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

The weather was unusually good on the fifteenth of August.

A few fluffy white clouds drifted by in the azure sky.

The moon will surely appear tonight as promised.

Shen Cao looked up at the morning sun and thought to herself.

The backyard of Xueyue Tower was bustling with activity.

Xueyuelou remained open as usual during the day, and the waiters carrying dishes would occasionally glance towards the venue for the Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering as they passed through the backyard.

Today, apart from the servants who were busy greeting guests in the front, everyone else came to the backyard to help.

Occasionally, you can see some busy people wearing clothes that are not those of the servants of Xueyue Tower.

It turned out that there were not enough people, so Shen Cao borrowed some servants from Shen Yu'an and Wei Siyu's families to help.

The century-old osmanthus tree in the courtyard is now covered with dense, golden blossoms.

As soon as you enter the backyard gate, the fragrance of osmanthus flowers fills your nostrils.

After noon, Shen Cao had sent out all sixty invitations she had prepared.

Half of the invitations were bought with money, while the other half were earned by the students through their own hard work and talent.

……

The sky gradually darkened.

Because of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the curfew in the capital will be lifted for three days so that people can celebrate all night.

Many restaurants have also launched a series of Mid-Autumn Festival-related activities to attract guests.

Among them, the most lively place is Xueyue Tower.

Even before the appointed time, the entrance to Xueyue Tower was already crowded with people who had come to attend the banquet.

Most of these people were students who had come to the capital to take the imperial examinations.

They were dressed in student attire, standing in twos and threes discussing academic matters.

Some of these students were people who came to join in the fun without receiving an invitation.

It looked like the street in front of the Snowfield Building was about to be blocked by this group of people.

Shen Cao quickly had someone invite the students waiting outside into the hall.

There weren't many people in the hall at the time, but the students quickly filled it up.

Some students who were entering Xueyue Tower for the first time were drawn to the words in the center of the hall.

They heard that this calligraphy belonged to the current emperor, and they never expected that the emperor's calligraphy was so good.

His brushstrokes flow like dragons and snakes, revealing his character and spirit in every single stroke.

The Emperor's calligraphy planted a seed in the hearts of many students present, who believed that an emperor who could write such characters must be a wise ruler who was willing to listen to the opinions of his ministers.

It was their honor to serve such a wise ruler.

As the upcoming scientific expedition approached, a flame of hope gradually ignited within them.

"Guests with invitations may proceed to the backyard," came the servant's voice.

Amidst envious glances from others, the students holding invitations went to the backyard.

Those who remained had no excuse to stay in the hall any longer, and just as they were about to leave, the servant's voice came again.

"My manager said that those of you without invitations do not need to leave. You are welcome in the lobby on the first floor and in the west-facing private rooms on the second floor."

"The poetry gathering will begin later, and someone will inform you of the theme. You are welcome to participate here."

Some students who were puzzled by the tables in the hall filled with writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones suddenly realized what was going on.

They never expected to be able to participate in the poetry gathering.

"My boss specifically instructed that the poems written by everyone participating in the poetry gathering will also be included in the final evaluation, and there will be a chance to win prizes."

"However, only tea and snacks will be provided in the main hall and the private rooms on the second floor."

Not only could one participate in the poetry gathering, but they were also provided with tea and snacks.

Most importantly, all of these are free.

The students present were very happy.

Some people who realized what was happening had already run up to the second floor, where they might be able to see the scene in the courtyard.

The students who entered the backyard were immediately drawn in by the sweet fragrance of osmanthus blossoms.

Its sweet and fragrant taste is refreshing and delightful.

The group of people, who were in the lead, followed the servant with curiosity and walked forward. They all said that the scenery in the backyard of Xueyue Tower was very beautiful, and seeing it today, they found that it was indeed well-deserved.

Though made by man, it seems as if created by nature.

Artificial hills, ponds, pavilions, and towers complement each other.

When they arrived at the Mid-Autumn Festival poetry gathering, their eyes widened in surprise.

They must be seeing things, there are plum blossoms in this season.

Turning around again, I saw flowers of all colors and shapes throughout the year.

The entire venue was decorated like a flower banquet in spring.

When they got closer, they touched the flowers with their hands and smelled them with their noses; every flower was very fragrant.

The shopkeeper is incredibly skilled; he can decorate the garden like it's springtime even in autumn.

They couldn't help but become even more curious about the theme of this Mid-Autumn Festival poetry gathering.

Could it be related to all these flowers in the garden?

Students in the private rooms on the second floor did not have the opportunity to get up close and personal with these incredibly realistic flowers.

From the second floor, they could only see the courtyard surrounded by all sorts of flowers in the middle, which was quite beautiful.

To their shock, it was already autumn, and the only flowers available on the market were chrysanthemums and osmanthus not far from the poetry gathering.

Those flowers were clearly not chrysanthemums.

Everyone was amazed, and some curious people had already asked the servant.

The servant shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either.

The shopkeeper specifically instructed that...

In fact, those flowers were all fake flowers made by Shen Cao using the same method he used to make peony flowers.

This is what she has been busy with these past few days.

In order to make this first-ever Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering widely known and become a symbol of Xueyuelou.

She put in a lot of effort.

The artificial flowers in this courtyard were started as soon as she announced the Mid-Autumn Festival poetry recital.

Hundreds of people worked for several days and only finished arranging all the flowers and plants in the yard this morning.

Even before the poetry gathering began, the fame of the Hundred Flowers Garden in the Snow Moon Pavilion courtyard had already spread.

Everyone was very curious about how Xueyuelou managed to bring together flowers from all four seasons.

Before the poetry recital even started, many students, captivated by the breathtaking scenery, were inspired to compose poems.

Shen Cao looked at the scene below and nodded in satisfaction.

This is the kind of young student she remembered.

Shen Chen, who was standing to the side, could no longer sit still.

He was also very curious about those flowers.

"Grass, are those flowers in your garden fake?"

“They’re fake flowers,” Shen Cao nodded.

"However, not all of them are fake flowers."

"Those chrysanthemums are real; all the other flowers and plants are fake."

"What?!" Shen Chen looked down at the lush green grass in the garden and was shocked.

How many artificial flowers and plants would it take to decorate a garden like this?

No wonder they said they recruited hundreds of people to work on it.

"Brother, don't you want to go down?"

Shen Chen lowered his head to tidy his appearance, and after making sure everything was alright, he greeted Shen Cao and went downstairs.

If it was Shen Cao who invited him in the first place, it was only now that he was experiencing the scene that Shen Cao had described to him.

With such a group of like-minded students, it's hard for anyone to resist making friends.

In particular, he seemed to see several familiar faces.