The once lush and vibrant nursery garden now lay silent, permeated by an atmosphere of death. Mudan walked silently along the narrow paths, stopping every few steps to examine the diseased peonies, pruned to bare stems. Her heart was heavy with sorrow, mixed with an indescribable resentment and anger.

According to Shun Hou’er’s investigation, there had been no private interactions between Lü Chun or Lü Fang and Cao Wanrong. Lü Fang had remained at home, while Lü Chun was still ill, but no medicine residue was found in their discarded trash. This year’s unusual climate caused peony diseases not only in Fang Garden but also in various temples, monasteries, and flower farms. Even Cao’s garden had recently burned a batch of peony branches and leaves, though none were as severely affected as Fang Garden.

Zhou Banian’s inquiries revealed no strangers lurking around Fang Garden recently; all visitors were familiar faces or known individuals. Otherwise, the villagers would have reported it, as evidenced by the incident with Lü Fang and his servant.

Mudan naturally disbelieved any talk of malevolent feng shui and couldn’t fathom how such a severe outbreak could occur under her supervision, Lü Fang’s watchfulness, and Li Huajiang’s management. External factors must be at play. Her brow furrowed deeper as she walked.

Suddenly, she stopped, her eyes widening as she surveyed the area. Standing in the center of the nursery, she could see that the most severely affected peonies formed a radial pattern with her at its center, resembling two diagonal crosses intersecting. The peonies and peonies along these eight axial lines were the most severely diseased, acting like a source spreading the anthracnose fungus to surrounding plants.

Mudan recalled Yuhe’s words about how Li Huajiang’s efforts to manage the diseased peonies seemed futile – as soon as one area was tended to, another would fall ill. The constant back-and-forth was suspicious. Now, seeing these eight axial lines, she quickly understood the key: this was no coincidence but a carefully planned conspiracy. The disease had spread from eight directions, gradually consuming the nursery’s peonies – a malicious and ruthless scheme leaving no room for recovery.

Who had introduced the pathogen into the nursery, and how? Was it an outsider or an insider? To unravel this mystery, she needed to reason methodically. If she were to sabotage someone’s peony garden, knowing they had skilled caretakers and tight security, how would she achieve her goal? Mudan crouched down, picking up a pebble to sketch out her thoughts.

First, she would need to understand Fang Garden’s layout thoroughly, find a way to enter freely or approach without raising suspicion, and devise a method to access the nursery. Then, she would need to deal with the resident gardener, Li Huajiang, and his dog, Black – both known to be vigilant. Recalling the incident when Lü Fang was bitten, she realized these two would need to be neutralized. Hence, Li Huajiang fell ill, and Black, ever loyal, would stay by his bedside.

With man and dog out of the way, Lü Fang took charge. Then Lü Chun fell ill and was called home, followed by Yuhe moving to the nursery and also falling sick. The period between Li Huajiang’s illness and Yuhe’s was when the nursery became infected and the disease spread.

Analyzing this timeline further, she realized the outbreak had begun before Yuhe fell ill. Making Yuhe sick was likely a ploy to remove another layer of management while Li Huajiang was still recovering, allowing the disease to spread to more plants. When Li Huajiang first fell ill, Mudan was still at Fang Garden, and everything seemed fine.

Therefore, the actual infection must have occurred while Lü Fang was still at Fang Garden. The method of spreading anthracnose fungus was simple – one only needed to smear the pinkish, slightly sticky conidial masses from infected parts onto the stems and leaves of healthy peonies. In the high-temperature, rainy, and humid climate, disaster would quickly follow.

Mudan paused in her reasoning. She looked up at the high walls of the nursery and quietly asked Yuhe, “During the days Lü Fang was here, did he drink every day? Who did he drink with? And what about Kang’er?”

Yuhe replied, “He didn’t drink every day. Sometimes he’d have a little with Shunzi and the others, giving them some guidance. Other times, he’d chat with the gardeners. I never saw him drunk, though he did wake up late every morning. As for Kang’er, he just played well with Shunzi and the others, still childish. I didn’t notice anything unusual.” She looked anxiously at Mudan, “Do you suspect them?”

Mudan shook her head, “What about your sudden fainting? Could he have returned home and come back overnight to harm you?” While Li Huajiang’s relapse was understandable, Yuhe had always been healthy. How could she have fainted without reason? Regardless of whether Lü Fang and his servant were involved, there might be an insider in Fang Garden. But without concrete evidence, nothing could be said.

Mudan paced under the tree shade, troubled. Was it an insider or an outsider? What should she do? Knowing someone had harmed her but being unable to identify and punish them was incredibly frustrating.

Lin Mama muttered nearby, “The wall should be built higher for safety. It feels a bit low.”

Mudan quickly called out, “Shun Hou’er, come here.”

Shun Hou’er ran over, “What are your orders, Mistress?”

Mudan asked, “I remember you have a skill – moving silently, quickly, and lightly. Is that right?”

Shun Hou’er replied modestly, “I wouldn’t say that. I’m just a bit more agile and nimble than others.”

Mudan then asked, “If it were you, could you enter Fang Garden without the owner’s permission, just to look around?”

“That’s child’s play,” Shun Hou’er said with a hint of pride. “I could even get into the Guo’s mansion! This would be even easier.”

“How many people have skills like yours?”

Shun Hou’er paused, scratching his head before answering vaguely, “Probably… not too many.”

“Let’s assume not many,” Mudan said, pointing at the nursery wall. “Then, what if someone less skilled than you wanted to enter this nursery?” The nursery walls were the highest in Fang Garden, topped with ceramic shards, making it impossible to enter undetected without some skill. Someone like Lü Fang would need ladders and padding to manage it. Multiple entries would surely leave traces. Mudan was reluctant to believe Lü Fang, his servant, or anyone from Fang Garden was involved unless necessary.

Shun Hou’er immediately understood Mudan’s implication and said, “Let me investigate and report back.” He walked to the wall, and using a willow tree for support, nimbly leaped and grasped his way to the top. He pulled two objects from his pocket, put them on his feet, and skillfully moved along the wall, inspecting as he went. Lin Mama and the others watched in amazement.

Mudan turned away, instructing Yuhe, “Ask Zhou Banian for another favor. Have her inquire if any villagers have had relatives or friends visiting recently, and who they were.” She couldn’t think of anything else to do. If all else failed, she might have to tell Jiang Changyang and ask him to investigate. As for Jin Buyan, she smiled bitterly – she’d probably have to compensate him financially. Cao Wanrong, Lü Chun, and others were likely prepared for her downfall, waiting to take over the business. If she notified Jin Buyan early and refunded his money, he could still purchase the flowers he wanted from Cao Wanrong and Lü Chun, ensuring his mother’s birthday celebration wouldn’t be affected.

As the last rays of sunset faded, Fang Garden was brightly lit. Mudan sat high on the steps of the main hall, silently observing the gathered crowd. Their expressions varied – the group of youths led by Shunzi looked dejected yet expectant, standing quietly and looking at her with trust and dependence.

The hired gardeners, led by Zheng Huajiang, showed more anxiety and fear, mixed with impatience. They exchanged glances and made hidden gestures, discussing the garden’s hostility from the guild, poor feng shui, and evil spirits. They believed Mudan and Fang Garden were doomed to fail next year. Like birds choosing safe trees to nest in, they needed to consider their livelihoods and futures.

Mudan then looked at Li Huajiang, seated to her left. After his illness, he had grown thinner and darker. He sat there blankly, staring at the floor tiles with a silent, sorrowful expression. The only constant was Black, firmly positioned between Li Huajiang and Mudan, nuzzling one and then the other. Occasionally, it would look up at Mudan, its brown eyes full of warmth and trust.

Realizing that animals could be more trustworthy than humans, Mudan stroked Black’s thick, warm head and cleared her throat. “I’m sure everyone is aware of what’s happened in our garden. I’ve gathered you all here to discuss this matter. I’ve heard some say that Fang Garden has bad feng shui and evil spirits, and that’s why you, Master Zheng, and others, want to quit. Is this true?”

Zheng Huajiang remained silent for a moment before speaking, “Mistress, I know it’s not right to quit at a time like this, but I’m just a craftsman making a living with my skills. If I’m tainted by this bad luck, no one will hire me in the future. I have an elderly mother and children to support. Please be understanding and let me go.”

With his lead, several other gardeners chimed in, pleading with Mudan, “Please let us go, Mistress. We’ll forgo this month’s wages.”