High-class Spring Joy

"This flower is called the Winter-Winter Flower. Most flowers bloom either in spring or autumn, rarely in conditions of extreme heat or cold. But the Winter-Winter Flower is different, almost the complete opposite of most flowers and plants. Unlike the plum blossom, which blooms in the freezing cold, the Winter-Winter Flower has much more demanding blooming conditions. It not only thrives in icy and snowy conditions, but it can only bloom in icy and snowy environments. If it leaves our area, unless it goes to a colder, more northern place—even slightly south where the temperature changes—this flower won't bloom. That's why we call it the Winter-Winter Flower. And our small northern town, apart from the northernmost city of Mohan, is already an extremely remote place. Therefore, this Winter-Winter Flower either..." "You can only see them here. Maybe you could find one or two in Mohan City, but those places are sparsely populated, so how could you bring the flowers there? That's why I say these Winter-Winter Flowers can only be seen in our small northern town. It's not that the two young ladies are naive; it has nothing to do with them. It's just that the conditions for the Winter-Winter Flower to bloom are too demanding. Even in our small northern town, the Winter-Winter Flower doesn't necessarily bloom in winter. It must bloom on a full moon night. If the temperature is just right, it can only ensure that the Winter-Winter Flower can survive, take root, sprout, and grow leaves. But if it doesn't meet a full moon, it won't bloom even when it withers, and can only maintain its original bud form."

The vendor got quite animated as he talked.

Qinghe immediately felt curious upon hearing this. After all, she had come into contact with many flowers and plants when she was a maid. Not to mention Princess Jing'an, who was the only princess in the palace, what kind of flowers and plants hadn't she seen, and what kind of rare treasures hadn't she seen?

But neither Qinghe nor Princess Jing'an had ever heard of this "Suhan Flower" before. So when Princess Jing'an saw the hairpin at the stall, she immediately took a liking to this strange yet exceptionally beautiful flower.

"Why must it be on the night of a full moon? Is it because there are some strange effects associated with a full moon?"

Princess Jing'an asked with great interest, and Qinghe, who was standing next to her, nodded with a smile: "Yes, boss, we are indeed tourists from outside, not locals. We don't know much about this local dialect and have never heard of it before. Since you've mentioned it, could you please tell us more about your reasons? Why does it have to be open on the night of the full moon? Is there any strange story behind it? It would be good for us sisters to broaden our horizons."

In a small northern town like theirs, far from the main city, outsiders rarely visit, let alone a large caravan like this. Clearly, just looking at the size of the carriages and the entourage, it was obvious they weren't ordinary people. Even in their simplest clothes, the two young women's striking beauty and elegance were undeniable.

However, as a small vendor, the owner's business wasn't exactly booming, but he still managed to make a living selling these hairpins. Most people in the small northern town had seen them before and weren't lacking in hairpins. Occasionally, a few people would buy some, but that was barely enough to make ends meet. Business would improve a little when outsiders came, let alone with such a large number of people coming this time.

The stall owner didn't have any bad intentions; he just felt that if he could be more attentive and enthusiastic in his service, his business might improve. After all, these two girls didn't look like ordinary people, and if they liked them, they might buy two to take home. He knew that selling three hairpins a day was already a great achievement. If each of these two girls bought two, plus some other odds and ends, he would have sold six today, which was more than double his usual amount. He would earn twice as much money as usual, and his wife would be happier when he got home. He could even bring back some excrement for his wife and son as an extra meal.

So the vendor became even more excited at the thought of the voices coming from there, and began to talk on and on about the origin and legends of the winter jasmine flower:

"Ladies, you may not know this, but when it comes to the name or wonder of this full moon night, there is probably no one in this small northern town who can really explain it clearly. However, there is a legend about the winter jasmine and the full moon night. Since you two ladies are curious, please do me the honor of hearing it."

What makes the winter jasmine flower truly unique is that a single bud can produce two flowers, but they are not twin flowers. These two plants grow and bloom at the same time, emerging from the same bud, just like twin sisters.

But that's not the most unusual thing. The most unusual thing is that the two flowers usually have different colors. For example, the hairpin with the winter flower in Princess Jing'an's hand is half silver and the other half is filled with red mother-of-pearl.

The red and silver outfits were quite unique, which explains why they caught Princess Jing'an's eye at first glance.

Why can two flowers grow from one bud, but these two flowers do not share the same stem and stamen?

In fact, perhaps no one can explain such profound and specialized knowledge clearly, not even flower farmers. But the legend is related to a story.

Before this small northern town was conquered, there once existed an ancient kingdom. The most peculiar thing about that kingdom was that women were revered and men were considered inferior. In the eyes of women, men were merely tools for procreation. From the emperor to the civil and military officials in the court, everyone was a woman. Men rarely entered the world through the imperial examinations, let alone held power. To put it simply, it was a matriarchal kingdom that no one had ever heard of before…

Hearing what the boss said, the Women's Kingdom did have a large population, but whether it was the general or anything else, all of them were women. The men were probably only responsible for some basic matters that did not concern the fate of the country.

Such a kingdom seemed to be particularly powerful at that time. So it could not be said to be a hegemon, but it was able to stand firm in the chaos of the world. Moreover, it made the enemy armies that attacked the kingdom think twice. That kingdom was completely opposite to other countries in terms of etiquette, system and hierarchy. Over time, it was as if they were contradicting each other. The ruler of a country will not allow anything that contradicts him to appear.

It is said that during that chaotic era, warlords fought everywhere. Gradually, one country came to rule over five of the kingdoms, taking over all the people, armies, and wealth of those five countries. Its territory continued to expand, its population continued to grow, and its strength naturally became stronger. Whether in terms of military or economic strength, it was far superior to the remaining ancient kingdoms.

At that time, the Kingdom of Women appeared somewhat weak in the face of that powerful kingdom.

At this time, the Queen of the Women's Kingdom happened to be pregnant. Pregnancy weakens the body and reduces the ability to lead troops into battle. In addition, the strength of the kingdom that ruled over the five kingdoms was far inferior. Therefore, even though the people of the Women's Kingdom were determined to fight the enemy and were not afraid of war, they could only suffer repeated defeats under the enemy's offensive for several months.

At this time, devastating news struck: the Queen of the Women's Kingdom was pregnant and was assassinated. In the end, Qinghe's divine physician tried everything, but could only choose between the Queen and the unborn child. The Queen resolutely gave in, and the divine physician saved her child, entrusting the child to her elder sister.

None of the princesses and noblewomen of the Women's Kingdom were weak. Even though the Queen was dead, her elder sister was no ordinary woman either. Her literary and military talents were no less than those of the deceased Queen.

The elder sister then ascended the throne and became the new Queen of the Women's Kingdom.

Even so, due to the vast disparity in national strength, the Queen of the Women's Kingdom had no choice but to leave the city to protect the lives of her people.

From then on, the Queen of the Women's Kingdom could only live under the surveillance of the enemy country for the rest of her life, with her two little princesses, under the guise of being a captive.

The Queen of the Women's Kingdom taught her two princesses very well, but under the surveillance of the enemy country, she did not allow them to learn literature and martial arts, in order to prevent the Women's Kingdom from having a chance to rise again.

What's worse is that although the two princesses were naturally intelligent, they were both born with disabilities: one was deaf and the other was blind.

One was deaf, the other blind; the two could only live like normal people by being bound together. Ten years after becoming prisoners of the enemy, the daughter and the king died in the enemy's camp due to their constant worry and deteriorating health.

Only the two little princesses remained, bound together, enduring hardship and biding their time in the enemy's camp.

The princes and emperors of the enemy kingdom, as well as all the civil and military officials and even the common people, did not take the two of them seriously. In their hearts, the Queen of the Women's Kingdom, who was a major threat, had died. The Women's Kingdom had no next leader with such ruling power. With the people's hearts scattered, it was difficult to make a comeback. In addition, the two little princesses were born with disabilities, so naturally no one paid them any attention.

After the enemy country unified the continent, it became utterly wicked and enslaved the people. In particular, after occupying the people of the Women's Kingdom, the people of the Women's Kingdom were almost all women with slender figures and outstanding appearances. Even the lowest-ranking farmers had some beauty.

As for appearance, if one has ability or power, then combining them is a sure-fire way to kill. But if one has nothing but appearance, then it becomes a deadly poison.

Whether appearance is a cure or a poison is largely not determined by the person who possesses it, but by their wicked intentions. Even if it is poison, the only ones at fault are the disgusting villains who, upon seeing their beautiful faces, cannot help but harbor evil thoughts.

Unfortunately, many men from the enemy countries that occupied the mainland have turned into villains a hundred times more disgusting than those who were conquered.

They never treated the people of the Women's Kingdom as human beings, nor as prisoners. They treated them as objects that anyone could obtain, objects that they could use to satisfy their desires and for their amusement. This is the most disgusting, infuriating, and unforgivable aspect.

But by this time, my daughter had already perished. With the death of the Queen of the Women's Kingdom, more and more of the people of the Women's Kingdom, after suffering endless humiliation, bit off their tongues and committed suicide, giving up their lives.

The people of the Women's Kingdom did not give up their lives, but because they were in the abyss of darkness. In the endless darkness, all that was there were countless claws baring their fangs and claws, disgusting and greasy hands, but no hope, no light. Even the last glimmer of light dissipated with the death of the Queen of the Women's Kingdom. And they faced increasingly blatant and even inhumane violations.

Eight more years passed, and the two princesses of the Women's Kingdom grew up. Their graceful and captivating figures seemed to have been nurtured by the lavish care of all the people of the Women's Kingdom. To this day, no one can clearly describe their beauty. It is only known that at that time, even the most famous painters in the world could only capture three-tenths of their beauty. Countless men were already captivated the moment they saw their faces.

People tend to have a desire to possess the most beautiful things, especially the emperors of that era. As the supreme rulers, they were naturally inclined to plunder and possess more women.

How could he possibly suppress his bestial instincts when he saw the two little princesses of the Women's Kingdom?

So the emperor wanted to forcibly take the two princesses of the Women's Kingdom as his concubines. But the most inhumane thing was that the emperor actually forced the two princesses of the Women's Kingdom to serve him together on their wedding night.

The idea of ​​sisters serving each other might seem like a perfect arrangement to men, but from a normal person's perspective...

On their wedding night, the two disabled sisters, a deaf-mute boy and a mute girl, who were not favored or noticed by anyone, managed to easily kill the emperor of the enemy country by working together, one dressed in a golden wedding dress and the other in a red wedding dress.

The two little princesses leaped off the city wall, their crimson snowflakes scattering across the land outside, much like the tragic scene when the enemy emperor led his army into the Kingdom of Women.

The Queen of the Women's Kingdom taught the two little princesses very well.

The king dies for his country, the emperor guards the gates of the nation. They were the little princesses of the Women's Kingdom. Although they never enjoyed the support of the people of the Women's Kingdom, they resolutely chose to die for those people of the Women's Kingdom who bit off their tongues and committed suicide.

"It is said that the two little princesses jumped off the city wall, but the next day a strange thing happened. Countless sprouts grew from the place where their blood had fallen. No matter how the enemy country sent people to cut down the sprouts, or even burned them, these strange sprouts reappeared when the sun rose the next morning. Later, people simply stopped caring and just watched to see what these sprouts would grow. On the fifth day, a heavy snow fell, freezing the ground three feet deep. But these sprouts strangely bloomed. One flower was golden, and the other was crimson. In the pure white snow, it was just like the wedding dresses worn by the two princesses on their wedding night."