Бездействующие цветы и тени

Глава 60

Su Chen was stunned for a moment before realizing how dangerous the words on the stone carving were in this era; to put it bluntly, it was almost treason.

Although the simplified characters are incomprehensible to the average person, it's not impossible that Emperor Huizong of Song would have visited the residence of the Duke of Xiangmin, a trusted minister of the emperor. Anyone capable of writing something like this must be a time traveler, so how could they not realize that Emperor Huizong was also a time traveler? Whether they discovered it or not, a normal person would never write something like this and have it engraved and displayed in a busy garden! Unless they were as foolish as Emperor Huizong, who would have his subordinates waltz and sing "Nothing to My Name" in front of a crowd!

However, this is also based on the fact that he has enough resources and enough self-confidence!

Could this have been written by Emperor Huizong of Song?

Su Chen quickly dismissed this idea; how could an emperor's handwriting be so ugly?

She stood there, her mind racing with countless thoughts, yet she couldn't quite grasp the point. Just then, she looked up unintentionally and discovered that behind the pavilion in front of her was a row of magnolia trees about half her height. Somehow, a head had popped out from behind the trees, standing there motionless as if it had been there for a long time, staring at her.

Su Chen was startled. He had only glanced at the scene casually and noticed a bright head staring at him from a distance. He was about to turn away instinctively when he suddenly turned back and met the head's gaze, nearly fainting from fright. Thankfully, upon closer inspection, he saw a straw hat on the head and something in its hand, seemingly made of iron—it turned out to be a flower farmer. Looking further ahead, beyond the large clump of magnolia trees, there was a vast expanse of chrysanthemums. From his angle, it seemed as far as the eye could see, all chrysanthemums—pale yellow, pale white, bright red, and even occasionally a hint of bluish-purple.

The flower grower was probably tending to the chrysanthemums. He was wearing a straw hat, holding an iron shovel in one hand, and leaning against a large tree next to a magnolia tree that was about half a person's height. He was not very noticeable.

"Who is this young lady?" The flower farmer seemed somewhat surprised, rubbing the iron on a small bamboo basket filled with mud and fallen leaves, looking at Su Chen with a puzzled expression. He looked to be in his fifties, with a simple and honest appearance, like a typical farmer, and seemed very honest and kind.

Su Chen smiled slightly, a little embarrassed, and said, "I'm sorry to have startled you, sir. I'm a guest at the Prince's residence. I'm lost and don't know where I came from. Could you please show me the way back to the reception hall?"

The flower grower took a while to utter an "Oh." He rubbed his hands together, seemingly unsure of how to speak or behave. After a long pause, he finally replied, "What kind of reception room is this?"

Su Chen explained for a long time. The old farmer seemed to understand. He rubbed his hands and said, "That place is far away. Why would you come all the way here, young lady?" Then he pointed east and west to give Su Chen directions.

Su Chen listened and took notes. She noticed that although this person was a flower farmer, he spoke very clearly, logically, and explicitly. She sighed inwardly, thinking that he was indeed a servant of the Prince's household. Not to mention ordinary servants, many officials probably couldn't match his level of skill. Just as she smiled and thanked him, about to leave, she suddenly asked casually, "Old man, do you know who wrote those things on these stones?" She immediately found herself laughing at herself. A flower farmer—why would he care about such things?

However, the old farmer readily replied, "Of course I know. Everyone in the manor knows." He slipped down a side path and walked straight to the stone carving. He stared silently at the inscription for a long while before finally speaking. "This is the old princess's handwriting. Everything in the manor that ordinary people can't understand was written by her." He then turned to look at Su Chen. "Does the young lady recognize it?"

"I don't recognize him. I was just curious and asked you." You've already said that—most people wouldn't understand. If I said I understood, wouldn't that mean I'm not normal? Su Chen quickly denied it.

The flower grower, however, seemed to have stopped.

He said to himself, "Everything the old princess left behind is something that I don't know when we'll see someone as talented and amazing as her again."

Seeing how highly Su Chen praised the so-called old princess, he didn't know what to say. However, leaving like that would seem impolite, so he could only awkwardly say, "The current Lord He Ziyuan is also quite talented." This wasn't just self-praise; he genuinely thought the old man was very capable.

The flower grower glanced at her and said, "How can they be the same? He Ziyuan is a man, while the old princess is just a woman. He Ziyuan is only knowledgeable and has traveled to a few places, while the old princess is skilled in esoteric arts. She knows everything you can and cannot imagine. Even the current emperor admires her greatly. I've never heard the emperor admire He Ziyuan. He Ziyuan is just a capable minister. It's only natural for a minister to be outstanding. How can he compare to a woman?"

Su Chen sensed something was off about the flower farmer's tone; it was clear he wasn't just a simple flower farmer speaking. He instinctively took two steps back and asked, "May I ask your honorable surname, sir?"

The flower grower seemed to have just realized his mistake and hurriedly said with a smile, "Please don't mind, young lady. It was my rudeness. I always speak to the old princess in the same unrestrained manner. Even after all these years since she left, I still can't change this temper and always offend guests. It's truly impolite." Although he spoke like this, he had no intention of bowing at all. Instead, he said to Su Chen with great interest, "Is this your first time visiting this garden, young lady? I suppose you haven't seen these flowers I grow before. Not to brag, but these flowers in my flower garden are something you might not even find in the palace." After saying this, he led the way, wanting to take Su Chen to admire them.

On one hand, Su Chen genuinely found the flower farmer interesting, but on the other hand, he felt that the princess was suspicious. Furthermore, he really didn't want to return to the main hall so early, so he actually followed the flower farmer to admire the chrysanthemums.

The old farmer was very enthusiastic, constantly sharing his experience in caring for flowers and plants, pointing out the names of different clumps and explaining what to pay attention to when tending to them. Su Chen listened without paying much attention, and was about to find an excuse to get the farmer to talk about the old princess's deeds again, when she suddenly saw a large clump of green chrysanthemums. The green was pure and deep, truly beautiful, and she couldn't help but exclaim in praise. The old farmer followed her gaze and smiled, "You see? These chrysanthemums were planted by the old princess back then. They can only be planted in this place; if moved, they definitely won't survive within ten days."

"This was grown by the old Princess Consort herself? It wasn't transplanted from elsewhere?!" Su Chen was shocked.

The flower grower smiled smugly: "How could the old princess like things that everyone can get? Naturally, it has to be something different from ordinary people."

"She then pointed to a large clump of crape myrtle trees at the other end, "Do you see that? It's not the season for crape myrtle to bloom now. If you came then, you would see how our crape myrtle is different from the ordinary ones. Ours were transplanted from osmanthus trees. When they bloom, they absorb nutrients from the osmanthus tree, and the flowers are large, bright, and clustered together. Everyone who sees them praises them highly."

Su Chen stepped forward and took a closer look—it was indeed grafted.

The old farmer continued, "It's a pity that the old princess didn't pass on this skill. I've tried to learn it for a long time, but I still can't master it. After she passed away, no new trees could be grown." He then started talking about other things, but Su Chen was already somewhat stunned, just staring at the grafted crape myrtle tree.

==

Who exactly gave me those pink votes...? This is such a niche story, a niche story, can't you at least show yourselves when you're voting? Sigh, I can't even remember your IDs.

Chapter Twenty-Seven, First Eyebrow

Nong said proudly, "You little brat, you probably haven't seen these things before, but you do know them. If you ask anyone in the capital, anyone over thirty will know them. " He was about to give some examples when he suddenly fell silent. He was wearing a straw hat, and his face, which had been full of energy, suddenly seemed much older. He ignored Su Chen and sat down on the spot.

Su Chen stood there anxiously for a while, calling the old farmer several times, but he still didn't respond. She stood there for a while longer, and then had no choice but to return to the hall according to the path she had been given earlier.

She remained remarkably calm throughout the journey. A woman with such abilities, and who enjoyed the favor of Emperor Huizong of Song, must have been a time traveler. Yet, I was unable to meet her. What kind of person was she?

Su Chen was very curious.

Upon arriving at the main hall, Madam Wu and Madam Qin, the wife of the Duke of Xiangmin, had been waiting in the room for quite some time. When Madam Wu saw her daughter arrive, she quickly stood up and said, "Where have you been? Why did it take you so long? The maids all said they hadn't seen you."

Su Chen smiled and bowed to the two of them, saying, "I went to see Tinglin off. On the way, I seemed to see Princess Zhenzhu and wanted to say hello, but she disappeared as soon as I turned around. I chased after her for a few steps and wandered into the garden and got lost. Fortunately, an old man who grows flowers gave me directions back."

Qin's expression was somewhat strange. She softened her voice and asked, "Chen'er, did you see Zhenzhu Shang? What's she doing in the garden? Did you see Qianxian?"

Su Chen knew something was wrong, but he still shook his head in agreement.

Qin's expression immediately changed drastically. After listening to Wu and Su Chen exchange a few words, she couldn't sit still any longer. She rang the bell and called a maid in, whispering a few words of advice before she calmed down a bit.

Suddenly, Wu said to her, "Why is there an old farmer in your garden, sister? I remember visiting it many times over the years, but I've never seen an old farmer there."

Qin replied absentmindedly with a few unimportant words. Suddenly, as if snapping back to reality, she said, "What old farmer? The gardens and fields are full of maids. At most, there are only old women. Where is there an old farmer?"

There was no old farmer. So what about the old man we saw on the ground today?

Su Chen then described in detail the old farmer he had met that day. Qin Shi listened, her face growing increasingly embarrassed. Wu Shi also found an excuse to interrupt Su Chen, laughing, "It seems someone accidentally wandered in and played a trick on you. You're just a child; don't concern yourself with such things." She then added, "I heard Nan wasn't feeling well today. Perhaps I should bring Su Chen over again next time? It won't be too late to see him then."

Qin smiled and agreed. She politely asked him to stay a few more times. Then Wu took Su Chen and prepared to go home.

Soon the two were seated in the carriage. Mrs. Wu anxiously asked about the banquet for a long time. She only breathed a sigh of relief after learning that nothing had gone wrong.

She tilted her head and looked at Su Chen for a moment. Smiling, she said, "Do you know who the person you met in the garden was?"

==

At that time, the emperor was not yet Emperor Huizong of Song.

Perhaps it was many years ago. At that time, she was just a very young child. However, she had heard that the daughter of an old scholar in the capital could compose poetry at the age of three and write prose at the age of five. She was intelligent and quick-witted, but unlike ordinary children.