Early the next morning, after finishing her martial arts practice and eating breakfast, Duoduo followed the Princess Consort of Pingyang onto the carriage.
As soon as she got into the carriage, Duoduo was extremely excited.
From time to time, she would secretly lift the curtain of the carriage window and look out.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang did not stop her, only watching her with a smiling face.
The Prince of Pingyang, meanwhile, sat to the side, handling some paperwork that required his attention.
Before long, the carriage left the city and headed out towards the countryside.
"Mother, there are such beautiful flowers over there!"
Duoduo pointed out the window for the Princess Consort of Pingyang to see.
"Shh! Just look," the Princess Consort of Pingyang gestured for her to keep quiet so as not to disturb the Prince of Pingyang.
Duoduo stuck out her tongue.
Lowering her voice, she leaned close to the Princess Consort of Pingyang's ear.
"Mother, did you bring the big kite we made?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang nodded and replied softly, "Don't worry, I brought it."
Duoduo was thrilled. "When we get there, you have to teach me how to fly a kite, Mother."
"Alright."
The mother and daughter whispered quietly to each other.
Having finished his official duties, the Prince of Pingyang looked up to see the mother and daughter leaning their heads together.
The two of them were looking at the scenery outside, occasionally exchanging a few quiet words.
"What are you two talking about that makes you so happy? Tell me so I can share in the joy."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang turned her head.
"Are you finished with your work, Your Highness? We didn't disturb you, did we?"
Duoduo smiled sweetly.
"Father, we just saw some peaches. Do you think there will be peaches to eat at the estate?"
The Prince of Pingyang looked at his wife. "You will have to ask your mother about that. It is part of her dowry."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang gently stroked Duoduo's head.
"Mother doesn't know either. Ever since I received this estate, I have never been there."
"But we'll find out today once we arrive."
Duoduo was full of longing. "It would be great if there were honey peaches. Honey peaches are the most delicious, so very, very sweet!"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang teased her, "Has Duoduo eaten honey peaches before?"
Duoduo nodded rapidly.
"I have. In the courtyard where I used to live, there was a peach tree."
"At first, it was about to die, but then it came back to life!"
"Every year it bore lots of honey peaches, and they were so delicious!"
This was probably one of the few sweet memories in Duoduo's mind.
"Then another day, Mother will have the gardener buy some honey peach saplings and plant them in our garden."
"That way, in a few years, you will be able to eat delicious peaches again."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang arranged this dotingly.
"Can we really? Mother, can we plant them in our courtyard?"
"Of course we can. When we get back, you can pick a spot and plant them wherever you like."
"What do you say, Your Highness?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang asked the Prince of Pingyang with a smile.
"Just arrange it as you please. There is plenty of empty space in the manor anyway."
The Prince of Pingyang held a book, slowly turning the pages.
A couple of hours later, Duoduo began to feel bored.
"Mother, how much further is it to the estate?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang put down her embroidery. "It will take at least another two hours. We should arrive by noon."
Duoduo sighed.
"So that estate is actually that far away from the manor!"
"Yes, it is precisely because it is so far and difficult to manage that Mother wants to sell it."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang was indirectly explaining her reasons for wanting to sell the estate to the Prince of Pingyang.
"You can't sell it!"
Duoduo blurted out.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang smiled.
"Why can't I sell it? It's not a mountain of gold or silver."
"When the time comes, I will sell it and buy another estate closer to the city."
"This way, whenever we have free time, we can visit the estate for fun, and even stay for a couple of days from time to time."
What the Princess Consort of Pingyang said made Duoduo look forward to it.
However, she still insisted.
"You can't sell it! If Mother sells it, the tenant farmers won't have any food to eat!"
Duoduo's eyes darted around as she found a perfect excuse.
Duoduo's kindheartedness brought a gratified smile to the Princess Consort of Pingyang's face.
"But if I don't sell it, Mother will become a poor person!"
Duoduo couldn't help but scratch her palm anxiously.
Hearing their conversation, the Prince of Pingyang raised his eyes and cast a glance at the mother and daughter.
He saw Duoduo looking as if she wanted to say something but was holding back.
"What's wrong, Duoduo?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang explained with a smile, "Duoduo won't let me sell the estate because she's worried the tenant farmers will go hungry."
The Prince of Pingyang stared at Duoduo for a moment.
Duoduo forced a smile. "What do you think, Father?"
The Prince of Pingyang put down the book in his hands.
"Let's go take a look first. If the harvest is indeed poor, then selling it to buy another one is the right thing to do."
"Alright, I will listen to Your Highness."
Duoduo also nodded in agreement.
Once Father and Mother got there, they would definitely realize that the estate was a good place.
When that time came, they certainly wouldn't sell it.
Duoduo instantly cheered up again.
The carriage traveled non-stop along the way, finally arriving at the estate by noon.
The Prince of Pingyang did not immediately have the carriage enter the estate; instead, he instructed the driver to circle around the perimeter.
The Prince of Pingyang ordered his men to roll up the carriage curtains.
This way, everyone inside could clearly see the situation outside.
"Your Highness, all of this land belongs to you."
Lianxin said, pointing at the lush green fields not far away.
"With how well the crops are growing, the harvest should be quite good," Baihe chimed in.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang glanced at the Prince of Pingyang, who was looking out the window without saying a word.
As long as one wasn't blind, anyone with clear eyes could tell that these were medium to high-grade fields, and the yield would definitely be high.
"Lingfeng, go find someone to answer some questions!"
"Yes, sir!"
Lingfeng took a look, walked into the fields, and soon returned leading an old man.
"Old man, the crops are growing so well this year. Last year's harvest must have been very good, right?"
The Prince of Pingyang asked the old man amiably.
Seeing the carriage, the Prince of Pingyang, Duoduo, and the Princess Consort, the old man assumed they were just some passing wealthy family.
"To answer your question, noble sir, thanks to the blessings of the heavens, the land here is fertile, and the harvest is quite good every year."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang opened her mouth slightly in surprise.
The Prince of Pingyang asked again, "Old man, it's almost time to eat. Would it be convenient for us to have a meal at your house?"
A look of hesitation appeared on the old man's face, but he soon nodded tremblingly.
"It is this humble old man's fortune. Please, noble ones, follow me."
The Prince of Pingyang glanced at Lingfeng, and Lingfeng hurriedly instructed the driver to follow.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang was a little confused.
"Your Highness, why don't we just go directly into the estate?"
"With so many of us, wouldn't it be inappropriate to go to this old man's house?"
The Prince of Pingyang stroked the jade thumb ring on his hand.
"It's no matter. Consider it an opportunity to let Duoduo experience the livelihood of the common people."
Hearing her name mentioned, Duoduo broke into a smile.
"Mother, we can just leave the old grandpa some silver later to pay for the food, right?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang nodded. "You always think quickly."
"Noble ones, this is my humble home. It is simple and crude, so please do not disdain it."
The old man's voice came from outside the carriage.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang pushed the Prince of Pingyang out of the carriage, and Duoduo followed alongside them.
What met their eyes was a low, thatched cottage.
