Fourth Master asked Lanqin to wait a moment and went to the lakeside alone. There was a bunch of lotus flowers in full bloom near the lake, with pink petals and yellow stamens, emitting a sweet fragrance.
Fourth Master casually hooked the lotus stem, intending to break it, but unexpectedly slipped and nearly fell.
Lanqin screamed in fright and covered her eyes, unable to look.
"Qin'er...look..."
Lanqin opened her eyes. The Fourth Master was standing perfectly fine in front of her, smiling at her with a smug look on his lips. Lanqin cried out that she'd been tricked, pounding her fist on the Fourth Master's chest: "Master, you're so mean! You scared me to death..."
Fourth Master wasn't angry. He hooked his arm around Lanqin's waist, pulled her close, and pulled a lotus flower from behind his back, placing it in front of her eyes. He smiled and said, "This is for you..."
Lanqin accepted the lotus flower with delight, bursting into laughter. She said shyly, "I'm used to seeing people give me roses, but this is the first time I've ever seen someone give me lotus flowers, and so confidently, as if it were their right..."
"A rose? Is that a kind of flower?" Fourth Master naturally didn't recognize the rose.
"Yes, it's a very delicate and beautiful flower. We don't have it in our Great Qing Dynasty yet," Lanqin said.
"If you like, I will plant roses all over you!" the Fourth Prince said generously.
Lanqin smiled, feeling touched, but she didn't immediately ask Fourth Master to actually do it.
The Fourth Prince looked at Lanqin with a puzzled expression, wondering why she was smiling. Lanqin then looked up and suddenly kissed him, saying, "Thank you for the lotus flowers, Your Majesty. Qin'er likes them very much..."
Baoqin and several other maids quickly stepped aside.
Fourth Master escorted Lanqin back home, planning the flower-viewing banquet.
"Whom does Qin'er plan to invite?" Fourth Master asked.
Lanqin pondered for a moment, then answered while playing with the lotus flowers, "Qin'er doesn't have many plans. It's just that I haven't seen my family for a long time, and... Thirteenth Princess Consort, plus Cui Niang and a few other maids who used to serve me..."
Fourth Master laughed and said, "These people hardly qualify as a banquet. If we're going to have one, let's make it a lively affair."
Lanqin glanced sideways, took Fourth Master's hand, and the two walked side by side, their fingers intertwined: "Whom does Master mean to invite?"
The Fourth Prince said, "I might as well send invitations to the Third Prince's wife, the Fifth Prince's wife, the Seventh Prince's wife, the Eighth Prince's wife, the Ninth Prince's wife, the Tenth Prince's wife, and the Thirteenth Prince's wife. There haven't been many banquets held in the palace lately, so there haven't been many opportunities to get together. Now that you've moved to the Yuanmingyuan, it's even more inconvenient... If you want a lively occasion this time, let them all come..."
Lanqin gasped in surprise, but before she could retort, she heard Zui Ji continue, seemingly oblivious to her own words: "Since the ladies are all here, I will go back and inform my brothers to come and join the flower-viewing banquet..."
Lanqin stammered, "Your Majesty, do we need to invite so many people?"
Fourth Master stopped and looked at Lanqin with a puzzled expression, saying, "Is there not enough people? Then bring Hongli, Hongzhou, and Wuxiha..."
Lanqin quickly covered Fourth Master's mouth and said, "That's enough, that's enough..."
Fourth Master smiled and continued walking forward, muttering to himself, "Since it's a flower-viewing banquet, the venue should be by the lake. Why not have someone build a viewing platform in the middle of the lake..."
Lanqin stuck out her tongue and winked at Baoqin, whispering, "It's all your fault... Why did you have to hold a flower-viewing banquet? I just wanted to have a private party, but now it's like a royal banquet..."
Baoqin spread her hands helplessly, expressing her apology, and said with a forced smile, "Your Majesty, it's only because the Emperor cares about you that he went to such lengths. You can't blame me entirely..."
"Qin'er?" Fourth Master called softly from ahead. Lan Qin reluctantly followed, listening with a smile as Fourth Master kept talking all the way...
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