It wasn’t until midnight that the steward sent to Yuntan Mountain returned to report. The reason was indeed as Ji Cheng had predicted: the Five-Dragon Chrysanthemum thrived in cold conditions. While people at the mountain’s peak still wore padded clothing, those at the foot were already in thin silk. Censor Du had carefully nurtured these chrysanthemums to bloom in April, so naturally, he was reluctant to take unnecessary risks.
Early that morning, after hearing Shen Wan’s words, Ji Cheng lowered her head and thought for a moment. “I have an idea. We could make an ice dome for the Five-Dragon Chrysanthemum, with small holes for ventilation. This way, we can ensure the cold temperature while allowing the flowers to receive sunlight. Moreover, viewing flowers through mist creates a unique ambiance.”
Shen Wan’s eyes lit up when she heard this. “What a great idea! Why didn’t I think of that?”
Shen Wan hurriedly reported to Madam Huang, who had the ice cellar opened. Two large blocks of ice were taken out, and servants were instructed to quickly carve them into domes. One was placed in a copper double-layered “ice box” to be transported to Yuntan Mountain for Censor Du’s inspection, while the other was kept as a spare.
“I wonder if Censor Du will agree this time,” Shen Wan and the others could only hope for the best.
Fortunately, heaven smiled upon them. Censor Du finally relented, and the steward sent by the Shen family transported the pot of “Five-Dragon Chrysanthemum” down the mountain overnight, promising to return it to Yuntan Mountain before dawn. Even so, Censor Du was not at ease and personally accompanied them down the mountain to keep watch.
When Shen Wan and the other young ladies saw the “Five-Dragon Chrysanthemum” on the morning of April 24th, they all breathed a sigh of relief. Shen Wan finally smiled. She said nothing, only silently squeezed Ji Cheng’s hand, expressing all her gratitude without words.
On this day, even the most critical guests visiting the Shen mansion couldn’t help but marvel at the sight of the “Five-Dragon Chrysanthemum.”
Censor Du was indeed skilled in flower cultivation. The Five-Dragon Chrysanthemum had five blooms on a single stem, each a different color: ink green, jade green, grass green, tender green, and soft yellow. The petals were shaped like dragon claws, resembling five dragons soaring through clouds and mist. In terms of both color and shape, this Five-Dragon Chrysanthemum would be worthy of the title “King of Chrysanthemums” even in autumn, let alone in early summer.
The Hundred Flowers Banquet was a gathering of refined young ladies in the capital. Due to the Shen family’s reputation, every young lady who received an invitation came without exception. Even the Wang sisters, though arriving late, made an appearance.
Fourth Miss Wang had put great effort into her appearance today, seemingly aiming to outshine all others. She wore a plain goose-yellow short jacket paired with a water-green silk skirt adorned with swastika and lotus hook patterns. A dark green grass-patterned silk sash was tied around her waist, and on her head, she wore a rare gold filigree crown, likely an item from the palace. All this made Fourth Miss Wang appear as radiant as morning clouds and evening glow. As she walked, every young lady turned to look at her.
Shen Qin hadn’t expected Fourth Miss Wang and Wang Yueniang to come. She had always had a good relationship with them, and this time it was all Shen Wan’s decision, so Shen Qin felt somewhat embarrassed when she saw the Wang sisters.
As Shen Wan and the others went to greet them, Fourth Miss Wang looked at Shen Qin, who was uncomfortable meeting her gaze. She stepped forward and affectionately took Shen Qin’s hand, “Why has Qin become so distant with me?”
“I…” Shen Qin didn’t know how to explain.
“Don’t worry, your Fourth Sister isn’t so petty. Today’s Hundred Flowers Banquet is Qin’s gathering, how could I not come?” Fourth Miss Wang said, patting the back of Shen Qin’s hand. However, she didn’t spare even a glance for Shen Wan and Shen Cui, the actual hosts.
Shen Qin sighed in relief. She truly didn’t want to damage her relationship with Fourth Miss Wang over Ji Cheng. Seeing Fourth Miss Wang’s smiling face today, she suddenly felt that her third sister had been too petty and shouldn’t have quarreled with Fourth Miss Wang at the time.
Wang Yueniang smiled and walked up from behind, saying, “I originally said I wouldn’t come today. Sister Qin, you didn’t attend our peony banquet last time, and I was still upset with you. But the Fourth Sister said you didn’t come because you were unwell. I thought about it and realized that, given our friendship, you wouldn’t have missed it unless you were truly ill. After all, Fourth Sister cares for you.”
With Fourth Miss Wang playing the good cop and Wang Yueniang the bad cop, Shen Qin was embarrassed to the point of blushing, feeling ashamed and awkward. She said, “I know Fourth Sister cares for me.”
While the Wang sisters were talking with Shen Qin, Shen Wan, and Shen Cui had no reason to stay and be ignored, so they went to greet other young ladies.
Wang Yueniang watched their retreating figures, pouting and glaring fiercely. Fourth Miss Wang’s face remained friendly, but the sharpness in her eyes was almost impossible to conceal. She had already extended an olive branch to Shen Wan, but not only did Shen Wan fail to take the opportunity to make amends, she completely ignored them. Fourth Miss Wang thought, don’t blame me for being merciless in the future.
Conflicts between young girls often arise inexplicably, sometimes stemming from the tiniest incidents, leading to unresolvable grudges.
Su Yun, unlike Shen Wan, didn’t leave. Seeing the Wang sisters approach, she nodded slightly to the young lady beside her and temporarily excused herself. With a smile, she went to greet the Wang sisters, “Sister Siniang, Sister Yueniang, Sister Siniang looks so beautiful today. I’ve never seen this water-green silk before. The weaving technique looks like something from our Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau’s tribute.”
“Sister Yun has such a good eye. Indeed, it’s from Jiangnan’s New Year’s tribute. Consort Shu only received three bolts in total, and this water-green one was given to Fourth Sister,” Wang Yueniang said, her tone tinged with envy. After all, Fourth Miss Wang and Consort Shu were full-blooded sisters.
“Sister Yun, the ruby butterfly peony hairpin on your head is unique too. It looks like the craftsmanship of the palace artisans, but I don’t seem to have seen this style before. The butterfly wings are as thin as cicada wings. It’s hard for today’s craftsmen to achieve such skill. What a pity,” Fourth Miss Wang said.
Su Yun uncomfortably touched the butterfly hairpin on her head, “This was bestowed by the late Empress Dowager to my family. Grandmother gave it to me.”
“No wonder I said I hadn’t seen it before. The palace doesn’t favor this style anymore,” Wang Yueniang quickly added.
Su Yun’s face immediately became extremely awkward, her ears turning red with embarrassment. Although the Su family was also aristocratic, and even a broken ship had three carts of nails, they were no longer as prosperous as before. While Su Yun had many fashionable accessories from the south, she felt they weren’t grand enough for today’s occasion, which was why she had dug out this treasured heirloom.
Fourth Miss Wang shot Wang Yueniang a fierce glare and tried to smooth things over, “Items bestowed by the late Empress Dowager are something others can’t obtain even if they wanted to. It’s not about being fashionable or not anymore. Only families with deep heritage can have such things.”
Su Yun pretended to adjust her hair, trying to cover up her discomposure. She thought to herself, no wonder everyone favors Fourth Miss Wang among the Wang sisters.
Wang Yueniang quickly realized her mistake and hurriedly said, “Sister Yun, please don’t mind my quick tongue. I was just showing my ignorance earlier.” Although she said this, the contempt in her eyes was now unmistakable, and her attitude towards Su Yun became more casual.
A hairpin-like the one on Su Yun’s head should have been kept at home as a treasured item, not worn out. How could one wear something bestowed by the Empress Dowager decades ago? Even if the gold had been refashioned, it still wasn’t suitable to wear nowadays. Wang Yueniang had originally thought the Su family still had some standing, but now it seemed they were just putting up a front. Outwardly grand, but inwardly decayed.
How could Fourth Miss Wang not understand Wang Yueniang’s thoughts? But an enemy’s fortress is always most satisfying when it crumbles from within. Fourth Miss Wang didn’t mind befriending Su Yun.
“Looking at Sister Yun’s complexion, your health must have greatly improved, right? You didn’t come to the peony banquet last time, which made me so worried,” Fourth Miss Wang said.
Everyone knew they were just exchanging pleasantries. Fourth Miss Wang kept bringing this up, implying she wanted to find out who was behind it all, showing an attitude of only pursuing the main culprit and not the accomplices.
Su Yun could only awkwardly reply, “My health is much better. Thank you for your concern, Sister Siniang.” But she refused to say anything more. Living in the Shen household, Su Yun had no reason to side against them.
Seeing Su Yun’s attitude, Fourth Miss Wang’s expression cooled slightly. She glanced toward Shen Wan and said to Shen Qin and Su Yun, “Sister Wan seems to be angry with me. I don’t know what I’ve done wrong to upset her.”
Su Yun didn’t speak, but Shen Qin couldn’t help explaining to Shen Wan, “Sister Wan isn’t angry with you, Fourth Sister. It’s just about Cousin Cheng’s matter. She feels she can’t let it go for now. You know Sister Wan, Fourth Sister. She’s very protective of her own, and Sister Cheng is particularly good at winning her favor.”
Fourth Miss Wang had long guessed it was about Ji Cheng’s matter, but she hadn’t expected Ji Cheng to be so good at winning Shen Wan’s favor. She looked at Ji Cheng from afar, seeing her smiling and chatting with several young ladies. She couldn’t help but pursed her lips, “It seems your Cousin Cheng is quite adept at pleasing people. That’s how merchant daughters are. They treat everything like a business transaction, used to bowing and scraping to flatter people. They’ll never be able to straighten their backs in their entire lives.”
Wang Yueniang also let out a couple of mocking laughs.
Hearing this, Shen Qin frowned slightly. She didn’t like Fourth Miss Wang talking about Ji Cheng this way. They were all relatives and had spent some time together at the academy. Although Shen Qin also looked down on Ji Cheng’s background, she had no bad impression of her as a person. Moreover, this Hundred Flowers Banquet owed much to her efforts.
Seeing the situation, Su Yun quickly said, “Sister Cheng isn’t that kind of person. I find her conduct and manners to be excellent.”
Wang Yueniang snorted with laughter, “Has Sister Yun already fallen to the point of befriending a merchant’s daughter?”
Hearing this, Su Yun’s face reddened, and she was so angry that her fingertips began to tremble.
Fourth Miss Wang gave Wang Yueniang a reproachful look, “Yueniang, don’t say that. Even the Emperor has some poor relatives. Besides, Miss Cheng isn’t a poor relative. Although she comes from a merchant family, the Ji family is famously wealthy. Haven’t you seen Qin’s third aunt always being the first to donate incense money to Baoguo Temple every year?”
“That’s true,” Wang Yueniang smiled. “It’s just that no matter how much money her family has, we don’t care to associate with such people. We’re not afraid of lowering our status. If we spend too much time with her, we might inevitably pick up the stench of copper.”
“You may dislike the smell of money, but perhaps some people like it,” Fourth Miss Wang glanced at Su Yun. She had thought Su Yun was clever, but who knew she would dare to contradict her, not just for Shen Wan but now even for Ji Cheng. She didn’t know how to appreciate kindness.
Su Yun knew the Wang sisters were indirectly criticizing her. She never imagined they would be so arrogant, essentially following the principle of “those who obey me prosper, those who defy me perish.” She saw no point in associating with such people. At this moment, she couldn’t even bother with politeness. Turning to Shen Qin, she said, “Qin, I’m going to see if Sister Wan needs any help.”
After Su Yun left, Fourth Miss Wang took Shen Qin’s hand and said, “Qin, do you think I’m being a bit unreasonable?”
Shen Qin didn’t respond, which was tantamount to agreeing.
Fourth Miss Wang sighed softly, “I know you resent me, but time reveals a person’s true nature. Miss Cheng knows her background isn’t good, so of course she has to work hard to win your favor. It’s easy to pretend for a day, but difficult to keep up the act for a lifetime. Just wait and see, someone of her background will eventually show her true colors. I’m only advising you to listen to me and keep your distance from her. That way, you won’t feel hurt and upset later when you realize you’ve been deceived.”
Although Shen Qin still didn’t speak, she was moved by Fourth Miss Wang’s earnest words. Her expression finally softened as she accompanied the Wang sisters to the chrysanthemum garden to see the Five-Dragon Chrysanthemum.