The emperor also heard about the flowers in Baihua Pavilion. One day after discussing the business with Luo Changqing, he suddenly asked with shining eyes: "I heard that Baihua Pavilion is opened by your wife?"
Luo Changqing nodded: "Indeed."
"It is said that there are many rare flowers and plants, many of which are not found locally. I wonder if there are any rarer chrysanthemums?" The emperor liked chrysanthemums the most. His imperial garden was also filled with all kinds of rare chrysanthemums, but he had never seen them before. After passing the chrysanthemums in the outside world, I wanted to see them.
"This... I don't know. If your Majesty wants it, just ask someone to go to Baihua Pavilion to buy it." Luo Changqing said nonchalantly. He didn't pay much attention to Xu Shichu's affairs, so naturally he didn't know about her Baihua Pavilion. Are there any exotic chrysanthemums?
"Even if there is anything in Baihua Pavilion, it has been robbed by others! It is said that your wife's garden has the most complete varieties. Just go back and help me find your wife directly. Why should I go to Baihua Pavilion to rob it with others? If your wife Yes, remember to bring me some pots back." The emperor ordered unceremoniously.
So Luo Changqing received such a decree, left the palace and returned to his home, and had no choice but to go find Xu Shichu.
The last time he came to Xu Shichu's yard was on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival. It was dark at that time, and he didn't pay attention to whether the flowers in the yard were blooming or not.
Today, he came during the day, so as soon as he entered Xu Shichu's yard, he was greeted by all kinds of bright and dazzling flowers, large and large. At first glance, he saw a sea of flowers, and the scene was even spectacular and stunning.
Luo Changqing was stunned for a moment, standing on the roadside and looking at the flowers around him.
He usually has no interest in flowers and plants. When he sees the rare ones, he just admires them and admires them, then turns around and doesn't take them to heart.
Maybe he didn't like flowers as much as he did in this sea of flowers at the beginning, but he also felt a shocking beauty.
Beauty cannot lie, it is a subjective feeling of people.
The same thing, in the eyes of different people, is not necessarily beautiful or ugly. For example, a rugged rock on a mountain, a proud scribe would think that it remains unmoved despite being beaten by wind and rain. It is a kind of unswerving It is proud and beautiful; but in the eyes of the crude and humble woodcutter, it is a rock that is ugly and cannot be trampled on. How can it be beautiful?
No one can say that this spectacular sea of flowers in Xu Shichu’s garden is not beautiful. The bright colors, petals of different shapes and the faint fragrance of flowers give people an extremely shocking and beautiful enjoyment, which makes people unable to help but admire it. I want to turn into a butterfly or a bee, fly to the flowers and roll around.
Luo Changqing stopped and watched for a while before going in to find Xu Shichu.
But Xu Shichu was lying on a hanging chair suspended from two adjacent trees. The base of the hanging chair was made of woven bamboo, and it was covered with soft cloth cushions. Xu Shichu lay on it and stretched out from time to time. When your stocking-clad legs shake the sling, the chair will sway gently, free and leisurely.
Luo Changqing looked at her weird hanging chair again and again, and couldn't figure out what was going on in her mind, how she could come up with some weird ideas, but she could still manage to make her life more comfortable.
Luo Changqing looked at the hanging chair and thought that he would have someone do the same. When he took a nap, he would have another kind of fun lying under the tree and reading a book.
When the maid next to her saw the male master coming, she quickly saluted him.
Xu Shichu lazily opened his eyelids and saw Luo Changqing standing there with a long body. He couldn't help but said: "The Prime Minister doesn't go to the Three Treasures Hall for any reason. He came to see me again today. It can't be anything serious." Bar?"
Luo Changqing raised his hand to cover his mouth with a fist, and coughed lightly. He really came to Xu Shichu because he had something to do. Even though he had already developed a thick skin, he couldn't help but feel guilty at this time.
"I haven't been here for a while. I didn't expect that your yard has been turned into a garden. It's really different from before." Luo Changqing said.
Xu Shichu immediately stared at him keenly: "Are you also here to take advantage of my garden?"
Luo Changqing's eyes wandered and he said: "I don't. I'm just here to ask you on behalf of Your Majesty if there are any chrysanthemums from foreign countries? Some of them are rare and not from the local area. Your Majesty loves chrysanthemums very much."
Xu Shichu didn't expect that the reputation of her garden would spread to the palace. She answered clearly: "Yes, yes, but these flowers are either used to make spices or sold, so..." She hinted. He looked at Luo Changqing with his eyes.
Luo Changqing understood the look in her eyes and immediately said: "Don't worry, I will give you the money to buy it."
Xu Shichu nodded with satisfaction. Although she didn't mind giving one or two pots to the emperor, but after giving it this time, what if the emperor fell in love with her other flowers next time? Will she send it or not? If she gave it away, she would suffer a big loss, and if she didn't, she would offend the emperor, so she might as well sell it to him selflessly from the beginning, so that he wouldn't be blamed even if he was dissatisfied, right?
Xu Shichu got off the hanging chair, Zhichun helped her put on her shoes, and she took Xu Shichu to the chrysanthemum area: "Follow me, you can choose for yourself."
"I'm not sure which ones are local and which ones are foreign. You can see which ones are not available in the palace and just pick them." Xu Shichu said, as long as she gave them money, she was quite generous.
"This kind of petals is divided into two colors called Purple Jade Mandarin Duck, the kind like a flying dragon and phoenix is called Panlong Wufeng, and the one called Jade Thread Silver Needle... The one over there is autumn water and red clouds... The one on the far side A round ball as big as a baby’s fist is called a ping pong chrysanthemum..."
Xu Shichu introduced the chrysanthemums to Luo Changqing one by one, including how to cultivate, branch, remove insects and fertilize.
Luo Changqing listened with great interest. Planting flowers was not one of his strengths, so he listened attentively. Xu Shichu talked a little bit about what he was good at: "These chrysanthemums look like this after many years of cultivation and even grafting." They have become what they are now, so they will be very different from their original and most primitive varieties..."
"Didn't you say that these flower seeds were all bought from foreign merchants? How do you know that they have been cultivated and... grafted for many years?" Luo Changqing frowned in confusion and looked at Xu Shichu.
When Xu Shichu saw his clear black eyes, he felt guilty for a moment and said hurriedly: "The businessman told me that he sold the flower seeds to me in order to succeed."
Luo Changqing didn't know whether to believe her or not, but he didn't pursue the question further. Instead, he asked another question: "What is grafting?" He could vaguely understand the meaning of the words, but the specific meaning seemed to be separated from him. A layer of fog cannot give a clear understanding.
"Grafting means to connect the branches or buds of a tree or flower to another tree or flower so that the two kinds of flowers or trees grow into one kind. The grown flower or tree can combine the two kinds of flowers or trees. The shape merges into another shape or has both shapes at the same time." Xu Shichu didn't quite remember the exact meaning of grafting, so he gave a rough summary.
