Chapter 280: Is Xiao Fu Bao Disliked? The Whole City Loves Me With Their Lives
Chapter 280: Viewing the Lotus
Upon hearing that the Grand Princess wasn’t in the room, Sun Shi’s vision darkened momentarily.
How could they find one person only to lose another?
Although unsettled, Sun Shi managed a smile and responded, "I'll go inside and take a look first."
The Grand Princess wasn’t a child; it wasn’t likely she had hidden somewhere for fun.
Qi Wangfei wasn’t particularly worried either.
After a brief farewell to Sun Shi, she followed Lu Xinglan towards the lotus pond.
By the pond, a crowd had already gathered, mostly children.
Children love lively scenes and are naturally drawn to anything new and interesting.
This year, the spring in the capital was slightly cooler than usual.
As a result, lotus blooms had been delayed.
Normally, they wouldn’t start blooming until mid-to-late May.
But now, in early May, they were already flowering, piquing the children’s curiosity and drawing them in for a closer look.
Feng Xuanrui was a young nobleman famed in the capital—the legitimate second son of a prince household. His title alone indicated his esteemed status.
Many children greeted him warmly as soon as they saw him.
The crowd made the space feel a bit cramped.
However, there was an unspoken understanding among the adults to keep their distance, leaving the children to cluster together, chirping away in excitement.
Meanwhile, Princess Shunyang was seated some distance away, in an area her servants had cordoned off to ensure privacy. No one else was allowed near her, leaving her to enjoy the lotus in peace.
Two attendants stood nearby, holding umbrellas to shield her from the sun, matching their movements to hers.
Children, however, couldn’t sit still. One moment, they were here; the next, they were over there.
In the short time Qi Wangfei spent observing, Princess Shunyang had already changed seats several times. The two attendants, umbrellas in hand, scurried after her from one spot to another, then back again.
Watching this scene, Qi Wangfei was inspired. She turned to Aunt Xiang and softly said, "Let’s assign two attendants to hold umbrellas for Suisui as well. The sun is getting stronger, and children are delicate; we can’t let her get sunburned."
Aunt Xiang nodded in agreement. She reached out to take the child from Qi Wangfei, but the princess declined.
"I’ll hold her a while longer."
Qi Wangfei knew that her holding Suisui herself carried a different meaning compared to a servant doing so.
In the eyes of others, such gestures conveyed affection and importance.
Whether a child was cherished or not, and to what degree, was often observed through such details.
Thus, in public, Qi Wangfei held Suisui longer, making it evident to everyone how much she valued and adored her.
At that moment, Suisui leaned forward, curiously gazing at the lotus flowers in the pond.
The Lu family's lotus flowers were pure white, resembling freshly fallen snow. Though only just beginning to bloom, they already exuded a sacred radiance.
The blossoms weren’t large, but the lotus leaves had spread wide, covering nearly half the pond.
The overlapping greenery created a spectacular view, perfect for admiration.
Suisui gazed at the flowers in wonder and murmured softly, “We don’t have these at home.”
At home.
Those two words sounded like celestial music to Qi Wangfei’s ears.
They signified recognition.
Suisui had begun to accept the Qi family residence as her home. More importantly, she had accepted Qi Wangfei as her mother and Prince Qi as her father.
Qi Wangfei felt that nothing she heard today could surpass the joy brought by those words.
Delighted, she lifted Suisui slightly higher and said with a smile, “If Suisui likes them, I’ll have your father arrange for some when we get home.”
The Qi family’s pond already had some lotus flowers, but not many.
In the past, there had been plenty, but the children in the household were lively and mischievous.
Despite constant reminders from the adults, there were always moments when supervision faltered, and the children would jump onto the lotus leaves.
Those leaves weren’t exactly known for their durability...
So, falling into the water and potentially drowning were accidents that could easily happen.
Previously, Feng Xuanbo had fallen into the water once. After an investigation, it was confirmed there was no conspiracy or foul play—just the result of typical childhood mischief.
Fortunately, there were many attendants nearby who promptly pulled him out, leaving no serious harm done.
Otherwise...
Given the temper of Concubine Ren, the entire Qi Residence would have been turned upside down.
After that incident, which wasn’t long ago, Qi Wangfei had the majority of the lotus flowers in the pond cleared out. Only a few were left, barely enough to serve as a summer scenery spot, and even those were in a pond farther from the southern courtyard.
However, if Suisui liked them, then it was time to make new arrangements.
Qi Wangfei began considering whose lotus species were the best-looking and easiest to maintain. Once she got a few samples and planted them at the residence, perhaps they could bloom by summer.
As she pondered, Feng Xuanrui’s excited voice came from behind:
"Let’s go, let’s go! Time to play!"
Feng Xuanrui wanted to play, but his mother hadn’t agreed yet, so he dared not run off. Instead, he looked up at her with a hopeful expression.
Qi Wangfei: …
At that moment, Feng Xuanrui was playing with the children from the Grand Princess’ household.
The children were relatively familiar with each other and got along well.
Though they occasionally bickered, their quarrels were trivial. More often than not, they’d be arguing one moment and happily sharing snacks the next.
Qi Wangfei felt assured about this group and nodded at Feng Xuanrui. “Go ahead. Keep an eye on your younger brother.”
Hearing his mother’s approval, Feng Xuanrui was still not entirely satisfied and asked, “Can I take my younger sister too?”
Qi Wangfei hesitated briefly, then shook her head. “You take your younger brother first. Watch over Xiao Qi and don’t get into trouble.”
Feng Xuanrui looked disappointed. “Oh, okay.”
Though he couldn’t take his sister, Feng Xuanrui was still happy. He waved enthusiastically to Suisui. “Big Brother is going to play first. Once I’m familiar with everything, I’ll bring you along. Wait for me!”
Feng Xuanbin, not to be left out, chimed in: “And Seventh Brother too! We’ll both come back soon!”
A group of young boys, nearly teenagers, eagerly sought an open area to play with their spinning tops.
What’s the fun in just looking at flowers?
They didn’t want to watch flowers!
They wanted to do something more befitting young men.
And so, they began spinning tops with gusto!
Soon, Feng Xuanrui and his companions marched off in a lively group of over a dozen children.
Qi Wangfei carefully observed the group, making a mental note of who was among them to feel more at ease.
Seeing her concern, Lu Xinglan chuckled. “Don’t worry. Junzhi is there; he’ll look after the younger ones.”
Qi Wangfei took one last long look before finally withdrawing her gaze. Hesitating slightly, she asked softly, “I noticed one child I didn’t recognize. Whose family is he from?”
Hearing this, Lu Xinglan glanced over, observing the group more closely.
However, the children were playful and moved quickly, their figures soon mingling together. From their backs, it was hard to tell who was who.
Perplexed, Lu Xinglan turned to ask the maidservants nearby.
The maid watched for a moment and then identified them all. “The one Madam said looks unfamiliar is likely the young master from the Wei household.”
The Wei household?
The Marquis of Huaiyang, Wei family?
Upon hearing this, Lu Xinglan frowned slightly and voiced her doubt, “The Wei family’s young master should be about eleven or twelve years old, shouldn’t he? That child looks no older than four or five. I’m worried he’s too young and might get jostled by the older boys.”
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