A piece of Japanese incense

Chapter 127 Golden Lantern Flower

In the quiet palace corridor, Feng Zhixu coughed lightly. Although his voice was low, it clearly revealed an unspeakable hint. He took a step forward, leaned close to my ear, and whispered, "Grandpa Emperor has seen through the predicament of my mother and me, and has allowed my second uncle to go to the capital with me to help secretly."

"Oh, well, in that case, why don't you go directly to see His Majesty, but come to me?"

Feng Zhixu touched me lightly with his arm and slowly pulled out a box from his sleeve. It was simple in color and square in shape.

He raised his eyebrows, and asked softly with a hint of amusement, "Can you guess what this is?"

This box is made of simple wooden pieces and is divided into two parts, the upper part is decorated with black, brown and other colored painted wooden pieces and strips, while the lower part is inlaid with snail shells and seashells, and painted with pictures of flying birds and flowers.

I didn't want him to keep me in suspense, so I took it and gently opened the lid.

In the upper square box, golden seeds are piled up like a hill, each one is firm and round, like a piece of ingenious jewelry, with a smooth and waxy surface, protecting the dormant embryo inside. When the sunlight falls, these seeds seem to have gained new vitality, with a soft golden light.

I looked at Feng Zhixu inquiringly, and he stood in a leisurely posture, with his hands clasped in his sleeves and his head slightly tilted, urging me with his eyes to keep reading.

I continued to open the square base box below, and a flower quietly lay inside, with a straight and delicate stem, a funnel-shaped flower, and bright colors. The bright yellow color was dazzling and soul-stirring, and the petals were as transparent as cicada wings, with slightly rippled edges. The central stamen seemed to be inlaid with gold beads by a skilled craftsman, and it was dazzling. This flower exudes a kind of aloof and mysterious beauty that is detached from the world.

I opened my mouth in surprise and couldn't believe my eyes: "This... this is... a golden lamp?"

Feng Zhixu gently pinched my chin, with a smug light in his eyes, and said with a smile: "I knew you would be like this!"

"This strange flower is described in the book Mirror of Flowers. When the flower blooms, the leaves fall, and when the leaves fall, the flower blooms. It blooms once a thousand years, and withers once a thousand years. I originally thought it was just a fictional legend, but I didn't expect it to actually exist!"

"Indeed!" He nodded in agreement. "When I was at the border, I heard that there was a strange flower growing on the cliffs. The autumn wind was cold and the petals gradually fell, but the flower always kept its original color and exuded a charming fragrance. I knew you would be very interested in it, so I took the risk to climb the mountain and picked it for you."

"Isn't that extremely dangerous?" I looked at him with concern.

He waved his hand nonchalantly, unable to hide the pride in his eyes: "Oh~ the process was pretty smooth~"

Feng Zhixu proudly put his hands behind his back and described the beauty of the flowers: "Those clusters of dazzling goose yellow are like enchanting pearls! It's a pity that you didn't see it with your own eyes."

I stared at the flowers in the box and murmured, "It is said that this flower can awaken the memories of the deceased. I wonder if this is true."

"The legend is so magical that the locals call it Lycoris radiata and only use it to sober up~"

I exclaimed in disbelief: "Such a precious flower can be used to sober up?"

Feng Zhixu laughed awkwardly: "Actually... it's not that precious in the local area, it's everywhere in the mountains..."

I glared at him fiercely and punched him in the chest: "You lied to me that I was on a cliff! Ah! You made me worry for nothing!"

"Ouch! It hurts so much!" Feng Zhixu covered his chest, grimaced, and jumped in agony.

"You're exaggerating! You act like I'm a strongman~"

“It hurts so much~”

I saw his lips turned pale and bloodless, and then I realized something was wrong, so I asked him hurriedly, "Is he really going to hurt you?"

"I was afraid that the flowers would wither, and I was injured, so I traveled day and night to come back to see you, you are such a heartless person~!"

I suddenly felt extremely guilty and said in a trembling voice, "Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't know you were injured!" I was at a loss and didn't know where to put my hands for a moment.

He tried to ease the atmosphere and said, "Forget it, forget it. Uncle Fu must have already met Grandpa Huang. I can take this opportunity to play a good role in front of Grandpa Huang and ask him to give me some more treasures as compensation out of sympathy~"

After watching his back merge into the corner of the city wall, I finally put my worry to rest and walked back to my residence.

I sniffed the wooden box that exuded a faint floral scent. The fragrance was like a hug from an old friend, which made me feel extremely comfortable, so I put it next to my pillow.

Seeing how much I valued this gift, Yu Tuan couldn't help but ask curiously, "Miss, you are so fond of the gift given by His Highness Zhixu. Does it have any special meaning?"

I smiled slightly: "I just think this fragrance is very familiar."

At this time, Yuyi came over with a basin of steaming water and placed it next to the recliner: "Miss, from His Highness Zhixu's words and actions, you seem to have sensed a hint of danger? Has he encountered some unknown threat?"

I nodded slightly, revealing a trace of worry: "He has not recovered from his injury yet, which shows that the injury was not trivial. I am afraid that someone has done something cruel to him..."

Yu Tuan heard this and swallowed her saliva: "Miss, I think we should not have anything to do with His Highness Zhixu anymore, so as not to be implicated one day!"

I comforted her, "After all, this is the palace. It's different from the military base at the border, so there shouldn't be so many dangers." As soon as I finished speaking, Yuyi brought in two more basins of hot water.

The three of us sat around on chairs, chatting while soaking our feet. After careful consideration, I whispered to them my guess: "I think the one who tried to harm Zhixu is most likely the Crown Princess!"

"Ah?!" The two shouted in surprise.

They leaned over curiously and looked over. Yu Tuan asked in confusion, "Girl, how did you deduce that?"

"I just thought that, apart from the Crown Princess, there are few people who would have conflicts of interest with Zhixu..."

"Hmm... that makes sense! The Crown Prince has been stationed at the border for a long time, and I heard that he has never communicated with the Crown Princess! Since His Majesty is in poor health, the Crown Princess is worried, fearing that after the Crown Prince ascends the throne, he will depose herself and His Royal Highness the Crown Grandson and enthrone His Royal Highness Zhixu..."

Yutuan spoke louder and louder, and Yuyi and I quickly covered her mouth with our hands.

Yu Yi lowered her voice and said, "But what Yu Tuan said is not entirely unreasonable..."

I raised the corner of my mouth, was silent for a moment, and then spoke: "Forget it, let's stop here tonight. I recently blended a new fragrance, named 'Tuwu', I will bring it to Feng Zhixu tomorrow, I hope this fragrance can bring him some relief and comfort~"