Fierce Consort

Chapter 21

Luo Huai Yuan's face had finally returned to normal. Although there was still some faint bruising, it was at least much better than before.

With his round eyes, high nose-bridge and lips that were neither thin nor thick, he was probably quite a handsome fellow if his face weren't too round. Since he was still young, his chubby face didn't look overweight, but was rather like the cute sort of baby fat. Especially since his eyes were lively, giving him a slightly crafty air and making his whole face come alive.

"This place is rather nice, both cool and secluded. The view is also beautiful. How did big bro Luo discover this place? I've never heard big bro Shen mention it before."

Luo Huai Yuan smiled complacently, "Little second Shen, that fellow, isn't aware of this place. This is a good place that I've newly discovered."

It turns out that for the sake of attracting the two to play with him, Luo Huai Yuan had spent quite some effort. He thought up several methods of eating, drinking and playing, and didn't neglect in looking for fun places.

Xiao An Zi had heard about this place from one of the grannies who kept watch over the courtyard. She said that it was the perfect time to view the place. A little earlier and the lotus flowers wouldn't be in bloom, and it wouldn't be as beautiful. A little later and the flowers would be wilted, and there wouldn't be anything to see.

This large field of lotus flowers had to do with when the Zhenguo Duke Estate was first constructed. At that time, the first generation Zhenguo Duke Shen Hen chose the land for the estate. The ancestral emperor promised to let him have his pick of land within the capital. Shen Hen saw that this place had a lake, and that it was filled with lotus flowers. He thus chose this spot to construct the estate. The entire Zhenguo Duke Estate was built around this lake, and during the construction they added several waterways to channel the water throughout. As for the original lake, it had never been changed.

The Zhenguo Duke Estate had several ponds that were connected to this place, and also planted lotus flowers in other places. However, what those masters in the estate saw was only the tip of the iceberg. For the servants, these lotus flowers weren't only for decoration. Every year they would have to go harvest the lotus seed heads. Having spent time doing so, they naturally knew where the best views were.

For example, the waterway they just passed through was used by servants during their harvest. This waterway was too narrow, and only the little boat could pass through it. Whenever the masters came to tour the lake, they would use their decorated leisure boats, and naturally wouldn't be able to see this scenic location.

After Luo Huai Yuan found out about it, he first went to check it out himself. He took a tour around the lake, and even with his self-proclaimed experience, he was still stunned at the sight. Thus he wanted to pull his little consort over to come play, and finally succeeded today.

"It's peaceful and secluded here. Sitting here calms the heart and relaxes the mind. All your troubles fade away."

Yan Yan seemed to have understood something. She looked over at him but didn't see any signs. She lightly expelled her gloominess through her breath as she looked at the beads of water on the nearby lotus leaves.

The surroundings were very quiet. The grannies had stopped rowing the boat. Apart from the occasional sounds of swimming fish, there was nothing else.

"How is it? Not bad, right?"

After a while of silence, Luo Huai Yuan spoke and interrupted Yan Yan who was staring at the leaves while lost in thought.

"This place is wonderful. Thank you, big bro Luo."