After seeing off Su Jing, whose intentions were unclear, Chunlan couldn't help but step forward and speak.
"Your Highness, the flower shop suddenly wants to send flowers. I wonder if there's something else going on?"
It's no wonder Chunlan is overthinking things; Su Jing arrived too quickly.
An Ning is favored, but her foundation is unstable; Su Jing's attitude is too kind.
As people sent by Emperor Kangxi to protect Anning and safety, Kangxi put in a lot of effort, specifically in that Chunlan and Granny Wulan were very clear about who were in charge of the major and minor affairs of the inner palace.
Su Jing is quite a figure in the flower room.
Chunlan felt that Su Jing's visit was ill-intentioned.
"What do you think this Eunuch Su is planning to do?"
The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Chunlan is the intrigues of the imperial harem. Flowers may be beautiful, but they may also be the subject of much manipulation. A strong fragrance is even better, as it can conceal many unusual things.
Many concubines in the palace, even if they grew flowers, would not grow too many, let alone keep them for too long. No matter how good the bonsai was, they would admire it for a day or two and then take it away.
But it's not easy to say this directly.
"This servant dares not speak recklessly."
"You're so kind. I know that a strong fragrance doesn't necessarily mean good things, but I also want to see if anyone is trying to make fun of me. Besides, I do love flowers and plants. When I was young, my mother always said that a woman should prioritize managing the household, so I never made this hobby public. Now that I'm in the palace, tending to flowers and plants is a good way to pass the time."
Upon hearing this, Chunlan immediately had no objections.
Besides protecting Anning's safety, she also had another task: to ensure that Anning could live a comfortable life.
"This servant will send someone to carefully inspect the items delivered from the flower room."
"Thanks for your hard work."
"It's all what this servant should do."
Seeing Chunlan's serious demeanor, Anning was puzzled as usual, wondering why.
Although Kangxi's "favor" could keep her safe for the time being, Anning was not at ease because she did not understand the deeper meaning behind it.
The lives of Qing Dynasty concubines could not compare to the freedom and comfort of modern technology and the rule of law, but compared to the precarious and hungry days of the end times, their current lives were enough to make her content.
But there was something unsatisfactory about this contentment. She couldn't understand why Kangxi valued her so much, and that made her uneasy.
He sighed softly and picked up the book again.
She had read many books before, but she could never settle down to read them. Now, living in the inner palace, she had experienced a lot and was able to truly absorb a lot of things.
As for the reasons why Kangxi valued her, we still need to investigate, but we can't rush it. For now, Kangxi will not do anything to harm her.
In the afternoon, Su Jing arrived with a dozen or so people from the flower shop to deliver flowers and trees.
After a flurry of activity, Changchun Palace became "poetic and picturesque".
After politely seeing Su Jing off, An Ning looked at the summer colors in the garden and called for Bai Guo and Chun Lan.
"Come with me to take a look."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After looking around, Anning laughed. It was really interesting.
She exclaimed, "It's rare to see such beautiful chrysanthemums at this time of year."
Autumn chrysanthemums, autumn chrysanthemums, it's not even autumn yet, but the chrysanthemums delivered by the flower shop made her feel as if the weather had turned much colder.
Chunlan knows quite a lot.
"The flower room is full of talented people, and the palace is not short of flowers and plants that are out of season. Peonies are often available in winter. If Your Majesty likes them, it would be fine to have the flower room send one or two pots in winter."
Since ancient times, the upper class has often held banquets under the pretext of appreciating flowers. However, during the Qing Dynasty, when the Manchus were in power and had only been in the Forbidden City for a few years, such "refined" activities as flower appreciation were common among the literati in the Jiangnan region and the majority of the Manchus in the capital. The palace was not lacking in these activities, but they were not very popular outside the palace.
If An Ning had traveled back ten or so years, she wouldn't have been unaware of flowers that weren't in season.
"So that's how it is! There are indeed talented people in the greenhouse!"
After sighing, Anning looked at Qin Niangzi, who was mixed in with the evening glories in the corner, and then at the several pots of exceptionally beautiful poppies, as well as the daffodil pots where the pebbles in the pots were replaced with jade.
He sighed; these weren't exactly good things.
Qin Niangzi looks very similar to the evening glory flower, but there are subtle differences. She also has another name, Datura, because her whole body is poisonous.
The same applies to the poppy.
These two things are alright. Although they are poisonous, they are not particularly serious if you don't ingest them. However, these things are in her palace, and the small kitchen is nearby. It would be easy for someone with ulterior motives to provide her with raw materials.
As for daffodils, they are the most beautiful, but they are also poisonous, and the kind of poison that can make her feel unwell if she smells them too much.
The poppies and daffodils were incompatible, but they eventually passed through the open.
Lady Qin is quite interesting; it's unclear whose doing it was, but she's truly flattered!
Chunlan: "Your Highness, I had someone check the flowers. There are some poisonous 'Qin Niangzi' mixed in with the evening primroses. Also, the poppies are poisonous and should not be eaten. Should I send someone back to the flower room?"
Changchun Palace has many talented people, including those who are knowledgeable about flowers and plants, and are quite proficient in them.
Even those working in the flower shop probably wouldn't know about Qin Niangzi, since she's not commonly seen. It's not surprising that Yu Meiren was discovered.
Anning was delighted by Chunlan's competence; that was excellent!
"There's no need to send it back. They went to great lengths to send it here; it would be such a waste to send it back. Send someone to keep an eye on it and see if anyone at Changchun Palace is up to no good."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"These two pots of daffodils are quite nice. I'll find them pleasing to the eye in my study."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
She liked to stay in her study alone reading, and no one would know what she did to the narcissus.
Actually, Anning's favorite is Qin Niangzi, who is a Datura. With her, there's no need to worry about hallucinogenic drugs, which are great for interrogation.
The key is that after she uses the system to refine her skills, she can conduct interrogations without anyone noticing, and the other party is completely unaware, which is comparable to hypnosis.
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