On the windowsill by the lake, spring splendor was in full bloom.
There was only a single potted flower, yet it bloomed with all the lavish grandeur of spring.
Its head, wings, tail, and feet curved proudly like a phoenix; its stem and tendrils streamed in riotous elegance like an immortal.
Most striking were its two main petals, spreading outward as though ready to catch the wind and fly away. Their lines were graceful, gleaming like golden feathers.
Thus it was named the "Golden-feathered Fengxian Flower."
It bloomed very slowly, only once every three years.
Its flowering period was also very short, lasting only three days.
Thus it was also called the "Three-Day Wither."
Its natural growing conditions were already extraordinarily harsh. To preserve its blooming form by artificially fixing its flowering period required an even greater expenditure of resources.
In all of Qi State, only the Bao Clan could steadily produce Golden-feathered Fengxian Flowers.
Of course, that business had now changed hands and passed to Chongxuan Sheng of the Chongxuan Family.
Beyond its beauty, this flower also possessed immense medicinal value. Its "immortal tendrils" could be used in more than thirty medicinal formulas to enhance their efficacy. Its petals were also highly sought-after ingredients for brewing tea. The two "golden feather" petals in particular ranked among the finest raw ingredients for flower tea.
Bao Yi, Earl of Shuofang, dearly loved this flower. On his windowsill, there was always a pot of blooming Golden-feathered Fengxian Flowers, no matter the season. Naturally, he did not use extraordinary power to maintain the false appearance of flowers that never faded—that would not be beautiful enough. Instead, the flowers were moved here: they withered every three days, and were replaced every three days.
When Bao Bozhao had transferred this business, he had set one