Rongrong suddenly felt a bit guilty.

She used to be envious of Yuanbao and his mother, but now she realized that both of them were pitiful.

One had the Crown Prince’s affection but died early, leaving the child without a mother.

The other was a beloved royal grandson but was an orphan.

Thinking this, Rongrong softened. “It’s not that His Highness is heavy; it’s that I’m weak.”

“I don’t believe it,” Yuanbao turned his head and lifted his chin, still seeming a bit upset.

“It’s true. Otherwise, why could His Highness hold you for so long?”

Yuanbao thought for a moment and said, “That’s because Father is a martial artist and very strong.”

“So, it’s not that His Highness is heavy, it’s that I’m weak, not practicing martial arts, and don’t eat well. So, you should eat well and practice martial arts in the future, just like His Highness. Otherwise, you’ll be weak like me and get sick easily.”

“Okay,” Yuanbao said, hugging the Crown Prince’s neck.

After some thought, he finally made up his mind, “I’ll eat well.”

Rongrong was about to add more advice when Yuanbao suddenly turned to the Crown Prince and said, “Father, Rongrong’s health isn’t good. When we return to the East Palace, can we send her some tonics?”

“Sure,” came a calm reply from behind the mask.

Rongrong was momentarily speechless.

She had only helped Yuanbao a little at the hot springs, which wasn’t even a real rescue.

Yuanbao was so well-dressed that even if he fell, it would just be a minor bruise.

It was surprising that Yuanbao remembered her so well for such a small favor, and she felt undeserving.

“Does His Highness still want to go to East Lake?” Rongrong asked.

“If Rongrong is tired, we don’t have to go.”

“It’s just walking; I’m not tired.”

Yuanbao’s face finally brightened up with a smile.

He patted the Crown Prince’s shoulder and said, “Father, I’m not tired either. I can walk on my own.”

The Crown Prince set Yuanbao down, and he immediately ran to take Rongrong’s hand.

Yuanbao’s hand was chubby and warm, and holding it felt very comforting to Rongrong.

East Lake wasn’t far, and the three of them walked in pairs, soon reaching the lakeside.

In the center of the lake were several brightly lit pleasure boats, looking like a dragon palace.

The sound of singing maidens drifted over, as if coming from the edge of the sky.

At the lakeside, there were still some pleasure boats not rented out, with beautiful young women holding lanterns, enthusiastically inviting passersby to come aboard.

Rongrong had intended to walk around them to the nearby wooden boardwalk, but Yuanbao, excited by the dazzling boats, insisted on going toward them.

The young women, seeing it was a woman with a child, showed no interest in calling them and chatted among themselves, ignoring them completely.

“How much to rent a boat?” the Crown Prince asked, stepping forward.

Although he was wearing a Guan Gong mask, he naturally had the bearing of someone in a high position.

Just standing there made people hesitate to look down on him.

The courtesans on the pleasure boats were used to seeing the young masters of the capital and could tell that his clothes were of fine material.

They quickly changed their smiles and said, “Young Master, hiring the boat costs ten taels of silver. The cost for food, drink, and entertainment is extra.”

“Twenty taels,” he said, taking out a silver ingot.

Seeing the quality of the silver, the courtesan knew they had a big customer and hurriedly took the silver, calling out to the boat, “Cai Die and Yu Hu, our distinguished guests have arrived. Prepare to set sail.”

At that moment, a few beautiful women came out of the boat, each with their own charm, from plump to slender.

“Please board the boat,” the courtesan said, holding a lantern and welcoming them warmly.

The Crown Prince went up the boat first, with Rong Rong and Yuan Bao following.

The courtesans and dancers on the boat, seeing this unusual trio, looked at each other in confusion, unsure how to greet them.

The madams had only taught them how to please male guests and get more tips.

They didn’t know how to handle a handsome man, a beautiful woman, and a young child.

Even the most daring courtesans wouldn’t dare flirt with someone’s husband in front of his wife.

The courtesan who had initially been holding the lantern on the shore smiled brightly and led them into the cabin. “Sir, would you like to sit here or go upstairs? The view is better upstairs, but it can be windy at night. I see you’ve brought the young master, so maybe it’s better to stay here?”

“Let’s go upstairs.” Yuan Bao didn’t like being underestimated.

The courtesan in red knew that the masked man was the one making the decisions, so she only looked at the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince didn’t say a word and went upstairs with Yuan Bao.

Rong Rong had no choice but to follow.

Once they were seated, the boatman shouted, and the pleasure boat slowly moved towards the center of the lake.

It was indeed windy on the upper deck, but the view from up high was much better than standing by the lake.

Rong Rong had never played on East Lake before; she had only passed by it with Chunxing when buying things.

East Lake was not just for wealthy young masters but also attracted many idlers.

They couldn’t afford boats and could only stand on the shore, admiring the beautiful courtesans from a distance.

Respectable women generally avoided such places.

“What would you like to eat, sirs?” The courtesan in red asked.

She had seen many things and could tell that the richly dressed man and child were father and son, while the woman beside them was a servant.

“What do you want to eat?” The Crown Prince asked Rong Rong.

Rong Rong, bored and looking at the lake, was surprised when the Crown Prince asked her to order food.

The courtesan didn’t expect this either, but since the big spender had asked, she put on a smiling face and came over. “Miss, just tell us what you’d like to eat. Although this boat is small, all our guests are distinguished, and our chefs are said to be as good as those at the finest restaurants.”

“It’s windy here. Please get four cold dishes, and also four types of fruits and snacks, with both salty and sweet options,” Rongrong thought for a moment and then asked, “Do you have a pot?”

“Yes, we have lamb spine and lamb offal.”

“Then bring out a pot of lamb spine soup, and add more yam and radish to the broth,” Rongrong said. “Do you have any drinks?”

“We have all kinds of alcohol here—Daughter Red, Monkey Brew are the most popular, and we also have Apricot Blossom White, Cold Pool Fragrance, and Mulberry Wine,” the young woman looked at Yuanbao and added, “If you three don’t want to drink, we only have pear soup.”

“Then warm up a pot of pear soup, and another pot of apricot…” Rongrong instinctively wanted to order the apricot blossom white that the Crown Prince liked, but suddenly realized it wasn’t right and quickly stopped.

She turned to ask, “What would you like to drink, sir?”

“Apricot Blossom White.”

Rongrong silently looked away, thinking that the single word “apricot” shouldn’t be a problem.

Even if she liked Apricot Blossom White, it was still possible.

“The dishes will be out soon. We also have a girl who can sing beautiful melodies. Would you like to hear her?”

“Yes!” Yuanbao said loudly.

Since Yuanbao wanted to hear, the Crown Prince naturally wouldn’t refuse. “Find the best singer you have and let her sing ‘Qing Ping Le’.”

“Sure, you’ve come to the right boat. The best voice on East Lake is on our boat. Please wait a moment, I’ll get her here right away. She’ll sing as beautifully as a yellow oriole.”

The young woman in red went down to the cabin to arrange the food, leaving only the Crown Prince, Rongrong, and Yuanbao on the upper deck.

Yuanbao seemed tired and snuggled up on the Crown Prince’s lap.

Rongrong looked at the big and small figures sitting opposite her and felt as if she were dreaming.

In her past life, she had spent so much time in the East Palace but had never taken a boat ride with the Crown Prince.

Now, as a small maid unrelated to the East Palace, she was actually enjoying a boat ride on East Lake with him.

Was the heavens playing tricks on her?

“Sir, the singer Lan Yin has arrived. She’s the best singer on East Lake. However, she charges ten taels of silver per song.”

Rong Rong couldn’t help but marvel silently.

She thought to herself that she couldn’t earn ten taels of silver even after working hard for a month making ham, but this girl earned ten taels just by singing a song.

She wondered what kind of amazing voice the girl must have.

The Crown Prince gave a slight nod, and Yuan Bao, eager to hear the music, straightened up and stared intently.

The courtesan in red, seeing his willingness, moved aside to let a girl in a goose-yellow cloak step forward.

The girl, holding a pipa, gracefully approached and bowed.

This young woman, Lan Yin, had a delicate and refined appearance, quite unlike other courtesans.

Her large eyes were bright and clear, with an air of scholarly elegance.

“Just choose a piece you’re good at,” the Crown Prince said.

Lan Yin nodded, took a seat with her pipa, and after a moment of tuning, began to play.

The music flowed like pearls falling and like the tinkling of spring water, soothing and enchanting.

Rong Rong could immediately understand why the music was worth ten taels per piece.

As Lan Yin played, she began to sing:

“Autumn night in the Forbidden Palace, the moon peeks through the golden window…”

The melody was originally from Han dynasty court music, later included in Tang dynasty court songs.

The piece Lan Yin sang, written by Li Bai, described a woman in the palace feeling lonely as she gazed at the cold moonlight outside.

“…The bed with mandarin ducks, scented with orchids and musk, the silver lamp’s fragrance drifting…”

Lan Yin’s voice seemed almost magical, deeply capturing Rong Rong’s thoughts.

It suddenly brought back memories of her past life in the palace.

People always said the palace was the best place in the world, but only those who had lived there truly knew what it was like.

“…Do not speak of lonely nights, with three thousand beauties in the palace…”

Three thousand beauties for one emperor—those who won his favor could rise to the top.

But what about those who never caught his eye? Compared to the women who never saw the emperor at all, Jing Rong might have been lucky.

But she entered the palace at twelve and was given contraceptive medicine by the servants.

Later, when she was lucky enough to become favored and pregnant, her fate was still tragic.

“…A single smile can evoke a hundred charms, whose heart does the emperor hold?”

As the song ended, Rong Rong was in tears, lost in the memories of her past life and unable to escape.

She only realized she had something soft moving on her face when she looked down.