Chapter 354: Chapter 354 Summer Garden Opens (4)
Lan Lengyun supported the princess as she sat down on the chair, then retreated to one side.
"Rise. There’s no need for such formalities from now on. Please be seated."
"Thank you, Princess." Everyone took their seats. Having not seen her for a while, they noticed her belly had grown as if she had swallowed a ball.
Jueqing was quite worried, for the last time she saw her, it wasn’t like this. How could it have swelled so much in less than a month: "Cousin, is the baby coming soon?"
"It’s not until May; there’s still some time." Feng Xuxu smiled with a twitch of her lips.
Zhu Lengqing carried several cups of tea, serving them in order.
"Princess, a small portion of the flowers in the greenhouse have bloomed, the only exception being the Yimi Flowers. Should we start preparing for opening to the public?" Zongzheng Zehang had also been waiting eagerly for this moment.
Beitang Xuan and Jueqing were also full of anticipation, involuntarily turning their gazes towards Feng Xuxu.
Feng Xuxu thought for a moment, feeling the timing was about right. Since the flowers had bloomed, even just a small part, it would be a spectacle in the tens of thousands of acres of greenhouse: "Then let’s set it for the fifteenth of this month. In these next few days, you all should focus on advertising it."
Beitang Xuan thought for a moment. It was still cold, so opening the inn was out of the question, leaving only the liquor and tea houses along with the storytelling to be open: "Princess, should we only open the liquor and tea houses?"
Frowning slightly in thought, she replied: "Let the liquor houses open. We haven’t made any dried-flower teas; we can use the fresh ones instead. As for the admission fee, let’s set it at one hundred silver per person. The tea can be consumed freely but must not be taken away or picked indiscriminately."
Zongzheng Zehang and the others nodded, knowing they would need to have some people keep watch when the time came.
"Sister, can we make some seasonal flower pastries?" Qinmeng remembered the plum blossom cakes she had eaten yesterday and suddenly thought that these flowers could be used as well.
Feng Xuxu pursed her lips and smiled at Qinmeng: "You’re always more thoughtful, little sister."
"You three figure out the specifics among yourselves; I just want the results." Feng Xuxu smiled at the three of them, her gaze finally resting on Qinmeng.
Qinmeng pursed her lips and smiled, taking out a jar of fragrant balm she had mixed from the wide sleeves and handing it to Lan Lengyun by her side.
Feng Xuxu opened the lid, and the fragrance of plum blossoms instantly enveloped her, very pleasant to the nose.
"Sister, this is my latest formulation; it has effects for whitening and preventing acne. It contains some medicinal herbs and flower petals."
She nodded: "It’s nice, very fragrant. I couldn’t even detect any medicinal smell."
Qinmeng responded with a pursed-lip smile: "I mixed some honey in with the medicine and filtered it through many layers, plus the juice of plum blossoms, to mask those unpleasant medicinal scents."
"You’ve worked hard."
"How can you be so polite to me, sister? It makes me feel ashamed," she pouted, her cheeks flushing with a rosy blush, the very image of a demure young woman.
"Alright, I won’t say another word then."
After they chatted for a while, they took their leave.
On the fifteenth of March, outside the ’Summer Garden’ was a line filled with house servants waiting, and the carriages were stopped all along the road. Thankfully, this was on the outskirts of the city and caused no disturbance; otherwise, in the city, it would probably have blocked the road.
The auspicious time had arrived, and as several people exerted their strength to open the grand gates of the Summer Garden, they revealed what lay beyond, piquing the curiosity of the house servants who peered inside.
After handing over the silver, the house servants holding the tokens went to summon their masters from the carriages, while the maids went to fetch the young ladies.
Xiu Bingxi, Nangong Xiu, Zhao Fenghua, Xue Hongbao, and Bai Lang, young masters from various prominent families, gathered together to enter the fabled Summer Garden.
Upon entering the Summer Garden, they encountered a pebbled path made of cobblestones from Pucheng, flanked on either side by waist-high bare trees, with tall sheds situated further back. Circumventing the flower pond, they came upon an establishment towering in place, its high signboard inscribed with the gilded brilliance of "Zuiyun Pavilion."
Right next to the tavern stood the "Zuihua" Tea House, distinct in that beyond its elegant private rooms, each room also opened to an outdoor area. Standing there, one could behold the vast expanse of a sea of flowers stretching far into the distance.
"Brother Xiao, what do you think?" Nangong Xiu inquired of the person beside him after surveying the general appearance of the Summer Garden.
Xiu Bingxi withdrew his profound gaze and looked indifferently at Nangong Xiu, "Quite nice, from here all the beauty is within sight."
Zhao Fenghua nodded, "Let’s go down to see the flowers in the greenhouse. Later, we can enjoy some flower tea, which even His Majesty has praised."
"Let’s go check it out; to think that flowers can survive the dead of winter, we have truly underestimated the Charm Princess," said Xue Hongbao, flipping open his golden fan with a swoosh and giving it a few waves.
Bai Lang, following behind, simply smiled without comment and descended with them to examine these so-called unseen, colorful flowers.
At the entrance of the greenhouse, each door was manned by lads who lifted the heavy cotton curtains upon their arrival. Inside there was yet another layer of curtain, and as they stepped through the final curtain, a wave of floral fragrance assailed their senses.
The group stood there momentarily, dumbfounded, marveling at the brightly colored, uniquely-shaped flowers before their eyes.
"My Lord, these... these, there are so many, am I dreaming?" Xue Hongbao’s fan stopped fluttering as he stood transfixed.
Roused from his admiration by this exclamation, Xiu Bingxi’s eyes shone with appreciation, "Truly beautiful."
"No wonder there’s such confidence in their own boasts, it turns out to be true." Zhao Fenghua was thoroughly captivated by the scenery before him. Having seen many prized flowers himself, he could not identify these expanses of light purple ones, yet found their scent rich and pleasant.
"So beautiful," Bai Lang uttered his admiration.
After Nangong Xiu regained his composure, he saw a lad who had picked a small basket of flowers passing by and extended his arm to block his path.
"Excuse me, what is this flower called?"
Seeing the gesture towards the flowers in his basket, the lad cheerfully responded, "This is lavender. Next door there are other flowers in full bloom. Each greenhouse nurtures different flowers; you may want to have a look at the others." With that, the lad turned and hastily left with the basket, as many others were waiting at the tea house for their lavender tea.
Nangong Xiu, noticing his hurried steps, frowned slightly and stepped forward to examine the flower’s characteristics.
"Come on, let’s go! Didn’t the lad just say that other large greenhouses are filled with various other flowers? Let’s have a look," Xue Hongbao said, leading the way with his folding fan.
Seeing this, the others promptly followed suit.
In another greenhouse, they encountered flowers of different colors, all blooming extravagantly upside down—crimson adjacent to pink, red nestled beside purple, red alongside white, white meeting purple. The diverse colors, alongside their long stamens jutting out and delicate leaves as a backdrop, created an instantly captivating sight.
"So pretty; I’ve never seen anything like it before," Bai Lang said sincerely.
