling snorted: "What's so great about it!"
"But Master, you were so handsome just now, with a slender figure, like a swimming dragon, so charming."
Xiao Xinghan knew he had another question: "What do you want to say?"
Gu Yanling: "Master, can you hold me and let me experience the feeling of floating on water?"
Xiao Xinghan met his expectant and bright dark eyes, stood up and stretched out his hand to Gu Yanling. As soon as Gu Yanling stood up, he was held by the waist. Xiao Xinghan took him and jumped, and the two of them left the boat immediately.
Gu Yanling immediately screamed with excitement. If she wasn't afraid of falling into the water, she would have opened her arms wide, "Master, you are so awesome!"
Xiao Xinghan's ears were hurt by the noise, but he didn't say anything. He held Gu Yanling and brought him to the shore steadily.
Gu Yanling was extremely happy and kept praising him, "That's amazing, Master, you are so amazing, how come you are so amazing!"
Xiao Xinghan held him and tried it again, and finally landed on a small boat in the center of the lake. Gu Yanling sat on the boat, calmed down, and plucked a lotus flower and pinned it in her hair, "Master, do I look good with this flower?"
Xiao Xinghan paused and looked at Gu Yanling carrying such a large and beautiful blooming lotus. The flower was pink, and Gu Yanling had smooth black hair. If you didn't look at her face, they would complement each other.
Xiao Xinghan met Gu Yanling's smiling face and finally said against his will, "They are a perfect match."
Gu Yanling had no self-awareness at all. She wore a lotus flower on her head and took a bunch of lotus leaves and flowers back with her hands. "Youfu, take these lotus leaves to the kitchen and wrap them around meat."
Li Youfu had never heard of this practice before and took it hesitantly.
Gu Yanling: "Just wrap the meat with glutinous rice, fry it, wrap it in lotus leaves and steam it in a pot."
Li Youfu: "I'll go right away."
Gu Yanling couldn't sit still and went to the kitchen to give some instructions. Although he couldn't cook, he was good at talking about it. Li Youfu echoed from the side: "Just do as Master Yuanbao said."
Eunuch Li had given the instructions, so the imperial chefs naturally followed his orders. Not to mention that they had all heard that this man was the Crown Prince's male favorite and was favored by His Highness. When they saw him today, although they did not dare to show it on their faces, they were truly shocked by His Highness's taste, which was very unique. It was true that His Highness was different from ordinary people.
After Gu Yanling came out of the kitchen, she saw Chang Feng talking to the patrolling guards. After he finished talking, she waved at him, "Brother Chang Feng!"
Chang Feng turned his head and his attention fell on the lotus flower on his head. It was very funny: "...Yuanbao, why don't you rest in the house to recuperate?"
Gu Yanling kicked her legs: "It's nothing serious, I'll be fine after a good sleep. Besides, the young master gave me such expensive medicine, so I'm fine now."
Chang Feng didn't know the truth. Thinking about what he said yesterday, he praised him: "Yuanbao, you did the right thing. The young master can't make any mistakes. Fortunately, it was just a non-venomous snake. Next time, don't go to the mountains to play. It's better to be more careful."
Gu Yanling's ears were calloused. "Oh, I know. Young Master is precious. I won't let him get hurt. Besides, Young Master is such a good martial artist. How could he be hurt so easily?"
Chang Feng couldn't tell him about His Highness's identity, as he was the crown prince of a country. "Just remember this. Try to avoid going to these dangerous places as much as possible in the future."
Gu Yanling stretched out her hands and said, "From now on, I will treat the young master like a fragile treasure and hold him in my hands, okay?"
Chang Feng smiled and said, "You're just a chatterbox. I'm busy. Go back and rest. Don't run around all the time. Didn't the doctor tell you to rest well?"
Gu Yanling nodded: "I'll go back and rest now."
He wandered around outside for a while before returning. The lotus flowers he picked had been taken care of by the eunuchs and placed in a white jade vase. Gu Yanling saw it as soon as he arrived at the bedroom and gave silver to the eunuchs as rewards.
Gu Yanling has a good temper and is generous. The young eunuchs in the courtyard like him very much and serve him wholeheartedly on weekdays.
"Where's the young master?"
"Master Yuanbao, the young master is in the front hall."
Gu Yanling turned his robe and walked to the front hall. Li Youfu was making tea. Seeing him coming, he took the teacup.
In Gu Yanling's eyes, the stool was just a decoration. She walked straight to Xiao Xinghan and sat down on his lap.
Li Youfu was no longer surprised. After making tea, he signaled the servants in the front hall to leave with him.
Gu Yanling hugged Xiao Xinghan's neck and said in a long tone, "Master."
Xiao Xinghan raised his hand and took off the annoying lotus flower on his head and placed it aside. "What's wrong?"
Gu Yanling lay in Xiao Xinghan's arms like a boneless person: "Why do you spend your free time either playing chess or drinking tea and reading?"
Xiao Xinghan: "Cultivate your body and cultivate your character."
Gu Yanling said this because she didn't know that Xiao Xinghan had never had a moment's rest in the capital. He had been placed with high hopes since he was a child and had too much homework to learn. He got up earlier than the chickens and slept later than the dogs every day. He had been in the court since he was twelve years old and had to deal with both big and small matters. The time he spent in Yangzhou was his most leisurely time, so since he had free time, he naturally wanted to cultivate himself well.
"Master, I've never asked you why you came to Yangzhou."
Xiao Xinghan: "Cultivate yourself."
Gu Yanling thought he was just trying to evade her, so she looked up at him unhappily and said, "If you don't want to talk about it, forget it."
Xiao Xinghan said calmly, "Even if I tell you, you won't believe me. I'm here just to cultivate myself."
Gu Yanling frowned: "Didn't the court send you on a secret visit?"
Xiao Xinghan: "What are you investigating secretly?"
Gu Yanling: "Isn't there an imperial envoy who would visit various places to understand the people's sentiments on behalf of the emperor and to check whether the officials are honest and upright?"
Xiao Xinghan patted his cheek: "Do you think I am?"
Gu Yanling: "Of course, then why would you come to Yangzhou instead of staying in the capital?"
Xiao Xinghan stared at him: "I said cultivation."
Gu Yanling certainly didn't believe it: "We are already in this relationship, and you are still hiding it from me. Your body is as ferocious as a tiger or leopard, what is there to cultivate? Besides, you can cultivate it anywhere? Why did you come to Yangzhou!"
Xiao Xinghan pinched his jaw and examined him with his eyes: "Why, do you really want me to be an imperial envoy?"
Gu Yanling was not afraid, and looked him in the eye calmly: "What do you mean I think? Whether you are or not has nothing to do with me, I am just an ordinary citizen."
Xiao Xinghan released him and said calmly, "A fortune teller said that I have a lucky star in Yangzhou. The current emperor saw that I was twenty-two and still unmarried, so he granted me leave and allowed me to come to Yangzhou to find my true love and have children."
“…”
Seeing that he didn't seem to be lying to her, Gu Yanling was a little dumbfounded and muttered, "You came to Yangzhou just to get married and have a son?"
Xiao Xinghan: "Yeah."
Gu Yanling thought it was ridiculous: "There are indeed many beauties in Yangzhou, but... you stay in the mansion all day, expecting God to send you a wife?"
This is not the point! The point is that Xiao Xinghan is not an imperial envoy on patrol!
Gu Yanling was in a state of confusion. What had he been doing during this time? He approached Xiao Xinghan because he thought he was an inspector sent by the imperial court.
Seeing Gu Yanling's face was a little ugly, Xiao Xinghan thought he was jealous. Just as he was about to say a few words to tease him, he saw Gu Yanling get up from his lap, "Master, I feel a little uncomfortable. I'm going to rest for a while."
Xiao Xinghan was unwilling to let him go. He hugged him in his arms and was about to tease him when he thought, "Why are you crying again?"
Gu Yanling lay in his arms and cried loudly, thinking that all her efforts were in vain.
Seeing him crying so sadly, Xiao Xinghan wiped his tears and whispered to him, "Don't take the fortune teller's words seriously. The story of the Red Luan star moving is pure nonsense."
"Don't cry, I will take you back to Beijing."
Gu Yanling cried even louder. Who wants to go back to Beijing with you? I’m so angry, so angry, so angry!
Seeing that he couldn't stop crying, Xiao Xinghan lost his temper and said helplessly, "Why are you crying so much?"
Gu Yanling felt unwilling to give up when she thought about how much she had risked. Even if Xiao Xinghan was not an imperial envoy on a secret visit, judging from the official's fawning and obsequious attitude towards him, his official position must be quite high. Not to mention that even the current emperor believed the fortune teller because he had no children. If he was granted leave to find a good match, he would definitely be favored by the emperor.
Now that Xiao Xinghan dotes on him again, he must get him before Xiao Xinghan finds his true love and make him have only him in his eyes and heart.
"You're talking nicely now, but when you meet the right person and get married, you'll definitely leave me aside."
Xiao Xinghan: "Didn't you say that I stay in the mansion all day, so how can I find someone I love? Are you waiting for God to send me one?"
Gu Yanling didn't say anything.
Xiao Xinghan asked Li Youfu to bring hot water. The young eunuch came forward with a copper basin. Li Youfu wrung out a hot towel and handed it over. Xiao Xinghan wiped Gu Yanling's face.
Gu Yanling sniffed, her eyes were red from crying, and she looked like a poor little thing with aggrieved expression.
Xiao Xinghan carefully wiped his tear-stained face clean and said, "You're right. If I don't take you back, I'm afraid your tears will drown you."
Gu Yanling leaned on his shoulder and cursed him in her heart, so angry that it was her fault.
He said that an imperial envoy who was on a secret visit did nothing all day long but stayed in his house drinking tea, playing chess, and reading books. It seemed that he had not come to Yangzhou to do any practical work!
Then he can't let others take advantage of him for nothing. No matter whether it's true or not, Xiao Xinghan has to punish the corrupt officials for him!
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