Chapter 175: Outing
In the afternoon, Lan Wu did not make it to Wuji Temple.
Just after lunch, Princess Yizhen came to see her.
Her steps were somewhat hurried. Upon entering the hall and seeing Lan Wu still there, she patted her chest lightly and said, “Good, you haven’t left yet. The other day, I came a bit late, and by the time I arrived, you had already taken the carriage to Wuji Temple.”
Lan Wu had originally planned to rest for a while before having someone prepare the carriage. Seeing her like this, she thought Yizhen had something to discuss and asked, “What’s the matter?”
Yizhen smiled, stepped forward, and took her hand. “How can you go to Wuji Temple every day? Look at you—you practically radiate Buddha’s light. I’m sure even the Buddha knows how sincere you are.”
“I heard you’ve been feeling down lately. Come out with me this afternoon.”
Lan Wu was taken aback and hesitated. “Where do you want to go?”
“Last time, I didn’t catch any fish in the pond. I heard there’s a lake at the foot of the mountain with plump, delicious fish. Let’s go fishing and have the kitchen cook them for dinner tonight. How does that sound?”
After saying this, Yizhen noticed Lan Wu still seemed indecisive. She simply wrapped her arm around Lan Wu’s and said with a laugh, “Come on, come on! Look at you, staying cooped up in the hall all day without even getting any sun. That’s no good.”
“I heard there are shrimp in that lake too. If we can’t catch fish, we can catch shrimp instead.”
Yizhen coaxed Lan Wu into joining her. With such beautiful sunshine today, it would be a shame not to go out.
More importantly, her imperial brother had given her strict orders in a letter, repeatedly emphasizing that she must take Lan Wu out to lift her spirits.
Although she didn’t understand why spending over ten days at the temple had left Lan Wu feeling down, finding ways to have fun was something she excelled at.
Besides, with her imperial brother writing to her like this, how could she dare disobey?
After reading the letter, she immediately ordered preparations to be made. She didn’t even dare rest after lunch and rushed straight to Lan Wu’s place, finally managing to intercept her.
After some persistent persuasion, Lan Wu finally agreed to accompany her fishing.
“Let me change my clothes. Wait for me a moment.”
“Alright, go ahead.”
As Lan Wu entered the Inner Palace, Yizhen slightly toned down her smile. She turned and glanced at the remaining palace attendants in the hall, casually calling one forward.
“This servant pays respects to the Princess,” Lian Qiao stepped forward and bowed to Yizhen.
“Why has Guifei been feeling down lately? Did something unpleasant happen during her visit to Wuji Temple?”
Lian Qiao wasn’t sure what had happened either. Hearing Princess Yizhen’s question, she grew flustered and quickly shared what she knew.
With so many people watching over Her Ladyship, there shouldn’t have been any issues. As for why Her Ladyship was feeling down, she suspected it was because she missed Your Majesty.
So, in the end, Lian Qiao cautiously stepped closer and whispered to Princess Yizhen.
Yizhen’s expression stiffened, and she suddenly coughed, her face turning red.
“Alright, alright. You palace attendants really have some nerve, daring to say such things…” Yizhen took a sip of tea to suppress the urge to cough and asked no further.
By the time Lan Wu had changed her clothes and the carriage was ready, Yizhen and she left the villa together.
The lake at the foot of the mountain wasn’t exactly close—it took about half an hour by carriage. The lake wasn’t particularly large nor too small, but when they arrived, there were quite a few people there.
Yizhen couldn’t help but frown as soon as she stepped out of the carriage, calling someone over to ask, “Didn’t we have people prepare everything in advance? Why are there still so many people here?”
The imperial guard glanced at the small group of people on the other side of the lake and bowed in reply, “Your Highness, these are locals living nearby. Since the weather is fine today, they said they came to fish to sell in the city.”
“Your subordinate saw they were all on the opposite side, so I posted guards around the area. They wouldn’t dare come over.”
Although that was what he said, what if something unexpected happened? Wouldn’t her imperial brother rush over from the imperial city immediately?
Yizhen was pondering whether to have the people moved away when Lan Wu descended from the carriage.
She had clearly overheard the conversation. Glancing at the group dozens of feet away on the opposite side, she said it was fine, “Let it be. The lake is so large. Just make sure they don’t come over. After all, this is an unowned lake.”
“Yes, Your Ladyship,” the guard replied and withdrew.
Yizhen didn’t dwell on the matter further and took Lan Wu to watch the bait being laid.
“What kinds of fish are in here?”
“All sorts, it just depends on which type the young lady prefers to eat.” The person preparing the bait for them was also a local resident. Seeing the two young ladies accompanied by many attendants, she assumed they were family members of some wealthy household. She had never seen such beauty before, especially this young lady—exquisitely beautiful, truly stunning.
Lan Wu stood by the lakeside and looked into the water, indeed spotting a few small fish flicking their tails.
“Don’t worry, we’re sure to return with a full haul today.” Yizhen seemed quite confident. “I love eating silverfish. Are there any in this lake?”
“Silverfish?” The aunt laying the bait chuckled upon hearing this. “Young lady, you have refined tastes. Silverfish are treasures found only in rivers and streams. This lake doesn’t have such rarities.”
“But the black carp in this lake are quite plump. If you and the young lady catch one, a single fish would be enough for a meal.”
Yizhen grew interested, leaning closer to Lan Wu. “You’re making me crave it already. Once we catch some fish, we can have them grilled for dinner or cooked in a spicy broth. Hey, can you handle spicy food? I’ll have someone prepare some wine too. Wouldn’t that be perfect?”
The fish hadn’t even been caught yet, and Yizhen was already planning dinner. Lan Wu couldn’t help but laugh at her enthusiasm.
As for drinking wine, though…
Lan Wu lowered her voice, speaking discreetly to Yizhen, “Your Majesty doesn’t allow me to drink…”
“He’s not here—would he really come all the way to Changyong Mountain just because you had a few sips of wine?” Yizhen was determined to cheer Lan Wu up. What harm was there in a little wine? After drinking, all worries would naturally be forgotten.
Lan Wu thought she made a fair point and didn’t outright refuse.
With the bait laid and fishing rods propped to the side, Lan Wu and Yizhen each sat on one end, separated by some distance, quietly gazing at the calm surface of the lake.
Lan Wu had never fished before, but according to the aunt, it was quite simple: just watch the float in the water. If it moves, it means a fish is approaching. When the fishing line is tugged downward, it means the fish has bitten the hook. That’s when you must grab the rod and not let the fish eat the bait and escape.
The surroundings grew quiet for a moment, and Lan Wu’s mind settled slightly.
It seemed the fish in this lake weren’t very clever. Before long, Lan Wu heard Yizhen beside her say a fish had taken the bait.
She turned her head to see Yizhen pulling up the fishing rod with some effort, a fish struggling and flicking its tail as it was lifted from the water.
Lan Wu went over to join in the fun, and upon seeing it clearly, she couldn’t help but laugh: “Yizhen, this fish is really small, not even the size of a palm.”
It was indeed too small, and Yizhen wasn’t too pleased either. She had someone throw the fish back into the pond and continued baiting the hook and casting the line.