Chapter 1 Peony (I)

　　At the beginning of summer, the flowers were flying and the warm wind was blowing. 　　He Peony, the young lady of the Liu family, sat on the veranda, narrowing her charming phoenix eyes, using a slender silver spoon to hold sunflower seeds, teasing the green parrot on the shelf to talk to Flip. Whenever he said, "Peony is the loveliest." She then rewarded it with a sunflower seed and said in a gentle tone, "Flinging is so smart." 　　Flip skillfully spat out the melon shell, swallowed the kernel, pawed at the crossbar under its feet, paced two steps sideways, and said smugly, "Flip is so smart." 　　Peony burst out laughing, "Yes, flinging is so smart." 　　"Young Lady, it's time for your nap." A maid wearing a pink and green half-arm, bundled silver and red high-waisted skirt, with a round face and big eyes came over, smilingly made a face at Flinging and made a gesture to go and hit it. 　　The flinging which was already more than ten years old and had become a spirit was not afraid at all, and called out in a strange accent, "Dead Lotus!" That accent was exactly the same as the voice of Yu Tong, the other maid beside Peony, who had to turn a few corners in her voice, only with the strange accent of Flip, it was funny to listen to. 　　Yu He didn't laugh out loud as usual, and quietly glanced at Peony. Peony's face was expressionless, she stood up and handed the silver spoon in her hand to the little maid Jiu'er who was standing by the side, stroked the pomegranate red eight-paneled Luo skirt on her body, and turned around to go inside. 　　Yu He glared at Shuo Duo and scolded in a low voice, ''Stupid bird! Don't learn from that shameless Yutong again. Or I won't give you rice to eat!" Not caring whether Flip understood or not, she lifted her skirt and quickly chased after Peony in the direction she had left. 　　"Young Lady ......," Yu He just shouted out, but was scared to shut her mouth by that tall figure at the end of the corridor. She stood upright as fast as she could, her hands pressed against her legs, and shouted loudly in a voice that Peony could definitely hear, "Young Master!" 　　Liu Chang dusted off the finely crafted ink-purple round-collar brocade robe, gave a faint "hmm", tilted his head with his hands behind his back, and slowly paced to the front of Peony's room, where Yu He hurriedly stepped forward to raise the delicate Xiang Fei bamboo curtain, inviting the male master to enter. 　　Liu Chang's pair of slightly shady eyes swept around the quiet room and said, "Young Lady is napping again?" 　　Yu He attentively served tea, nodded his head and slightly fawned, "Yes, the young lady got up in the morning and felt a little dizzy." While saying this, he peeked at Liu Chang's expression. 　　Liu Chang's thick and straight eyebrows slightly raised, "Did you invite a doctor?" 　　It is probably because today his temper is a bit too good to be true, Yu He is a bit uneasy: "The young lady said that it is an old problem, lie down more and it will be fine, no need to trouble the doctor." 　　Liu Chang does not comment, suddenly lifts his foot and walks inside: "You stand down." 　　Yu He saw his movement and trembled in fear, the smile on her face became more and more flattering, "Master Gongzi, slave girl will hit the curtain for you." 　　Liu Chang coldly swept a glance at her and spat out a sentence stiffly from his two thin lips, "Go down!" 　　The smile on Yu He's face abruptly disappeared, and she backed out with her head hanging down. 　　Liu Chang stood outside the curtain, through the crystal curtain, put his eyes fell on that wide rosewood bed, twelve silver flat bracket bird and flower screen is wide open, the tent frame hanging down the cherry-colored rooster tent has long been half old, gold inlaid blue phoenix head tent hooks flashing among them, pink brocade quilt is spread neatly, and did not see someone sleeping on it. 　　Liu Chang frowned, and dropped his eyes to the beauty couch by the window, which was covered by the spring sunshine. 　　He saw a long garnet red dress hanging down from the couch, charmingly commissioned. Peony reclined on the couch, covered her face with a plain white fan to block the sunlight, the ivory fan handle with the colorful purple tassels pouring down, covering most of her slender neck, more and more lining that neck as if it was like congealed grease, snow white and delicate, so that people can't help but want to gently touch it. 　　Liu Chang's knot in his throat moved slightly, he couldn't help but shift his gaze to the peony wearing the peony embroidered white peony jacket, plain white peony, but with golden colorful stamens, embroidered on the front lapel, one on each side, the stamens of the flower in the daylight burning light, demonic attraction. 　　Liu Chang stood outside the curtain and coughed, but Peony did not move. 　　"Peony!" Liu Chang lifted the curtain and stepped in, the crystal curtain tinkled behind him, which was very nice to hear. 　　After a long time of not hearing Peony's response, a trace of anger welled up in Liu Chang's eyes, and he barely suppressed his voice and said, "Saying that your body is not well, why are you lying around like this again? Quickly get up and go to the bed, beware of the aggravation of the disease and the disturbance of the whole house." 　　Peony's thick and curly eyelashes fluttered gently under the fan, and the corners of her lips rippled with an ironic smile. With ten slender fingers, she removed the playboy fan covering her face and slowly sat up, her face was already all warm and gentle: "Husband but what is it?" 　　Her back to the light, slightly narrowed her eyes, lips bright red, still with just woke up from sleep blank, posture lazy and charming, Liu Chang's heartbeat uncontrollably fast a beat, opened his mouth and said: "Nothing I can not come over?" 　　His tone was unprecedentedly soft, Peony was a little surprised, then she lowered her eyes, got up and walked to the window, looked out the window at the large pot of Wei Zi that was in full bloom, and faintly said, "It's good to make people come and carry it. As long as you don't fold it for someone to wear, it doesn't matter if you borrow it for three days and three nights." 　　Liu Chang was pierced by her glance, a little annoyed, just calmed down the mood immediately was lit again, he looked at her with a cold smile: "Yutong is pregnant." 　　Peony didn't blink: "Oh, this is a great joy, wait for me to report over to madam, increase her monthly allowance, allocate one more person to serve, is it enough?" 　　Liu Chang stared at her dead on, trying to find a crack in her delicate and beautiful face, to see through the panic and pain, disappointment and misery under her disguise. 　　But Peony just casually stroked her face and looked at him with a smile, "Is there a flower on my face? Or do you think that this Jade Tin on my forehead is novel and chic? Oh yes, the day before yesterday Yu'er saw it and said she wanted you to buy it for her. In the East Main Street's Fuxin Square, two taels of silver a piece, but I'm this flower color, is certainly no more." 　　Her demeanor is casual, her tone is as plain as a good friend of the cabinet sister general gossip, and do not see any panic and sadness, Liu Chang suddenly deflated. He did not understand, why she was sick after that, after getting well, suddenly changed a person. Do not fight, not jealous, not hate, even if he wanted her most relied on Yu Tong, also did not see her have any demeanor, very calmly accepted, but called him some face. 　　Liu Chang's complexion changed a few times, learning from her to ripple up a smile, "It's not that you have a flower on your face, nor is it that Cui-Tian is chic, but you yourself are a peony flower." He strides over and tenderly caresses Peony's face. 　　His fingers were cold and carried a strong smoky scent, Peony's charming phoenix eyes flashed a trace of disgust, but she didn't move, slightly tilted her chin and looked at him with a smile, "I was originally called Peony, it's nothing unusual if my husband looks at the wrong eye." 　　Peony is only a nickname, in fact, her first name is He Weifang, but still a meaning, "the absolute generation only Xizi, all the fragrance but peony." The old man of the He family regarded her as a treasure, and felt that no name was worthy of her, only the peony, the king of flowers, was worthy of her. However, he thought that the name Peony was not elegant enough to be her first name, so he made a name but Fang as her first name, but privately, the family still called her by her maiden name Peony. 　　Hearing Peony say this, Liu Chang's mind suddenly came up with this word that she had sarcastically used on herself, he paused, withdrew his hand, and after a moment of silence, he still made up his mind, "You've been very popular with me lately, so I'll rest here this night." 　　Deeply to his liking? He thinks he is the emperor's favor? Peony lowered her eyes to hide the disdain and panic in her eyes, "I'm afraid it won't work." 　　Refusing is one thing, being rejected is another, Liu Chang laughed coldly: "No? You've been married for three years and you've never produced anything, and now you refuse to share a room with me, you don't want my Liu family to be deprived of grandchildren, do you?" 　　Peony blinked in aggravation, "Husband, calm down, why are you so angry? Concubine is physically inconvenient, not that I don't want to serve you." 　　Liu Chang glares at her, she calmly locks eyes with him and continues to play pitiful: "Speaking so seriously, what is it about cutting off your children and grandchildren? Isn't Qier your son? If Biwu knew, she would cry again." 　　What is a concubine's son? Liu Chang swallows the words, snorts coldly, whisks his sleeve and leaves, throwing down a sentence, "Tomorrow I'll be hosting a flower appreciation banquet at home, dress up nicely and get up early!" 　　Peony did not answer him. 　　He rushed out of the curtain with big strides, and couldn't help but look back again, only to see that Peony had already turned her back to him, her slender and slim body crouching by the window, probing her hand to touch the biggest flower on the pot of Wei Zi. The pot was a bit far from the window, she couldn't reach it, so she crossed one foot and tried her best to go out, her small delicate soft-soled embroidered shoes were a bit too big, after she swayed a few times, they finally fell to the ground with a click, the white satin upper was embroidered with big red peonies, and the beads falling from the tip of the shoe were overflowing with color. 　　Liu Chang's heart suddenly softened, this bead, or the second year after she married, fifteen years old and maturity, he casually threw her gift, I did not expect her to still keep, and it fell to the tip of the shoe. He couldn't care less about being angry, once again walked behind her and whispered, "What are you going to do? I'll help you." 　　At that moment, he thought, even if she maliciously tried to pick the biggest flower and work against him, so that he would have no flowers to enjoy tomorrow and spoil the guests' mood, he would admit it. 　　Peony looked back at him in surprise, a pair of streaming eyes glaring, "What else do you want to borrow?" 　　Liu Chang once again blackened his face, the tenderness that had so easily surged up poured out and turned into a monstrous rage, he sneered, "Borrow? Do I need to borrow with you? Even you are mine, do I need to borrow with you? You don't know what's good for you even though I've given you face? I'll ask someone to carry the flowers later, not only this pot, but also the Yao Huang, the Jade Tower, the Purple Robe and Golden Ribbon, and the Yao Tai Jade Dew!" 　　Peony didn't say anything, quietly looking at Liu Chang. 　　Peony He was madly in love with peony flowers, so the He family dowry accompanied twenty-four pots of valuable peonies, which are now kept by specialists in her yard, and have become one of the props that the Liu family is bound to present when they are treating guests in the spring. Especially these pots with auspicious names are almost the must-have flowers every year. 　　The peony's look in her eyes reminded Liu Chang of the old days and why he had married her. He angrily raised his hand, Peony this time is considered to be really panicked, quickly observed the terrain, calculated the best escape path, shrank back, somewhat stuttered: "What do you ...... you ...... you want to do? If you dare to move a finger of mine, I ...... will ...... me."