Chapter 675: Games, ice cream and fish.
Even before she reached the other ladies, Rize was happily shouting "Mother, grandmother, over here."
Both women waved back at Rize, but none increased their pace, walking slowly with Chi Lian.
The queen dowager whose eyes had been moving around consistently said to her, "I love what you have done with the place dear, we knew that work was on going from the guards who keep outsiders away from the lake but we didn’t think you would turn in into an actual beach."
"I thought it was a waste for such a beautiful lake to go unused, and stay plain. I have been told that it’s mostly used by the ducks I left behind in my parent’s house." Chi Lian answered.
The queen dowager turned and look up, and she said, "Right, if you keep going up, your family’s home is over there, how convenient."
The empress smiled and she said, "My grandchildren will surely grow up having fun in the summer."
"Me too, I will visit all the time." The little prince declared.
Chi Lian pointed across the lake, to the empty unused grassland that was inhabited by a few small animals which lived close to the lake or inside of it. "You can always turn your own end of the lake into a beach as well. It’s bigger, and you can include a bunch of activities. The emperor made it clear to me that I have no rights to the lake at all. I can have this land, but the lake remains his. I must pay taxes every year to use the lake."
The sly emperor was not as easy to dupe as minister Su, because he took as much as he gave, always.
"Mother, what has taken you so long. What are you discussing?" Rize, impatiently left her beach chair and came over to them. She took her mother, the empress, by the arm and sat her down in the empty chair next to hers.
Some of the women stopped their conversations and eyed the royals curiously and nervously. It was obvious to see that they were wondering how to approach the situation. They were acquainted with Rize, but most had not been up close with the empress or queen dowager.