Pampered Poisonous Royal Wife Chapter 116

Chapter 116: Brother, Would You Treat Me to a Cup of Tea? 

Not only Wei Yi, Yun Chun, and the others looked tense—even Steward Qin felt sweat gather on his brow. Earlier, he had thought everything flawless, but now, on reflection, flaws seemed to lurk everywhere. If not for Mu Yunyao’s warning, who knew what kind of trouble might arise later?

“Miss may rest assured. This old servant will remind them at every turn.”

Mu Yunyao nodded. “You needn’t be overly nervous. All this is merely to guard against unforeseen circumstances. If my plan succeeds, then with that golden plaque in place, no one will dare investigate or make trouble lightly. So long as you remember the identities you now bear, no grave mistake should arise. But if a flaw does appear, you must tell Steward Qin and me at once. Bu Xian Lou will not remain only in Jingling City; you may be sent elsewhere. Never conceal matters and handle them on your own, lest greater trouble follow.”

“Yes—we will remember Miss’s instruction!”

“Steward Qin, just have the garden put in order. Tomorrow we open on time, according to the tea prices we agreed upon earlier.”

“Yes.”

The people of Jingling City were still burning with indignation over the destruction of Ni Yun Fang, and the news that Mu Yunyao was opening a tea house spread through the city as swiftly as flying sparks.

People began drifting to the area around Jinxiu Garden, peering in through the entrance and secretly trying to glimpse the scenery within. Unfortunately, all they could see was a single cluster of lush Xiangfei bamboo.

Then word spread that Governor Zhang, Cao Yunian, the Governor’s wife, and Madam Jin had all gone in succession to drink tea there. That only made people more curious about Jinxiu Garden. Many quietly resolved that once the tea house opened in earnest, no matter what, they must go in and have a look.

Yet when the next day came, and Jinxiu Garden opened its gates, people found themselves stopped at the entrance.

“Why is this?” asked one scholar-dressed man, full of puzzlement. “Is it not opening today after all?”

“Please forgive us, sir,” Steward Qin explained with an apologetic smile. “Bu Xian Lou is short of hands at present and cannot receive so many at once. For now, we may only admit those guests who have received invitations from Bu Xian Lou.”

Even as he spoke, someone arrived holding an invitation card, and Wei Yi at once gestured for someone to escort the guest inside.

The moment the guest entered the garden and saw the fifty tea attendants in flowing white standing at the entrance, he was stunned. When they saluted in unison, the men warm as jade and the women lovely in form, that single moment made him feel as though his own status had risen several degrees. He could not help but feel almost lightheaded with self-importance.

Someone outside had already gone slack with amazement and pointed at Wei Yi, Yun Chun, and the others as he asked Steward Qin, “Steward Qin, may I ask who these people are...?”

Steward Qin, whose public identity was that of the manager of Bu Xian Lou, quickly replied, “They are all tea attendants of Bu Xian Lou, specially responsible for brewing tea for our honored guests. As there are only fifty of them, we can presently receive only fifty tables of guests. We are truly short of hands. If the honored guests wish to come in for tea, they may only take the places of those who leave. And each tea attendant receives at most eight tables per day, so that every pot of tea may be brewed with the utmost care, and no honored guest be disappointed.”

Those gathered outside to watch were dumbfounded. Jingling City had tea houses of its own, certainly, but no matter how refined they were, they paid at most greater attention to water and heat when brewing tea. Bu Xian Lou, however, had gone so far as to assign fifty people, one to each table, solely to brew tea. This was refinement carried to the very limit.

Rather than being deterred, the crowd only grew more impatient. Everyone wanted to go inside and experience for himself what it felt like to be personally attended in such a way.

As more invitation-holders arrived, acquaintances rushed toward them at once.

“Brother Ma, surely you remember that we dined together only two days ago? One invitation admits only one man—it would be a waste indeed. Why not let me accompany you? Did you not say last time that you admired that spring painting in my room? I shall have it rolled up and sent to your residence afterward.”

“Master Wang, we have done business together before, have we not? How about letting me join you for a cup of tea today?”

For a time, the entrance to Jinxiu Garden became extraordinarily lively.

Each invitation could admit five additional guests in addition to the holder. Apart from the first few parties, which did not fill their numbers, most invitation cards brought in six people.

Once inside the garden, the new arrivals could not help crying out in admiration at the scenery.

To take an entire garden and make a tea house of it—Miss Mu truly was unlike any other. More importantly, the scenery within Jinxiu Garden was simply too beautiful.

A narrow stream wound inward, its waters murmuring softly, clear enough to see to the bottom. At the heart of the garden, it broadened into a lake, with a winding corridor bridge linking east and west. The lake was thick with lotus leaves, and the lotus blossoms swayed gently in the breeze.

Looking to either side, one found on the eastern side Xiaoxiang Bamboo Court, Proud Plum in Snow, Flowers Slain in Bloom, Fragrance of the Empty Valley—plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum, each occupying its own realm. On the western side were Spring in Bright Glory, Only in Clear Skies, One Color Beneath the Long Heaven, Spring Splendor in Scenery—each carrying the grace of one season or another. Beyond those eight principal courts, the rest of the garden had been constructed to follow the flow of the water: a tower every five steps, a pavilion every ten, each with its own character, all arranged in layered harmony. In every place, there was somewhere set aside for tea.

There were low tables, tree stumps, long benches... all blended seamlessly with the surrounding scenery, without the slightest discord. Sitting among them, one felt only tranquility and a washing away of all earthly cares.

The tea attendants’ brewing skill was even more astonishing. Their methods were so precise and so refined that one felt as though even the number of tea leaves and the amount of boiling water were measured exactly. Once the tea touched the lips, one felt the heart cleanse,d and the whole body soothed.

Outside Jinxiu Garden, many people waited for those inside to come out so they might take their turn entering and glimpse the scenery within. Yet to their surprise, they waited more than an hour before the first guests emerged, reluctant and lingering.

One hurried forward to ask, “Sir, how were the scenery and the tea inside?”

The guest who had just come out shook his head, his expression full of meaning.

“Were they no good?”

“No, no. They were so fine that words fail entirely. If I must force myself to describe it, then I can only say this: marvelous—marvelous beyond speech!”

“Can it truly be that good?”

The guest stood there full of self-satisfaction, wearing the air of one man awake while all others still dreamed.

“If you have not gone to taste it for yourself, naturally you cannot understand what I mean by marvelous. Miss Mu truly is a rare woman! It is only a pity that I had no fate to enter Bu Xian Lou itself and thus could not taste the tea personally brewed by Miss Mu. A pity! A true pity!”

“But is not the tea house itself called Bu Xian Lou? How can there still be parts of it where one is not allowed to enter?”

“You speak like an outsider. Do you know why it is called Bu Xian Lou?”

“What is the meaning?”

“Bu Xian Lou—I envy not golden cups, nor cups of white jade. I envy not entry to the ministries at dawn, nor audience halls at dusk. Of all things, I most envy the waters of the West River, for they once flowed beneath Jingling City. Only those who truly understand tea and love tea may enter Bu Xian Lou. Otherwise, no matter what status you possess, no matter how much wealth you command, it will still be hard for you to set foot on the sixth floor of Bu Xian Lou.”

“I envy not golden cups, nor cups of white... what?... Brother, would you please repeat that once more?”

“You do not even know that poem? You are hardly fit company. Hmph—I’m leaving.”

This exchange, overheard by those who had come to watch the excitement, spread through Jingling City before long. As a result, more and more people wished to go to Bu Xian Lou to drink tea. Yet Bu Xian Lou issued only fifty invitations per day. For all others, whether they could enter depended solely on fortune. Thus, many kept their eyes fixed upon Jinxiu Garden. The moment they saw a tea attendant step out to deliver invitations, they followed close behind, found the recipient, and then tried by every means possible to attach themselves to that invitation and seize one of the precious places.

For a time, the most common phrase in all Jingling City became:

“Brother, would you treat me to a cup of tea?”

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