After the Great Dao died

Chapter 4 Locust Branches in a Vase

One of them was a young lady from a noble family, with slightly long eyes and an imposing presence even without anger.

The other person is Princess Yunhe, who was appointed by the current emperor. Her father, the Eastern King, is said to be one of the most powerful military forces in the Dali Dynasty.

Princess was raised in the palace from a young age and personally trained by the Empress Dowager. Therefore, although she was a princess in name, her status and treatment were no different from those of a princess. Even in Yuanjiang Prefecture, she had a palace!

The two sat in the octagonal pavilion, admiring the snow and flowers. The snow on the roof was so thick that it was falling, and a few icicles hung from the eaves, crystal clear and gleaming with a cold blue light.

Two copper braziers were burning brightly in the courtyard, making the pavilion warm and cozy.

Not far from them, at the entrance to the garden, many servants were hunched over, braving the swirling snowflakes, and diligently sweeping snow from the stone path outside the veranda.

Several lightly dressed servants were working together to push a wheelbarrow, carrying the swept snow to the ditch outside the garden to be dumped.

The two people in the octagonal pavilion had their backs to them and could not see them. Even the hem of their clothes was not wet from the wind and snow.

Not far from the pavilion, those figures with hunched backs and shrunk shoulders appeared even smaller and more somber in the vast expanse of snow.

They would occasionally look up and steal a glance at the two elegantly dressed women in the distant pavilion, then lower their heads again and sweep the brooms even harder—as if as long as they swept fast enough and clean enough, the cold and suffering brought by the heavy snow could be swept into the unseen gutter.

Just then, several servants suddenly spotted a figure.

The figure stepped out from the side of the veranda, holding a vase of flowers in his hand, braving the wind and snow, and strode forward.

"Who is that person?" The steward in charge of sprinkling and sweeping frowned and asked. Someone nearby immediately whispered, "She's a government slave from the back room. She was temporarily transferred here at your request because of the heavy snow today!"

"A government slave?" The steward, who was over 50 years old, narrowed his eyes. "The princess and young lady are of noble status. If this government slave offends them..."

He broke out in a cold sweat and, without even having time to order the servants around him, bent over and chased after the government slave!

"He went straight for the pavilion... is this guy crazy? And where did those flowers come from?"

The other servants continued sweeping and cleaning, but their eyes couldn't help but drift towards that slender figure.

The Marquis's family rules are extremely strict; servants are forbidden from ordering anyone to offend or provoke their masters, as this is a serious offense!

Especially considering that Chen Lingxi's status was that of a lowly government slave.

"Perhaps they received orders?"

"What orders can we possibly receive for coming here to sweep and clean?"

They spoke in hushed tones.

The steward, bowing and hurrying, found that he could not catch up with Chen Lingxi at all, and became increasingly anxious.

Fortunately, the guards stationed not far from the octagonal pavilion spotted the two approaching quickly.

The guard, named Wu Zheng, was in his thirties with a dark complexion and a sword at his waist. When he glanced at Chen Lingxi and the steward, a hint of wariness flashed in his eyes.

In an instant, a faint silvery-white halo, like moonlight, appeared around him, then vanished in a flash.

He took a few steps and traversed more than ten zhang to arrive in front of Chen Lingxi.

"Who goes there!"

Guard Wu Zheng spoke up!

After two days of planning, the opportunity finally arrived. Chen Lingxi, who was striding forward, suddenly froze.

It was as if a chilling, bone-deep coldness rose from the depths of his bones!

It was extremely cold.

It felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over my head, soaking through my skin and going straight into my heart and spleen.

He was instantly frozen in place, unable to move!

The steward behind him was also struck dumb, frozen in place, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"Why disturb someone so distinguished to be admiring the flowers?"

Since it was the residence of Marquis Baosu, Wu Zheng did not take any action, but instead questioned him in a deep voice.

Upon hearing the question, the chill that had enveloped Chen Lingxi and the steward vanished instantly.

Chen Lingxi was amazed by the guard's mysterious methods and was about to reply when the steward behind him hurriedly said, "Sir, this servant has gotten lost. I'll take him back right away."

As he spoke, he took a few steps forward and reached out to grab Chen Lingxi's arm.

But Chen Lingxi took a deep breath, filling her chest, as if she wanted to shout out loud.

"snort!"

Wu Zheng seemed to have seen through Chen Lingxi's intentions, but he just snorted softly!

The sound reached Chen Lingxi's ears again, and Chen Lingxi's bones seemed to freeze again, as if someone had stuffed the snow in the yard into his body.

Another breath of icy cold air seemed to be stuck in his chest, unable to come out or breathe, so he just hung there.

"Take him away."

Wu Zheng glanced at the steward and then turned around.

The steward quickly raised his hand to call out to the two servants sweeping snow not far away. The two men had already dropped their carts and rushed over.

"A mere cold snort was enough to make me feel as if I had fallen into an ice cave, my whole body seemed to be frozen by ice, and I couldn't even make a sound."

Chen Lingxi was utterly astonished, but forced herself to calm down.

"If we fail, we will be punished once we are taken down by these people... If government slaves approach their masters without cause and disobey the steward's orders, they will be severely punished, if not killed. If they are handed over to the government, they will surely die."

It will probably be even harder to get close to them in the future.

"So how can we break free from these constraints?"

His mind raced: "This guard must be a martial arts master with profound cultivation... martial arts..."

Martial arts!

A sudden inspiration struck Chen Lingxi, and she began to inhale and exhale according to Lin Suri's breathing technique!

In an instant, wisps of pure energy flowed through his limbs and bones, then gathered together and rose upwards!

The tightness in his chest was relieved by the clear energy.

Although not completely washed away, it allowed Chen Lingxi to speak...

"Chen Lingxi requests...to meet the young lady...to present the vase."

His voice was hoarse and extremely weak, yet it seemed as if he had used all his strength, and his face was flushed red!

Wu Zheng, who had turned and was walking forward, paused, a look of surprise flashing across his face, and turned back.

Chen Lingxi's voice was so soft that even the steward not far away couldn't hear it clearly.

But in the octagonal pavilion in the distance, the two young ladies who had been facing away from everyone seemed to have heard it clearly, and actually... turned around together!

Princess Yunhe had a look of surprise on her face.

When Lin Longyue turned around, she frowned slightly, her eyes cold and calm.

"This is... courting death!" The cleaning manager was almost frantic. He quickly bowed and greeted the two distinguished guests.

"If someone like the princess were to see the Marquis's mansion make a fool of itself, that man is probably doomed, and I'll be implicated as well..."

Before his thoughts could settle, he suddenly heard Lin Longyue speak.

The young lady of the Marquis's mansion actually spoke up: "Take your flower arrangement and come forward!"

Lin Longyue's voice was very soft, but everyone heard it clearly...

Wu Zheng stopped in his tracks, and the pressure on Chen Lingxi suddenly disappeared.

He was covered in a fine sweat, his body almost completely exhausted by the pressure of Wu Zheng's qi and blood.

But he still took a deep breath, straightened his clothes with one hand, and held the flower arrangement in the other, trying his best to move forward.

As Wu Zheng passed by, he gave Chen Lingxi a somewhat approving look.

Chen Ling kept his eyes fixed on the octagonal pavilion and went straight there.

Before he even got close, Princess Yunhe stood up, her clear eyes falling on the flower arrangement Chen Ling was washing her hands with.

Seeing the princess get up, Lin Longyue also got up, her gaze fixed on the flower arrangement.

"Bring it up."

As Chen Lingxi approached, Lin Longyue spoke, and the maid beside her immediately came out of the octagonal pavilion, took the flower arrangement from Chen Lingxi's hands, and respectfully placed it on the table.

As the flower arrangement approached, the attention of the two young ladies was drawn to it.

"This bottle is actually made of undried clay."

Princess Yunhe looked at the vase used for flower arranging. It was made of reddish-brown clay, and moisture was seeping out from the clay walls, giving the entire body a faint matte sheen.

But when her gaze moved upwards, she was immediately amazed!

The locust branch was stuck diagonally in the wet mud. The bark at the bend cracked, revealing the bluish-white wood. Snow accumulated on the crack, dampened by the mud, and seemed about to melt.

Beside the locust branch, a sprig of wintersweet extends diagonally.

The flowers bloomed very sparsely, only three or five at a time. Each flower was as thin as if it were made of yellow wax, and the translucent petals were slightly translucent in the cold light. One flower was blooming on the callus of a locust branch, and its fragrance was very faint, as if it had been washed with snow water.

At the lowest point, clinging to the mud, is a white calyx, its slender stem emerging from the wet mud, topped with two unopened flower buds, so white they are almost bluish, like the white of an unglazed porcelain blank.

Locust tree branches, snow, wintersweet, white calyxes...

The four things seemed to have grown out of the clay together.

The dark black of the locust branches, the waxy yellow of the wintersweet, and the porcelain blue of the white calyxes—three colors that are not originally related—are unified by the ochre brown of the wet mud.

The yellow dot of the wintersweet is placed right next to the crack in the callus of the locust branch, like a petal of light blooming in the mud. The white calyx is attached to the mud surface, and the flower bud is slightly tilted towards the locust branch, as if it grew out of the shadow of the locust branch falling into the mud.

Snow falling between the three colors creates a fourth color—a pure, unbiased white.

"So beautiful."

Princess Yunhe muttered to herself.

Lin Longyue couldn't help but nod: "No one should intrude on each other's space; it's a perfect match..."

Princess Yunhe commented, "Moreover, it's not some rare or precious flower; it's the elegance found in the commonplace, which is truly rare."

Finally, she suddenly felt delighted: "This vase is not only beautiful, but also has a good meaning and is quite unique."

Perhaps we could send it to the palace to win a smile from Consort Chun?

Lin Longyue suppressed the amazement in her eyes and smiled, "If the princess is interested, she may take this vase back with her."

Princess Yunhe was not polite, but her gaze wandered and finally landed on Chen Lingxi.

"I never imagined that the Marquis of Baosu's residence would have such a young man who is well-versed in refined arts. It would be perfect... Wouldn't it be better to see more of his flower arrangements? Otherwise, I would have to invite someone from the capital to come."

Lin Longyue smiled and nodded.

Chen Lingxi stood outside the octagonal pavilion without saying a word.

A light, drizzling snow fell, not a heavy snowfall, but in just half an hour, it covered Chen Ling's entire body.

From a distance, he looked like a snowman.

The two young ladies ignored him until late afternoon, when Princess Yunhe finally got up and left.

When he left, he took the locust branch with him in the vase, but didn't even glance at Chen Lingxi.

Wu Zheng, who was following behind the princess, glanced at Chen Lingxi several times.

Lin Longyue rose to see him off, while Chen Lingxi remained standing quietly in front of the octagonal pavilion, shivering slightly from the cold...

Fifteen minutes later, Lin Longyue arrived, wearing a cloak and with her hands behind her back.

The crimson cloak seemed to have a unique effect; when snow fell on it, it would melt and evaporate in an instant.

She sat down in the octagonal pavilion again, took a sip of hot tea, and finally her gaze fell on Chen Lingxi.

only……

The young lady from the Marquis's mansion, however, had a cold glint in her eyes.

"Government slaves?"

"Do you think that just because Princess Yunhe watches you arrange flowers, you can erase your offense?"