Chapter 021: The So-Called Crazy Family
"Twenty plum trees, handled properly according to the grafting method described by Miss Wan."
Old Zhong stood at the kitchen door, just interrupting Yuniang's topic.
He didn't dare to enter, his feet were muddy, and his whole body was covered in fallen plum blossoms and soil. He said in a steady voice with a hint of surprise:
"It won't be long before the Wang Manor will also have beautiful plum blossoms in bloom."
The system clicked its tongue, the timing couldn't be worse.
Yuniang was also very dissatisfied: "Zhong, someone is talking to Little Wan about important matters! How could you just come in?"
Zhong had a thin skin, and upon hearing this, his weathered face showed a guilty expression as he apologized: "I was just focused on planting and didn't hear the conversation inside."
Yuniang looked at her husband with a helpless yet scolding gaze, and as she picked up the dishes, she said, "Speak, what are you coming to the kitchen for?"
"'Qingjiafengzhi' hasn't been watered."
Wei Wanlan hurriedly explained: "Uncle Zhong, in the flower garden, I... have already watered everything."
Although she didn't know what was going on, she still felt very uneasy.
Yuniang smiled and said, "Little fool, that's not the flowers in the flower garden, that's the potted plant that Dowager Rong loved the most when she was alive. It's now placed in the study of the Prince, a plum tree about three or four feet tall."
Qingjiafengzhi, with its proud and unyielding spirit.
"Even the potted plant has a name?" Wei Wanlan was amazed.
Yuniang explained, "Yes, Dowager Rong came from a prestigious family and loved elegance. Her flowers were called Qingjiafengzhi, her paintings were called Changtinglaiwan, and her calligraphy was called Wanlichoutan... When the late General Su courted the Dowager those two years, he wrote a poem a day and used up three pens before he finally brought her home as his wife."
Yuniang laughed heartily, and Zhong couldn't help but smile too. It seemed this was a well-known story in the Su family.
Wei Wanlan was at a loss for words.
He had already learned from the librarian that the Regent, his father, was a model of being feared by his subordinates. It seems he has collected another new story today.
Wei Wanlan also started to laugh.
How come the Regent didn't follow in his father's footsteps?
If he could have half the qualities of General Su, he wouldn't have to stare at the throne every day.
If he could spare some leisure time, not come after me anymore, find a wife and have a child, go accompany the beautiful Princess, take the child for a stroll, achieve both career and love - wouldn't that be a satisfying life?
He must be too impoverished in his spiritual life, living in pure political intrigue without any emotional storyline.
Yuniang then said, "I'm all dirty with oil, I'm afraid I can't enter the Prince's study. Old Zhong is covered in mud and water, it's also not convenient for him to go in. Little Wan, since the Prince is not in the manor, you go and water it, okay?"
【Agree.】
"But is that a place I can enter?" Wei Wanlan asked.
Yuniang replied, "The Prince's political affairs have never been piled up. Even if he brings back more folios, he must finish reading them. There aren't many things in the study, and there's nothing confidential."
——He's so diligent!
——It's just like an exemplary student who never procrastinates on his homework!
The system was still pouring oil on the fire: 【Learn from him, you must be diligent in the future as well.】
Uwuwuw, I can't learn...
Wei Wanlan picked up the small watering can, and couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive about life after eliminating the Regent. Killing the diligent king to become the new diligent king, it's just, just a bit frightening for him.
"Wait a moment." Old Zhong's voice suddenly sounded from behind.
Wei Wanlan's ears perked up, and he couldn't help but bite his lower lip. Has he not revealed any flaws this time?
"What else does Uncle Zhong have?" he turned around.
Zhong looked at Wei Wanlan, his eyes widened, and a few wrinkles on his forehead protruded:
"You don't use the iron watering can, you should use a willow branch to draw clean water, and gently sprinkle it over Qingjiafengzhi. You have to be patient and sprinkle drop by drop. And you can't be in a hurry when you're sprinkling, you have to wait until the water has completely soaked into the soil before continuing."
This is too complicated, Wei Wanlan clicked his tongue, and couldn't help but have a deeper understanding of this slow-paced ancient times.
Zhong calmly said, "This is the habit that the Dowager cultivated in caring for it, and this is also the Dowager's beloved flower, she liked it very much."
Yuniang: "There was once when General Su took a water scoop and just poured it directly into the flower pot, and then placed the pot in the courtyard, letting it sun with the five military dogs and the big cabbage in the yard. As a result, when the Dowager saw it, she directly took the Prince back to her maiden family."
"Okay, okay, I understand."
Interesting parental love story.
General Su and Dowager Rong, they were probably a scholarly and elegant lady of the manor, accidentally married a war-crazed general?
***
In the afternoon, in Su Jingzhi's study.
Wei Wanlan pushed open a crack in the door, and the warm orange afternoon sunlight shone into the room. As soon as he entered the study, there was a desk, and the nose caught the elegant wooden fragrance mixed with the cold fragrance of plum blossoms.
The yellow wax plum blossoms blooming quietly at the corner of Su Jingzhi's desk were the "Qingjiafengzhi" relic of his mother.
Last time Wei Wanlan came to the Wang Manor to deliver some pastries, he was nervous and didn't pay attention to observing this wax plum tree. At that time, Qingjiafengzhi was not in bloom either.
Now he has time, he can leisurely observe the furnishings of the study and this wax plum tree:
He saw that the branches and trunks of the wax plum tree were vigorous, the plum branches were slightly outward inclined like an umbrella, and the petals were all shimmering golden, like a layer of scattered gold on the potted soil.
The purple sand flower pot was engraved with small characters, these complex characters were not difficult for Wei Wanlan to understand:
—— Jade bone that dispels the miasma, ice form has its own immortal wind.
Qingjiafengzhi.
Wei Wanlan took a deep breath, it smells good, a good flower.
The clean bottle in his hand shook slightly.
The Regent is not here, the fragrance in the room is lush, this revisiting of the familiar place makes him much more relaxed.
He dipped the willow branch in water and dripped it on the flower pot, a few crystal-like water droplets dripped down, the freshness of the willow branch moisturized the wax plum petals, and the water droplets gradually flowed down the brown-black branches into the root soil, making a faint sizzling sound.
With the sunlight shining on it, the plum tree became even more elegant.
The system heard the sound of dripping water, and then heard Wei Wanlan greedily take a deep breath: 【You should like this potted plant, kill Su Jingzhi, and move it back to the imperial palace.】
"Killing someone's son and taking away his mother's beloved flower, if the plum tree has a spirit, it will poison me to death."
The system snorted.
【History is written by the victors. How many people has Su Jingzhi killed? If all things have spirits, he would have died a thousand times over.】
What it said made sense, Wei Wanlan was a bit speechless.
The flowers are watered.
The water droplets trickle down the bottle body.
Wei Wanlan took a last admiring look at the graceful "Qingjiafengzhi", put away the clean bottle, and at this time he noticed a black-brown spot the size of a bean on the bark near the root, which was not very obvious because it was covered by the flowers.
He calmed down and took a closer look: "System, there are black spots on the branches, is the flower infested with insects?"
【Who knows. It's beyond my professional scope.】
What political drama book would talk about flower cultivation? That's more of an agricultural novel thing!
"Didn't you even look up at the beautiful plum?"
【I was afraid you'd screw up. Don't mind the trivial matters, if the flower dies, it dies. Just treat it as Su Jingzhi's time has come.】
"Oh." Wei Wanlan didn't dare to say anything else. Previously, he and the system had disagreed, like that time in Tianluge, he went with his own method and almost got killed by Su Jingzhi, "Then let's go."
【Can't stand it, just pick it off.】 The system said.
"Pick off the flower?"
【That spot! 】 The system got impatient, 【How hard is it to cater to your emotions?】
404 had to get along with the host for a long time after all, and knew the host had a soft heart.
Ultimately, the details that don't impede the bigger picture, as long as the moldy patch is picked off, the branch won't rot, and the flower can live a little longer.
"Oh, oh, okay..."
Can't provoke the irritable system, this system has become more and more bad-tempered since it's been bound to him.
Wei Wanlan followed the instructions again, his nails embedded in the branches of the wax plum potted plant, feeling foreign objects caught in the crevices, gradually picking off the rotten patch on the plum tree trunk.
This little task didn't take much time, and he was eager to retreat.
Hearing Wei Wanlan's hurried footsteps, the system thought the host had made progress this time, not wasting the effort it had painstakingly cultivated him.
"Bring the thing inside. Careful."
——Who?
After leaving the study, in the corridor outside, Wei Wanlan's sharp ears caught a familiar and self-assured voice from not far away.
Along with this voice came the steady footsteps of four or five people wearing military boots:
"Go slowly, these are important documents for the entire Great Wei, concerning the handling of national affairs. We can't afford any damage or loss."
——It's Deputy General Tang!
This person may look friendly on the surface, but he would be willing to call himself the Regent's number one hound and lackey.
With a word from the Regent, he can shatter Wei Wanlan's skull and present it to the Regent as a wine cup.
In a short time, Wei Wanlan made a series of judgments. If he rushed out now, even if he was dressed as a woman, he might not be able to escape the eyes of Deputy General Tang.
Tan has met him too many times.
"After you get inside, don't touch anything, especially the big boss's beloved flower. This 'crazy family' thing, we don't quite understand it either, but anyway the big boss hasn't been in a good mood lately, don't provoke him."
!!!
Tan is getting closer and closer.
The ones carrying the boxes are also getting closer and closer to him.
Wei Wanlan's head buzzed, and he ran back into the study.
QAQQAQQAQ Save me, save me...
The door opened.
Tan and the others entered.
The wooden box crossed the threshold, heavily hitting the desk in front of the Regent, the bottom of the box and the floor making a thud.
Wei Wanlan was crouching under the desk, hidden by the half-drooping tablecloth, hugging his knees and not daring to move even a bit.
He held his breath extremely softly and lightly, afraid that Tan and these experts would locate him by sound.
It's so uncomfortable.
His lungs are about to explode.
Wei Wanlan covered his mouth, puffing out his cheeks, the suffocating feeling made him dizzy, with stars flickering in front of his eyes.
Tan, hurry up and put down the thing, and hurry up and leave, hurry up and leave…
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