Volume 1: The Grand Gathering at the Wang Estate (4)

  Because the Taizu of Great Chu, Lin Changhui, loved plum blossoms all his life, a favored concubine in the past was named after the plum blossom. Therefore, from the beginning of the founding of the country, many meritorious officials and nobles loved to plant red plum blossoms or wax plum blossoms in their official residences' gardens. Lin Changhui did not like sitting in the palace, often secretly going out of the palace to visit his brothers who had fought together with him in the past. As a result, it is unknown how many old objects and legends have been passed down in each residence. Among them, the legend left behind by the Chu State Duke's Residence, which is now the Jin Wangfu, is the most numerous. Next to the pavilion in the center of the plum forest, there are still stone tables and stone benches, said to be the remnants of the drunken revelry of the ruler and his ministers in the past.

  The red plum blossoms remain, but the people of old have long since vanished into thin air.

  On the branches, clusters of red plum blossoms were blooming, some fiery and bold, others shy and budding. Alongside them, the beautiful figures in bright red and purple clothes flitted about the plum forest, laughing and chatting, adding to the lively atmosphere. Amidst the vibrant colors, Zhang Hui's green peacock-embroidered cloak stood out particularly eye-catching, attracting the attention of countless onlookers. Yet she seemed completely unaware, asking her maid something before taking a vase, plucking two or three branches of red plum and inserting them into it, then handing it to Chen Lan.

  "This is great, it's just like a person come down from a painting!"

  Chen Lan's teasing of Zhang Hui Xin was no longer taken seriously, and with the heavy vase in her arms, she handed it over to Qin Fang beside her, asking her to find a place for someone to take care of it first. Seeing that she and Hong Luo didn't have those warming down jackets, she couldn't help but remind the two to find a sheltered spot to stay, not needing to constantly attend to them in front. The two chatted and laughed as they gradually moved further away from the crowded area.

  Zhang Hui Xin was happily talking about her experiences in Jiangnan when suddenly a maid rushed over: "Second Miss, Third Miss, the poetry gathering has already started. The princess is inviting both of you to go over."

  "Really want to make poetry?" Zhang Hui shouted loudly, then grabbed Chen Lan and begged, "Good sister, can you accompany me to get through this? Those poetry collections are interesting to appreciate, but it's hard for me to do it myself. Besides, I don't like to pretend to be sad and mournful! Let them make poetry, we'll go out and have fun!"

  No matter if it was the former Chen Lan or the current Chen Lan, they were not good at writing poetry. If Zhu Shi hadn't insisted that she come over with Chen Su and Wan Er today, she wouldn't have even wanted to join in on the excitement, let alone this time's plum blossom appreciation which was like selecting sacrificial animals, and there were also palace maids present. Therefore, Zhang Hui Xin said so, she was undoubtedly seeking a way out. However, looking at that young girl, she still couldn't help but show hesitation.

  "Sister Hui Xin, isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

  "What's wrong with that? Ah, just listen to me... You turn around and tell Big Sister, Lan Mei and I will go out for a stroll, no need to wait for us!"

  After saying this, Zhang Hui Xin didn't care about the dumbfounded maid and dragged Chen Lan away. The maid initially chased after them for a few steps, but seeing Zhang Hui Xin laughing and running further away, she thought it was better to go back and report the news, so she stomped her foot and stopped. Then, like a gust of wind, she ran back. When she arrived at the pavilion, she saw Xiu Zhu distributing tasks to everyone, so she hurriedly ran up to her and whispered something in her ear. After hearing this, Xiu Zhu's expression immediately changed.

  "How can this be? The lady and the princess have already discussed it, and Lü and Chang's aunts arrived long ago!"

  "But Embroidered Bamboo sister, you know Second Miss's temper, she won't let people go, and even if the princess were to come, it wouldn't be of any use."

  Embroidered bamboo naturally knew Zhang Hui's temper, and at this time, her eyebrows were naturally furrowed. In other noble families, the house that inherited the title was the most respected, but the Korean public house was a bit special. The first house inherited the title, while the second house married a county main who was not the eldest princess but similar to the eldest princess, Yixing County Main. This county main had only one daughter, Zhang Hui, who had almost the same bold and generous temperament as her mother. Apart from being big and boisterous since childhood, loving to talk and laugh, others might say that she was like a boy, but when she became stubborn, it was unbearable for others.

  Then, Xiu Zhu could only glare at the girl fiercely and immediately turned around to enter the pavilion to report to Princess Jin. However, in her heart, she knew that this time, the princess's careful arrangement would probably be ruined. If she had known earlier, she shouldn't have let Madame Wang bring out this little ancestor. Madame Wang was originally a virtuous and gentle person who didn't speak much, how could she control Zhang Hui Xin?

  As they strolled through the forest for a while, when they turned back, the pavilion was already out of sight, and Chen Lan couldn't help but pull Zhang Hui's hand. At this time, Zhang Hui finally stopped, but seemed to be looking around like a thief, then smiled and said: "Fortunately, we got rid of our sister-in-law from the beginning, otherwise, we would have had to listen to her scolding. It's rare to come out once, but we still have to sit there reciting poetry, it's too boring. Good sister, you won't laugh at me for being a rough person, will you?"

  "Isn't this a bit embarrassing for me, Sister Hui Xin? You don't know since you're not in the capital, but two years ago at the poetry gathering I was unable to come up with a poem and ended up losing face. Today I actually wanted to go, but just used your excuse to avoid it. Chen Lan wouldn't hide her past experiences, seeing Zhang Hui Xin's wide eyes, she continued, "At first I also struggled to read poetry and literature, but found I didn't have the talent, so later on I simply gave up. Nowadays I only read books like geographical collections and miscellaneous notes."

  "Huh, you like these too?" Zhang Hui Xinyuan was about to tease him some more, but upon hearing Chen Lan's words, she immediately threw away her initial thoughts and grabbed Chen Lan's hand, saying "I've been in Jiangnan, where people have brought me many miscellaneous books to read. I've even looked at quite a few legendary stories and plays. But plays are ultimately fake and not interesting, so I actually really love those travel notes and essays..."

  Chen Lan just nodded, and Zhang Hui Xin opened her mouth and couldn't stop talking. She started from those miscellaneous books, then talked about the scenery of Jiangnan, and even compared customs from various places, sometimes even using gestures to illustrate her points. Coincidentally, Chen Lan was not used to being cooped up in a large mansion, so he didn't feel bored at all. Instead, he asked questions with great interest, which made them click even more. In the end, they discovered that they had read several of the same books, and naturally became even more delighted.

  Although it's quiet now, there isn't a single person around to attend to us, and we've been talking for so long that I'm getting a bit tired. So, let's take a walk with Mei Lin and turn a corner. Look, there's a thatched hut over there. Zhang Hui Xin pulled Chen Lan along as they walked towards it. The hut was tidy and clean inside, with four thick cushions placed on one side of the seat, and two rush baskets on the stone table in the center. Chen Lan suddenly became vigilant, quickly pulling Zhang Hui Xin's hand, and whispered: "We've walked quite far, might there be outsiders here?"

  "This is the Wang Mansion, where would outsiders be? Besides, who in the Wang Mansion doesn't know that Big Sister is entertaining guests today? It's unlikely anyone would come here to idle around. Looking at this scene, it's probably a resting place for the wives and daughters-in-law of those managing this plum blossom forest. We can sit down and rest for a bit." Zhang Hui Xin said as she sat down first, then pulled Chen Lan to sit close beside her, covering the hand warmer in her bosom, and smiled, "This patch of plum blossoms in the Wang Mansion is said to have been here since the time of the Chu State's Gong Fu, later died out and was replanted, occupying more and more land... they say it's one of the sights of the Imperial Capital..."

  Zhang Hui Xin said with excitement, but Chen Lan felt uneasy. When her hand accidentally touched the cushion under the table, she suddenly had a movement in her heart. The soft cushion under the table looked half old and not new, but the feeling of touching it was different. Then, she turned her gaze to the side and found that the needle thread was extremely fine, and the square on top was not dyed, but embroidered with one needle and one line, and even tied to the railing of the grass pavilion with a rope, lest it be blown away by the wind. At this time, thinking of the male guests who were also received at the Wangfu today, Zhang Hui had said that Mei Lin was very large, and it was uncertain whether the princess would entertain guests on this side, and King Jin would welcome guests on the other side. She suddenly stood up.

  "Lan, what's wrong?"

  Chen Lan, however, couldn't care less about Zhang Hui's confusion, and pulled him up with one hand. He then pointed at the cushion and said: "This doesn't seem like a place where those wives and concubines would casually sit and rest... this cushion is off..."

  "What's wrong?"

  Zhang Huixin raised an eyebrow, and surprisingly reached out to take a look, only to find that it was tied with a rope. She squatted down and untied the rope. Upon closer inspection, even though she was not skilled in needlework, she noticed something was off. Just then, Chen Lan suddenly saw someone emerge from behind a plum blossom tree nearby.

  The man looked about twenty-seven or eight years old, with a stout build and several mud stains on his light blue shirt. His face was extremely pale, and as soon as he saw the two women, he shouted a few sentences and rushed over. Chen Lan instinctively pulled Zhang Huiying behind her and took a few steps back, but unexpectedly, the man moved very quickly, rushing into the grass pavilion and snatching the cushion from Zhang Huiying's hand, then pointing at them and shouting.

  "Don't snatch baby's treasure!"

  What kind of talk is this? Chen Lan originally thought that the person was either a guest invited by King Jin today, or a Qingke from the Wangfu, or even a servant or a villain who emerged from somewhere with ulterior motives. But he never expected that the other party would say such an inexplicable sentence as soon as he opened his mouth, and for a moment, he was stunned there. Immediately afterwards, she heard a burst of laughter coming from behind her back.

  "Good sister, don't be afraid, this is baby brother!"

  Chen Lan knew that Zhang Hui Xin didn't have any brothers, and although the Korean royal family had several young masters, they were after all her cousins. She also understood this, but it seemed to not match up with the person in front of her, so she was still a bit puzzled. It wasn't until the chubby youth sat down on the cushion, holding onto it as if afraid that they would fight over it, and even took the two other cushions from beside him and hugged them tightly, that she suddenly realized what was going on.

  "Is... this King Zhou?"

  "Right! It's Zhou Wang Gege. But I'm used to calling him BaoBao Gege!"

  "Baby brother usually lives in the palace and rarely comes out, even if he does come out, it's not like he wouldn't have anyone following him. What's going on?" Zhang Hui Xin said as she suddenly furrowed her brow, then stepped forward to grab Zhou Wang, who had a vigilant expression on his face, and asked, "Baby brother, be good, Hui Xin sister isn't taking your things. How did you end up here? Where are the people with you?"

  "Yang brought me here... hide and seek... they didn't work... all gone..."

  Seeing Zhou Wang looking at himself with vigilance on one side and muttering to Zhang Hui on the other, Chen Lan finally believed that this person was indeed stupid. Looking at Zhang Hui's smiling and coaxing appearance, she thought for a moment and then opened the two bamboo packages on the stone table. One of them contained an exquisite box, while the other contained a still warm purple sand pot and a tea cup.

  P.S: Still an advance notice, there will be an extra update today...... If you're still satisfied with the speed of the past two days, please vote and support me ^_^