Farewell Flower Festival

The next day, Eunuch Wu brought two maids to see Chaoyan, one named Amber and the other named Feicui. From then on, the two of them followed Chaoyan and served her.

Chaoyan saw that the two were about the same age as herself, so she asked how old they were. Amber replied that they were fifteen, and Feicui replied that they were sixteen.

Eunuch Wu asked Feicui to call Furong and Hongmei over and told them to listen to Chaoyan's orders from now on.

After Eunuch Wu left, the four of them waited for Chao Yan's errand.

Chao Yan felt a little flattered after being suddenly promoted to a small leader. But then she became a little worried because she had never assigned tasks to anyone before. What should she let them do?

Seeing that Chaoyan didn't speak, Hongmei said softly, "If the young lady has no other instructions, I will go to serve His Highness first." Furong said, "Then I will take my leave as well."

Chaoyan called the two of them and asked Feicui and Amber to dust the house. She left with Hongmei and Furong.

When they arrived at Mu Tianyuan's residence, Chaoyan asked the two to sweep the floor first. Furong said that the servant had already swept it, so Chaoyan asked them to sweep it again.

Furong was not convinced and said that she was not feeling well. Chaoyan asked her to go back to the room and lie down, and then asked someone to call a doctor to check on her.

Hongmei said she also had a headache, and specifically mentioned, "Maybe I accidentally caught a cold while serving His Highness last night."

Chao Yan said: "Then you guys should not come over these few days, so as not to pass the disease to His Highness."

The two were stunned for a moment, not expecting that they would end up making things worse.

"Go back and rest. I'll go tell Manager Wu." Chao Yan smiled again, "Are you guys pretending to be sick?"

The two of them denied it awkwardly and left.

After sending the two men away, Chao Yan stomped the ground hard, fixed his eyes on the house in front, and walked over angrily as if he was going to settle the score.

There were two people guarding the door, one looked to be in his early twenties, calm and capable, and the other looked to be fifteen or sixteen years old, serious.

Chaoyan thought that it might be a new guard. Just as she walked over, a sword was swung across her and blocked her way. The person who made the move was the stern young man.

"Fei Yu, don't be rude." The young man in his early twenties apologized to Chao Yan and asked her if she was Miss Xiao Lian. Chao Yan nodded.

"Your subordinate Qianfeng, Chief Steward Wu has already told you that Miss Xiaolian will come to have breakfast with His Highness. Please come in, Miss Xiaolian."

Qianfeng made a gesture of invitation. After Chaoyan walked in, she saw that Mu Tianling had not picked up his chopsticks, as if he was waiting for her to come and eat together. She did not complain to him for the time being.

After breakfast, Mu Tianling took Qianfeng and Feiyu out. Chaoyan sent them to the gate and asked Mu Tianling to bring her a few packets of flower seeds as she wanted to plant flowers in her own small yard.

After returning, Chaoyan asked Amber to tell Eunuch Wu that Hongmei and Furong were both sick and wanted to ask a doctor to take a look.

After the doctor came, Chaoyan took people to see the two of them. Hongmei and Furong didn't expect that Chaoyan really called a doctor, so even if they were not sick, they had to pretend to be sick.

After taking Hongmei's pulse, the doctor said that she was deficient in qi and blood, and needed to take good care of herself for a month or so. After taking Furong's pulse, the doctor said that she had liver qi stagnation, and also needed to take good care of herself for a month or so. He wrote a prescription for each of them. They were a little dumbfounded and regretted pretending to be sick.

After Chaoyan and the doctor left, Furong asked Hongmei what to do next. They couldn't really take the medicine for a month. Hongmei said, "Why not pour out the medicine quietly? We live in the mansion now. There are plenty of opportunities to see Her Highness. Don't quarrel with her first."

For the next two days, Chaoyan was loosening the soil and watering the plants in her own small yard, and Feicui and Amber helped her.

Mu Tianling asked Feiyu to bring her more than a dozen kinds of flower seeds. She mixed them together and sprinkled them randomly in the soft and moist soil. What they would look like when they grew depended on nature.

There are no flowers or trees planted in Mu Tianling's yard, only two green pines. Chao Yan said that she would give him some of her flowers when they grow up. Mu Tianling told her not to be too happy too soon because it was still uncertain whether they could bloom.

"If it blooms, Your Highness will double my monthly salary."

“What if it doesn’t bloom?”

"If it doesn't bloom, it won't grow."

"..."

That day, after Mu Tianling came back from the Jiuxingsi, he heard the sound of a piano when he passed by the garden. The sound sounded not far away. He looked over there and saw someone playing the piano and someone dancing in the pavilion.

Chaoyan also heard the sound of the piano. When she followed the sound, she just happened to see Mu Tianling walking into the pavilion.

The one playing the piano is the red plum, and the one dancing is the hibiscus.

After the piano music stopped, Mu Tianling asked Furong to leave first, leaving Hongmei to continue playing the piano for him.

Furong walked to a bush in the distance with a gloomy face, and took out her anger on the flowers in front of her, hitting and pulling them. When she raised her hand again, her wrist was grabbed by another hand.

Furong was startled, turned around and saw that it was Chao Yan, and her expression calmed down a little.

"Why are you venting your anger over these flowers? Didn't the doctor tell you to take good care of yourself? Why don't you rest inside?" Chao Yan said.

Furong said dissatisfiedly: "Hongmei is playing the piano for His Highness, why don't you go and talk to her, sister?"

"Wouldn't it be a disservice to His Highness if I went there now? You and Hongmei came into the mansion together. How come Hongmei is so pleasing to His Highness? Can't you learn from her and make His Highness happier to see you?" Chao Yan said.

Furong sneered, "Sister, you should worry more about yourself. They say that old is not as good as new. Maybe one day His Highness will get tired of you."

Chao Yan said, "I am different from you. I came out of the palace with His Highness. No matter what, I will be well fed and well dressed. Since His Highness does not need your service, you should go back and rest. Don't come out these few days." After that, she turned and left.

Furong clenched her hands in hatred, and her bright nails stained with balsam juice dug into the flesh.

At night, Furong dressed up and came to the study to bring midnight snacks to Mu Tianling, but was stopped at the door by Feiyu. Qianfeng said, "His Highness has ordered that no one is allowed to disturb you. Please go back, young lady."

The plan failed.

The next day, Eunuch Wu came again and gave Hongmei a pair of jade bracelets. Furong was also in the room.

"Your Highness liked the piece the young lady played yesterday. Your Highness picked it especially for you."

After Mr. Wu left, Furong snorted coldly and turned away. Hongmei caught up with her and wanted to give her a jade bracelet. Furong said, "Sister, what do you mean by this? Do you feel sorry for me and want to give me alms?"

Without waiting for Hongmei to speak, Furong coldly slapped her hand away, and the jade bracelet fell to the ground with a clang and broke into pieces.

Both of them were stunned for a moment. After they came to their senses, Furong still said coldly, "Sister, just wait and see. I will definitely win His Highness's heart." She stepped on the broken jade bracelet and left.

Hongmei was also unhappy. She had good intentions but was treated as a donkey's liver and lungs. She had no ability to please His Highness so why was he taking his anger out on her? She said she had won His Highness's heart. Did she really think that His Highness was so easy to fool and that he could bewitch her by just twisting around and flirting? If he fell, he shouldn't come and complain to her.

A rift also arose between the two.

After delivering the gifts, Eunuch Wu came to Mu Tianling. Chao Yan was also there, and they discussed the matter of Prime Minister Shang's birthday the day after tomorrow.

"I heard that the Prime Minister is fond of calligraphy and painting, so I have prepared a gift."

Mu Tianling said calmly: "They didn't send an invitation, so why bother trying to curry favor with them?"

Eunuch Wu said, "It wouldn't hurt for your Highness to go and take a look. You can also take this opportunity to make friends with some of the ministers in the court."

Mu Tianling played with the folding fan in his hand and didn't say whether he would go or not.

Chao Yan wanted to see what the Prime Minister's Mansion looked like. Maybe she would even have a chance to see Shang Qingrong, the Prime Minister's daughter who was ranked first on the Rouge List.

She is extremely beautiful and has a stunning appearance.

"If Your Highness doesn't want to go, then my uncle and I will go and deliver a gift."

Mu Tianling casually asked, "Want to climb up the social ladder behind my back?"

Chao Yan replied with an innocent smile: "How could your Highness think so? Your Highness is now a legitimate prince after all, and he has a big house to live in and a salary every month, which is considered a high position."

Mu Tianling said: "Whatever you call it, it counts."

Chao Yan kept an innocent smile on her face and pretended not to hear.

……