Chapter 90: Feng Shui of the East and West Courts
"Mr. Huang's villa is really elegant. I wonder if there are any special exotic flowers and plants so that we can broaden our horizons?" Chu Xuanyi walked to a clump of particularly lush orchids as if unintentionally and asked softly.
Xiao Yu noticed it too, his eyes sharp as an eagle's as he scanned every blade of grass and tree in the courtyard. While the courtyard looked ordinary on the surface, the faint chill in the air couldn't escape his perception. The soil in some corners seemed darker than elsewhere.
"Master Imperial Master has a very good eye!"
Huang Chong became excited when he heard this. This was something he could show off!
He rubbed his hands together and spoke mysteriously, "To be honest, gentlemen, I do have some treasures growing deep in my backyard! One of them, in particular, is said to have come from the Western Regions. It's called 'Forget Me Not'. It blooms in seven colors and has an intoxicating fragrance. However, it has a strange temperament and is extremely difficult to care for. I built a greenhouse specifically for it and assigned seven or eight gardeners to watch over it day and night!"
Chu Xuanyi and Xiao Yu looked at each other and understood.
Censor Qian, with his sharp ears, came closer and scoffed with disdain. "Forget-me-not grass? It sounds like a scam. Let me tell you, the truly good things are edible! For example, thousand-year-old ginseng and hundred-year-old Polygonum multiflorum! Brother Huang, do you have anything... well, one of those... treasures that can make a man... vigorous and powerful?"
As he spoke, he winked at Huang Chong and gave him a lewd smile that said "you know what I mean."
Chu Xuanyi almost couldn't breathe. He really wanted to take out a purification talisman and seal Qian Yushi's mouth!
Xiao Yu glanced at Censor Qian coldly.
Censor Qian shrank his neck, but still said stubbornly, "What...what's wrong? I'm concerned about Brother Huang's health and am also discussing...discussing ways to maintain health! Sigh...cough, cousin, you're young, but your face looks stern. It must be because you have too much yang energy and too much fire energy. You need to balance your yin and yang! Listen to me, you're right!"
Xiao Yu: “…”
Chu Xuanyi turned around silently. He was afraid that if he continued to watch, he would not be able to help but enforce justice and chop the guy down with a palm.
…
At the same time, the atmosphere in the women's area of Xiyuan was equally exciting.
Madam Huang led Ah Jiu, Madam Li, and the others to a pavilion overlooking the water, where a variety of exquisite snacks and fruits had already been laid out. Several other invited ladies and young ladies had also taken their seats, chatting and laughing, secretly competing with each other.
"Oh, Miss Zhang looks so heroic in this riding outfit, she's truly a daughter of a general!"
"No, no, Miss Liu's golden hairpin is more exquisite. I heard it was a prize from the palace!"
Ajiu had no interest in these. As soon as she sat down, her eyes were fixed on a plate of osmanthus cake on the table. She picked up a piece and stuffed it into her mouth. Her cheeks were bulging with food, like a little hamster.
Mrs. Li was a little embarrassed and whispered, "Ajiu, eat slowly, don't choke."
Mrs. Huang saw this and quickly tried to smooth things over: "Little girls are growing up, so it's a good thing for them to like snacks! Come on, eat more, as much as you can!"
Miss Wang, the daughter of the Minister of War, who was wearing a pink silk dress, curled her lips when she saw Ajiu's appearance. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief and whispered to Miss Sun, the daughter of the Minister of Personnel, who was standing next to her: "People from the countryside just don't have manners."
Although the sound is small, who here can't hear it?
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Ah Jiu seemed not to hear. She licked the osmanthus crumbs on her fingers, raised her head, looked at Miss Wang with curiosity in her big eyes, and said crisply, "Huh? Sister in the pink skirt, why is there a wilted little white flower on your head? The petals are almost all fallen off, and there's a green caterpillar next to it, chewing on your petals! You have to catch it, otherwise the flower will be eaten up!"
Miss Wang's face turned from pink to white, and then from white to blue.
She'd been fretting over an unhappy marriage lately, losing her appetite and several pounds. Wasn't that a sign of "waning"? As for that "green caterpillar," Miss Sun from the Minister of Personnel's family had been whispering bad things about the young master in her ear lately, trying to sow discord. Wasn't she the "caterpillar chewing on petals"?
Miss Sun from the Minister of Personnel's family could hardly hold the teacup in her hand.
"You...what nonsense are you talking about!" Miss Wang was so angry that her voice was shaking.
Ah Jiu blinked innocently. "I'm not kidding. Look, that girl doesn't have a caterpillar on her head. She has an open book on her head, and there's a sour smell coming out of it. It smells like... like vinegar that's been sitting there for three days!"
Everyone: “…”
Everyone's eyes turned to the "sour-headed" Miss Sun. Miss Sun was a famous talented woman in Beijing, but also known for her jealousy and sharp words.
Even Mrs. Li didn't know how to smooth things over. She could only laugh dryly and stuff a piece of dessert into Jiu's mouth: "Jiu, eat, eat, and don't talk."
The pavilion fell into an eerie silence, with only the sound of Jiu crunching his snacks.
After finishing a plate of osmanthus cakes, Ah Jiu set her sights on a plate of peach blossom pastries. As she ate, she continued her "qi-observing journey" incoherently:
"That sister in green, there's a group of sparrows quarreling above her head, chirping so loudly..."
The sister who was named was in a cold war with her mother over the ownership of a piece of jewelry, isn’t that just a “quarrel”!
"That fat aunt has a string of gold ingots on her head, but there's a hole underneath the ingots, and copper coins are leaking out..."
The fat aunt who was named changed her expression. Her husband had recently kept a mistress outside and was spending money like water, which was just like "leaking copper coins"!
For a moment, the eyes of all the ladies in the water pavilion changed when they looked at Ajiu.
No one dared to speak, fearing that they would be the next one to be called.
Ah Jiu tasted all the snacks, finally burped, and wiped her mouth with satisfaction. She looked at the silent crowd and asked Mrs. Li curiously, "Auntie, why are they all silent? Are the snacks not tasty?"
Mrs. Li pulled the corners of her mouth stiffly and cried silently in her heart.
——It’s not that the snacks are not tasty, it’s that your words are too “appetizing”!
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