Chapter 193 Xia Yingying's Appearance

Zhu Baiyu, standing at the lower end, said, "Master, Yang Ming has won this competition!"

Compared to the others, Yang Ming's speed is the fastest and most stable.

"Alright, let's get ready and enjoy a big meal." Little Swallow smiled and then walked towards the kitchen.

Yongqi, Xiaojian, and the others all gathered in the kitchen to help prepare the feast.

At noon, the grand meal was served on time.

Little Swallow looked at the disciples who were still standing and said with a smile, "Everyone, don't be shy, hurry up and eat. Yongqi's cooking skills are much better than mine. You are all in for a treat!"

Xia Ziwei chimed in, "Yes, you won't be so lucky in the future!"

Once Yongqi ascends the throne, no one will dare to eat his cooking except for Xiaoyanzi and their children!

Even if Yongqi were willing to do it, they wouldn't dare accept it! After all, criticism can be overwhelming!

After lunch, Xia Ziwei looked at Xiao Yanzi and asked, "Xiao Yanzi, what are your plans for the afternoon? Are you going to continue watching their competition, or go for a walk?"

"This afternoon, let's go to West Lake!" Little Swallow looked at everyone. "What do you think? Do you want to go?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, and Little Swallow laughed, "Alright, let's go!"

Before leaving, she added, "Sister Meizhu, that Yang Ming is a promising talent, keep an eye on him!"

Mei Zhu nodded, "Don't worry, leave it to me!"

After that, the group headed towards West Lake in a swarm.

They split into two groups and boarded separate boats, with Benjamin and the boatman in one boat.

Composing poems and listening to songs drifting from the West Lake, it was incredibly pleasant.

"The sky is vast, the water is vast, I gaze to the ends of the earth, where is my beloved? My soul and my dreams have never forgotten you, my longing for you is boundless, both in heaven and on earth..."

"Who is singing?" Xia Ziwei couldn't help but wonder. Someone who could sing such lyrics must be an extraordinary person.

Xiao Yanzi and Qing'er curiously searched for the source of the song, eventually pinpointing it to a large ship.

"Let's go take a look..." Little Swallow was genuinely curious about what kind of beauty could sing such a song...

Yongqi and the other young masters, including Fu Erkang, hesitated. Yongqi tried to stop them, saying, "Maybe we shouldn't go..."

Little Swallow glanced at him, then said, "If you young masters are afraid to go, then you don't have to go!"

Taking them along to admire beautiful women is really inappropriate. It would be no fun if they attracted a rival for their affections!

The young men fell silent. They were worried not only that the singer might be targeting them, but also that she might be eyeing their wives…

Yongqi looked at Fu Erkang, "Erkang, are you going?"

Before Fu Erkang could answer, Xiao Jian and Fu Ertai both expressed their desire to go with him. Yongqi had no choice but to follow them as well.

Their small boat slowly approached the large ship.

The people on the boat seemed to have noticed someone approaching. The person singing inside sent a guard out to check and saw Xiao Yanzi and her group.

The singing girl lifted the curtain on the boat and glanced out, just in time to meet Xiao Yanzi's curious gaze. She smiled and said, "Let them come up."

Xiao Yanzi and her group boarded the ship smoothly. As they entered, they saw the singing girl standing in front of them. "Xia Yingying greets everyone!"

Everyone: "..."

"You all boarded my ship, presumably because you heard my singing and were curious about me, which is why you came..."

Little Swallow nodded, "The moment I saw you, I knew why you could sing like that..."

"Thank you for the compliment." Xia Yingying smiled. "Please have some West Lake Longjing tea."

Before they boarded the ship, Xia Yingying had someone prepare tea.

The meeting with Xia Yingying on West Lake was relatively harmonious; everyone simply listened to music and chatted, without engaging in any other activities.

(Of course, their activities here were not heard by Emperor Qianlong, because he was handling state affairs at the governor's residence at the time.)

Xiao Yanzi and her companions returned to the Xiao residence, had dinner, and then went to their respective rooms.

At this time, Xiao Yanzi also received information about Xia Yingying's identity, but the information was very simple, containing nothing except that she was a songstress from Jiangnan;

Xiao Yanzi had a strange feeling that Xia Yingying's information had been deliberately erased...

"Yongqi, tell me, was her appearance accidental or intentional?"

Yongqi frowned and said, "The decision to go to West Lake was your last-minute idea. She can't read your mind, can she? Did she deliberately sing nearby to lure us there knowing we would be going?"

Little Swallow added, "But Xia Yingying only recently came to Hangzhou to sing, and coincidentally, she arrived at the same time as us!"

"You're not suggesting she's after the master, are you?" Yongqi found it unbelievable. "She looks about the same age as you, old enough to be the master's daughter, how could she..."

But Yongqi remembered Hanxiang from his previous life and silently fell silent again. Moreover, among the newly arrived concubines in Qianlong's palace, there were some who were about the same age as Xiaoyanzi and Xia Ziwei...

"But regardless of whether she's after the master or not, she can't possibly achieve her goal!"

Not to mention that the master is currently busy with court affairs and has no time for entertainment. Even if he did, given Xia Yingying's status, she would never be able to enter the palace!

Although Emperor Qianlong was traveling incognito, someone was bound to leak the news. If people found out that Qianlong had brought a singing girl back to the palace, wouldn't they laugh their heads off?

"Little Swallow, I think you shouldn't worry too much. Master doesn't even know such a person exists yet!"

Little Swallow added, "What if someone speaks ill of us?"

If local officials had specially invited Xia Yingying over to please Emperor Qianlong, given their understanding of him, he would have taken a liking to her immediately!

Yongqi also felt this was a problem, "I'll immediately send someone to keep an eye on the master!"

If anyone dares to mention Xia Yingying, I'll knock them out first!

They absolutely cannot let Xia Yingying appear in front of the master, otherwise, things will be out of their control!

After all, the master had said that he would not let anyone interfere in his marriage with Xiao Yanzi;

Similarly, if he were to interfere in Qianlong's affairs, that would be somewhat... questionable.

With the Empress Dowager, such a powerful elder, residing in the palace, she was too far away to help in the immediate crisis. Therefore, the only solution was to nip the problem in the bud and prevent Xia Yingying from appearing before Emperor Qianlong.

Fortunately, things were under their control. During their stay in Hangzhou, Xia Yingying did not appear before Emperor Qianlong. Emperor Qianlong was focused on handling state affairs and would occasionally take Yongqi, Xiaoyanzi, and their entourage out for a stroll. Naturally, there was no need for others to play the zither or sing.

Xiao Yanzi, Xia Ziwei, Qing'er, Xiao Jian, Yongqi, and others are all highly skilled musicians!

Ji Xiaolan, sitting next to Emperor Qianlong, teased, "Your Majesty, this is what you call the joy of family life!"

With children by my side, singing and dancing together, how lively it is!

They stayed in Hangzhou for about half a month before setting off again.

This time, they traveled by land to Dali, Yunnan, to visit Xiao Jian's current hometown.