On the third day of the third month, the Shangsi Festival, the Tanghe Palace was filled with flying flowers and a vibrant spring atmosphere. The royal family's carriages entered the Tanghe Palace one after another. Although it was still thirty li away from the palace, all irrelevant people had been driven away, leaving only teams of imperial guards patrolling back and forth, creating a peaceful and solemn atmosphere befitting the imperial family.

Chu Shaoling lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and pointed out the scenery to Wei Ji, slowly saying, "There's a cave behind that small stone spring over there. There are some inscriptions from ancient people carved on the stone walls inside. When we come back and have time, I'll take you to see it."

Wei Ji lowered his head slightly, looking outside and listening attentively. He nodded, "Let's go see it."

Chu Shaoling smiled and continued, "Do you see that lake over there? When I was little, I caught a turtle as big as a plate there. I remember there were plenty of fish and shrimp in this lake. Let's ask them for fishing rods and bait later."

"A turtle?" Wei Ji exclaimed softly, "Did Your Highness keep it? Is it easy to keep alive?"

Chu Shaoling laughed, "We stewed it that day. I don't know if it's easy to keep alive or not."

Wei Ji let out a regretful sigh. He continued looking outside with his head lowered.

Chu Shaoling smiled and ruffled Wei Ji's hair. Before long, the carriage entered the palace. Palace servants quickly brought two eight-person sedan chairs. The Emperor and Empress Dowager got off the carriage and changed to the sedan chairs, surrounded by palace servants as they headed to the main hall of the palace.

After the Emperor and Empress Dowager left, the palace servants brought several four-person sedan chairs. Wei Ji stepped down from the carriage first, lowered the carriage step, and bowed his head while raising his arm to support Chu Shaoling as he got off.

Chu Shaoling gave Wei Ji's arm a light squeeze. Wei Ji's expression remained unchanged. Seeing that Chu Shaoling was standing steadily, he put the carriage step back with one hand and turned to follow behind Chu Shaoling. After Chu Shaoling got on the sedan chair, Wei Ji followed a few steps behind.

After Chu Shaoling got on the sedan chair, Chu Shaoruan and Chu Shaomo finally got off the carriage one after another. A palace manager walked beside Chu Shaoling's sedan chair and said with a smile, "This servant is Li Qiao, originally the manager of the kitchen in the palace. These few days, all the nobles are coming, so the chief steward assigned this servant to specially serve the eldest prince. If the eldest prince has any needs, just give the order."

Chu Shaoling leaned on the sedan chair for a while before asking, "Which courtyard have you arranged for me? Is it still the Tianxiang Courtyard?"

Li Qiao quickly replied, "Unfortunately, the apricot blossoms in the Tianxiang Courtyard are not blooming well this year, very sparse. We really don't dare to let the nobles stay there. This time, we have arranged the Peach Blossom Courtyard on the east side of the palace for the eldest prince. The scenery in this courtyard is extremely beautiful. In the third month, a whole courtyard of peach blossoms have bloomed, red, white, and pink. It's so lively! The first batch of peach blossoms have already been in bloom for half a month now. It's just at the stage where they are about to fall but haven't fallen yet. When there's a slight breeze, the petals fall like snow. The scenery is definitely not inferior to the Tianxiang Courtyard. This servant heard that there are many peach trees in the Bitao Palace of Your Highness's palace, so I thought Your Highness would like it."

Seeing that the manager spoke fluently, Chu Shaoling smiled slightly and asked, "Whose courtyard is next to it?"

Li Qiao bowed his head and said with a smile, "To the west is the Emperor's sleeping quarters, and to the south is the Empress Dowager's Phoenix Immortal Residence. However, there is a small peach forest separating them in the middle, making it secluded and elegant."

Chu Shaoling lightly tapped the dragon armrest of the sedan chair with his slender fingers and said, "The princes are not arranged in one place this year?"

Li Qiao bowed his head and said with a smile, "Originally, they were arranged in one place, all on the south side of the palace. However, it was not suitable for Your Highness to stay in the Tianxiang Courtyard as originally planned, so it was arranged on this side. Among the princes, only Your Highness is staying on the east side with the Emperor and Empress Dowager. The concubines are all on the west side, and the north side is arranged for the officials and titled ladies who came along."

Chu Shaoling chuckled lightly, "You have put in a lot of thought."

Chu Shaoling lowered his eyes and glanced at Wang Muhan. Wang Muhan quickly took out a purse and handed it to Li Qiao. Li Qiao bowed and accepted it, smiling flatteringly, "It's beyond this servant's worth. It is this servant's blessing to be able to serve the eldest prince."

Chu Shaoling leaned on the sedan chair and laughed lightly without saying anything.

Before long, they arrived at the Peach Blossom Courtyard. Li Qiao was not exaggerating. Inside and outside the courtyard were peach blossoms. It seemed that the palace servants had deliberately arranged for the fallen petals on the ground to not be cleaned up. Layers upon layers of red petals covered the ground. When Chu Shaoling stepped off the sedan chair, he could feel the soft and delicate texture under his feet. The sweet fragrance of peach blossoms permeated the air.

Chu Shaoling smiled, "You have indeed put in a lot of thought."

Li Qiao smiled, "The Peach Blossom Courtyard was just renovated this year, naturally adding an extra touch of charm compared to other places. The peach blossoms are also blooming exceptionally well this year. This servant has been serving here for so many years, and this is the first time seeing such a sight. Your Highness, look at the Linxi Building on the west side of the Peach Blossom Courtyard. The scenery there is particularly beautiful. Your Highness can go there and take a look when you have time."

Chu Shaoling nodded without saying anything. Everyone strolled around the courtyard and commented on it for a while before entering the main courtyard. Wang Muhan directed the palace servants to arrange Chu Shaoling's belongings. Chu Shaoling took Wei Ji to rest in the inner room for a while. At noon, the eunuch beside the Emperor came to deliver a message, saying that the sacrificial ceremony would begin at noon and instructed Chu Shaoling to wait in the main hall at the second quarter of the hour of Si.

Chu Shaoling rubbed Wei Ji's forehead, "The sacrificial ceremony will take an hour. It's very boring. Don't follow me and stand there foolishly. It's still a bit cold outside the hall. Just rest here by yourself. I'll come find you when it's over."

Just as Wei Ji was about to say something, Chu Shaoling lowered his head and kissed Wei Ji's lips, smiling, "Be good. If it's really boring, take a stroll in the courtyard. If you want to eat something, tell Wang Muhan."

Wei Ji had no choice but to nod. Still feeling uneasy, he said, "If Your Highness is not taking this servant, then at least take Eunuch Wang. Otherwise, if you need something, there will be no one to serve you."

Chu Shaoling nodded, "Alright, then you stay here obediently. After the sacrificial ceremony, the Empress Dowager might ask us to stay for a meal. We might not be able to come back in the evening. Eat well by yourself."

Wei Ji nodded, "This servant hasn't finished the assignments Your Highness left. I brought them to the palace. Yesterday, out of the three pieces, this servant only wrote one. Including today, there are still five pieces left. I'll write them later."

Chu Shaoling chuckled, "You're quite diligent. Alright, if you have nothing to do, practice your calligraphy."

Although Wei Ji's handwriting was not ugly, it was far inferior to Chu Shaoling's excellent penmanship. Wei Ji had never properly attended school for a few days. Every time he saw Chu Shaoling's handwriting, he admired it immensely. He secretly collected the discarded papers with Chu Shaoling's writing and bound them into a booklet. He would place thin paper on top and trace Chu Shaoling's characters, determined to practice and achieve excellent handwriting.

One day, when Wei Ji was practicing calligraphy, Chu Shaoling caught him. Chu Shaoling laughed for a long time, teasing Wei Ji about secretly collecting Chu Shaoling's discarded calligraphy and paintings. After laughing and teasing enough, Chu Shaoling felt a bit sorry seeing Wei Ji's flushed face. He spent a whole night writing a book of poems for Wei Ji using cinnabar ink. He even set a rule: practice three pieces every day, submit the assignments every ten days. If the writing improved compared to before, there would be a reward; if the writing worsened, there would be a punishment.

Wei Ji thought of Chu Shaoling's "rewards" and "punishments" and couldn't help but blush. In fact, whether it was a reward or a punishment, it seemed about the same to Wei Ji. Wei Ji shook his head, turned around to find his small cloth bag from Chu Shaoling's trunk, and took out the booklet Chu Shaoling had written. He treasured this booklet very much. Despite carrying it for so many days, it had not been stained with a single drop of ink and was still as good as new.

The five essays were not long and could be written in just half an hour. Wei Ji carefully wrote the characters, stacked them up and put them aside, waiting for Chu Shaoling to come back and take a look.

After the sacrificial ceremony in the main hall, it was already the shen hour. The Empress Dowager invited everyone to her courtyard for some refreshments while waiting for the evening banquet.

Several noble consorts were gathered around the Empress Dowager, flattering her and laughing, "Why don't we see Consort Zhen?"

The Empress Dowager smiled, "Consort Zhen is in her late pregnancy, so she can't move around. I didn't let her come. She's nurturing her fetus in the palace."

A noble consort laughed, "After this pregnancy, the palace will have another little prince or princess, and the Empress Dowager will have another grandchild."

The Empress Dowager nodded with a smile, turned her head to glance at Chu Shaoling and said, "What are you looking at? Are you tired?"

Chu Shaoling turned his head and smiled, "No, I was just thinking about the evening banquet with the Empress Dowager."

Hearing this, everyone laughed. The Empress Dowager chuckled, "This child, haha, don't worry, the preparations are all the things you love to eat."

The noble consorts knew that the eldest prince was very favored by the Empress Dowager. Seeing this situation, the consorts with daughters of marriageable age in their families couldn't help but have some thoughts, and they became even more attentive in flattering the Empress Dowager.

At the xu hour, the Emperor arrived with Chu Shaoruan and Chu Shaomo. The palace servants had arranged the banquet, and the Empress Dowager smiled, "Since the Emperor is here, let's start the banquet. Is Sui'er hungry?"

Seeing the Empress Dowager mentioning Chu Shaosui, the Consort Shu quickly patted her son on the back. Chu Shaosui smiled and shook his head, "In response to the Empress Dowager, your grandson is not hungry."

"Not being hungry is a lie." The Empress Dowager pulled the little grandson in front of her and rubbed him, laughing, "I'm afraid the Emperor is also hungry. Let's start the banquet."

Everyone laughed again and followed the Empress Dowager and the Emperor to take their seats. The Empress Dowager and the Emperor sat in the first seat, and the princes and princesses took their seats in order. The consorts sat at another table. The imperial family banquet was just like that. Chu Shaoling gently stroked the jade pendant at his waist, absent-mindedly thinking about that person in the Peach Blossom Courtyard. After Wei Ji finished writing these five essays today, it would add up to ten days.

Chu Shaoling made up his mind that no matter how well Wei Ji wrote, he would say it was poorly written. Chu Shaoling thought about the last time he used this as an excuse to torment Wei Ji until he cried and begged for mercy, and his heart felt like a cat was scratching it. Chu Shaoling silently reminded himself that he couldn't make too much of a fuss in the temporary palace, but then he thought that there was nothing happening tomorrow anyway. Even if Wei Ji couldn't get out of bed, it didn't matter.

The evening banquet lasted for an hour. The steward of the temporary palace came to kowtow and said, "Greetings to all the masters. The actors are ready. This servant has come to ask whether to set up here or find another place?"

The Empress Dowager smiled, "There's no need to find another place. It's very good here. You have also set up the stage. Just do it here."

Hearing this, the steward quickly ordered people to remove the leftovers and set up exquisite refreshments and fruits upstairs. Everyone went upstairs to watch the play, having a great time. Before long, Chu Shaosui leaned on the Consort Shu and began to doze off. The Empress Dowager smiled, "The little child is tired after a long day. Take him to sleep first. If you are sleepy, you can also go. There's no need to stay and accompany me out of courtesy." With that said, she let the consorts take the little princes and princesses and retire first.

After the actors performed a few plays, the Empress Dowager let Chu Shaoling choose a play. Chu Shaoling declined, "I'm not very good at choosing plays. It's very good to listen along with the Empress Dowager." Hearing this, the Empress Dowager smiled and chose a few more plays. The troupe invited to the temporary palace was the very famous "Yutang Spring" from the capital's Pear Garden. This troupe was especially lively in martial arts plays, and everyone soon became engrossed in watching.

Chu Shaoling was absent-mindedly sipping tea when Li Qiao came upstairs, bowed, and walked to Chu Shaoling's side, whispering, "Prince, Wei Ji asked this servant to deliver this to you." Li Qiao had a small note hidden in his sleeve. Chu Shaoling grabbed it in his palm. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he turned his head and said in a low voice, "Isn't he in the Peach Blossom Courtyard?"

Li Qiao nodded, "Yes, it was Wei Ji who asked this servant to come. Wei Ji didn't say anything, so this servant doesn't understand what's going on."

Chu Shaoling didn't say anything. When he saw that the Emperor and Empress Dowager were not paying attention, he quietly left his seat and went downstairs, with Li Qiao following behind. Chu Shaoling pretended to be sobering up and walked outside. Seeing that there was no one around, he opened the note. There were only two lines written on it: The scenery is beautiful on the Linxi Building. I'm waiting for Your Highness to enjoy the view together.

It was indeed Wei Ji's handwriting. Chu Shaoling looked at Li Qiao deeply and chuckled, "Did he say anything else?"

Li Qiao shook his head in confusion, "Wei Ji didn't say anything else. When Wei Ji gave this to this servant, his expression was a bit embarrassed, like a young lady, haha."

Chu Shaoling smiled, "He has a thin face. Forget it, I'll go find him."

At the same moment in the Peach Blossom Courtyard, Wei Ji looked up and said, "Your Highness wants me to go to the Linxi Building? Isn't his Highness with the Empress Dowager?"

The palace servant in the temporary palace lowered his head and said, "This servant doesn't know about that. His Highness hasn't gone there and only asked this servant to pass on this message. Perhaps His Highness will go there later? This servant doesn't dare to speculate. Please go, Master Wei."

Wei Ji stood up. The palace servant turned to leave, but Wei Ji suddenly called out to him and silently looked at the palace servant for a moment before saying, "I'm new here and not very familiar with the way. You lead the way."

The palace servant obviously didn't expect Wei Ji to say that. He paused for a moment and said, "Yes."

Upstairs in the theater, a play had just finished. Chu Shaoruan stood up and smiled, "Empress Dowager, your grandson heard that the peach blossoms in the temporary palace are beautiful this year, and the scenery on the Linxi Building is especially charming. The play 'The Peony Pavilion' sung by the water would sound even better. It's not far anyway. Why don't you take a few steps, Empress Dowager, and go listen on the Linxi Building? Your grandson can also bask in the glory."

The Empress Dowager was in an especially good mood today. She laughed, "This child is even trying to take advantage of me. Who doesn't know that you love to listen to opera? You're quite particular. Forget it, is the Emperor willing to walk a few more steps?"

The Emperor had no objections and nodded with a smile, "Since Imperial Mother is in a good mood, let's go. The Linxi Building was originally a place for listening to opera and enjoying the scenery, so it's convenient."

The Empress Dowager smiled, "It's been a long time since we gathered so many people together. I'm happy in my heart. Forget it, let's go."