mtl008 Chapter 294 The Imperial Garden: A Clumsy Attempt
Chapter 294 The Imperial Garden: A Clumsy Attempt
Chapter 294 The Imperial Garden's Clever Plan Backfires
Upon seeing Consort Chun, Hua Yan immediately forgot the Emperor's words and the two of them, like sisters, huddled together, picking out fabrics and selecting patterns, busy and happy.
Looking at her two masters, one seemingly oblivious and the other with a mind as still as water, Green Willow suddenly had a thought pop into her head—
"If you two can live a good life together, that's more important than anything else."
These were words that Dingxiang often used to brush off Huanyun.
Back then, Hua Yan settled the master and servant pair in Jinnan. Green Willow was still living in the shadow of Granny Zhou and often went to Dingxiang to relieve her boredom.
At that time, Huanyun had just escaped the sea of suffering at Chunfeng Tower. Once her mind was at peace, she began to worry about other things, such as finding a marriage for Dingxiang.
Dingxiang had cared for Huanyun for many years, and their bond was stronger than that of family. Furthermore, she firmly believed that Zhou Bai was unlikely to return, so whenever Huanyun urged her to marry, she would immediately say—
"Miss, making our lives together is more important than anything else. Am I stupid or just plain foolish? Why would I give up a good life and be so fixated on serving that lousy man?"
Seeing that Lvliu was lost in thought, Mengzhu leaned closer and whispered, "Did you make the Empress angry?"
Green Willow's gaze was still fixed on Flower Face when she suddenly heard these words. She quickly spread her hands and said, "No, ... whatever Your Majesty is happy with."
Heaven have mercy, before entering the palace, Green Willow was all set, her heart and soul focused on how to protect Flower Beauty and how to help her gain a foothold in the harem. For this, she was fearless even if it meant doing some dirty tricks.
But after entering the palace, before Green Willow could even make her mark, Flower Beauty used a banquet to openly keep her by her side. She secretly thought that she was going to be a spy like Spring Peach.
Fortunately, not only was Consort Chun favored, but Consort Hua Yan was also even more favored.
But Green Willow had known Hua Yan for many years, and there was one thing she knew all too well: Hua Yan had never taken men seriously. Not only that, Hua Yan had even advised Consort Chun not to be too obsessed...
After observing for a long time, Green Willow was truly dumbfounded. Even if it was the emperor, her good friend was just putting on an act.
Just now, the Emperor's words were something others would kill for. With Hua Yan's intelligence, couldn't she easily keep the Emperor firmly by her side with a little effort? But she chose not to.
Green Willow was also worried that Hua Yan would be punished.
But after going around in circles, she realized, well, only she was anxious! Seeing that Consort Chun had become indifferent to the Emperor, Aunt Mei didn't try to persuade her much.
Others were unaware of Green Willow's thoughts, but Flower Face, though fully aware that Green Willow was acting entirely for her sake, wanted to feign ignorance. Some things could be said, but some things should never be uttered.
......
Closer to home.
Consort Chun had never been fond of needlework, so she only sat for a short while. Once Hua Yan finished her needlework, she hurriedly got up and took Hua Yan to the Imperial Garden for a stroll.
It's early summer now. In previous years, when I was in the mansion, I could enjoy flowers, climb mountains, go on outings, and worship Buddha. If all else failed, I could at least go on patrols. There were plenty of ways to pass the time. Now, I can only stroll through the Imperial Garden.
Aunt Mei sent Ruizhu to the kitchen to have Donggua prepare some snacks and drinks.
Upon hearing this, Consort Chun, who already had her own thoughts on the matter, suggested, "Let's have lunch at Qianqiu Pavilion. The weather is nice today, so let's dine in the Imperial Garden."
Ruizhu happily replied, "That's wonderful! Donggua said this morning that he wanted to make locust leaf cold noodles for lunch. Is there anything else Your Majesty would like to eat? I'll tell Donggua to make it."
Consort Chun looked at Hua Yan, who readily agreed: "His Majesty sent cherries yesterday, so why not make some cherry cheese, and then use tender bamboo shoots, bracken, and wolfberry sprouts to make a dish called 'Three Crispy Delicacies of the Mountain Home'?"
Upon hearing this, everyone busied themselves with their own tasks. Mengzhu, Mingyue, Lvliu, and Xia'er accompanied them to serve. After the lunch was prepared, Xiao Nianzi, along with Donggua and Ruizhu, would be sent over. As for Xiao Yuanzi, he was currently rehearsing Zhong Kui's patrol in front of Qin'an Hall.
The Imperial Garden features artificial hills and water features, and is lush with flowers and trees.
Hua Yan and Consort Chun walked hand in hand past the glazed screen wall and along the winding path. There they saw the Duixiu Mountain Waterfall cascading into the Qing Shi Pool, its sound like the chime of a zither, the water shimmering.
After walking several dozen steps, they suddenly smelled the fragrance of wood. This fragrance, mixed with the dampness of the bluestone and moss, made Consort Chun feel refreshed, and she led Hua Yan to walk even faster.
Not far away, the pomegranate flowers were dazzlingly red, and a young palace maid was climbing a wooden ladder to pick the petals. The juice from the vermilion petals was used to dye silk, which could be used to make Dragon Boat Festival sachets, symbolizing the auspicious omen of "a hundred seeds bursting forth from the pomegranate."
Several palace maids saw Consort Chun and her entourage and hurriedly knelt down to pay their respects. Hua Yan stared at the palace maid at the front wearing a pearl flower, who was from Consort Mei's palace.
Mingyue said, "Your Highness, pomegranate flowers have auspicious meanings, why don't I pick some too?"
Consort Chun was somewhat tempted, so she didn't stop her. She said to Mingyue, "Let's go to the vicinity of Qianqiu Pavilion to admire the flowers. You and Xia'er stay here and pick some pomegranate branches to put in a vase for later viewing."
Near Qianqiu Pavilion, the peonies are fading but not yet gone, while the peonies are just beginning to bloom with fresh red.
Just as Consort Chun was about to go over, Hua Yan stopped her with her hand.
"—Sister Xie, looking at that cluster of Drunken Beauty peonies reminds me of the words in 'The Tale of Luoyang Peonies'—'The splendor of peonies is no less than that of peonies.'"
Qu Baolin's voice drifted from afar. Xie Jieyu leaned against the vermilion railing of Qianqiu Pavilion and saw that where Qu Baolin's slender finger pointed, the pink and white peonies swayed in the wind, just like a beautiful woman in a drunken state.
She stared blankly for a long time, and before she could speak, Qu Baolin had already bent down and gently picked a double-petaled peony, tucking it into Xie Jieyu's hair.
"After the peony fades, the herbaceous peony takes its place, which shows that the beauty of each season has its own time, and it cannot be rushed or blamed."
Consort Chun turned to look at Hua Yan. Consort Qu's words seemed to be comforting Consort Xie. Hua Yan nodded slightly, but there was also surprise in her eyes.
Consort Xie's rank was higher than Consort Rong's, but as a newcomer to the palace, the Emperor favored Consort Rong first, which made Consort Xie quite bitter.
However, Hua Yan did not expect that although the two of them were in Chunxi Palace, less than two days after entering the palace, Qu Baolin was already hoping to win over Xie Jieyu. She was far more 'clever and intelligent' than her cousin and was a better confidante.
Xie Jieyu's eyes welled up slightly, and she held Qu Baolin's hand and said softly, "Sister Qu's words have greatly comforted me."
Upon seeing this, Qu Baolin turned around, broke off a peony branch, and handed it to Xie Jieyu with a smile.
"The other day I read the 'Compendium of Flowers' and saw that the root of the peony can be used as medicine, called 'white peony,' which is best for nourishing the liver and relieving depression. Sister Xie is good at playing the zither, so why not place this flower next to the 'burnt tail'? It will not only add elegance but also fulfill the auspicious omen of 'when the zither and lute are played, all is peaceful and good.'"
Hua Yan overheard a wonderful exchange and couldn't help but applaud Qu Baolin; his eloquence was truly remarkable.
After Consort Xie and Consort Chun had gone far away, Consort Chun also lost interest in going to Qianqiu Pavilion to enjoy the scenery, and instead went to Fubi Pavilion. This pavilion was built across the water, and the floor was decorated with openwork lotus patterns, so one could sit and watch the koi in the pond.
A gentle breeze caresses the face, carrying the subtle fragrance of lotus blossoms.
Consort Chun dismissed everyone, then winked at Mengzhu before asking, "Shu'er, what displeased His Majesty just now?"
Hua Yan lowered her head to watch the fish, and said to Consort Chun in a listless manner.
Upon hearing this, Consort Chun comforted him, saying, "It is precisely because our Shu'er is so good that the Emperor truly loves her and cares about her even more."
"Shu'er, you don't need to be afraid that I will be sad, nor do you need to hide your feelings for this moment. Your Wan'er is tolerant enough. Besides, it is you who has entered the Emperor's heart, not someone else. I am overjoyed."
Hua Yan was stunned: "...Where did you see that I was hiding my feelings?"
“My mother once said that it would be better for you to be favored than for someone else.” Consort Chun’s gaze was distant. “If we can support each other and become like Empress Dowagers Zhou and Jiang in the future, then our time in the palace will not have been in vain.”
Seeing that Consort Chun was about to speak again, Hua Yan quickly interjected to explain: "I agree with the last sentence! But I really don't have any extra feelings for the Emperor. Your Majesty, to me, this is just a job."
Now it was Consort Chun's turn to be stunned, and the fan in her hand fell to the ground with a "thud".
Which young girl doesn't yearn for love? The Emperor, with his handsome and refined appearance, has always held a slight fondness for Hua Yan, never even considering her a concubine. She had assumed that, given time, Hua Yan would naturally develop feelings for the Emperor.
She initially thought Hua Yan was suppressing her feelings out of consideration for her, but little did she know...
After a long while, seeing that Hua Yan's expression did not seem to be fake, Consort Chun picked up the fan and stood up with an embarrassed look on her face: "Then... then Shu'er will temporarily take it as an errand to accompany the Emperor to dinner."
Mengzhu left just now to pretend to be Huayan at Funing Palace to invite her.
Hua Yan: "......"
Watching helplessly as Consort Chun led her people away, he sighed heavily in his heart! In the distance, Donggua and his two companions were carrying a food box and heading this way.
Jingming saw the scene in the pavilion from afar and eagerly walked up to the Emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, look, Consort Meng is waiting for you at the Floating Jade Pavilion."