Lanqin had expected to see a young eunuch in a blue brocade robe and a eunuch's hat, but she didn't see one. Instead, she saw a young man lying on the ground wearing a white robe embroidered with eagles and auspicious clouds in blue silk thread. This clothing didn't resemble the attire of the Qing court or the people of the Central Plains; it was more likely the clothing of a foreign tribe. His hair was slightly curly at the back and wasn't shaved into a crescent shape, but rather left loose.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Are you alright?" Lanqin knelt beside the man, who was lying on his back with his brows furrowed and his eyes closed.
"My lower back... I think I hit something below my waist!" the man finally said, his handsome face contorted with pain. Lan Qin knew that anyone would be stunned if a large, living person fell on them like that.
Lanqin quickly helped lift his waist to see what was underneath. Sure enough, he was stuck on several egg-sized stones on the ground, and it was easy to imagine how much pain he was in.
Lanqin quickly looked at him, feeling embarrassed, and reached out to remove the stone stuck under his back before letting him lie down peacefully.
"I'm so sorry, it was all my fault. How are you? Can you get up? If not, I'll go get someone," Lanqin said hurriedly to the man, feeling like her tongue was slurring.
"It's nothing, I'll be fine after lying down. It was just those few stones that were really bothering me. It hurts a little. I even fell off a galloping horse and was fine, so what happened to you is nothing." The man opened his eyes and looked at Lanqin.
Lanqin finally got a clear look at the man on the ground. He had a narrow forehead and gentle eyebrows, but his eyes were long, and the vertical line between his eyebrows added a touch of sharpness to his already handsome eyes. He had a very straight nose and slightly thin, long lips. All these features combined on his slightly long face made him look incredibly dashing.
"Hey, Prince Indal! What are you doing here all alone? Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has been looking for you everywhere!" A shrill voice came from behind Lanqin.
Lanqin immediately crawled away from him, then stood up from the ground with her back to the eunuch. This time, she was sure it was the eunuch.
Indal stretched out an arm and said, "Come and help me up!"
The young eunuch glanced at Lanqin's retreating figure, about to ask a question, when he saw Indar summon him. He rushed over and helped him up from the ground.
Lanqin couldn't keep her back to him, so she slowly turned around and looked at the eunuch. He was unfamiliar with her, but that was fine; she didn't know him.
"Take him back and find a doctor to check if he's hurt anywhere!" Lanqin said to the eunuch, feeling embarrassed.
"Oh, it's Lady Minrou. What are you doing here?" The eunuch seemed to recognize Lanqin and immediately called out her title.
"Ah, I came here from this county to admire the flowers, but unfortunately I ran into this gentleman, and I'm very sorry that he fell to the ground. Eunuch, who are you?" Lanqin couldn't remember where she had seen this eunuch before, so she had no choice but to ask.
“I serve the Empress Dowager. You may not remember me, but I have seen you before,” the eunuch said.
Lanqin was glad that she hadn't mentioned climbing the tree earlier. If the Empress Dowager had found out, it would have been terrible; she would definitely have been summoned and reprimanded.
"Who is this gentleman?" Lanqin asked hurriedly, her eyes then falling on the man standing to the side. He was extremely tall; she hadn't noticed him while he was lying on the ground, but now that he was standing, she could see him clearly.
"Oh, this is Prince Indar of Dase Tusi in the Western Tibet. Your Highness, this is County Chief Minrou," the eunuchs introduced them. For some reason, he only mentioned Lanqin's title, without mentioning that she was the Fourth Prince's concubine.
“So, you are from the county. Do you still want those pears? I can pick some for you,” Indal said, a very warm smile on his face.
A bead of sweat slid down Lanqin's forehead. She glanced awkwardly at Indal and said, "Thank you for your help, Your Highness. You should hurry back and check on things."
"Your Highness, the Empress Dowager is looking for you everywhere. You should go back to your quarters quickly," the eunuch said.
“Alright then, I’ll take my leave.” Indal said to Lanqin.
"Alright, you can go to the Empress Dowager's side first. See you later!" Lanqin said as if possessed, then immediately turned and quickly left.
Indar watched Lanqin's retreating figure, smiled faintly, and said to the eunuch beside him, "Let's go."
Inside the Cining Palace.
"Grandmother, do you think this pot of daffodils is beautiful?" A woman in palace attire with her hair styled in two buns was holding up a pot of daffodils in a flowerpot shaped like the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea for the Empress Dowager to see.
"Hmm, not bad. Put her down, be careful not to hit her," the Empress Dowager said, looking at the woman with great affection. She was beautifully plump and radiant, dressed in a light pink qipao and adorned with light pink pearl flowers in her hair, making her appear exceptionally youthful. She was none other than the sixteenth daughter of Emperor Kangxi, born to Consort Shu.
“Grandmother, no, that won’t happen. I’m not that clumsy. Grandmother loves daffodils, so I’ve grown a lot of them, hoping to bring you some joy,” said the Sixteenth Princess.
Just then, a series of footsteps sounded outside.
"Hehe, she's back!" Although the Empress Dowager was old, her hearing was still very sharp, unlike other elderly people who were hard of hearing.
Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words, the Sixteenth Princess blushed and turned away.
Indal followed the eunuch into the main hall of the Cining Palace. He was like an eagle flying over the mountain, or a wild horse galloping across the grassland, with the mountain wind blowing the mane on his neck, making him look dashing.
"Indal greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!" Indal raised one hand and then gave the Empress Dowager a half-bow.
"Indal, come here and sit over here with me," the Empress Dowager said, a glint of light in her eyes.
Indal walked to the Empress Dowager's throne and sat down, while the Sixteenth Princess sat on the other side of the Empress Dowager.
"Little Lu, where did you find the prince? I'm in a good mood today, otherwise I would have punished you." The Empress Dowager glanced at the little eunuch and said slowly.
“Your Majesty, my nephew just went for a walk in the Imperial Garden. You don’t need to scold him.” Indar saw a hint of fear on the little eunuch’s face and quickly spoke up for him.
"Yes, go down. If you lose the prince again, I'll punish you!" The Empress Dowager turned to Indal and said kindly.
"Hey, Your Highness Prince Indal, why is there a tear in the hem of your robe?" The sixteenth princess had already looked Indal up and down and noticed that there was a tear in the hem of his robe.
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