The Enchanting Imperial Concubine

Chapter 124 - A Splendid Display of Flowers

Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, another rain fell.

Although it was heavy, it stopped by nightfall, and the next day, the heat of summer subsided considerably.

Standing under the veranda, Ye Yun fanned herself with a round fan, feeling quite pleased.

"If I hadn't been to Lingxi Garden, I might still be able to bear the summer in the palace. But now, after a rain, it's finally cooler."

Nanzhi, who had fully recovered from her illness, was also attending to her. She came out carrying a cup of warm water.

"Jieyu, don't be reckless with the cool air. Catching a summer cold is the most uncomfortable. The sun hasn't come out yet, and the wind is still damp—it can easily make one sick."

"I know," Ye Yun smiled as she took the tea cup and drank half of it. "Set out my brush and ink. Didn't the Emperor gift me some pigments last year that I haven't used up yet? Today, I'll paint something."

This year, they had planted a large patch of roses in the corner of the courtyard. These flowers had a long blooming period and could blossom all the way into September. Now, they were in full bloom.

It would be a shame not to paint them since they were so beautiful.

Speaking of which, these flowers had been planted on Ning Chen's orders, perhaps inspired by that painting of a tiger sniffing roses. The man seemed to think she liked roses.

Bai Zhu directed two young eunuchs to move out a table and set up the brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, and Ye Yun picked up her brush.

In about half an hour, a painting of roses was finished.

She added a few lines of poetry: "The crystal curtain stirs as the breeze rises, the fragrance of roses fills the courtyard."

She signed it: Qingqing.

After putting down her brush, Ye Yun clapped her hands in satisfaction, raising her eyebrows slightly. "Let it dry, then roll it up and send it to the Emperor. Tell him that there are only roses in the courtyard, so I could only paint roses for him."

Bai Zhu chuckled and immediately bowed. "Understood, Jieyu, you can rest assured."

In less than half an hour, the painting had already been placed on Ning Chen's desk.

When Ning Chen saw the signature, a slight smile unconsciously tugged at the corner of his mouth. His phoenix eyes narrowed gently as he toyed with the jade ring on his finger, as lazy as a Persian cat.

"Look at this woman—pretending to send me a painting, but what she really wants is for me to send her flowers."

"Hehe, Your Majesty, the epiphyllum is blooming now, as well as peace lilies, lilies, pearl plum, and asters. Should we send a couple of pots to Yuxiu Pavilion?" Yuan Jiu suggested with a grin.

Ning Chen raised an eyebrow. "Since she likes a splendid display of flowers, let the flower house send some over. It doesn't matter what kind of flowers they are, as long as she likes them. The epiphyllum is rare, so send two pots to her palace."

Yuan Jiu acknowledged the order and quickly gave instructions.

Before long, the head of the flower house personally led a team, hauling several pots of flowers on flatbeds toward Yuxiu Pavilion.

"Oh my, so many! I shouldn't have said that to the Emperor. Now I'll be painting until my hands ache," Ye Yun said with a smile, fanning herself with her beauty fan.

The flower house steward quickly bowed with a smile. "The Emperor favors Jieyu. He specially ordered us to select the finest flowers for you. Look at this cart—if there's anything you like, we'll bring more for you. But the epiphyllum is rare, so there are only two pots."