Chapter 47: Peony

On the second day, Su Mu brought Xie Yi to the main gate of the Xu mansion. The servant who came to announce their arrival saw Su Mu from afar and ran over to greet her, bowing respectfully, then shouted towards the inside of the gate: “Su Jie Yuan has arrived!”

Su Mu, having been the wealthiest person in her previous life, was familiar with such scenes and didn’t find anything unusual about it.

However, Xie Yi was not the same Xie Yi who had spent ten years with her in her previous life. At this moment, he didn’t have the same calmness as before. The flower-viewing banquet at the Xu mansion was considered a grand occasion for him.

But Xie Yi still maintained his composure, forcing himself not to show any timidity.

“Don’t be afraid,” she gently reassured him.

Xie Yi shook his head slightly: “I’m not afraid.”

In Xie Yi’s eyes, whether there were many people or few, their status didn’t matter to him. His only concern was that his words and actions should be proper, so as not to embarrass Su Mu.

The two of them entered the garden of the Xu mansion together. By then, the garden was already filled with many notable figures.

County Magistrate Xu had made a lot of money during his years in office, so his mansion was particularly luxurious, and the garden was no exception. Even the artificial mountains and lake stones were specially transported from other regions.

It was the height of summer, and the lush green trees blocked out the scorching sunlight. The garden was cool and shady, with pavilions and halls built inside. Weeping willows were planted by the pond, and when the cool breeze blew, the willow branches gently caressed the waterside pavilion, creating an elegant atmosphere.

Since they were here to view flowers, the garden of the Xu mansion was naturally impressive. The scenery was excellent, with abundant flowers and dense willows. The peonies in the courtyard were especially beautiful, competing in splendor, attracting many butterflies to rest on their pistils. They bloomed even more vibrantly than the wildflowers outside. Many young gentlemen who loved flowers were wandering among the blooms, joking and teasing.

But when they saw Su Mu, they all stopped their casual chatter, suddenly becoming nervous and coy. When they noticed Xie Yi following behind Su Mu, they curled their lips and let out a light snort.

“Sister Mu, is this a peony?” Xie Yi asked softly. In Juecheng, peonies were only found in the gardens of wealthy families. Xie Yi’s knowledge of peonies was limited to Su Mu’s descriptions – dense petals and rich colors – so he mistook the similar-looking peony for a tree peony.

“No, this is a herbaceous peony. Tree peonies have larger flowers. Once you’ve seen more of them, you’ll naturally recognize them,” Su Mu said.

Xie Yi nodded.

Su Mu had no interest in these flowers and plants. She sat casually by the waterside pavilion, reaching out to touch the soft weeping willow branches.

“Xiao Yi, do you remember the few lines of poetry I taught you last night?” she asked.

Although she knew that given her current status, it was unlikely that anyone would deliberately ask Xie Yi to compose poetry, she had still taught him a few lines of poetry the night before, just in case, since they were attending the flower-viewing banquet today.

Even though Xie Yi didn’t know many characters, he learned quickly and had an aesthetic sense. After she read it aloud a few times, Xie Yi could recite it fluently and appreciate its beauty.

Xie Yi stood beside her and said softly: “I remember. ‘Entangling the spring breeze with a special charm, who in the world dares to compete in lightness?'”

“‘Entangling the spring breeze with a special charm, who in the world dares to compete in lightness?’ This poem indeed vividly depicts the softness and lightness of the willow branches. However, this old man thinks that ‘Disordered branches have not yet changed their initial yellow, leaning on the east wind, they become wild’ is more appropriate. If one were to be like willow branches, powerless on their own and only able to dance with the wind, that would be utterly unacceptable,” an elderly voice came from behind.

Su Mu smiled lightly. There was a kind of hazy and cool beauty among the fluttering willow branches.

She slowly turned around and saw County Magistrate Xu walking towards her, leaning on a cane with someone supporting him. By this time, Xu was almost seventy years old and could barely walk steadily, yet he was still scheming against her.

Despite her internal complaints, Su Mu still smiled and bowed to County Magistrate Xu: “Greetings, County Magistrate.”

“You know me?” Xu asked in surprise.

Su Mu suddenly remembered that this was the first time she had met Xu in this life. Xu didn’t know much about her, but she had dealt with him for many years.

“Your imposing demeanor, County Magistrate, even if one doesn’t recognize your face, your bearing alone sets you apart from others. Naturally, one can identify you at a glance.”

Xu was very pleased to hear this and laughed heartily, helping Su Mu up: “Please rise, Miss Su. You’re now a Jie Yuan, there’s no need to bow to me anymore.”

Xie Yi behind her also bowed, and although he lowered his eyes respectfully, there was no trace of servility in his brow.

Xu glanced lightly at Xie Yi, secretly worrying whether his son Xu Yunshu would be able to gain favor in the future.

Su Mu smiled faintly: “Courtesy must not be neglected. Although I am now a Jie Yuan, I still respect the County Magistrate in my heart. The line you just mentioned, ‘Disordered branches have not yet changed their initial yellow, leaning on the east wind, they become wild,’ is very good. No matter what, one must be able to stand firm and steady on their own. Otherwise, no matter how the wind changes, there will always be a moment when it stops. At that time, no matter how arrogant one was before, they won’t be able to make waves anymore.”

Xu smiled and said: “That’s exactly what I meant. Miss Su truly understands me. And who is this?”

Su Mu didn’t hesitate at all as she took Xie Yi’s hand, her gestures gentle and affectionate: “This is Xie Yi, my husband-to-be.”

“Husband?” Xu was slightly shocked. He had thought Xie Yi was just a favored attendant, but how could he be so important in Su Mu’s heart that she wanted to make him her primary husband?

Su Mu smiled elegantly: “Yes, Xie Yi and I met when we were nobodies. He accompanied me through the most difficult times without a name or status. I’m grateful for his dedication. Now that our days are a bit better than before, I naturally want to marry him.”

Xu’s thoughts sank. He had originally planned to marry Xu Yunshu to Su Mu as her primary husband to form an alliance and ensure a worry-free life after he retired from his position.

But now he was shocked to discover that Xie Yi, whom he had previously ignored as a minor character, was actually so skilled that he could make a Ju Ren marry him as her primary husband despite his humble origins.

Well, he had underestimated his opponent.