"So what if it was like 'putting on a monkey show'?" Gossip was a natural inclination for women. Dongfang Yi's curiosity had been piqued by the conversation between Su Luo and Rong Yi, and she quickly asked.
Su Luo looked a bit awkward. "It's nothing much. He suddenly said he had something to do and sent a page boy to inform me. I ended up waiting at his place for an hour."
An hour in that era was equivalent to two hours in modern times. Dongfang Yi was a bit dissatisfied and lectured Rong Yi. "You're in the wrong here. How could you let a young girl wait for you for an hour and not show up?"
"I was indeed in the wrong that time. I had official business and couldn't decline." Rong Yi didn't shirk his responsibility.
"But you can't just send a page boy." Dongfang Yi was still not satisfied and continued her lecture.
"Madam, actually..." Seeing Dongfang Yi seriously lecturing Rong Yi, Su Luo hesitated before speaking. "It wasn't just the page boy. Rong Yi deliberately led everyone over here and then sent the page boy. He was stuck nearby."
Hearing this, Dongfang Yi was satisfied. She looked at Rong Yi appreciatively and said, "You did a good job."
"So this doesn't count as deceiving you, right?" Rong Yi said to Su Luo.
Su Luo ignored Rong Yi. Anyway, she always seemed to be in the wrong. It didn't matter this time. There were more important things to do, so she decided to let it go.
Noticing the little expressions of the two, Dongfang Yi nudged Helian Qi with her elbow and whispered, "What do you think of these two kids?"
"Not bad." After answering with these three words as Dongfang Yi expected, Helian Qi continued to sit in the carriage with his eyes closed, relaxing.
It wasn't long before they arrived at Sui Xin Lake. The coachman lifted the curtain and said, "We're here."
After they got off the carriage, they looked at the entrance of the flower - viewing festival. There were two extremely tall flower columns, and in the middle, the theme of this year, "Maze", was spelled out with flowers.
"True to its name. The flower beds this year are really winding," Su Luo said as she looked at Rong Yi.
It meant that the terrain inside was very complex and winding, and the task of protection would be more difficult today.
Rong Yi still had his hands behind his back. He nodded to Su Luo and was about to walk in.
The others followed Rong Yi's steps into the flower fair.
Those who knew what was going on today were vigilant and looked around. They felt a bit relieved when they saw their own people.
Unaware of the situation, Dongfang Yi was fascinated by the colorful flowers in front of her. She walked up to a flower bed and said, "This potted plant is trimmed so uniquely. It looks like an old man enjoying the cool under a tree."
Donghua also stepped forward and looked at the potted plant Dongfang Yi was talking about. "Indeed. It's amazing."
"Each profession has its own nuances. All we can say is that it's really beautiful," Dongfang Yi said as she looked at the tree behind the potted plant. Those who were admiring the tree were saying a bunch of professional terms she didn't understand.
Rong Yi walked in front to lead the way. After looking at the potted plants nearby, he continued to move forward.
Su Luo closely followed Dongfang Yi and Donghua. Lian Cheng walked behind the three women, observing the situation from all sides.
Seeing that there was no problem around, Lian Cheng took a step back and walked beside Helian Qi. He said, "My lord, there's nothing for now."
Helian Qi nodded and looked around at the upper areas. "Protect the ladies well."
"Yes." After saying that, Lian Cheng took two steps forward and walked behind the three women to protect them.
Rong Yi walked at the very front. Seeing that all the people he had deployed were in their positions, he made a gesture to remind everyone to be more vigilant.
"Look at this one. It's so big, but only one flower has bloomed," Dongfang Yi said curiously, pointing at the potted plant with only one flower.
Su Luo had never seen such an unusual flower before and said, "Was it not taken care of properly?"
"This is called the Solitary Gentleman," an official who was admiring the flower nearby explained.
"The Solitary Gentleman? What kind of flower is this?"
This question gave the official a chance to show off. He pointed at the potted plant and said, "The 'solitary' here means alone. It's not that it wasn't taken care of well. It's just that it only has one flower."
"Is there such a flower?" Dongfang Yi asked curiously.
"This flower is bred through grafting. It's extremely precious," the official who was admiring the flowers patiently explained. "Don't think this flower looks rough. It's very difficult to cultivate, and the price is not low."
Unexpectedly, such a strange - looking potted plant was worth so much money. Dongfang Yi sighed and said, "In that case, the few potted plants in my palace are quite unique. I think they'd be suitable here."
Donghua remembered that Dongfang Yi had pruned the potted plants in the palace some time ago, leaving only a few branches on top. She quickly said, "They're so precious. We'd better keep them for our own appreciation."
Seeing that Donghua was being a bit stingy, Dongfang Yi didn't say anything more. If she donated them, Donghua would probably be heart - broken. Forget it, she wouldn't donate them.
After looking at the potted plants in this area, Rong Yi led the group forward. Looking at the scene in front of him, Rong Yi became more and more cautious. There was no sign of any assassins along the entire sightseeing route. Had they disappeared?
Helian Qi and Lian Cheng behind also had the same concerns. Those who knew the situation became even more vigilant.
The group continued to walk forward. Since the theme of this flower - viewing festival was "Maze", the flower fair was arranged very ingeniously. There were many dead - ends where one could enter but not exit.
Looking at the design of the flower fair, Dongfang Yi couldn't help but sigh. "Look, they can create a maze just with these potted plants. Who organized this event?"
Since Helian Qi had been paying attention to the surrounding situation at the back, he didn't answer Dongfang Yi.
Rong Yi in front turned around and explained, "The organizers change every year. It's an organization of flower lovers. These are all their treasures."
This was very similar to a modern art exhibition. The difference was that modern exhibitions had protective measures, while here, the flowers could be easily broken, and years of hard work could be ruined.
Dongfang Yi sighed and continued to follow the group forward.
After bypassing a dead - end, they came to the most outstanding flower work here. A group of people were gathered in front admiring it.
Dongfang Yi, who had originally wanted to keep walking, saw a group of people surrounding a giant potted plant. She excitedly trotted forward to take a look.
Dongfang Yi's sudden run startled the people present. Lian Cheng almost drew his sword.
Rong Yi also reached for the soft sword at his waist.
Su Luo, who was holding her small bag, let out a sigh of relief when she saw that there was nothing wrong. "You scared me."
Donghua, who was a bit confused by the reactions of the people around, asked, "What's going on? You're all making a big deal out of nothing."
Rong Yi quickly said, "These potted plants here are carefully cultivated by others. We should be more careful. Don't make big movements and break them."