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Chu Lingxuan chuckled, “The vegetarian dishes you prepared are delicious, we just need some wine.” Anticipating that Fengyuan wouldn’t have good wine due to the absence of men, he instructed the steward Luo, “Go to Tangyuan and bring a few casks of Blue Flower Brew.”
Chen Feng, realizing that Luyuan had prepared a lot of meat, asked Shanzhi to bring some over. Because it was the busy farming season, most men were busy in the fields during the day, so Luyuan hosted guests in the evening, ensuring the men could eat and drink well.
Once settled inside, Summer served the tea. Only a few of the attendants serving the Chu family and Prince Li Zeyin came in, while the rest of the guards remained outside in the courtyard or at Tangyuan.
Chen Feng caught a glimpse of Prince Li Zeyin’s forced composure and felt particularly amused, knowing that inwardly, he was extremely uncomfortable.
Seeing that the Chu family and Prince Li Zeyin appeared to be in good spirits, Prince Li Zeyin addressed Chen Feng, “Miss Chen, I find the flowers in your garden particularly beautiful and would like to take another look.”
Chen Feng replied with a smile, “Please feel free.”
Prince Li Zeyin continued, “I have a fondness for gardening. If you have exquisite flowers, I’d like to purchase them. Rest assured, I will pay a high price.”
When did he take an interest in gardening? The Chu family members were utterly puzzled. If it turned out, the Chu Family would help Chen Feng politely, given his royal status. However, having initially harassed Chen Feng and then tactlessly tagged along, causing Abbess Liao Chen not to join, they continued their conversation, pretending not to have heard.
The prince went outside, followed by a young eunuch. They approached the Tricolor Ball and, after a while, the eunuch quietly informed Chen Feng, “His Highness is asking you to come out for a moment. He seems to have taken a liking to a pot of flowers.”
Chen Feng then went to the courtyard.
The prince casually pointed at the Tricolor Ball, saying, “This flower is stunning, and its fragrance is intense. I have never seen it before.”
Chen Feng smiled, “Your Highness has a discerning eye. I bought this flower at a high price a few days ago. A hunter found it while deep in the mountains, and brought it out by chance. It’s said to resemble a rare medicinal herb, even more elusive than a millennium ginseng. I plan to take it to the medical hall tomorrow for the doctors to examine.”
The Prince’s mouth twitched, hastily denying, “A flower that looks this beautiful and smells this fragrant cannot possibly be medicinal. Impossible! This flower has truly captured my heart. Miss Chen, could you bear to part with it?”
Chen Feng hesitated, “If Your Highness takes a liking to this flower, it’s its good fortune. However, I only have this one pot, and indeed, even in our entire Sanqing County, we cannot find a second one. Your Highness, please see if there are other flowers you like. I won’t take a single coin, I’d like to gift it to Your Highness.”
The Prince wanted to shout, “If you don’t give it to me, I’ll take it!” But seeing the main hall, with the Chu family ancestors and grandchildren, and the Princess of Changhua, he didn’t dare to forcibly seize it, not wanting to attract their attention.
He wanted to swiftly settle the deal and decided to dazzle Chen Feng with a large sum of money. He whispered, “I truly adore this pot of flowers and wish to take it back to the capital to enjoy every day. I offer 5,000 taels of silver. How about it? As far as I know, even the most expensive orchids don’t command this price.”
Chen Feng didn’t expect such a large sum from him, but seeing how urgent he was, she didn’t want to haggle further. After all, he was a prince, and it would be beneficial to have a good relationship with him.
Reluctantly, she said, “Since Your Highness is so fond of it, I can’t bear to part with it. Oh!” she sighed, feigning great distress.
Seeing Chen Feng’s agreement, the Prince became ecstatic, fearing she might change her mind about selling. He gestured to the young eunuch, “Bring the silver.”
The young eunuch quickly took out a purse from his pocket and handed over a few banknotes. The Prince then handed the banknotes to Chen Feng and instructed the eunuch, “Quickly, take this flower to my carriage. Be careful, and if anything happens to it, your life is at stake.”
The young eunuch agreed and carefully carried the flower outside.
Chen Feng took a look at the banknotes, five of them, each worth a thousand taels. She happily tucked them into her purse with a satisfied smile.
Finally, with the flower taken outside by the eunuch, the Prince breathed a sigh of relief. The flower was now his, and he could finally rise to the occasion.
It had been a year, a whole year, and this hidden ailment had brought him unbearable shame and frustration, even leading him to question life itself. But now, it was over!
The Prince leisurely fanned himself with his folding fan, giving a smile to Chen Feng, a smile even brighter than the sunshine in the sky. His appearance now resembled the joy of Dabao.
Chen Feng shuddered at the thought that this man might be Dabao’s biological father, which would be truly distressing.
The two of them returned inside. The Chu family members were astonished to hear that Prince Li Zeyin had spent five thousand taels of silver on a single flower.
The Prince remarked, “A priceless treasure is something you hold dear in your heart. I’m willing to spend even more silver for something I like.”
Third Madam Chu inquired about the highly priced flower and expressed a desire to see it.
The Prince declined, stating, “I’ve already had it loaded onto the carriage.”
Third Madam Chu suggested, “Well, it can be brought back here after being loaded.”
The Prince added, “Let’s keep it a surprise. Once we return to the capital, I will host a special flower-viewing banquet and invite the princess over to enjoy it.”
Internally, Chen Feng thought, “By the time we get back to the capital, what will be left of that flower?” She kept the thought to herself, maintaining professional integrity by keeping the client’s secrets.
Soon, Mrs. Zeng and the staff brought out the midday meal. In the main hall, the Prince, Old Marquis Chu, and Chu Lingxuan dined, while in the side room, Chen Feng accompanied Third Madam Chu for the meal. The children and the pets’ caretaker had their meal in the western wing.
Third Madam Chu suggested moving their meal to the western wing to join the children.
Despite being primarily vegetarian, the seasoned dishes were delicious. Additionally, each dish was garnished with flowers, some with fruits and fresh flowers, and others with carved mini pumpkins or cucumbers.
Third Madam Chu praised, “No wonder Xuan praises Miss Feng resourcefulness, it’s truly remarkable. These exquisite dishes, I almost can’t bear to eat them.”
The most popular dish was the mini cucumber. Chen Feng had brought the cucumber seeds from the space a few days ago. They hadn’t fully grown yet, only about a dozen centimeters long. They were crunchy and fragrant when dipped in sesame sauce. If eaten without the sauce, they were crisp and tender. Chen Feng had given them a name, Fruit Cucumber.
These cucumbers were grown in small clusters at the walls behind Fengyuan and Luyuan, solely for the family’s consumption.
The Prince, however, was not as content with the meal as the rest of the Chu family. His thoughts were entirely focused on the Tricolor Ball. Finally, after finishing the meal, he said, “I suddenly remembered there’s another excellent spot at the Honglin Mountain that I haven’t visited. I’d like to go and explore it now. I must take my leave.”