There is a magnolia tree on the back hill of Wat Pho, which was planted by Princess Luo Yun when she was doing some Qing Dynasty here thirty years ago.
Summer is in full swing in Xishan in June, and magnolias are in full bloom. Every branch is covered with flowers, and a large forest is in bloom like a sea.
There is a layer of elegant white underneath the light purple petals of the magnolia flower. The mountain breeze blows gently, and the petals fall gently. The fallen petals are mixed and scattered all over the ground.
Among the green shades and flowers, two girls were strolling leisurely, with several maids and maids following them far behind.
"Your Highness, do you come to the temple to pray for the Queen Mother every year?" Shen Yao asked.
"Yeah." Xiao Qingyun nodded.
"The emperor's brother was in poor health, so my mother-in-law took good care of him, so she kept me in the Queen Mother's palace for several years. When the Queen Mother passed away, I came to the temple to pray for her every year."
Princess Xiao Qingyun of Qinghe has a beautiful face and soft facial features. She is one year younger than Shen Yao, but she is more gentle and dignified than Shen Yao. She has a young and old look that does not match her age.
"In the embroidery class a few days ago, I saw that you were embroidering magnolia flowers. The magnolia flowers happened to be blooming on the mountain, so I thought of inviting you to come and enjoy the flowers together."
"Your Highness is interested." Shen Yao said with a smile, "This sea of flowers all over the mountain is really a beautiful sight that cannot be seen anywhere else. I owe this to His Highness."
"If you are in the mountains and don't see the mountains, what you see here is not the real beauty." Xiao Qingyun also smiled, and she raised her hand and pointed far away.
"Come on, I'll take you to the top of the mountain. Standing there and overlooking the entire sea of flowers is the real beauty."
"Okay." Shen Yao also became interested.
So, the two of them walked along the bluestone road in the forest to the top of the mountain, talking and laughing.
When we were halfway up the mountain, we suddenly heard the sound of a piano. The sound was clear and melodious, like water flowing in the mountains or like flowers falling in the wind.
"Your Highness, who is playing the piano?" Shen Yao listened intently.
Xiao Qingyun said: "It's Brother Huang. He's not in good health and has been here to rest for a while. I didn't expect that he was in such high spirits today that he came with me to take a look."
With that said, Xiao Qingyun couldn't help but turned around and walked to another red mud path next to him.
Shen Yao's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly remembered what Shen Zhuo had been saying to her recently, "People in the palace are all calculating, they never speak the truth, and they don't have any sincerity towards others."
Looking at Xiao Qingyun's back, Shen Yao's eyes darkened, but she did not say any words of rejection.
It was a good idea to go take a look, so she followed Xiao Qingyun and walked towards an unknown road.
Shen Yao followed Xiao Qingyun through the magnolia forest, and then his eyes suddenly opened up, and a simple Zen courtyard appeared in front of him.
The Zen courtyard is built on the edge of a cliff, with two ancient trees in front of it. The branches and leaves of the ancient tree are whirling, towering and dense, and the root system is twisted and knotted, vigorous and powerful.
There is a stone table under the tree, and there is a piano on the table. There is a person sitting by the piano, it is Xiao Cheng.
I saw him plucking the piano with ease, his posture calm and elegant, and a series of piano sounds pouring out from his fingertips. Seeing someone coming, Xiao Cheng pressed the string to stop the sound. However, the string tried to be quiet but the sound stopped, and the sound of the piano still echoed in the mountains and forests.
Shen Yao secretly thought to himself that the fourth prince was said to be extremely talented, good at playing music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and was highly praised by his master. When he saw him today, he was indeed well-deserved.
"Brother, are you feeling well?"
Xiao Qingyun ran to Xiao Cheng's side, his words jumped with joy, showing a rare childishness.
"Well, much better." Xiao Cheng smiled, "Are you here to pray for the Queen Mother today?"
"Well, it happened that the magnolia flowers were blooming on the mountain, so I invited Yaoyao to come and enjoy the flowers together."
"I have met His Highness the Fourth Highness." Shen Yao came over and bowed respectfully.
"Miss Shen, there is no need to be polite." Xiao Cheng raised his hand, gentle and elegant.
"I heard that my mother-in-law said that she gave you all the tongues of Yishan? Brother, we are so tired from hiking..." In front of Xiao Cheng, Xiao Qingyun finally looked like a fourteen-year-old girl.
Xiao Cheng smiled and said: "How can your palace be without good tea? You have to come to my place to beg for tea." After saying that, he turned to the waiter and asked, "Go and make a few cups of tongue."
Over there, Shen Yao was chatting with the Xiao brothers and sisters over genuine tea. Here, Shen Zhuo took the orchid grass and walked around the rows of Zen rooms, exited the corner gate of the Reclining Buddha Temple, and was heading towards the magnolia forest in the back mountain.
The magnolia forest in Wat Pho was planted by Princess Luoyun. It is a royal garden and ordinary people are not allowed to enter. A green and white wall was built outside the forest, which is very eye-catching in the back mountain and easy to find.
The entrance to the forest is guarded by the Royal Guards. Although there are not many guards and they are ineffective, it is not easy to break through.
"Miss, come down quickly. We'd better go to the guard and report it."
Lan Cao raised her head and looked at Shen Zhuo climbing up the tree with fear. The green and white wall is about ten feet high, which makes me feel nervous when I look at the orchid grass.
"Shh~~~ Keep your voice down. Don't attract the guards." Shen Zhuo grabbed the branch and turned around to make a silent gesture.
"Good Lancao, don't worry. Your lady has been climbing trees since she was a child. She can't fall."
Shen Zhuo didn't brag. Climbing trees was a familiar task for her. In a few breaths, she climbed to the height of the wall, swung by a thick branch, and landed firmly on the wall. Then Lancao's eyes were dazzled, and Shen Zhuo disappeared.
"Lancao, find a hidden place nearby and wait for me."
Shen Zhuo's voice came from inside the wall, and Lan Cao's hanging heart was relieved.
Shen Zhuo patted the leaves on his body and straightened his clothes. Feeling good about myself, I covered up the traces of climbing trees and walls, and walked into the forest.
Since it is an artificially planted forest, the roads in the forest are not complicated, there are only three or four bluestone roads.
Shen Zhuo was hiding and hiding at first, but then he gradually realized that there seemed to be no one in the whole forest? So Sayazi ran through several stone roads, and as expected, there was no one there.
"Sister, are they leaving?" Shen Zhuo sat down in the pavilion on the top of the mountain in frustration.
"No, I'm not too late. How can you enjoy flowers for less than half an hour?" Shen Zhuo angrily pulled the petals of the magnolia flower in his hand.
Forget it, I'll settle down for you, just enjoy the flowers and go home. Shen Zhuo stood up and sighed.
The top of the mountain is indeed the best viewing spot for flower viewing. The mountains are full of magnolias, and the sea of flowers is so magnificent that it looks like steaming clouds under the sunlight.
Then, Shen Zhuo saw the Zen Temple halfway up the mountain. Shen Zhuo's eyes lit up and he immediately ran there.
Before even approaching the Zen courtyard, Shen Zhuo saw several palace servants and chamberlains standing outside the courtyard gate from a distance.
Shen Zhuo was immediately troubled. There were so many people outside the hospital. How could she sneak in without anyone noticing? Her eyes suddenly focused on the ancient tree in front of the Zen courtyard, with lush branches and leaves, and a canopy like a pavilion.
As long as you climb high enough, you can see far enough. Well, that’s it! Shen Zhuo made up his mind and climbed up a tree next to him.
She was light and small, so she used the branches to climb between trees, but she didn't make much movement. After a while, she climbed from the crown of a nearby tree to an ancient branch.
All the servants and chamberlains abided by the palace rules and kept their eyes straight. There was an extra person on the tree overhead, but no one noticed anything unusual.
Shen Zhuo hid in the dense leaves and climbed up again, and then she saw Shen Yao and Xiao Cheng.
Shen Zhuo's heart sank.
