Epiphyllum Fairy
Ning Chanyuan's birthday celebration was naturally flawless; every flower and plant, pastries and dishes, guest seating, and gift registration were all arranged perfectly.
Until the servant announced—the Emperor has arrived.
Those who have come to attend the birthday ceremony today are certainly not important officials of the court. Some of them are forty years old and have never seen the Emperor. When they suddenly heard the servant announce that the Emperor had arrived, they were all incredulous and suspected that the servant had made a mistake.
Wu Qi narrowed his eyes slightly, as if deep in thought. Song Yinxing asked, "Why has His Majesty come today?"
Wu Qi shook his head and said, "I don't know."
Lin Kuo asked in confusion, "Is it really His Majesty who has arrived?"
Ning Xunxu said slowly, "Our servants aren't stupid enough to casually inform the Emperor."
Lin Kuo said, "That's rather strange."
Ning Xunxu replied, "Mm."
If it were the Emperor who came to celebrate Wushan Yun's birthday a few days ago, then it could be said that Wushan Yun was older than the Emperor and had taught the Emperor for a few days when he was young, so he could be considered half an elder of the Emperor. But now it is Ning Chanyuan's birthday, so why has the Emperor come today?
Everyone was completely bewildered, but Ning Chanyuan was the first to stand up and step forward to greet them.
His Majesty was dressed casually today, without a single guard following him. However, Wu Qi was certain that the Golden Armor Army was protecting him from the shadows, and they need not worry about His Majesty's safety at Ning Mansion.
If something happens to His Majesty at the Ning residence, Ning Chanyuan and Ning Xunxu will surely die.
Wu Qi sighed slightly, not thinking that the Emperor's visit today was a good thing.
The Emperor stepped in with a smile on his face. Everyone knelt down to pay their respects. He waved his hand and said, "I happened to be passing by today and remembered that it is Yu Qu's birthday, so I came to join in the fun. No need for formalities, everyone."
This explanation did give a general idea of why he was there today, but it was too perfunctory, and most people wouldn't believe it. Lin Kuo said, "I just happened to be out on Yu Qu's birthday, and I just happened to pass by this place. I just happened to remember it was Sister Yu Qu's birthday. Isn't this a coincidence upon a coincidence..."
Song Yinxing said, "Shut up."
Lin Kuo said, "Oh, okay. I'll listen to you the most, Zhiyun."
When the Emperor arrived, everyone nearly stumbled. Ning Chanyuan dared not let the Emperor sit with others, so she led him into the pavilion. Fearing she might offend the Emperor, she sent someone to invite Wu Qi and his entourage to chat with him.
The others didn't say anything. Today, among the people in the Ning family, only these few students from the Imperial Academy were able to speak a few words with the Emperor.
Lin Kuo clutched his heart and said to Ning Chanyuan, "Sister Yuqu, please remember the day I went through fire and water for you!"
Ning Chanyuan was amused by him and said, "He won't do anything to you."
Lin Kuo stroked his chin, feeling guilty, and said, "What if His Majesty knew that I have failed to complete my studies three times already?"
Ning Chanyuan's smile remained unchanged as she said, "Then he won't do anything to you."
Lin Kuo asked, "Why?"
Ning Chanyuan blinked, her usual sickly demeanor replaced by a rare mischievousness, and said meaningfully, "Because today is my birthday."
Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback.
Ning Xunxu frowned, sensing something was amiss. Just as he was about to say something, Ning Chanyuan chuckled, her smile unusually bright. She said, "I was just teasing you. He's wearing casual clothes today, so he won't scold anyone. Just keep him company and chat with him, don't let him sit alone in the pavilion."
Ning Chanyuan glanced at the Emperor in the distance and whispered, "He is a person who is very afraid of being alone."
As Wu Qi and the others stepped into the pavilion, the Emperor smiled at them, as if he knew what they had just said. He didn't seem angry at all, but instead reassured them, "Today is an auspicious day, and I am wearing ordinary clothes. Even if you have not completed your studies five times, I will not blame you today."
Upon hearing this, Lin Kuo breathed a sigh of relief.
Ning Xunxu's brows furrowed deeper and deeper. Some things seemed to be almost clear to him, yet they remained like flowers in a mirror—visible but unattainable. His thoughts drifted further and further away when suddenly his sleeve was quietly tugged.
He put his mind at ease, turned around, and saw Wu Qi looking worried, and Yi Shen behind her, who also seemed worried.
Yi Shen shook his head slightly at him, signaling him not to drift off into thought. Wu Qi then took advantage of the wide sleeves and wrote directly on Ning Xunxu's palm.
—One should not ponder deeply in front of the Emperor.
Ning Xunxu nodded, indicating that he understood.
Song Yinxing breathed a sigh of relief when Ning Xunxu came to his senses, while Lin Kuo continued to stand in front of Ning Xunxu and talk to the Emperor.
However, that was the Emperor, and Lin Kuo dared not speak casually; he always answered only when the Emperor asked a question. The Emperor pointed to the flowers outside the pavilion and said, "Why aren't there epiphyllum flowers outside the pavilion today?"
"Ah, why isn't it an epiphyllum..." Lin Kuo hadn't been involved in Ning Chanyuan's birthday celebrations, so how would he know why the flowers outside the pavilion weren't epiphyllums? He turned to Ning Xunxu and reminded him, "Why aren't there epiphyllums outside the pavilion today?"
Ning Xunxu stepped forward and said, "The epiphyllum is a rare sight indeed. If it is an unopened epiphyllum, it might spoil the guests' enjoyment."
The Emperor nodded and said, "The fleeting beauty of the night-blooming cereus is indeed stunning, but it's a real pity that others can't see it."
“Nothing to regret,” Ning Xunxu replied.
"Why?" the Emperor asked.
"If one doesn't even have the patience to wait for the flowers to bloom, it's really not a pity to miss the moment when the flowers bloom."
The Emperor touched the flowers outside the pavilion with his finger and said, "Indeed. No one else is worthy to see this."
For some inexplicable reason, Wu Qi felt that the Emperor's words contained a deeper meaning, as if he were referring not to a flower, but to a person. But how could that be?
She shook her head, dismissing her speculation.
Ning Chanyuan was busy entertaining the guests, but when the guests learned that the Emperor had arrived, whether out of concern for Ning Chanyuan or fear of getting into trouble, they all waved their hands and said that everything was fine and there was no need to go to the trouble of entertaining her. They also implied that they wanted Ning Chanyuan to leave the place quickly, since it was unreasonable to leave the Emperor alone and entertain them.
Ning Chanyuan said, "Then please make yourselves at home."
As she left, the people in the courtyard couldn't help but whisper among themselves, "How did she become acquainted with the Emperor? And why did the Emperor come specifically to celebrate her birthday?"
"Didn't His Majesty say that he just happened to be passing by?"
"You believe that? Nobody would want your brain if you donated it."
"...Then tell me, why?!"
"In my opinion, His Majesty..." the man said in a low voice, "is probably interested in the Ning family's daughter."
"How dare you say such a thing? How could His Majesty possibly marry a woman from a noble family?!"
"That's right, that's right! His Majesty would rather marry a maid than a noblewoman!"
"Yes and no, it all comes down to His Majesty's word. However, we really need to think carefully about our business dealings with the Ning family from now on..."
"indeed."
Everyone in the courtyard nodded in agreement. The maid who had been listening to the whole thing from the doorway said angrily, "Now they know how to weigh things! A few days ago, we tried everything to persuade them, but they wouldn't budge. We had to beg them three or four times to get them to come to the birthday celebration."
Ning Chanyuan stood to the side, her brows furrowed and eyes lowered, serene as still water. Just standing there was like a cool breeze in June. She listened quietly to the maid's angry words, occasionally patting the back of the maid's hand gently, trying to calm her down.
Seeing her good temper, the maid felt a pang of sympathy. Then, recalling the fearful look on everyone's faces when the Emperor stepped through the door earlier that day, she felt much better.
The maid said, "Perhaps His Majesty is truly interested in you, Miss."
Ning Chanyuan straightened her sleeves and said nonchalantly, "Perhaps."
Ning Chanyuan has always treated the Emperor this way, so the maid asked curiously, "Why does the lady seem indifferent to the Emperor's affections?"
The emperor, the supreme ruler, controls the lives of millions and holds the pinnacle of power. These qualities alone are enough to attract people. However, the emperor is also exceptionally handsome and is favored by women. Yet, Ning Chanyuan doesn't care about such things.
Without Ning Chanyuan needing to say more, the maid continued, "Don't tell me that His Majesty would never marry a noblewoman. Just like those good-for-nothings said earlier, it's a matter of whether it's true or not, it all depends on His Majesty's word. If His Majesty insists on marrying the Lady, what can anyone else do?"
“Others can’t do anything about it, but I can.” Ning Chanyuan blinked and said softly, “If I don’t want to, even he wouldn’t dare to force me.”
"Marriage is ordained by fate, and it is up to me. Affection cannot support the Ning family, nor can it prolong my life. If he truly loves and cares for me, he should do things for me willingly."
The maid said, "But with His Majesty present, Miss is truly happy."
"Really? Even if he's here day and night, how many days can I be happy?" Ning Chanyuan said. "How many more days can I stay?"
Perhaps because she was ill for a long time, Ning Chanyuan spoke these words very casually, but the maid who heard them gasped for breath.
Ning Chanyuan was in poor health. When she was young, her parents had her fortune told, and the old man with the air of a sage said that she should not wear brightly colored clothes. Therefore, she had never worn bright clothes since she was a child, and usually no one would notice anything. But today was her birthday, and on such a lively day, she was still wearing a light-colored dress.
Surrounded by green trees and flowers, they seemed like people who had faded away.
For no apparent reason, the maid felt an overwhelming pang of heartache. She had always felt sorry for her before, but never before had she felt such a pang of sympathy, willing to give up everything to let her stay in the mortal world a few more days, so that she would not fade away.
Seeing the maid's distress, Ning Chanyuan smiled and took the maid's hand to comfort her. The maid wiped away her tears, saying with a mixture of helplessness and reproach, "How could you say such unlucky things on your birthday?"
"Yes, yes, I was wrong. I shouldn't have said those things and made our little A-Xiao sad and cry. From now on, I will never say such things on her birthday again, okay?"
A-Xiao was two or three months younger than Ning Chanyuan, so Ning Chanyuan often called her "Little A-Xiao." Having spent so much time with Ning Chanyuan, and seeing her health deteriorating, she became increasingly averse to words like "death" and "injury." She would avoid letting Ning Chanyuan attend funerals, postponing them whenever possible. Ning Chanyuan often complied, but there were some things no one could sway from Ning Chanyuan on.
Ning Chanyuan did not shy away from death, and A Xiao sometimes felt that Ning Chanyuan's floral patterns were inextricably linked to her.
The epiphyllum blooms briefly in the world, leaving behind a lasting memory for many.
Ning Chanyuan was like a fairy from the night-blooming cereus, lingering in the mortal world for only a few days before returning home.
The Fairy of the Ephemeral Flower said, "Come on, Little Ah Xiao, let's go see how scared His Majesty has become of those people?"
Whether others were frightened or not, Wu Qi didn't know, but she was definitely frightened. Heaven knows why the Emperor asked her about the progress of "Paolin" today. She could only bite the bullet and answer, "It's alright."
His Majesty said, "Fortunately, there has been some progress. You may not go to the Zige Pavilion these next few days, but you must develop the cannon unicorn within two months."
“Yes,” Wu Qi replied.
As Ning Chanyuan's figure appeared around the bend outside the pavilion, the Emperor smiled and watched her approach step by step, but quickly said, "In two months, the enemy country will probably invade. The halberds that disappeared from Pingwu City have all been used to develop weapons. We don't know what they have developed yet. But if Paolin cannot go, then we can only send living people."
"Wu Qi, do you understand?"
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