The Emperor, with more men than women, made me his mistress.

At this time, You Yun and his servants set up tables and chairs on the deck, and placed candied fruit, snacks and tea on the tables.

Yue Li and the others had eaten dinner early and had walked for a long time. Seeing the candied fruit and pastries on the table, Yue Li felt a little hungry.

After quenching her thirst with a cup of tea, Yue Li began to eat the candied fruit and pastries on the table. While eating, she also called out to Lian Xinran and Yin Xiyue, but the two had just finished eating and were now only interested in admiring the flower boats at Prince Chen's mansion, so they had no appetite for pastries and candied fruit.

Seeing that the two of them didn't seem to want to eat, Yue Li stopped urging them on and started eating by herself.

Seeing that Yue Li wasn't going out to play but instead eating the snacks and candied fruits on the table, Jin Chenyuan knew that she must be hungry.

He beckoned Huanyun over and ordered, "Go and get a few side dishes."

Thinking that Yue Li had eaten a few extra bites of cold dishes tonight, Jin Chenyuan added, "Choose a couple more refreshing cold dishes."

"Yes." Huan Yun bowed and disembarked immediately after hearing the instructions.

Because of the bustling atmosphere of Yinyuan Lake, savvy businessmen naturally saw the business opportunities there, so many restaurants, inns and teahouses have opened around the lake.

So in no time, You Yun led several waiters from the restaurant, carrying food boxes, onto the pleasure boat.

Although only Yue Li was hungry, You Yun still prepared two tables of food.

After instructing the waiter behind him to place the dishes on the two tables, the waiter then took the food boxes and went downstairs.

Upon seeing the food served, Yue Li knew that Jin Chenyuan had it prepared.

To be honest, aside from being a bit cunning and domineering, Jin Chenyuan is actually quite good at taking care of people.

After asking Huanyun to inquire if anyone on the pleasure boat was hungry and to suggest they come over for a meal, Yue Li picked up her chopsticks, intending to fill her own stomach first.

As Yue Li ate the food on the table, Jin Chenyuan and Shao Qi sat on either side of her, drinking tea and admiring the scenery on the lake outside the flower boat. Occasionally, the sound of singing could be heard.

After Yue Li finished eating and put down her chopsticks, she finally couldn't hold back any longer. She looked at the owner of the flower boat and said, "Jin Chenyuan, do you think we could find someone to sing on the boat and sing for us? If there's no singer, even someone who plays the zither would be great!"

After seeing that Yue Li had finished eating and rinsed her mouth, Jin Chenyuan pulled Yue Li away from the table. The three of them went to the ship's side so that the servants could easily clear the food off the table.

Upon hearing Yue Li's words, Jin Chenyuan, listening to the singing and music coming from other ships, was about to nod and instruct You Yun to do so.

Unexpectedly, Shao Qi, who was standing next to Yue Li, spoke up, "Does Yue Li want to hear me play the zither? I can play that! How about I play a piece for Yue Li?"

Jin Chenyuan: ...

Yue Li: ……

Looking at Shao Qi, who had volunteered and seemed eager to try, Yue Li was at a loss for words.

Since arriving at Marriage Lake, hearing the sounds of zither music and singing coming from the boat, she thought of the men she had met at the Pleasure Pavilion. They could not only sing folk songs, but also play the zither and dance with captivating grace.

Yue Li then guessed that the people singing and playing music on the ship for people's amusement were probably men who worked in this field.

But now Shaoqi says he wants to play a piece.

"Let's not do it this way. If Shaoqi wants to play, let's find somewhere else to play next time."

"Why wait until next time? Yue Li, didn't you want to hear it?" Shao Qi asked, puzzled.

"I do want to hear it, but Shao Qi, do you know what kind of people play music on other ships?" Yue Li bluntly stated, not wanting her friend to be criticized because of this.

Hearing Yue Li's words, Shao Qi smiled genuinely. He had lived in Kyoto for over ten years, and his family owned a pleasure boat on this Marriage Lake. How could he not know that some of the boats had hired musicians to play music?

However, "Don't worry, Yue Li, not every pleasure boat has a musician to play music. When the mood strikes, some young masters or ladies also like to play a tune on this Marriage Lake."

Upon hearing this, Yue Li realized she had been overthinking things. "I guess I was just imagining things. Well then, I'll have to trouble you, Shao Qi."

"Haha, what's the trouble? I'm very happy to play a song for Yue Li."

After saying that, Shao Qi turned to Jin Chenyuan and cupped his hands, saying, "I wonder if I could borrow the zither on Prince Chen's ship for a moment?"

Jin Chenyuan's eye twitched. Couldn't this person be a little more reliable? The Prince Chen's mansion's pleasure boat has never entertained anyone before, so how could they possibly have prepared a musical instrument like a zither?

Let alone a zither, there isn't a single musical instrument on the ship right now.

Turning to look at You Yun, who was standing not far away and also seemed to have something on his mind, Jin Chenyuan waved his hand, signaling You Yun to go find a zither.

You Yun was waiting not far from them, anticipating their orders, and had overheard their conversation. Now, seeing his master wave his hand, he understood what his master meant.

First, she quickly went to Huanyun's side and told Huanyun to wait by her master's side in case her master needed to give instructions and she couldn't find her. Then she quickly got off the flower boat.

At this moment, Lian Xinran and Yin Xiyue, who had gone elsewhere to wander around, also returned. Seeing Yue Li and Jin Chenyuan here, the two of them brought their respective husbands to Yue Li's side.

"Yueli, why are you still here? Didn't you go anywhere else to look around? This flower boat at Prince Chen's mansion is really huge. Xiyue and I just walked around on the deck of this boat, and this time we really got a good look at it." As soon as Lian Xinran stood next to Yueli, she launched into a long speech.

Yue Li: ……

What can she do?

She could only nod and respond with "uh-huh".

Fortunately, You Yun acted quickly. Before Lian Xinran could finish expressing her enthusiasm, You Yun had already arrived at their side with a very valuable-looking zither.

During the pause in Lian Xinran's speech, You Yun immediately stepped forward and said, "Master, the zither has been borrowed."

Then he placed the zither on the zither table that had been prepared beforehand and stepped aside.

You Yun's words abruptly interrupted Lian Xinran's desire to continue, drawing her attention to the zither on the zither table.

"A zither? Who is planning to play the zither?" Lian Xinran looked around but didn't see a zither player, so she whispered a question in Yue Li's ear.

As soon as Lian Xinran finished speaking, Shao Qi came out and sat down behind the piano table.

"So it was a bullet from the young generation!"

Shao Qi came out and sat behind the zither table, surprising everyone slightly. However, this surprise quickly subsided. Clearly, even if such a scene wasn't common, everyone probably witnessed it occasionally.

Seeing that Shaoqi was about to start playing the piano, everyone found seats and prepared to listen carefully to Shaoqi's music.