Page 143

At this point, Lian Hua clapped her hands and made up her mind, "Alright, let’s do fish then. We will have to use fish from Huaqing Pool. Come on, you three, grab your tools and ask Steward Zhang for a few more men. We’re going to fish now!"

Xiao Jizi felt something was amiss and wanted to speak up.

Lian Hua glanced at him, afraid he might stop her, and hurriedly said, "I won’t do anything. I’ll just watch from afar while you guys do the work."

Well then, okay, Xiao Jizi nodded, he had no more objections.

Xiao Linzi had never fished before and was very excited, brimming with anticipation. Following Master Lian had its benefits; at the very least, he could witness some things he had never seen before, and Master Lian was generous with her praise.

No sooner said than done, the four of them neatly gathered in the courtyard with their tools.

Lian Hua looked around and, not finding Zhang Qing, casually grabbed a Young Eunuch to ask, "Where is Steward Zhang?"

She still had to inform him and borrow a few more people while at it.

"Reporting to Master Lian, Steward Zhang is relieving himself," said the Young Eunuch. Steward Zhang had been gone for some time, and it was unknown when he would return.

"Is that so? Then come with me, and find a few more people to come over. Leave two behind to tell Steward Zhang that I have taken people to Huaqing Pool to fish," she said. She wanted to take advantage of the weather before it turned cold and do something big.

The Young Eunuch felt confused. Fishing at Huaqing Pool? That sounded like a no-go. He had never experienced anything like this!

After speaking, Lian Hua didn’t bother with him anymore and started rounding up able bodies throughout the courtyard, which immediately bustled with activity.

Xiao Jizi was already familiar with these people, chatting and backslapping with them, and amid the clamor and shouting, it wasn’t long before Lian Hua had gathered a crowd to head out of Canglan Court.

The questioned Young Eunuch finally snapped back to reality, looking anxious. He shouted, "Master Lian, but Steward Zhang said—he said if there is anything, we should tell him..." His voice was lost in the noise.

The Young Eunuch hurried after the group, running a few steps before stopping, torn between choices. He didn’t know what to do. Steward Zhang hadn’t forbidden outings, but Master Lian had asked him to follow. This was very difficult for him.

Lian Hua led a group of people, carrying their tools, imponently towards Huaqing Pool.

Some people lurking stealthily outside Canglan Court were dumbfounded, unable to comprehend what was happening.

This was serious—this was the first time the master of Canglan Court had left the premises after a previous incident.

This was major news; they had to rush back and report to their own masters.

This group of people hurried towards the various palaces. When they accidentally bumped into each other on the way, they just exchanged a glance, tacitly understanding, and avoided each other, each returning to their palaces.

Meanwhile, outside the Imperial Palace, a plain, unadorned carriage squeaked to a halt in front of the palace gates.

A chubby maid reached out to the guards with a token, and upon seeing the token, the guards quickly opened the gates, not daring to delay.

The servant then hopped back onto the carriage and, with more squeaking, continued into the palace grounds.

Over at Huaqing Pool.

Lian Hua stood with her hands on her hips, proudly watching Xiao Qing teach a group of Young Eunuchs the fishing techniques she had trained.

On the way there, Lian Hua had already passed on all the new insights from "The Top Ten Fishing Techniques at Huaqing Pool" to Xiao Qing. Since Xiao Qing had already fished with her before, she quickly caught on and was ready to take charge.

Before casting the net, Lian Hua had the Young Eunuchs line up properly and gestured for Xiao Qing to demonstrate first. Sharpening the axe will not delay the work of cutting firewood; teaching the correct method before fishing saves time and effort.

This time, while fishing, she could also take advantage of this practical experience to see which parts of her "Top Ten Techniques for Fishing in Huaqing Pool" needed improvement. That way, she could prepare her grand plans when she returned.

Xiao Linzi was eager to try, feeling that Master Lian was truly amazing, skilled in everything.

He had said before that he was good for nothing and depended on others for a living, which was not wrong.

He resolved to master the methods of fishing, so he listened to Xiao Qing’s teaching with extra effort.

After Xiao Qing finished explaining, Xiao Jizi asked loudly, "Did everyone understand?"

All of them nodded in agreement, saying they understood.

The strong young eunuch carrying the tray today—Da Zhuang—still felt a bit nervous. Uneasily, he asked, "Master Lian, can we really catch these fish?"

He wasn’t the only one with doubts. Other young eunuchs from the Star Palace also harbored questions. Upon hearing this, they couldn’t help but turn their gazes toward Lian Hua.

Lian Hua put on a serious face, hands on her hips, and said, "How can we not fish? We’re fishing for His Majesty to eat, so what do you think? Can we fish or not?"

"Oh..."

"I see..."

When the others heard this, they understood; if the fish were for His Majesty, then of course, they could fish. They could even catch them all if necessary.

Realizing they were serving His Majesty, the group of young eunuchs became excited, roaring that they would not hesitate to brave fire and water for His Majesty. Their previous concerns vanished instantly.

Fishing was a novel experience for them, and each one was both excited and passionate.

At first, they did not grasp the techniques, and Lian Hua and Xiao Qing, who were instructing from the side, were hopping mad.

But once the first fish was caught and they slowly figured out the techniques, they started to get on the right track.

Fishing turned out to be so rewarding, much more so than their usual tasks of watering plants, sweeping floors, and serving tea. The group of young eunuchs enjoyed themselves immensely.

The area around Huaqing Pool suddenly bustled with activity, full of liveliness, alarming the garden eunuch who ran over to see what was happening. Seeing that it was the former whimsical Young Master, now Beauty Lian, leading people to fish from Huaqing Pool, all of them simmered down.

Some of them even wished to lend a hand—Beauty Lian had received His Majesty’s favor, after all. Who wouldn’t want to curry favor with her now?

Unfortunately, before anyone could get close, they were chased away by eunuchs from the Star Palace who wouldn’t allow anyone to approach Beauty Lian.

What a pity, the garden eunuchs sighed regretfully.

Seeing the energy Beauty Lian put into her work, they knew she was promising.

They lamented not having tried to curry favor with her before, ah.

As Lian Hua directed the fishing, full of excitement, a pale, beardless young eunuch with red lips and white teeth, and eyes like a fox, appeared beside her.

He looked harmlessly at the animals and stood watching with his hands behind his back.

After observing for a while, he struck up a conversation:

"Yo, Young Master, fishing, are you?"

"Yes." Lian Hua responded without turning her head, then continued to shout instructions to someone by the lake, "Xiao Linzi, you can’t just lift the net as soon as it’s lowered. You have to wait a bit underwater, let the fish come closer, yes, that’s right, and then scatter some bait."

Xiao Linzi, with a shy smile on his face, did as Lian Hua instructed, fishing with great enthusiasm and breaking into a sweat on his forehead.

The fair-skinned young eunuch continued to ask, "Young Master, how does the fish from Huaqing Pool taste?"

"Excellent, excellent, both tender and juicy," Lian Hua replied without a second thought, continuing to crane her neck to see how Xiao Linzi was doing. Xiao Jizi wouldn’t let her get close to the lake’s edge; as soon as she approached, he would start wailing.

Squinting his fox-like eyes, the fair-skinned young eunuch touched his smooth chin and said, "Young Master, I know a cooking method that makes the fish crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, very delicious. Would you like to try it?"