Chapter 394: The Winter Night Flower Edict
The next morning, before Mengxian Tower, carriages and horses bustled with noise. Ji Hongyi, in a magnificent brocade robe with a white jade folding fan at his waist, swaggered into the tower.
Boss Zhou was already waiting at the entrance with a host of stewards and runners. Seeing Ji Hongyi arrive, he hurriedly bowed with a flattering smile. "Young Master Ji, you've come! The land deed is ready, please review it!"
Ji Hongyi took the deed, glanced at it casually, and the corners of his lips lifted. "Minister Xu is indeed efficient."
Boss Zhou wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes! Minister Xu gave special instructions that Mengxian Tower is now entirely at Young Master Ji's discretion!"
Ji Hongyi chuckled softly, tucked the deed into his sleeve, and glanced around. "Everything remains as it was. Continue with your duties as usual."
The crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief and responded in unison before retreating.
Ji Hongyi went upstairs and pushed open Lin Wan's door.
Lin Wan was leaning by the window, looking out at the scenery. Seeing Ji Hongyi enter, she raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Settled it?"
Ji Hongyi lazily leaned back onto a couch.
Lin Wan understood. "And what's next?"
Ji Hongyi narrowed her eyes and teased playfully, "Naturally, to redeem someone first."
...
Bai Li was in her room, speaking quietly with Qing Dai, when the door was suddenly pushed open by a maid who hurried in, her face beaming with joy. "Miss Bai! Great news! Young Master Ji has redeemed you!"
Bai Li froze, and the embroidered silk handkerchief in her hand slipped to the floor.
"Rede... redeemed?" Her voice trembled, and she could scarcely believe her ears.
Qing Dai excitedly grabbed her hands. "Miss! We're free!"
Bai Li's eyes reddened slightly. It took her a moment to collect herself before she quickly asked, "Where is Young Master Ji now?"
Qing Dai hesitated, "He's on the third floor... Miss Lin's room."
Bai Li took a deep breath, straightened her dress, and had Qing Dai help fix her hair bun before hurrying out.
Soon, she reached the third floor. It seemed everyone there had already heard about her redemption, their gazes a mix of envy and jealousy.
Especially when they learned that her redeemer was not only the new boss of Mengxian Tower but also a handsome young master.
However, when they learned she was heading to Miss Lin's room on the third floor, someone immediately pointed her out with a schadenfreude smile.
In her excitement, Bai Li paid no mind to their gazes. She went straight to the most lavish room and gently knocked on the door.
Almost immediately, she heard a lazy "Enter" from within.
Bai Li pushed the door open and saw Ji Hongyi leaning on a couch, toying with a folding fan. Seeing her enter, the corners of her lips lifted. "Miss Bai?"
Bai Li's cheeks flushed slightly as she lowered her eyes in deference and performed a slight bow. "Young Master Ji's grace is boundless; Bai Li can never repay it..."
Her voice was soft, tinged with a hint of shyness, and when she looked up at Ji Hongyi, her eyes were filled with admiration.
However, just then, from the corner of her eye, she caught sight of another person by the window— Lin Wan.
Bai Li's heart skipped a beat, and she instantly grew uneasy.
Only then did she recall the rumors she'd heard yesterday and the schadenfreude looks from the people just now.
But unexpectedly, the scene of jealous rivalry she had imagined did not unfold. Lin Wan had a faint, knowing smile, and at some point, a lustrous stone had inexplicably appeared in her hand. A single, dark hole on it seemed to be pointed in Bai Li's direction.
What was that?
Bai Li's fingers tightened slightly, and she didn't know how to act.
But Ji Hongyi seemed oblivious to her distress, still speaking lazily, "Miss Bai, there's no need for such formality. It was but a small effort."
Bai Li managed a weak smile and said softly, "Regardless, Bai Li will remember this kindness."
Lin Wan watched her with a smile.
Bai Li's heart tightened, and she had an inexplicable feeling that the stone was hiding some secret...
...
After Bai Li left, the door closed softly. Lin Wan flicked her finger, and the lustrous Image Recording Stone fell into her palm. She looked at Ji Hongyi with a knowing smile. "It seems that girl has fallen head over heels for you, 'Young Master Ji'."
Ji Hongyi leaned lazily on the couch. Hearing this, she chuckled softly and with a flick of her wrist, her folding fan "shua" opened. The ink-wash mountains on the fanface seemed to come alive and flow as her wrist turned. She suddenly leaned forward, the fan's bone gently lifting Lin Wan's chin. "And what about Miss Lin, the top courtesan? Have you also fallen for me?"
Lin Wan's eyes flicked sideways, and a flash of spiritual energy sparked from her fingertip. The Image Recording Stone immediately projected the scene of Bai Li's shyness and timidity from before. A phantom image floated in the air, vivid and lifelike. She feigned a sigh. "What a pity. The recording is proof. Young Master Ji, you're so generous with your affections. This top courtesan doesn't dare to take you seriously."
"Oh?" Ji Hongyi closed the fan, suddenly pulling Lin Wan by the waist down onto the couch.
Their eyes met, and they both burst out laughing at the same time.
...
When they were done playing, the two stood side by side at the formation's core on the top floor of Mengxian Tower.
From Ji Hongyi's sleeve, twelve jade talismans flew out, embedding themselves precisely into the grooves carved into the floor. Lin Wan, meanwhile, extended a finger and sliced through the void. A wisp of divine consciousness, like a silken thread, wrapped around the bronze ancient mirror at the heart of the formation.
"Listening Wind Formation, activate." Ji Hongyi flicked a finger, and the jade talismans glowed with a faint light in unison.
The sounds of the entire brothel surged in like a tide— In a third-floor private room, a drunken merchant was boasting about his caravan opening a new trade route to the Western Regions; in the backyard kitchen, a cook was chopping meat while complaining that the owner was skimping on their wages; in a side room, a new musician was secretly practicing a discordant pipa tune...
For the entire day, the two listened to a full day of trivialities. Ji Hongyi idly stroked the mirror's surface. "Gambling and credit, wives and concubines fighting, the owner cooking the books... This Mengxian Tower is truly full of the bustling life of the mortal world."
Lin Wen tapped the edge of the mirror with her fingertip and laughed. "If Zhulong truly hid his obsession in such trivial matters, it would certainly be a unique approach."
"Haste makes waste." Ji Hongyi stretched, her sleeve slipping down to reveal a section of her snow-white wrist. "Human obsessions are often hidden in the most unnoticeable corners."
Lin Wan nodded. Just then, the sound of a watchman's clappers came from outside the window.
A snowflake landed on the windowsill.
It was snowing.
...
Meanwhile—
Chang'an City.
Inside Daming Palace.
The palace was brightly lit, its golden and jade halls appearing even more majestic against the snowy landscape.
Empress Wu Zhao sat high upon the Dragon Throne, her golden crown and pearl curtains shimmering in the candlelight. Inside the hall, music played softly, and officials on both side toasted her, a chorus of praise for her rule never ceasing.
"Your Majesty rules with wisdom and might, shaking the four seas. Today, the realm is peaceful, and the people live and work in contentment. This is a sign of a golden age!" Prime Minister Xu Jingzong bowed, his face full of a flattering smile, with no trace of the dishevelment from the previous night.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Auspicious snows foretell a bountiful year. Next year's harvest will surely be abundant, and the nation will be peaceful and prosperous!" another minister quickly chimed in.
Wu Zhao's lips curved slightly, a flicker of pride in her eyes.
When she ascended the throne, many in the realm refused to submit. But now, the Great Tang was prosperous, and the four seas had submitted. How could she not be proud?
She picked up a golden goblet and took a light sip of the tribute wine from the Western Regions. "My esteemed ministers, the evening is beautiful. Let us all drink a toast together!"
"We toast to Your Majesty!" the officials responded in unison, raising their cups.
After three rounds of wine, Wu Zhao was in high spirits. Looking at the withered flowers in the imperial garden, she sighed with emotion. "Such a fine evening, yet there are no hundred flowers to complement it. What a pity, what a pity."
Ah, it was the height of winter, and it was snowing. How could there be any flowers in bloom? Your Majesty must be drunk.
Her remark came so suddenly that while the officials were inwardly complaining, they were also wondering how to respond. They saw her already rise abruptly, walk to a desk, pick up a brush, dip it in ink, and write with flourish:
"Tomorrow I will tour the upper garden, And swiftly report the coming of spring to the flowers. The blossoms must bloom through the night, Do not wait for the morning wind to blow."
Finished, she handed the poem scroll to a palace maid beside her and instructed, "Take this scroll and burn it, to inform the Flower God."
The palace maid was startled for a moment, then respectfully accepted it and replied in a low voice, "This servant obeys the order."
She then hurried away.
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