Pampered Poisonous Royal Wife Chapter 114

Chapter 114: Lotus Fragrance Drifts Afar 

The moment the tea set was placed before them, it drew everyone’s attention. The entire set was pure white, painted with lotus blossoms stretching unbroken to the horizon. Looking more closely, one saw that it bore a striking resemblance to the very scenery before their eyes.

At last, Su Qingwu could not help but speak.

“Miss Mu, could it be that the design upon this tea set was painted after the landscape before us?”

“Indeed. I hope the honored gentlemen will not laugh at me.”

“How could we? The tea set is exquisite, and the painting captures both form and spirit perfectly. Even I find myself deeply delighted by it.”

“Many thanks for Official Su’s praise.”

Mu Yunyao began to brew the tea. Su Qingwu had still meant to say something more, yet upon seeing her movements, he gradually lost himself.

She did not move quickly. Every gesture flowed like drifting clouds and running water, carrying an indescribable grace and elegance. Her slender, pale hands held the white jade-like tea vessels, and one could hardly tell which was more captivating.

A breeze drifted by, bringing wave after wave of lotus fragrance. Watching her movements, the men felt as though some distant Zen chime had spread through the air around them. Bit by bit, they forgot their own identities, knowing only a deep stillness of mind. It was not until the scent of tea rose before them that they suddenly came back to themselves. In that dazed instant, they felt wholly relaxed, their bodies and spirits lightened.

When Mu Yunyao had completed the final gesture of courtesy, she carried the cups over one by one.

Su Qingwu took up his teacup somewhat absentmindedly. The moment he lifted the lid, however, the scene within the cup stilled him where he sat.

At the bottom of the white jade cup, the tea leaves had unfurled and gathered into the shape of a blooming lotus. His heart gave a sudden jolt, and his hand nearly failed to steady the cup. The tea rippled at once. He almost cried out for fear of disturbing that beauty, yet in the next instant, the lotus dissolved and transformed into the shape of a bird, like the lakeside scene they had only just admired.

For a long while, none of the honored guests spoke. They simply held their teacups and stared.

“Honored gentlemen,” Mu Yunyao said softly, “tea does not taste as good once it has gone cold.”

Only then did they come back to themselves. By now, the tea leaves in the cup had already settled to the bottom. No lotus remained, nor any flying bird. It was as though it had all been a dream, leaving behind only a faint trace of regret in the heart.

Eunuch Xu could not help but sigh. He took a light sip from his cup, and at once it seemed that he had drunk in the fragrance of an entire lotus pond. The regret in his heart was washed away, leaving behind only deep ease and release.

Governor Zhang shook his head in wonder. Even a man like him, who knew little about the finer points of tea, could tell how rare this cup was.

“Miss Mu, may I ask what sort of famous tea this is? Drinking it, one feels wave after wave of lotus fragrance, as if lotus itself had bloomed upon the tongue.”

“It is not any famous tea,” Mu Yunyao replied. “I simply selected the newly sprouted tender leaves from my tea garden, chose them with care, dried and roasted them, and then brewed them with dew gathered from lotus leaves and lotus blossoms.”

“Then this is the tea Miss roasted with her own hands?”

“Yes. I was often occupied with matters at Ni Yun Fang before, and I frequently drank tea to keep my mind alert. But I am rather particular of taste, and though I drank strong tea, I could not bear bitterness. So I selected some leaves and roasted them myself. I only hope the honored gentlemen will not disdain it.”

Eunuch Xu spoke up at once.

“Miss said before that she would give that tea to me and let me take it back to the capital. You must not go back on your word.”

Mu Yunyao looked overjoyed.

“Certainly. So long as honored sir does not dislike it, all that I roasted may be given to you.”

For some reason, hearing this made Su Qingwu feel faintly displeased.

“Miss Mu is being rather partial. I, too, am returning to the capital. Will you not spare some for me as well?”

Eunuch Xu burst into laughter.

“I had nearly forgotten that Official Su was here too. But Official Su has always preferred Longjing. You must not snatch this tea from me.”

Mu Yunyao at once replied, “Since Official Su likes Longjing, then I shall buy some of the finest quality for you to take back.”

Su Qingwu smiled outwardly, but the displeasure in his heart only deepened.

“I was only teasing, Miss. How could I let you spend money on my account? I already instructed someone to buy some for me. After making such a rare trip to Jiangnan, naturally I ought to bring back gifts for my family.”

Mu Yunyao smiled, but inwardly,y wave after wave of mockery rose in her heart.

Yes—Su Qingwu had always cherished his family deeply. Even if he was away only two or three days, he would still bring back gifts for them. And especially for that Eldest Miss of the Su family: pearls from the Eastern Sea, Shu brocade from Chuanzhou, fine gauze from Nanyun... if there was some rare treasure under heaven, Su Qingwu had once sought it out for her. No wonder so many noble young ladies in the capital had burned red-eyed with jealousy.

Seeing Mu Yunyao’s expression grow a shade fainter, Su Qingwu could not help knitting his brow. He looked up toward the six-story building not far away.

“Is that the Bu Xian Lou Miss spoke of?”

“It is.”

With fragrant tea in hand, everyone relaxed all the more.

Xu Li looked toward the building and said, “I see that the tower still lacks a plaque.”

“Yes,” Mu Yunyao replied with a sigh. “I wished to find a good one made, but after looking at many, I have never yet been satisfied with the style of the calligraphy.”

Xu Li said nothing more. Mu Yunyao, too, seemed merely to have mentioned it in passing. She poured them each another cup. The more they tasted, the more extraordinary the tea seemed.

Many teas tasted fine enough at first, but could not bear repeated savoring. Mu Yunyao’s tea, however, only grew more lingering the more one drank of it, much like listening to a chant of Zen—each repetition bringing fresh understanding.

After the tea was finished, Mu Yunyao led them to admire the other sights within the garden. Once the mind had settled, even the scenery itself seemed more pleasing. Walking through the garden, one felt that beauty lay everywhere. Though they wandered for more than an hour, not one of them felt the least fatigue.

Seeing that it had already reached noon, Mu Yunyao ordered food to be prepared.

“Honored gentlemen, I have had a few dishes prepared. Might the honored gentlemen be willing to grace us further?”

Xu Li shook his head. “There is no need. In a short while, we must be on our way back to the capital.”

“So soon...” Mu Yunyao looked a little disappointed.

“Did Miss not say she wished to open her tea house in the capital one day? When that wish is fulfilled, I shall still have another chance to taste Miss’s skill.”

“Then I must work twice as hard to make that happen.”

Mu Yunyao brought over the tea leaves she had prepared and added several delicate pastries as well. Only then did she escort the honored guests out of Jinxiu Garden.

Just as he was about to board the carriage, Xu Li suddenly turned back and said one more thing.

“If Miss truly cannot find a suitable plaque for Bu Xian Lou, then you may as well wait a while longer.”

Puzzlement showed on Mu Yunyao’s face. She blinked lightly and looked toward Governor Zhang.

Governor Zhang and Cao Yunian both smiled without speaking. They escorted Xu Li and Su Qingwu into the carriage, but inwardly, both had already made up their minds: the opening gift they intended to send for Mu Yunyao’s tea house must be increased by another thirty percent.

Just as the carriage was about to leave, Su Qingwu suddenly lifted the curtain at the side and looked straight at Mu Yunyao.

The moment Mu Yunyao raised her head, she looked directly into those deep eyes of his. Within those ink-dark pupils, her own figure was reflected. The faintest shift, and an unreadable glimmer passed through them. She gently curved her lips, the smile on her face measured to perfection, and bent her knees in a graceful curtsy.

“I respectfully send off the honored gentlemen.”

The wheels began to turn, and the carriage slowly rolled away. Only once Mu Yunyao’s figure could no longer be seen clearly did Su Qingwu finally lower the curtain.

Xu Li held the tea caddy Mu Yunyao had given him in his hands. It was as if he could still smell that clear, refined fragrance, and he could not help sighing inwardly.

“So many say that the capital is prosperous and rich in gifted people, but who could have imagined that in a place like Jingling City there would be both a person and a landscape that gather the very grace of heaven and earth?”

Su Qingwu smiled and nodded.

“Yes...”

Grace and refinement enough to overwhelm anyone—and on top of that, so exceptionally clever. Even a man like Eunuch Xu, long used to deception and intrigue, had been taken in by her. That final remark Xu Li had made—had Mu Yunyao truly failed to understand it? He did not believe so.

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