Seeing that Qianlong was still hesitant, Xiaoyanzi said, "Your Majesty, don't worry. Even if we go out, it won't be for nothing. Yongqi said before that he would write an article for you when he left the palace, and Xiaoyanzi is willing to do the same!"
Qing'er and the others were doing the same thing, clearly wanting Qianlong to approve their departure. Qianlong had no objections this time, and turned to the Empress Dowager, "Empress Dowager, what do you say? Should we agree to let them leave?"
Standing beside the Empress Dowager, Qing'er tugged at her sleeve and pleaded, "Empress Dowager, please agree..."
Left with no other choice, the Empress Dowager nodded. "Alright, you may go if you want, but you know what to be careful of and what to be cautious about!"
Qing'er nodded quickly, and Fu Erkang stepped forward and said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty and Empress Dowager, Ertai and I will protect them!"
"In that case, you should go and relax!"
Having received permission, Yongqi and the others immediately found a carriage and headed out of the palace.
As for Yongzhang and the others, firstly, they didn't have Yongqi's courage to speak up, and secondly, they felt that going outside the palace was too troublesome, so they preferred to stay in the palace, where at least they were more comfortable. Therefore, they didn't want to go out.
Xiao Shunzi, Xiao Guizi, and Xingchen were driving the carriage outside, while the masters sat in Yongqi's carriage, followed by several guards in plain clothes. The group left the palace and Xiao Yanzi was particularly happy as soon as they stepped out of Shenwu Gate. "The air outside the palace is so fresh!"
Qing'er quietly drew back the curtains, looked outside, and said with a smile, "The street is so lively..."
Fu Erkang explained, "The Dragon Boat Festival just passed, so they're naturally still having a good time..."
Fu'ertai looked at Yongqi, "Fifth Prince, where are we going now?"
"Bibo Ting." The three words Yongqi uttered left everyone completely bewildered.
Fu Erkang looked at Yongqi with a puzzled expression, then asked Fu Ertai, "Where is this place? Ertai, have you heard of it?"
Voltaire shook his head. "Never heard of this place. What is it?"
Yongqi laughed and said, "You'll see when you get there."
Qing'er raised an eyebrow and looked at Yongqi, saying, "Judging from your expression, it feels like your secret base."
Fu Ertai looked at Yongqi curiously and laughed, "A secret base? Really? When did you find a secret base?"
As they chatted back and forth, they arrived at Bibo Pavilion. The carriage slowly came to a stop, and Xiao Shunzi called out from outside, "Master, we have arrived at Bibo Pavilion."
"Now that we're here, let's get out and take a look." Yongqi got out of the car first, then helped Xiaoyanzi down.
The Fu brothers and Qing'er also came down one after another. In front of them was a door with a plaque above it that read "Bibo Ting".
The group entered the cave and looked inside. First, they saw a flat piece of land with a fence around some vegetables and fruits. In the distance, they saw a stone bridge, a stream, and a lake. In the center of the lake was a pavilion, behind which was a courtyard, and beyond that, a series of mountains. It looked like they were living in nature...
Fu Erkang exclaimed, "How happy one must be to live in a place like this!"
"Yes, the air here seems even better than in the capital!"
Yongqi laughed and said, "Of course, after all, this is the world of nature!"
After crossing the stone bridge, they reached the pavilion in the middle of the lake. "Young master, the Biluochun tea is ready. Please enjoy." Servants were already waiting there when they walked toward the pavilion.
Wow, there's even tea to drink!
Little Swallow happily walked to the stone table, picked up the teacup, and was about to try it when Yongqi quickly stopped her, "Slow down, don't burn yourself..."
"Oh..." Little Swallow could only watch helplessly as Yongqi took her teacup away, and she could only continue drinking after he blew on it to cool it down a bit.
"Fifth Prince, can you control yourself a little? We're still here!" Fu'ertai said, sounding utterly hopeless. "When will I ever meet the one who's meant for me?"
Yongqi said smugly, "That would take another ten years or so. Besides, what's the rush? Xiaoyanzi and I will have to wait a long time too!"
"Alright, Yongqi, let's get back to the main topic. Where exactly is Xiao Jian now?"
What Qing'er wanted to know most about this trip was Xiao Jian. Seeing that Yongqi wouldn't say anything, she was getting a little anxious!
"Don't be impatient. He's not going to run away, so why are you in such a hurry? Besides, even if you knew where he was, he probably wouldn't come out so easily..."
Qing'er and the Fu brothers asked, puzzled, "Why?"
"As far as I know, he now hates our royal family to the core!"
"Huh?" Qing'er looked at him in disbelief. "Why would he hate the royal family? Could it be that his family members are...?"
"I know most of the truth of the matter, but I still lack conclusive evidence, so this matter will take time! Perhaps when I can help the Xiao family overturn their case, he will understand everything! Or perhaps, when Xiao Yanzi travels the martial arts world, she will encounter Xiao Jian by chance, who knows..."
"Huh? How long will it take for the truth to come out?"
Yongqi comforted him, "Don't worry, I'm more anxious than you. As long as Xiaoyanzi's identity isn't confirmed, we won't get past the Empress Dowager's approval!"
"Yongqi, tell me more about Xiao Jian. What else do you know?"
Yongqi hesitated again, "As for him personally, besides knowing his famous poem, that he was chivalrous, kind-hearted, loved making friends, and was always searching for his sister, I don't know much else. But, Qing'er, if you're really interested in him, you'll definitely have a chance after we find Xiao Jian and help the Xiao family overturn their case!"
Fu Erkang asked suspiciously, "Fifth Prince, how exactly did you know about Xiao Jian?"
"That's right. You've never left the palace before, nor have you ever looked into these things. How did you know?"
The Fifth Prince said meaningfully, "I have my own brilliant plan! You don't need to worry about it. Anyway, my information channels are only used to help myself, not to harm you!"
"This is peach blossom cake, young lady, you can try some!" Just as they were chatting, more cakes were served, and it was an old woman who spoke.
Xiao Yanzi and Qing'er happily went to get the pastries and ate them. After just one bite, they praised the pastries highly. Xiao Yanzi hurriedly said, "Thank you, Grandma! Grandma, who made these pastries? They are so delicious!"
The old woman chuckled, "This was made by my grandson. He's not very ambitious and doesn't want to be an official. Instead, he likes to study cooking and enjoys making delicious food all day long. The young master said that a young lady really likes pastries, so he brought us here. He said that once the young lady comes here, she can have some!"
"Yongqi, you're so kind!" Xiaoyanzi was truly moved after hearing this. "You're learning cooking in the palace, and outside the palace you've even arranged for a chef to cook for you. What am I going to do? I don't want to leave here anymore!"
Yongqi stood up, walked towards Xiaoyanzi, and said, "I don't want to leave here either, but we want to be together forever, and there's still so much we need to do!"
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