Kiyomi Tsuki and His Fox

Chapter 96

"What's all the noise about? What's all the noise about?" Lü Ying shouted angrily. "Luo Yuting, look carefully, where is this place?"

Luo Yuting said, "I can see very clearly that this is the residence of Lu Qingfeng, the second master of Lu Fortress, who is also the current Grand Lord and the cousin of the fortress lord Lu."

Lu Ying asked incredulously, "You knew that, yet you still dared to cause trouble here?"

"How could I dare offend Lord Lu's cousin?" Luo Yuting snorted. "I have something to ask of Second Master Lu."

Lu Liang roared, "Didn't I tell you? My young master is busy and doesn't receive guests. Get out of here, get out of here!" He shooed him away like a fly.

Luo Yuting retorted angrily, "Who the hell are you talking to? I am Luo Yuting, the former second deputy lord, and the brother-in-law of the second lord of this fortress."

Lu Liang snorted, "I don't care whose brother-in-law you are, just get lost if I tell you to."

Zhang Sanlin shouted, "You're disrespecting Master Luo! Disrespecting Master Luo is disrespecting my Second Lord!"

"So what if I don't give it to you?" Lü Liang said disdainfully, "Zhang Sanlin, you dog, stop wagging your tail in front of me."

"You!" Zhang Sanlin was so angry that his face turned red.

Luo Yuting, enraged, said, "I understand now. Lu Qingfeng, I'm giving you face, but you don't appreciate it. Bah! I'll go to the lord of the fortress and report you. As the great lord, you openly solicit prostitutes at home, violating the rules and regulations of this fortress."

Zhang Sanlin also shouted, "It's not just Lu Qingfeng, there's also Cai Zhonghe. One is a Grand Lord, the other is a Fourth Lord, one is the cousin of the Lord of this fortress, and the other is the younger brother of the Grand Enforcer. They openly solicit prostitutes, why is no one doing anything about it?"

“Yes.” Luo Yuting gestured wildly. “I…I’m going to take this to the Chief Justice. I want to see how he handles it.”

Lu Ying sneered, "So, you're so insistent on seeing my young master because you want to blackmail him."

"So what if I threaten him? I'm here to threaten him." Luo Yuting shouted, "Go, tell Lu Qingfeng that if he doesn't see me today, we'll meet in front of the Fortress Master and the Grand Enforcer."

"Damn it, I'm furious! Let's fight first!" Lü Liang got angrier and angrier, rolling up his sleeves, ready to start a fight.

"How could Qingfeng be hiring prostitutes at home?"

Just as they were arguing heatedly, Lu Qingcheng's voice suddenly broke in, devoid of any warmth. Luo Yuting, Zhang Sanlin, Lü Ying, and Lü Liang all changed their expressions upon hearing his voice.

As Lu Qingcheng and her entourage approached, Luo Yuting and Zhang Sanlin hurriedly stepped aside in alarm, while Lü Ying and Lü Liang's expressions changed drastically as they rushed to greet them.

Lu Qingcheng coldly scrutinized Luo Yuting and said in a deep voice, "Did you witness Qingfeng soliciting prostitutes with your own eyes?"

Luo Yuting flinched and stammered, "Yes, yes, Zhang Sanlin saw it."

Lu Qingcheng stared at Zhang Sanlin, who was so frightened he didn't dare to utter a sound. Lu Qingcheng sneered, "Well, you're getting more and more impressive."

Zhang Sanlin said in a trembling voice, "I wouldn't dare."

Lu Qingcheng suppressed her anger, "Did you see it with your own eyes?"

“Reporting to the Lord, I did indeed see it with my own eyes.” Zhang Sanlin pointed at Lü Ying. “It was him. This afternoon, I saw Lü Ying leading the four beauties of the Song and Dance Troupe, Lan, Mei, Zhu, and Ju, through the side gate.”

Lu Qingcheng glared at Lü Ying with piercing eyes, "Where is your young master?"

Lu Ying suddenly broke out in a cold sweat, took two quick steps, and forced a dry laugh: "This subordinate greets the Lord of the Fortress, greets Young Master Jian Yue, greets the two celestial ladies, greets the elder brothers, and greets the six beautiful sisters."

"Lu Ying, where did all this nonsense come from?" Luo Yuting shouted, "The Lord of the Fortress is asking you a question."

Lü Liang retorted angrily, "What's your hurry? Didn't you see my brother paying his respects to the fortress lord?"

Lu Ying smiled and said, "Master, my young master is enjoying flowers, drinking wine, playing the zither, playing chess, composing poems, and painting with Master Cai at the Plum Blossom Pavilion."

Lu Qingcheng scoffed, "And the four beauties from the Song and Dance Troupe—Plum Blossom, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum—are keeping me company? What refined taste!"

"No, no, absolutely not," Lü Ying hurriedly denied.

Zhang Sanlin said urgently, "Master, I saw it with my own eyes. I would never lie to you."

Lu Qingcheng's face was stern. Qing Jianyue could tell he was angry. With Zhang Sanlin's limited courage, he would never dare to make baseless accusations. How could Lu Qingcheng not be angry? There are family rules and national laws, and the laws were personally drafted by him, forbidding prostitution and gambling. Now, Qingfeng had openly solicited prostitutes at home and been caught red-handed. How could he not be angry? Besides, if it were just the two brothers, it would be easier to resolve, but with these two petty people in the middle, even the smallest matter could be turned into a huge mess by them.

Kiyomi Tsuki thought for a moment and then smiled, "The gate to the peony garden is right in front of us, why not take a look for ourselves?"

The implication was that since he was so adamant, they should let him go in and see for himself.

Lu Qingcheng smiled slightly and extended his large hand. Qing Jianyue obediently placed her hand in his palm. He was in a bad mood, so it was best to be compliant. The group entered the peony garden, with Lü Ying and Lü Liang hurrying after them. Lu Qingcheng could easily see the panic in their eyes, and his heart sank as if a heavy stone had been tied to it.

Lu Ying knew something was wrong. She followed Qing Jianyue's side, sweat pouring down her face like raindrops, and whispered, "Young Master Jianyue, Young Master Jianyue."

Qing Jianyue glanced at him, then looked at Lu Qingcheng, whose face was growing increasingly pale, and suddenly smiled, "Lord of the Fortress, I've heard that this peony garden has quite a history. Is that true?"

Upon hearing his question, even though Lu Qingcheng was in a bad mood, she didn't hold back her smile and immediately launched into a long explanation: "This peony garden was built by my grandfather when Uncle Yan was born. It is divided into three sections: front, middle, and back, and cultivates more than 30 varieties of peonies, with over a thousand plants. In spring, they bloom lushly and vibrantly, a riot of colors, and are famous far and wide. People come from far and wide to admire the flowers."

Kiyomi Tsuki laughed and said, "It's such a pity. It's winter now. If you want to admire peonies, you'll have to wait until April next spring."

Lu Qingcheng smiled and said, "The peonies in the Peony Garden are famous far and wide, but few people know that the plum blossoms in the Peony Garden are also exceptional. The Peony Garden is divided into three sections: front, middle and back. The first two sections are planted with peonies, and the last section is planted entirely with plum blossoms. There are two types: wintersweet and plum blossoms."

Kiyomi Tsuki asked curiously, "Isn't wintersweet a plum blossom? Why is it distinguished from plum blossoms?"

Lu Qingcheng looked at him tenderly, “Li Shizhen’s Compendium of Materia Medica states: “Winter plum, also known as yellow plum blossom, is not a type of plum. It is named so because it blooms at the same time as plums, has a similar fragrance, and is similar in color to beeswax. The flower is pungent, warm, and non-toxic. It relieves summer heat and promotes salivation.”

Qingjian Yue exclaimed in admiration, "The Lord of the Fortress knows so much. I only knew that plum blossoms were beautiful, but I didn't know that there were different kinds."

"The more books you read, the more you'll know. You should read more books when you have time."

Whether intentionally or not, Lu Qingcheng gently squeezed and kneaded his hand in a somewhat restless manner. Qing Jianyue felt strange, but pulled his hand back without showing any emotion, and said with a grin, "The Lord of the Fortress never forgets to teach people a lesson."

Lu Qingcheng laughed, reaching out to put her arm around his shoulder, seemingly intentionally pulling him into her embrace. Qing Jianyue's heart skipped a beat, and a warm sensation washed over his face. Lu Qingcheng smiled nonchalantly, "There are winter plum blossoms and summer plum blossoms. Winter plum blossoms have the longest blooming period, lasting for three months regardless of whether they are winter or summer plum blossoms."

"That's wonderful. We can enjoy plum blossoms whether it's winter or summer." Qing Jianyue, like a little deer, suddenly jumped forward, shaking off Lu Qingcheng's clumsy hands and feet, but her face was smiling so innocently that no one could find a trace of anything unusual.

Lu Qingcheng smiled at him, not angry at all, and continued her introduction: "There are about 165 varieties of wintersweet. Among them are pure yellow, golden yellow, light yellow, dark yellow, and purplish yellow, as well as silver-white, light white, snow-white, and yellowish-white. The stamens are red, purple, and pure white. The best of them is the Yanling Plain Heart Wintersweet from Henan, with its pure white stamens and rich fragrance. Because its flowers do not fully open when they bloom and instead face downwards, resembling a hanging golden bell, it is also known as the Golden Bell Plum."