Compared to Zhou Gu, who wouldn’t be out of the ordinary? Most people would probably be.
The Crown Prince’s wife held back her anger, "Cousin, you’re joking. My little brother is still young, he’s not in a hurry to engage."
Once Duanhua had said this, she naturally couldn’t recommend her own little brother like the second prince’s wife had, which was quite ordinary. She had arranged for the methods her little brother stated earlier, so it seemed extraordinary measures were necessary.
Leaving the flower room, the Crown Prince’s wife led a group of people on a stroll around the garden. "It’s September now, and the chrysanthemums in the garden are in full bloom. I’ll take you to see."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Thus, they arrived at the flower garden behind the Crown Prince’s Residence. The view was filled with a garden of blooming chrysanthemums, indeed a spectacular sight.
The Crown Prince’s wife cheerfully said to Su Rong, "You’ve come at just the right time to my Residence to appreciate the flowers. If it were next month, there would be nothing to appreciate as all the flowers would have bloomed already. Your visit now truly is a feast for the eyes."
Su Rong nodded and agreed, "Not only do I get a feast for my eyes, but also for my taste buds. The chrysanthemums in this garden are indeed blooming remarkably well. The petals are large and each stem looks fresh and vibrant. If we picked them all, dried them in the sun, steamed them, then dried them again, we could use them to make tea, enough for the whole winter."
The Crown Prince’s wife: "..."
Su Rong seriously suggested, "Crown Prince’s wife, Chrysanthemum Tea has many benefits. It can disperse wind and clear heat, alleviate symptoms of a sore throat, congested nose and cough, relieve blurred vision due to liver disharmony, and seizures. In autumn and winter, it’s common to have flare-ups of internal heat. If you drink Chrysanthemum Tea every day, it can also alleviate internal heat. Now seems to be the perfect time to harvest the flowers. If we wait any longer, as you said, they will have blossomed, and these flowers would have gone to waste."
The Crown Prince’s wife: "..."
Duanhua exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, are these flowers really that good? I’ve been feeling particularly heated these past few days." She looked towards the Crown Prince’s wife, "Cousin, may I pick some to take back?"
The Crown Prince’s wife took a deep breath. Could she say no? Forcibly, she smiled and said, "Of course."
Duanhua was delighted, "Thank you, cousin." She immediately ordered her servant girl, "Go quickly, find a basket, no, find two. One for me and one for Su Rong. We need big ones." Then, she remembered something and asked the second prince’s wife, "Second cousin, you don’t have any chrysanthemums at your Residence, do you? Do you want to pick some to make Chrysanthemum Tea?"
Seeing that the Crown Prince’s wife was barely able to maintain her smile, the second Prince’s wife shook her head, "I don’t need any. The people in my Residence probably don’t know how to make Chrysanthemum Tea. If you make some, can you send some over for me to taste?"
Only then did Duanhua remember that she too didn’t know how to make it, she turned to ask Su Rong, "Do you know how to make Chrysanthemum Tea?"
"Yes, I do." Su Rong nodded.
Feeling reassured, Duanhua again instructed the servant girl, "Then get three baskets, include one for the second cousin’s share." After saying this, she turned to the Crown Prince’s wife, "Cousin, do you want some?"
The Crown Prince’s wife was barely holding her temper, her breathing unsteady. She almost lost her composure and wanted to drive everyone out immediately. Her garden of chrysanthemums, which were carefully nurtured for admiration in September, were now about to be picked midway through the month to make tea. Did she want any? If she said yes, wouldn’t they all be picked clean?
She held back her anger and said: "Cousin, these flowers are for admiring, not for making tea or whatever, those are habits of the common folks. You’re used to drinking the best Imperial tea, so how could you drink this flower tea? If you just want to try something new, just make a little."
The implied meaning was, are you really so uncivil to ruin my entire garden of flowers? Being too greedy can be annoying.
Duanhua was never afraid of annoying people. She immediately said: "Oh dear cousin, I understand your love for flowers and not wanting them to wither, but haven’t you already admired these chrysanthemums? Since they have already been admired, they should be used to the fullest to avoid waste. Just think, once they’re made into tea and bloom inside the teacup, you can admire them all autumn and winter. Whereas if you leave them here alone and they wilt after the first frost, that would be the real waste."
After saying this, she continued: "As soon as I saw how beautiful they were, I knew the tea made from them would taste delicious. Just considering how vibrant their color is, I wouldn’t possibly waste them by just trying them once this winter. I would definitely appreciate a cup every day."
She counted on her fingers, "Also, Imperial Uncle has probably never had it, so I need to give him a jar, and also Imperial Concubine Zhen, the Imperial Concubine has been very good to me, she also has a jar, and also to the Crown Prince cousin, Grand Tutor Qin, I need to send a jar, and my parents..."
"Oh dear, three baskets won’t be enough." She turned to the Crown Prince’s wife and asked, "Dear cousin-in-law, how about this? The gift for my imperial uncle will count as coming from both of us. Will you allow me to pick all the chrysanthemums in this garden?"
By invoking both the Emperor’s title and his affection for his son, the Crown Prince, what could the Crown Prince’s wife say? All she could do was suppress her ire, regretting inviting them to appreciate the chrysanthemums. Her flowers, repurposed into tea as a ploy, it was outrageous. But she could only grit her teeth and agree, "Very well!"
Duanhua was delighted and ordered one of her maids, "Where are those parasitic guards? Are they waiting in the outer courtyard? Call them all in, let them pluck the flowers. Be careful, don’t damage them. These flowers need to bloom well next year. Once they have finished picking, load them all up onto carriages and deliver everything to the Princess Residence."
The maid thought to herself, the princess is making enemies again, but as the princess’s maid, she obeyed her mistress without a glance at the Crown Prince’s wife’s rigid face. She cheerfully answered and left immediately.
The Crown Prince’s wife stayed silent for a good while, vowing in her heart never to invite Duanhua to her Residence again to appreciate the flowers. If she did, she might as well be a fool.
And Su Rong, suggesting making chrysanthemum tea, was she doing it on purpose? Beneath that innocent and delicate exterior lay a cunning mind, she pondered.
She had previously held some hesitation, but now her heart was set. Su Rong had stepped into her Residence, it would be impossible for her to leave unscathed today.
"Watching a crowd pick chrysanthemums should be entertaining too, shall we remain here and observe? There’s a pavilion over there, let’s go." Duanhua proposed.
Su Rong chimed in, "Yes, watching the process of picking chrysanthemums is quite a sight in its own right. Once we’ve returned to the Princess Residence, my people and I will personally make the tea. Watching the process of tea-making can also be quite interesting. Princess, you may observe."
"Good, good, good, I’ll assist you, let’s do it together. Drinking the tea that I personally made, my imperial uncle will certainly commend me for my filial piety." Duanhua, looking pleased, arm in arm with Su Rong, set off towards the pavilion not far off.
The Crown Prince’s wife was fuming inwardly, but she was a woman of schemes and one who maintained her composure. So, she followed them towards the Water Pavilion.
The second Prince’s wife thought to herself that Ning Yao was paying a steep price today, especially in the face of the two women in front of her. Making someone bear witness to a crowd destroying their chrysanthemums was a vicious move. Su Rong was the most ruthless, with a casual comment, she made Duanhua ruin a garden full of perfectly blooming chrysanthemums. This woman should not be underestimated. No wonder she dared to call off her own arranged marriage with Zhou Gu and come out scot-free.
When they arrived at the Water Pavilion, they each took their seats. The maids from the Princess Residence served tea and fruit.
Duanhua pointed to a dish of sugar-steamed pastries and said to Su Rong, "My cooks can’t make this, but the cooks in my cousin-in-law’s residence did an excellent job. Would you like to try? If you like it, I’ll arrange for her cooks to make two portions for you to take away."
Su Rong nodded, picked up a piece of sugar-steamed pastry and placed it into her mouth, savoring it slowly. She took another one after finishing the first, eating in silence.
Duanhua understood and immediately said to the Crown Prince’s wife, "Dear cousin-in-law, tell your cook who made these sugar-steamed pastries, to make ten portions of this pastry for us to take away."
She had initially asked for two portions, but now it became ten.
The Crown Prince’s wife, having already ceded an entire garden of precious chrysanthemums, was naturally not going to refuse this request. After giving instructions to a maid, she also asked, "Could you also check on Ning Ze and Master Feng and see what they’re up to? They’ve been in the kitchen for so long, why haven’t they come out yet? If they don’t get here soon, Master Feng will miss seeing the garden full of chrysanthemums."
The maid acknowledged the order and left immediately.
When she got to the kitchen, it was bustling with activities. Among the crowd, there were two individuals who seemed out of place; Ning Ze and Feng Ling.
Feng Ling was practising the preparation of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall with Ning Ze acting as his assistant. Ning Ze was feeling incredibly frustrated. A gentleman stays away from the kitchen, he had never set foot in a kitchen before. But if he refused, Feng Ling would take his sister away and refuse the meal prepared by the Crown Prince’s Residence.
What other options did Ning Ze have? He had plans for Su Rong, and even before he had met her, he was already eager to have her in his arms. Given that she’d called off her engagement with Zhou Gu, he wouldn’t hold back.
Yet here he was, stuck in the kitchen, almost fainting from the heat and smoke, unable to leave or move. Regardless of his plans, if he was unable to free himself, what could he do?
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