It's no wonder they were discovered; Lian Hua and her companions thought there were hardly any visitors in this area, and after picking hawthorns, caught up in their joy, they momentarily forgot themselves and made more noise than usual.
As for the Emperor and his entourage, without the Emperor speaking, no one dared to speak, and the group quietly strolled through the garden.
Nearing Canglan Court, the Young Eunuch reported that no one was in the courtyard, which left the Emperor feeling quite disappointed. Behind that disappointment was a tinge of unwillingness to accept it, thinking at this Shichen, that Little Concubine must have gone off to seek out some amusement and was unable to sit still for even a moment.
Since he had already come this far, he decided to take a walk around the area before leaving, deep down, the Emperor was still faintly hoping to encounter Lian Hua, to see what his Little Concubine was up to and how she was faring.