The Shujing Garden at the Duke of Ying's Estate unfolded like a painting in the morning light of early summer. Thirty-six Yaohuang Peony blossoms bloomed in sequence along a bluestone path, their petals resembling finely cut gold leaf, the edges curled ever so slightly like the furrowed brows of a beauty. The morning dew on every petal held a seven-colored halo, as if the dawn itself had been crushed and scattered upon them. Jiang Wan stood beneath the Peony Pavilion; her plain-colored dress formed a striking contrast against the Yaohuang Peonies, and the silver-threaded lotus patterns on her cuffs swayed in the breeze, overlapping with the floral shadows to create a layer of soft, pale mist.
"Has Miss Jiang ever seen the 'Erqiao' variety?" the voice of Su Mingyue came from behind her. The Eldest Miss of the Duke of Ying's Estate was dressed in a honey-colored, gold-woven gown, her wrist adorned with a string of Hetian jade bracelets that chimed softly with her movements. Her fingertip pointed toward a bicolored peony; half the flower was a crimson as deep as wine, the other half a pure, snowy white, trembling gently in the morning breeze like whispering twin sisters.
Jiang Wan turned, her gaze sweeping over the pale gold veins where the petals met. "This flower is also known as 'Luoyang Brocade.' Legend has it that Empress Wu Zetian named it while intoxicated, as it possesses both the stately dignity of the Wei Purple and the noble aura of the Yaohuang." She chuckled light…
Chapter 48