The aroma of cooking filled the house: I sent my eldest brother to become the Grand Secretary.

Chapter 349 How to Make Peonies

Earlier today.

Upon hearing Shen Cao's words, everyone looked at her.

Shen Cao smiled and instructed Granny Cao, "Granny Cao, I saw some Tongtuo wood in the Imperial Garden earlier. Send a few palace maids to cut down a few sections."

"Sister Green Willow, prepare a basin of clean water and soak all these peony flowers in it."

"Granny Cao, do you know anyone in the clothing bureau? I need some people who are nimble-handed."

Granny Cao was completely confused, not knowing what Shen Cao was up to, but she still followed Shen Cao's instructions and quietly went to find someone.

After everything was ready, Shen Cao began to prepare to make the peony flower.

She first took a piece of tongtuo wood, extracted its essence, and sliced ​​it into thin sheets of tongcao paper.

She pointed to the pith paper, "We'll use this to make a peony."

Shen Cao described the process of making peonies in detail to everyone.

As expected of the artisans in the palace, they immediately understood how to do it after Shen Cao explained it only once.

The peony, which had been soaking in the water, briefly returned to its original appearance.

Wipe the surface of the peony dry with a cotton cloth, carefully pluck each petal, and lay them flat on the table.

They even carefully plucked each flower stamen one by one.

Draw the petals on paper, and then cut out the petal shapes from the pith paper.

Once dried, the paper is quite brittle; simply soak it in water before cutting.

Gently pinch the cut pith petals with your hands to reveal the texture and veins of the petals.

As Shen Cao watched the craftsmen recreate the flower petals one by one using pith paper, her heart finally settled down.

The stamens and pistils were carefully shaped one by one from clay.

The pistil has many tiny hairs. Shen Cao took some silk threads and cut them into small velvet pieces with scissors.

A layer of fine hairs is gently attached to the shaped pistil, making it look exactly like the real thing.

Looking at the peony in front of her, if she hadn't already known it was a fake flower, she would have almost thought that Shen Cao had found a real peony for her from somewhere.

Shen Cao smiled and pinned the incredibly realistic peony flower in her hair.

As Shen Shuhua walked out of Yuehua Palace, she took out a flower petal from her hand, and Shen Cao's words before leaving echoed in her ears.

"The Empress will definitely doubt the authenticity of this flower. You only need to wet the surface of the petals, and it will become as soft as a real flower. Then, tear it apart in front of everyone. As long as they don't do it face to face with you, they won't be able to tell the difference."

……

Shen Shuhua walked up to Shen Cao and said, "Cao'er, you were right. The Empress did suspect me. I tore the flower petal you gave me to pieces in front of her. You didn't see her face, hehe."

Wanyue held Shen Cao's hand and said, "Sister Cao'er, you are amazing! Not only can you cook, but you can even make peony flowers."

"I think the peony flowers look just like the real ones; even the Empress and the others couldn't tell they were fake."

……

Cheng Qiangong

Upon returning to the palace, Du Yuqing was so angry that she smashed all the teacups on the table onto the ground with a flick of her sleeve.

Still not satisfied, she smashed the vase on the nearby table.

"Go and fetch Granny Du for me."

Why is it that Shen Shuhua, that bitch, always manages to solve things perfectly?

She is the true empress; she should be the one everyone envies.

Du Mama hid in the room; she could already hear the Empress's angry voice.

She kept silently praying that the Empress would not call her name.

When she heard that the Empress wanted to summon her, her anxiety completely died.

"Your Majesty, spare me! I swear, that peony was definitely killed by the boiling water I poured on it myself."

A sharp gaze swept over, making Granny Du tremble in fear.

"If she got drowned, what was that hairpin Shen Shuhua was wearing in her hair?"

"I am not blind; I can distinguish between peonies and tree peonies."

In order to humiliate her on the spot, she spent the entire afternoon in the Imperial Garden the day before looking at peonies, just so she could distinguish them clearly.

Granny Du shook her head frantically, "This servant doesn't know either."

"You didn't know?" Du Yuqing walked up to her and squatted down. "You're not one of Shen Shuhua's people, are you?"

She squinted, and Granny Du could clearly see a strong killing intent in her eyes.

Terrified, she quickly kowtowed, seemingly oblivious to the pain. "Your Majesty, please spare me! I was brought from the Du family by you. I am yours in life and in death. Please, Your Majesty, have mercy!"

"Your Majesty, I have something important to report." Du Yuqing turned around coldly, and slowly stood up when she saw who it was.

She looked down at Granny Du and said, "Since you don't know either, then go and find out for me."

"If there is a next time, I will not let it go lightly."

Granny Du was relieved.

She collapsed to the ground, looking completely disoriented.

Inside the room, the Empress frowned upon hearing the young palace maid's words.

"Father only told me to leave the palace today, and that's all he said?"

The young palace maid remained expressionless and said calmly, "This servant doesn't know either. Lord Du only said that you'll find out when you get there."

……

After nightfall, a full moon hung high in the sky.

There wasn't a single cloud around, making the moon appear exceptionally bright.

Moonlight spilled into the courtyard of the Shen residence.

The rest of the Shen family had already gone to sleep.

Shen Cao scribbled and drew things on the paper that were incomprehensible to others.

When she looked up, she realized it was already late at night.

The night breeze was a bit chilly.

She got up and was about to close the window.

Suddenly a figure flew in.

Startled, she took a step back and was about to call for help.

A familiar voice came from beside me, "Don't be afraid, it's me."

Ji Lingfeng?

"How do you know where I live now?" He even knows my own room.

The other person clearly didn't want to answer her question.

He walked to the table, pulled out a stool, and sat down.

"Long time no see." He stared at Shen Cao, his voice low and tinged with caution.

Shen Cao felt a little embarrassed by his stare, and her face flushed.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

"You've returned to the capital?"

"Mmm," he nodded, then suddenly smiled and chuckled.

"why are you laughing?"

Ji Lingfeng shook his head. "It's nothing."

He said it was nothing, but the smile in his eyes grew wider and wider.

He remembered reading in a storybook that if a woman liked a man, she would ask him some silly questions.

He's already here, so he must be returning to Beijing.

“Brother Ji, you could actually come in through the main gate during the day.”

Ji Lingfeng touched his nose somewhat awkwardly. "I'm leaving tonight, so I came to say goodbye."

……

After midnight, a dark figure quietly left through the back gate of Chengqian Palace.

Half an hour later, the figure quietly walked into the back gate of the Du residence, the Prime Minister's mansion in the capital.