The weather was very good on the ninth day of the second lunar month. When the sun was high in the sky, the last piece of snow on Mount Shuxi melted.
It was even colder in the mountains than in the city. There was a layer of frost on the eaves of the temple in the shade, and people would slip if they were not careful.
In previous years, after the first month of the lunar year, not many people came to the temple to burn incense and make prayers. The temple was short of staff and had no time to clean up these things. Everyone just had to be careful when walking.
But the yard today was obviously very different. Not to mention the thin frost on the ground, even the layer of dust on the leaves seemed to have been wiped clean.
Li Suyu squatted in a large lilac bush, with her embroidered shoes placed on a small handkerchief and her skirt carefully held up with both hands.
"Miss, you've been squatting here for almost an hour. The sun is about to set and if we can't go back, we'll be scolded by the master."
The little maid with round eyes and thin eyebrows stood by with a bitter face, her feet numb from squatting.
"Wait a little longer. I must have seen them right. They were the two of them." Li Suyu bit her nails anxiously, her eyes darting outside. "I finally followed them here. I won't leave until I find out what's going on between them!"
The early spring in Quecheng is much colder than expected. The hand warmer that I added charcoal to when I went out in the morning has already gone cold and feels like a lump of ice.
The little maidservant rubbed her hands which were a little stiff from the cold, feeling sorry for herself and her mistress.
"If you ask me, I'm not stupid. If I really wanted to meet someone, why would I choose a day like today when there are so many people around?"
Li Suyu was so absorbed in watching that she didn't even notice that half of her body was frozen.
"What do you know? It's like fishing in murky waters. It's hard to be discovered when there are so many people here." She was halfway through when she suddenly felt that her words seemed to have confirmed her lover's "affair" with someone else. She quickly added a few words, "Of course, Lieutenant Lu is not that kind of person..."
The little maid rolled her eyes secretly.
She really didn't know what was so good about the narrow-eyed and narrow-faced Lieutenant Lu that made her, a young lady who was born in the Taichang Mansion and had been taught etiquette and manners since childhood, condescend to follow him to this desolate mountain.
Today, His Majesty is taking advantage of the congratulations on the conferment of the title on Prince Su Yuanxiu of the new Qing Dynasty to hold a plum blossom viewing banquet in this temple. Many carriages and horses from various families are parked in front of the mountain gate, which can be regarded as a kind of cover. Otherwise, she would not dare to sneak out with the young lady even if she had a thousand courage.
The plum trees are now in full bloom. In a few days, when the weather really warms up, the flowers will start to fall and the leaves will emerge.
The pink, yellow, light black and purple branches are intertwined together, which is more dazzling and dazzling than the most precious magic tools and treasures in this temple, and it attracts people to linger.
It’s a pity that Li Suyu was not in the mood to appreciate the flowers.
She was guarding a plum tree not far away with twisted branches and blood-red tips, but her eyes were not on the flowers. She was just wandering around the tree.
There are many plum trees, but this is the only one reflecting the water.
She still didn't believe it. If the young man and the beautiful woman really wanted to have a secret meeting, would they not come to see the plum tree?
Not far away, she could hear the sound of people walking and approaching. She quickly widened her eyes and pricked up her ears.
After a while, an old man with white hair and beard walked out from behind the moon gate, followed by two middle-aged men dressed as military generals.
Li Suyu's face was full of disappointment, and she signaled her maid to keep quiet.
The old man in the lead didn't notice the "ambush" around him and went straight to the building reflecting the water. Sometimes he admired the flowers and sometimes sniffed the fragrance of plum blossoms, with a look of satisfaction on his face.
"This flower is incredibly rare, yet the two generals are so far away. Are you afraid of this flower even though you're not afraid of going to the battlefield?"
General Dianwu Sun Zhuo and Yan Guang looked at each other, both still a little reserved.
"In reply to the Prime Minister, I am a rough man and do not know how to appreciate flowers. I will just stand here and watch."
"What's the difference between appreciating flowers? It's just a matter of pleasing the heart."
Bai Zhaoyu's figure wasn't as straight as it once was, but he looked even more refreshed than he had been two years ago. He lowered his voice deliberately, forcibly pulling the two stiff figures past him, and spoke mysteriously.
"There are probably only two of these flowers in all of Chizhou. This one used to be in Prince Xuanyuan's palace. I heard that His Majesty had it dug up from the palace. These plum trees are usually weak after being transplanted, but I didn't expect them to bloom in their first spring. Don't you think it's rare?"
Yan Guang nodded to himself, perhaps not taking it too seriously, but he did glance at the tree a few times.
Sun Zhuo somehow thought more about it and there was some doubt between his brows.
"If it's so precious, why would they be willing to donate it to such a dilapidated temple? Could it be that something has happened with the Mei family, and they're trying to get the word out in advance?"
The old prime minister chuckled and obviously did not intend to have a deep conversation.
"Who knows? This person's thoughts are not as easy to guess as the previous one."
There was silence in the garden for a while. After a long time, Bai Zhaoyu started talking again.
"General Yan's daughters should have all reached the age of marriage by now, right? I heard that Lieutenant Lu from the Black Feather Battalion visited the mansion again yesterday. I wonder if that's the case..."
"no!"
Before Bai Zhaoyu could finish his words, Yan Guang interrupted him angrily.
When he thought of that sinister man with a sinister face and a lot of conspiracy planning to harm his daughter, he was about to get furious. But in front of the old prime minister, he really couldn't say anything too harsh, so he could only snort coldly.
"He is a favorite of His Majesty right now. How dare my Yan Chi Camp establish a relationship with the Black Feather Camp?"
The old prime minister was amused, as he clearly sensed something unusual in the reaction of this upright general.
But he didn't want to press any further right now. For the younger generation, there was still plenty of time to go.
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