Yuan Yao cried out in alarm as she ran toward the shore.
Behind her, Lin Xuan chased after her, shouting, "If you're so capable, don't run away!"
"If you're so capable, then don't chase after me!" Yuan Yao took a moment to turn around and glare at him: "That was thrown to me by Xie Zhi, I didn't throw it at you on purpose!"
Do you think I'm small and easy to bully?
You bully the weak and prey on the strong!
Lin Xuan: "..."
He stopped, turned to look at Xie Zhi, and gritted his teeth: "Xie Zhi!"
Xie Zhi smiled and said, "It's just an insect, why make such a fuss? A real man should be fearless."
Lin Xuan, holding the water snake, strode over: "Since that's the case, come on, catch!"
"Here you go, throw it at me!"
Lin Xuan bent down, scooped up some water, and splashed it at Xie Zhi: "Xie Zhi, prepare to die!"
Xie Zhi laughed heartily, lifted his foot, and splashed water vigorously...
The two of them were having a great time.
Yuan Yao stood on the bank and smiled as she saw the scene in the river.
This age is wonderful!
You can play around and run wild without restraint...
In a few years, everyone will have grown up, and there won't be many opportunities to even go into the river to catch a crab, let alone have a water fight.
I wonder how many more years these carefree days can last...
ashore.
With a mouthful of maple syrup, Xie Ning asked with a smile, "They're having so much fun, aren't you envious? If you want to go play, just go, as long as you don't get wet."
Yun Chan said coldly, "I'm not going."
Xie Ning chuckled: "Yun Chan, Xiao Yao'er is playing with other people and completely ignores you. Aren't you angry at all?"
Yun Chan: "..."
He lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the pages of the book, and said coldly, "She can do what she wants, why should I be angry?"
"Really?" Xie Ning smiled. "When I was your age, I would get really angry if my senior sister played with other kids. I was so angry that I couldn't eat all day!"
Yun Chan: "..."
He gripped the book, looked up at Xie Ning, and asked, "And now? Is your senior sister still hanging out with other men?"
Xie Ning's smile faltered, becoming much less pronounced: "She got married."
They got married?
Yun Chan looked at Xie Ning with sympathy.
riverside.
As Yuan Yao was wiping the water from her face, Huai Rou walked over and asked, "Yao'er, is the river water cold?"
“Sister Huairou!” Yuan Yao said with a smile, “The river water isn’t cold, it’s cool and refreshing, it’s so comfortable.”
"Is that so?" A hint of envy involuntarily appeared in Huairou's eyes.
Even though Jiang Chengyan was a prince, he only dared to find a rock by the water and scoop up a few handfuls of water...
Even Huaiyao, who is usually quite carefree, had to use a basket to step onto the rocks by the water to catch the crabs caught by the palace maids.
As for Huairou, she was the eldest princess, and her mother was the Empress. Every move she made had to be dignified, especially... in front of so many officials' wives and concubines...
Yuan Yao glanced at the Empress's palanquin, then took Huairou's hand and said, "Sister Huairou, you must be tired from the long journey; your palms are sweaty."
"Come on, Yao'er will take you to the river to wash your hands, okay?"
handwashing?
Huairou hesitated and asked, "Is it alright?"
“Mmm!” Yuan Yao nodded: “You can lead me there, no one will dare to say anything.”
Huairou hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "Let's go."
Yuan Yao smiled and led Huai Rou towards the water.
As she walked, she said happily, "Another day, when no one's around, we'll sneak out to catch crabs!"
"Then, Sister Huairou will also go into the water and catch them with us!"
Huairou listened, and seemed quite tempted: "Mmm!"
Upon touching the river water, Huairou smiled happily: "This water is so comfortable."
"See, I didn't lie to you, did I?" Yuan Yao said with a smile.
Huairou nodded vigorously.
After playing in the water for a while, Xie Zhi and Lin Xuan calmed down.
Danqing called for someone, walked to Yuan Yao's side, bowed to Huairou, and then asked gently, "Princess, what should we do with these river crabs?"
They would need to rest for about half an hour before continuing their journey.
Yuan Yao helped Huai Rou up, and the two walked up to Huai Yao and looked down into the basket.
In just a short while, the basket was almost full.
Yuan Yao thought for a moment and said happily, "Let's steam half of it and bake the other half. We can all eat it together."
Danqing responded and called two palace maids to fetch the cooking utensils.
Several palace maids brought over some firewood to start a fire...
Xie Zhi and Lin Xuan were already soaking wet in the river, but they were still reluctant to get out.
Huai gazed at the scene for a long while, then lowered his head and sullenly handed the basket to Yuan Yao: "Hold on tight!"
"Huaiyao, what's wrong?" Huairou asked.
Huaiyao didn't answer, and walked away.
Seeing this, Huairou said to Yuan Yao, "Yao'er, you play by yourself for now, I'll go check on Huaiyao."
After speaking, the person had already walked away.
Yuan Yao put the basket on the ground, looked at Huai Yao, and then at the two people playing in the river.
Huaiyao...is she envious of Xie Zhi and Lin Xuan?
Although she was born a woman, she longed to learn martial arts and go to the battlefield. However, let alone learn martial arts or go to the battlefield, she couldn't even go into the river...
Yuan Yao sighed softly.
Fortunately, although she was a girl, she had a good father.
Although... the outcome may not be so good in the future...
Cheer up again and call out to the two people in the river, "Xie Zhi, Lin Xuan, come up and change your clothes! We can eat crabs soon!"
Upon hearing this, Xie Zhi and Lin Xuan climbed out of the water.
The two were soaking wet: "Let's go back to the carriage to change our clothes first, and we'll be back in a bit."
"Okay, go ahead!" Yuan Yao waved with a smile.
The palace maid lit a fire and then set up the pots and pans.
One pot was used for steaming crabs, another for spicy crabs, and a whole fire was lit to grill the crabs...
The smoke rising from the chimneys along the riverbank drew the attention of many of the housekeeper's female relatives.
"Qianhua Palace, they actually bring cooking utensils with them when they go out?"
"The Ninth Prince really dotes on the little princess!"
"He spoils his adopted daughter like this. If the Ninth Prince can marry, wouldn't he spoil his wife rotten?"
"Shh... Don't mention the matter of the Ninth Prince's marriage. Haven't you heard? The youngest daughter of the Minister of Revenue seduced the Ninth Prince in a shameless manner, which is why she was betrothed to a member of the Imperial Guard..."
"..."
A group of ladies were chatting and laughing there. Madam Xu, the wife of the Minister of Revenue, lowered the carriage curtain, her face looking extremely pale.
Xu Yunzhi's eyes were red and swollen: "Mother..."
"Don't cry." Madam Xu tenderly wiped away her tears. "Your father and I would never marry you off to Li Chang."
"Don't worry, your father has made all the arrangements. Li Chang will be dead within half an hour!"
"Really?" Xu Yunzhi was still a little worried: "What if he doesn't die?"
Mrs. Xu was speechless.
Upon seeing this, Xu Yunzhi burst into tears again...
Yuan Yao was standing by the fire when he heard a commotion. He had just added a piece of firewood when he heard a commotion.
She looked up: "Danqing, did you hear anything?"
Upon hearing this, Danqing stood up and looked around.
At that moment, a cry of alarm came from within the Imperial Guards: "Guards! Protect the Emperor!"
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