Lü Fang stared in awe at the multi-grafted peonies before him. The Danfeng white rootstocks were lush and thriving. Two plants were grafted with Zhao Pink, Bai Jade, Luoyang Red, and Two Beauties; two others with Golden Pink, Lotus-like, Red Lotus, and Yellow Flower Champion. The inch-wide buds were full and bursting with color, revealing delicate pink, flawless white, eye-catching red, charming light red, deep red, and dazzling yellow. One could imagine how breathtakingly beautiful they would be in full bloom.
Though Lü Fang had seen and even grafted multi-variety peonies before, he had never achieved such a diverse range of thriving varieties, seamlessly grafted and blooming simultaneously. He felt like crying. Almost tearfully, he pointed to some nearby peonies with smaller buds and asked tremblingly, “Are these also…?”
Mudan nodded, “These are mid to late-blooming varieties.”
One plant used Luoyang Red as rootstock, grafted with mid-blooming Hu Red, Lantian Jade, and Yao Yellow. Another was grafted with late-blooming Kunshan Night Light, Purple Scarf, and Silver-Powdered Gold Scale. Yet another had Green Bean, Purple Cloud Immortal, and Prosperous Dan Furnace – all late-blooming varieties. “Early, mid, and late-blooming varieties will provide flowers for viewing over a month.”
“Ah, ah, ah, this is truly ingenious. Why didn’t I ever think of this?” Lü Fang exclaimed excitedly, circling the plants repeatedly, bending to examine them closely, alternating between joy and dejection, gradually becoming entranced.
Amused, Mudan retreated with Gardener Li to drink tea in the shade, leaving Lü Fang to his reverie. Yuhe approached and whispered, “Someone outside wants to rent the entire garden. They seem to be from an important household.”
“Didn’t they see the sign at the entrance?” Mudan wondered. Although Fang Garden wasn’t officially open yet, some girls she had met during Li Manniang’s move had rented it in early spring for a party.
She had arranged a free visit for them, taking them on a boat ride along the peach and plum groves by the stream, viewing peach blossoms in the water and falling plum petals. Zhou Baniang’s excellent home-style cooking had delighted the noble young ladies. Later, Xue Niang had brought some close sisters for a visit. After the peach and plum blossoms faded, the garden’s other flowers weren’t yet impressive enough for viewing. With the peonies entering a crucial stage and fearing sabotage, Mudan had politely declined visitors, planning to officially open after making a splash at the Mudan Festival.
To avoid constant refusals, she had posted a sign stating the garden wasn’t ready for guests due to insufficient blooms. This had effectively stopped inquiries. She was surprised someone had come today, especially someone of apparent importance.
Yuhe frowned, “They seem to be a steward from a noble house, very imposing. They insist on renting the entire garden and have been arguing with Guizi for a while. Now they’re demanding to see you.”
Mudan furrowed her brow, “I’ll go see.”
Suddenly, Lü Fang turned and smiled, “I’ll go too.”
Mudan raised an eyebrow; he was becoming increasingly meddlesome.
Lü Fang smiled innocently, “We have similar gardens in Luoyang and often deal with such customers. I have experience. Let me try. If I can successfully send them away, consider it my atonement for seeing your flowers.”
After a moment’s thought, Mudan gestured for him to proceed. Lü Fang didn’t hesitate, taking the lead.
Yuhe, disapproving, whispered to Mudan, “Miss, what’s he up to? He’s acting like he owns the place.”
Mudan whispered back, “Let’s see what he does.” She hurried after him, noticing Lü Fang’s unexpectedly serious expression. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought of Cao Wanrong. With the Mudan Festival approaching, it was time for him to cause trouble after staying quiet for so long. While Lü Fang might genuinely want to see her multi-grafted peonies, he might also know something he couldn’t tell her directly, choosing this method instead.
In the main hall sat a middle-aged man in a blue patterned silk spring robe, black gauze hat, and leather boots. His well-groomed mustache and sleek appearance exuded arrogance. Seeing Mudan and Lü Fang enter, he glanced at Lü Fang with surprise before directly addressing Mudan, “Young lady, are you the owner here?”
“I am. May I ask who you are?” Mudan smiled, taking the host’s seat. She thought to herself: In this social context, people usually assume the man leading is the owner and address him first. But this mustached man bypassed Lü Fang and spoke to her directly, suggesting he was well-informed.
The mustached man arrogantly replied, “My name is Zou, steward of Prince Min’s mansion.”
Mudan’s expression grew serious and tense, “Steward Zou, your visit is an honor. What brings you here?”
Hearing her respectful tone, Zou’s expression softened slightly, “I bring good news. His Highness has heard that Fang Garden was designed by Monk Fuyuan, features countless rare stones from Yuan Shijiu, and boasts a hundred varieties of famous peonies and tree peonies. He’s quite intrigued. With the peonies about to bloom, he plans to come to appreciate them with his friends. If you accommodate them well, the reward will be generous.” He spoke as if certain Mudan wouldn’t or couldn’t refuse, placing a gold ingot on the table. “This is the deposit.”
“So much?” Mudan gasped. Though gold and silver weren’t commonly circulated, their value remained. This ingot was worth at least five taels, far more than a day or two’s rent. She might have managed a short rental if unavoidable, but this seemed more complicated.
Zou laughed heartily, “This ingot is a full six taels, for a ten-day rental from the 19th to the 29th of the third month. Don’t think it’s too much; if the nobles are pleased, there will be more generous rewards.”
This would prevent her from participating in the Mudan Festival. It seemed someone might have deliberately used Prince Min’s name to sabotage her plans. Mudan smiled, gently pushing the gold ingot back to Zou, “I’m sorry. You must have seen the sign at the entrance. Fang Garden is newly established, and the plants are still sparse. We wouldn’t want to disappoint such esteemed guests…”
Before she could finish, Zou’s expression darkened, about to erupt. Lü Fang quickly stepped forward, firmly grasping Zou’s shoulder, smiling, “Steward Zou, it is you! I thought I recognized you, but my eyesight isn’t great. I’ve been trying to place you this whole time!” Ignoring whether Zou wanted to engage, he kept a tight hold on him, making small talk and asking Mudan to bring wine and food to entertain Zou.
Unable to fathom Lü Fang’s intentions, Mudan went along with it, asking Zhou Baniang to prepare a fine meal. When she returned, she found Lü Fang had somehow charmed Zou into smiling broadly. Increasingly certain something was amiss, Mudan offered a toast, had Guizi attend to them, and excused herself.
Seeing her leave, Lü Fang sent Guizi away and whispered to Zou, “Cao Wanrong’s plan is too obvious. Prince Min will be judging peonies then, how could he have time to visit this garden? She’ll immediately realize she’s been tricked. She’s no pushover; if she makes a fuss, all will be lost. She trusts me especially, and I’ve already seen the flowers. Let me handle everything; I guarantee it will be done discreetly and successfully. You just wait to collect your payment.”
Zou replied, “I must fulfill my duty to those who entrusted me. I can’t abandon it midway.”
Lü Fang frowned, “What? Don’t you trust me? The goal is to have my family’s peonies crowned as the Flower King, which they deserve. Why would I sabotage that?”
Seeing Lü Fang’s insight, Zou relaxed and smiled, “They said you were pedantic and wanted to keep you in the dark. But you seem quite perceptive. I’ll leave it to you then.” Hearing footsteps outside, they exchanged knowing glances, resumed drinking, and changed the subject.
Meanwhile, Mudan waited for about half an hour before Guizi reported, “Young Master Lü asked for ten bolts of colored silk to give to Steward Zou. They were speaking very softly, I couldn’t hear much. But I heard them mention peonies several times.”
Yuhe nervously asked, “What are they up to? Could they be plotting against you together?”
After a moment of silence, Mudan said firmly, “Give it to him.”
Half an hour later, as the gathering dispersed, Mudan went to see them off. The half-drunk Zou watched Fang Garden’s servants load his carriage while telling Mudan, “Since Miss He has matters to attend to, I’ll inform His Highness we’ll discuss this again after the Mudan Festival.”
Mudan thanked him, “I hope Steward Zou will continue to support Fang Garden’s business in the future.”
Zou pointed at Lü Fang, “With Young Master Lü overseeing things, I’m sure you’ll win the Mudan Festival.” He then hiccupped and climbed into his carriage.
Lü Fang looked somewhat embarrassed and began to explain, “I…”
“No need to explain,” Mudan cut him off, bowing formally, “Thank you for your help today.”
Lü Fang was momentarily stunned, then his expression relaxed as he laughed heartily, “Seventh Young Master truly understands me.” Without further explanation, he strode back into the garden, “Let me see how your other flowers are doing.” Noticing the lush irises, he borrowed scissors from a young gardener, “Actually, I have another hobby – growing irises.” As he spoke, he swiftly trimmed the irises, soon creating a lifelike elephant before Mudan.
Delighted, Mudan exclaimed, “You’re so skilled! It’s amazing. I’m glad it wasn’t trampled, or I would have missed this. What else can you make? Show me more.”
Lü Fang just smiled, “I can make whatever you like. What would you like to see?”
Suddenly, a voice called from behind, “Danniang.” It was Jiang Changyang, whom she hadn’t seen for days.