The eightieth birthday celebration of Old Madam Mei passed without incident, even culminating in a happy marriage. The people of the Capital could not stop talking about the hero saving the beauty, hailing it as a legendary tale for the ages. Perhaps because the Estate of the Duke of Chengen was eager to marry off their daughter, and the Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was anxious to secure a noble wife, they managed to tie the knot in a modest, private ceremony just before the Military Examination began. This time, neither the Eastern Palace nor the Third Prince attended. The Eastern Palace followed custom and sent a potted lotus with twin blossoms, wishing the newlyweds a harmonious life and early offspring.
Lin Jingyue, having nothing better to do, wandered through the entire Eastern Palace. Guided by Xiao Lingzi, she visited every place she was allowed—and some she wasn't. She didn't see any greenhouse, nor did she find the twin-blossom lotus. Recalling the pines of longevity displayed at the birthday banquet, she asked the Crown Prince out of curiosity, "Your Highness, are the gifts you send all arranged by the Imperial Household Department?"
The Crown Prince, swallowing his medicinal tonic without changing his expression, shook his head. "Why go to such trouble? Whoever is hosting a banquet, I just send someone to dig up a plant from the Imperial Garden." If anyone asked, he would simply say it had been admired by the Emperor and possessed immense coll…
Chapter 162