The imperial guard wondered. She wants to stay behind and watch the selection of the flower grower?
“Prince Hao is in the backyard discussing important matters with the Emperor of Nanzhao. There are so many flower growers here, and we can’t have Prince Hao waste his time looking through all of them, right? Why don’t I go through and pick five for Prince Hao to select from?”
The imperial guard immediately rejected the idea upon hearing it. “This matter is of utmost importance, and requires Prince Hao’s personal attention. Su Xi-er, you should go and prepare your luggage.”
Su Xi-er had a smile on her face, but her gaze had a trace of authority. “How can Prince Hao have so much time? Go and report to Prince Hao; I will pick if he allows it. Otherwise, I will go back to my room to pack.”
The imperial guard found the idea logical after musing over it, so he immediately went to the backyard.
The crowd of flower growers looked at Su Xi-er. Some of them have already heard about her a while ago. Prince Hao’s maidservant is both intelligent and peerlessly beautiful.
Now that they were looking at her in person, they felt that the rumours had been true. Even the guards are so respectful to her, going as far as to report to Prince Hao just from her speaking a sentence.
As a result, the flower growers were especially respectful towards her. When they saw her walking closer, they prepared to bow to show their respects.
Su Xi-er waved her hands to stop them. “I am not a master, so you don’t need to pay your respects. Tell me, what’s the most attractive thing about Lingrui flowers?”
Some of the flower growers were stunned by the question, while others were quick to answer. “The petals. If they don’t grow well, the colours of the flower will dull, and the shape will be different.”
The others around that person followed suit and agreed. There were only eight people who answered differently, “The most attractive thing is the centre of the flower; it is shaped like a star, and slightly lighter in colour than the petals.”
Su Xi-er nodded. True, the centre of the flower is more important than the petals, as well as being more attractive.
At this moment, a man clad in coarse clothes and wearing a coarse veil over his face entered through the main door. The man’s voice was low and hoarse as he spoke. “The stem of the Lingrui is even more important. If it is too short, it can’t support the flowers. One stem supporting 10 Lingrui flowers will be considered beautiful; any less is considered a failure.”
The person who came in was Feng Changqing. He had already arrived at the front yard by the time he finished speaking.
The flower growers looked at him. We don’t know him. Is he from Moon County?
It was at this time that the imperial guard returned with Prince Hao’s orders. “Su Xi-er, pick five flower growers for Prince Hao to choose from.”
Su Xi-er nodded and then picked nine flower growers. “The few of you, you all qualify for the next round.”
The flower growers who didn’t get picked were disappointed, having been eliminated after just one question.
“Take some desserts and give them to the people who didn’t get picked. Send them back with a horse carriage.” Su Xi-er instructed the imperial guard next to her.
The imperial guard was confused. Sending them back should be enough, but we need to give them some desserts too?
When the flower growers heard what she had said, half of the disappointment in their expressions disappeared. At least there will be desserts to eat. Prince Hao’s maidservant is really thoughtful.
The imperial guard immediately understood when he saw the expressions of the flower growers. As such, he immediately went to prepare the desserts.
“You guys, follow me to the pergola in the backyard.” Su Xi-er walked towards the backyard.
Feng Changqing swiftly followed. Su Xi-er will ensure that I make it to the last round. Convincing Prince Hao to pick me as the final choice will be up to me.
The path to the pergola passed by the rock pavilion in the backyard. When Su Xi-er was walking by, she caught sight of Pei Qianhao and Ning Lianchen, who were sitting on the stone stools.
Naturally, Pei Qianhao had also caught sight of her. A trace of playfulness came from the depths of his eyes as he stopped playing with the teacup in his hands, his eyes following her the whole way.
Ning Lianchen suddenly remarked, “Prince Hao, you seem to dote on Miss Xi-er very much. That is quite unusual for a master and maidservant.”
