Chapter 214 Celebrating the Birthday of the Flower Fairy
Dean Bai revealed that Yuan Hongqu had lost her memory.
The young woman remained silent for a long time before speaking.
"Dean Bai, I'd like to see Mr. Yuan. Do you think she'll be willing to see me?"
"Her memory returned a few days ago, but I don't think she will hold any resentment towards the Empress because of what happened before."
The young woman, namely the current Empress, was named Zhao Huajing.
She was playing with a jade ring in her hand. It was just a plain ring with a faint luster, which looked like it had been handled for a long time to make it so lustrous.
Dean Bai recalled the feeling of Yuan Hongqu when he first met her. She was calm yet vibrant, and when she talked about Lin Daiyu, her eyes were full of affection. That little girl had cured Yuan Hongqu.
However, Dean Bai did not intend to tell the Empress these things.
Once upon a time, the Empress was Yuan Hongqu's personal disciple, and the two lived and ate together.
During those years, the Empress relied entirely on Yuan Hongqu, and her father and stepmother had almost forgotten about her.
If it weren't for Yuan Hongqu risking her life to help her, she probably wouldn't have made it to the capital.
“I knew she had arrived in the capital last year, but I didn’t dare to see her… I’m sorry to Mr. Yuan, I really have no face to face her again.”
The once aloof Empress now wore a timid expression, like a little girl who had done something wrong. For a moment, Dean Bai thought he had seen a pitiful little abandoned animal.
In an instant, the Empress put away her sadness again, and Dean Bai thought he must be seeing things.
This is the Empress, second only to the Emperor, a role model for all women in the country, and the mother of the nation. Even if she was once Yuan Hongqu's disciple, even if she betrayed Yuan Hongqu, the Empress should not have such an expression.
Sure enough, the next moment, Dean Bai heard a commanding voice, carrying a hint of authority:
"Dean Bai, is Mr. Yuan still willing to serve as the dean of the academy?"
"Your Majesty, the reason I rushed to the palace today is precisely because of this matter. I am well past the age of retirement, yet the position of Dean should still be held by Yuan Hongqu. I spoke to her about it today, and she only said she would consider it. If she is still undecided after the start of the school year, perhaps you could request an imperial decree..."
“Dean Bai, it’s easy to get an imperial decree, but what if Mr. Yuan is unwilling? I dare not see her now. If I issue an imperial decree against her wishes, wouldn’t there be no room for maneuver in our relationship?”
"Dean Bai, you should issue the decree only after you have received confirmation. If Mr. Yuan is unwilling, you should try to persuade her. You cannot retire until Mr. Yuan agrees."
Dean Bai originally wanted to go to the palace to request an imperial edict to have Yuan Hongqu take over as the dean of the girls' academy as soon as possible, but the empress refused to accept the offer.
Instead, they got themselves into trouble.
If she hadn't made it clear to the Empress today that she intended for Yuan Hongqu to succeed as dean, and if Yuan Hongqu didn't want to be the dean, she could simply find someone else in the academy.
But now the Empress has designated someone by name, and unless Yuan Hongqu takes over, he will have to stay in the position of Dean until he dies.
Sigh, I really shot myself in the foot.
It seems my retirement is still a long way off.
It's difficult to persuade the Empress, so she still needs to try and persuade Hongqu.
......
February 12th is the Flower Festival.
The sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly that day.
The women of the capital city could shed their bulky winter clothes and put on bright and colorful spring outfits without feeling cold at all.
This is the perfect time to go out for a spring outing.
The willows are just sprouting green buds, the swallows are just pecking at the new mud, and everywhere is warm and cozy, a scene of prosperity and flourishing.
It was early spring, when all the flowers were sprouting new leaves and preparing to bloom. Before March, most of the flowers, except for a few cold-resistant varieties, had not yet opened.
However, the Lin family courtyard was not lush and green, but rather vibrant and colorful.
The flowers in the yard, which had been gestating for several days, all bloomed on this day without prior arrangement.
The garden was filled with women admiring the flowers.
One says the peony is beautiful, another says the apricot blossoms are vibrant, and jasmine, azalea, osmanthus, camellia, rose, Chinese rose, orchid, lily, hydrangea... all bloom in profusion.
The women compared the colors and fragrances of the various flowers while discussing the main attraction of the day's banquet.
They had already met the main characters of the banquet; Princess Lin was the most beautiful flower, residing in the Jiaoyun Garden of the Lin family.
After they met Princess Lin, a maid led them to their seats and directed them to the courtyard to admire the flowers. There were also small stages for opera and acrobatics in the courtyard.
They hired female actors, and there were different performances every hour, so you could go and watch as much as you wanted.
The Lin family courtyard was decorated in a very unique way today.
Today is Princess Lin's birthday banquet, and those who come to celebrate the princess's birthday are all ladies from the inner quarters of the household, along with their daughters or children who are not yet of age.
Besides the eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department, the Lin family's maids also lent a hand.
Without the constraints of strict gender segregation, visiting is much more comfortable.
The ladies watched the play and talked about what they had seen and heard that day, all of which they felt were things they had never experienced before.
“I went to Baihua Garden yesterday, but none of the flowers there are as beautiful as the flowers in the Lin family’s courtyard.”
"That's right. The flowers in my greenhouse are carefully tended every day, and they only have a few buds left. In the Lin family's yard, all kinds of flowers are in full bloom. It's truly remarkable!"
"Princess Lin was born on the Flower Festival, could it be some kind of destiny?"
"What do you mean?"
“I’ve heard a master say that women born in February are the most unlucky in marriage and have bad fates. Except for February 12th, only the celestial flower fairies who descend to earth to undergo tribulations will choose to be born on the Flower Festival.”
"Could this Princess Lin be the fairy of a hundred flowers who descended to earth to undergo tribulation?"
"That's what everyone says! Otherwise, how could the flowers and plants in the Lin family's yard grow so well? They've come to celebrate the birthday of the Flower Fairy!"
"Speaking of which, you're right. Look at the koi in the Lin family's pond. Who else can raise koi that fat? They're all spiritual, nourished by the fairy's spiritual energy. With so many koi in the Lin family's pond, could we take a couple home and raise them, hoping they can absorb some of the fairy's magical energy?"
"Don't even think about it. I heard that even people in the palace are asking for this lucky charm from the Lin family. Who do we think we are? We're not worthy of having this lucky charm!"
“I just saw the daughter-in-law of the Prince Xian’s family, so I asked Princess Lin for a koi fish, and Princess Lin gave it to me.”
"Should we ask them too?"
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