It is the finest scenery of Jiangnan, and in the season of falling flowers, I meet you once again.
The Jiangnan region is also wealthier than most places, and the land of mountains and waters naturally differs from elsewhere. Indeed, take recent times for example—Jiangnan has sparked a craze for chrysanthemum appreciation.
Someone asks in confusion: "It's only May, where do chrysanthemums come from?"
As everyone knows, chrysanthemums bloom in September and October—how could there be chrysanthemums blooming in May?
At another table, a man picks at peanuts and laughs while eating: "In Ping'an County, there's a remarkable woman who has a green thumb. Whatever flower passes through her hands, she nurtures it differently from anyone else."
"Not to mention May chrysanthemums—even if it's a flower in your estate on the verge of death, no matter the variety, she can revive it."
The listeners are full of curiosity, though one skeptic snorts gruffly: "Listen to you spouting nonsense. How am I supposed to believe there's such a person?"
The others also burst into laughter: "A remarkable woman? Probably just her own boasting."
But someone is curious: "How is it different from others?" Before getting an answer, they're pulled back: "Are you stupid? You actually believe that? What, does it start glowing after passing through her hands?"
The man eating peanuts smiles but doesn't bother to respond. These rough fellows—what do they know about flowers? They probably can't even tell a golden chrysanthemum from a marigold.
Down here, the argument rages on, and no one notices that someone upstairs has been watching this table for a long time. The private rooms upstairs are reserved for noble masters, and the waiter's footsteps are lighter than those below.
Today especially, a cold-faced master has arrived. With that stern expression, even from ten feet away, the waiter's legs uncontrollably tremble: "S-Sir, what would you like to order?"
The cold-faced one says nothing. The waiter looks pleadingly at the young man sitting across from him, who wears a cheerful grin and seems easier to deal with. Indeed, this master doesn't hesitate, waving his hand grandly: "Bring out all your restaurant's signature dishes."
"Right away." Well, today they've got a customer who doesn't worry about money.
"Fourteenth Brother." Only after the waiter closes the door does the perpetually stern-faced man speak, though his tone isn't pleased: "We're here on official business. You've been sightseeing for far too long."
"Fourth Brother." The one being scolded doesn't seem to care at all, lifting his chin to point below: "Do you think what that man said is true?"
He turns back with sparkling eyes: "If it is true, let's bring her back to offer to Imperial Father. He loves chrysanthemums the most." When he speaks of Imperial Father, his face is full of admiration, his eyes shining like stars in the sky.
Yinzhen, however, is different. He lowers his head, gazing at the tea in his hands, lost in thought. After a long moment, he speaks: "Go and investigate the situation first, but don't alarm her, lest she be unwilling."
Fourteenth Prince Yinzhen, however, doesn't care at all, thinking to himself: Serving Imperial Father in the palace—who would be unwilling to do that?
But verbally he agrees readily: "Alright, Fourth Brother, I'll head out first. You take your time eating here." Before he even finishes speaking, he's already vanished, leaving Yinzhen shaking his head:
"Seventeen or eighteen years old, and still so undisciplined." Though he says that, there's no real displeasure in his voice.
The man standing behind him steps forward at this moment, picking up the teapot to carefully refill his cup, then ventures tentatively: "Master, do you think there's really someone who can make chrysanthemums bloom in May?"
Yinzhen shakes his head: "The world is vast, and wonders never cease. Regardless, we'll find out once we go investigate."
The current emperor's greatest love is chrysanthemums. If someone could make chrysanthemums bloom in May, then—naturally, they would gain favor in Imperial Father's eyes.
But that person couldn't be offered directly to Imperial Father. He would need to find a way to keep them in his own Beile Mansion.
After Fourteenth Prince Yinzhen went out, he mounted his horse, cracked his whip, and galloped off at breakneck speed, causing his attendants behind him to groan inwardly. This Fourteenth Prince was like a beast just released from its cage—with the slightest carelessness, he could fly out of their sight.
It was more exhausting than going to war. Though they complained, they still huffed and puffed to keep up, occasionally reminding him: "Fourteenth Master, you've taken the wrong path."
Riding at full speed for two hours, they finally reached Ping'an County, with the group exhausted and complaining endlessly. But Fourteenth Prince remained full of energy, reining in his horse to ask a street vendor: "Old man, do you know which household here has blooming chrysanthemums?"
An attendant immediately tossed down a silver ingot, and only then did the man speak: "Are you talking about the Song family? Their chrysanthemums have been blooming for a while now."
"There really is such a thing?" The Fourteenth Prince on horseback looks delighted, immediately asking: "Where?"
"Ahead, turn left, and after entering a small alley, you'll find it." The vendor points forward: "But her flowers aren't cheap."
Fourteenth Prince doesn't care at all, cracking his whip and riding off again: "Just a pot of flowers—how much could it possibly cost?"
He doesn't hear the man sighing behind him: "A thousand gold pieces can't buy it."
Following the old man's directions, before long they indeed spotted a secluded little courtyard, with the faint fragrance of flowers wafting through the air from a distance.
"Let's go." The Fourteenth Prince waved his whip excitedly. "Today I absolutely must bring someone back to show Fourth Brother."
The group followed to the entrance of the courtyard, where the Fourteenth Prince dismounted first and cracked his whip against the door with loud snaps. "Anyone home? Open up for your master."
Before long, a pretty maidservant appeared, cautiously opening the door a crack. Her round, sparkling eyes swept over them. "What business do you have?"
Through the crack in the door, the Fourteenth Prince got a good look inside the courtyard. After seeing it clearly, he drew in a sharp breath—the man at the tavern had spoken true. The chrysanthemums in this courtyard were indeed in full bloom, a whole yard of them, absolutely splendid.
They were even more magnificent than those in his Imperial Father's imperial garden.
"Th-this this…" In his excitement, his tongue nearly tied itself in knots. "These flowers…"
"Not for sale."
With a bang, the maidservant slammed the door shut. The Fourteenth Prince's hand hadn't yet been withdrawn and was nearly caught in the door.
"In broad daylight, that maidservant has quite the nerve." A surge of anger rose in him, and he wanted to charge forward to reclaim his dignity, but his attendants behind him promptly grabbed hold of him.
"Fourteenth Master, Fourteenth Master, please calm down."
Even someone who knew nothing about flowers could tell how extraordinary the blooms in this courtyard were. Looking closely, they seemed to practically glow—far more beautiful than the flowers in the imperial garden.
Whoever was inside must be someone truly skilled.
The Fourteenth Prince was pulled back and only then regained some composure, glaring indignantly at the small courtyard before him. "You think closing the door can keep your master out?"
Before his attendants could react, they watched their Fourteenth Master slip around to the back of the courtyard. They exchanged bewildered looks, unsure what scheme he was hatching.
The back courtyard was empty. The Fourteenth Prince strolled along the wall a couple of times before finally choosing a lower section to leap over. Everywhere was filled with flowers and plants, providing excellent cover—he just didn't know which room the extraordinary person occupied.
Picking a room that looked agreeable, the Fourteenth Prince quietly pried open the window and prepared to climb through. "These rooms all look the same. Hard to tell which one belongs to that master."
"When the time comes, I'll have to properly ask how…"
The Fourteenth Prince was still halfway stuck in the window, muttering as he climbed, but when he raised his head, he froze. Before him stood a woman with a graceful, willowy figure, in the middle of dressing.
The Fourteenth Prince hadn't expected such a scene inside the room. He stopped mid-climb, frozen in place. His hands and feet felt hot, and especially his chest—his heart was pounding wildly. He wondered what the woman looked like when she raised her head.
All the blood in his body was boiling. For the first time, the Fourteenth Prince realized he might just be a pervert.
Song Xilou was halfway through dressing when she sensed something wrong—she seemed to hear the sound of rough, heavy breathing. She immediately looked up and saw a man hanging on the window before her, his mouth slightly agape like the simple-minded son of the pig butcher from the next street over.
"Lewd scoundrel."
Song Xilou stepped forward two paces, grabbed a bamboo pole from the side, and swung it in one motion. The Fourteenth Prince felt a sharp pain on his right cheek, then the world spun around him as he tumbled to the ground at the beauty's feet.
"Beautiful, truly beautiful."
Seen this way, the beauty's slightly angered expression was even more captivating. "So this is what you look like." Skin like snow, features like a painting, a pair of lovely eyes that sparkled and roamed—now tinged with a hint of anger, her cheeks flushed red with fury.
"What fragrance is that on you?" He took a deep sniff, his eyes shining brightly as he looked at her. "Sweet, subtle… like… like lotus seed fragrance."
Song Xilou was nearly laughed into anger by him. She pressed the bamboo pole against his eyes. "Speak—who are you? How long were you watching just now?"
The Fourteenth Prince tried to stand, but the beauty's pole pressed him down. He raised both hands in surrender. "Spare me, fair beauty." Combined with his grinning face, it inspired absolutely no trust.
He truly hadn't seen anything. He clicked his tongue regretfully—by the time he arrived, the beauty was already fastening her sash.
Song Xilou wanted to swing the pole at him again, but then she heard a knock at the door. "Miss, are you alright?"
Outside was Nanny Wu. She had sensed some commotion coming from the young miss's room and had come to check, feeling uneasy.
"Nanny, I'm fine."
Song Xilou kicked at the Fourteenth Prince, who was trying to take advantage of the moment to scramble up. Caught off guard, he fell back down—but he was a sly one. Even as he fell, he didn't forget to drag her down with him. When Song Xilou kicked at him, he grabbed her foot.
"Let go of me." Song Xilou struggled fiercely, but no sooner had she yanked her shoe free than her foot was caught in his palm again.
"Don't say a word." The Fourteenth Prince lay on the ground, her foot in his hand—even in just a sock, it was so small.
Song Xilou shot him a glare with her beautiful eyes, but before she could speak, he continued:
"Otherwise, I'll cry out that I'm being molested."