A Latest Roundup of the Stories and Legends of Wintersweet
Wintersweet is also known as wax plum, wintersweet yellow plum blossom, flower in the snow, wax wood, wax flower, croton flower, winter plum, snow plum, cold plum, golden bell plum, yellow plum, dry-branch plum, early plum, and so on. It is a traditional precious ornamental flower and tree native to China. Wintersweet blooms before spring, the first among all flowers, especially the tiger's hoof plum, which opens its flowers in the tenth lunar month, hence it is called early plum. Now let us take a look together at what the flower language of wintersweet is!
The Flower Language of Wintersweet
A loving heart, a noble soul, loyalty, independence, firmness, fidelity, strength, steadfastness, purity, noble character, overbearing pride, a clear heart, noble spirit, independence and innovation.
The Difference Between Wintersweet and Plum Blossom
Wintersweet is not a type of plum; the two are only distantly related. In plant taxonomy, wintersweet belongs to the family Calycanthaceae and is a deciduous shrub, while plum blossom is a plant of the family Rosaceae. Because they bloom one after another in the cold twelfth lunar month or in early spring, and their flower shapes and fragrances are similar, they are often mistaken by people for the same species. Wintersweet's flowers grow singly on both sides of the branches; the tepals are numerous, with the inner layer smaller and purplish red, the middle layer larger and yellow with a slight sheen, resembling wax, and the outermost layer composed of small scales, with the sepals similar to the petals.
The Story and Legend of Wintersweet
It is said that long ago, a rare fierce wind blew through the capital city of Bianjing. The wind darkened the sky and earth, carrying sand and stones. In Bianliang city, shops closed their doors and the common people hid. Wherever the great wind passed, trees were broken and walls destroyed; even the screen wall in front of the emperor's bedchamber in the Forbidden City was blown down. As a result, every move of the emperor and his concubines could be seen clearly by passing pedestrians. The emperor felt this was too unseemly and wanted to replace the screen wall at once, but he was also a very superstitious man, believing that the fierce wind came from heaven and was sent by the Heavenly Emperor in anger. Since it had destroyed the old wall, it meant this place was not suitable for building a wall; this was the will of heaven. If a wall were rebuilt on the spot, there might be misfortune; but if no screen wall were restored here, it would wound the royal dignity and the nation's honor. The emperor thought it over again and again but could not come up with a good solution. This sovereign, whose word none of his ministers dared contradict, was at a loss.
The next day at the morning court, after the hundred officials had paid their respects and before any memorials could be discussed, the emperor told the assembled ministers about the screen wall matter and asked them to discuss a foolproof plan. The whole court of civil and military officials looked at one another, each gazing at the next.
After half an hour, the chancellor of the left stepped out of the ranks and said to the emperor with a smile: “Your Majesty, your humble servant is untalented, but I do have an idea. I do not know whether it will suit Your Majesty's wishes.”
The emperor was just worrying over this matter, and hearing that the chancellor of the left had a plan, he quickly nodded in readiness. The chancellor received the imperial command and said: “Your Majesty, the screen wall of the bedchamber has been damaged, which is a misfortune for the rear palace, and rebuilding it is all the more inadvisable. If a wintersweet from Yanling were brought here and planted at the gate of the bedchamber, then first, it could ordinarily shield people's eyes and ears; second, it could give shade in summer and offer flowers to enjoy in winter; and third, wintersweet blooms exactly at the New Year, yellow as gold, which is an auspicious sign for the royal family. This achieves three things at once. I beg Your Majesty to consider it carefully.”
After hearing this, the emperor's knitted brows relaxed and he repeatedly praised the idea as wonderful, and immediately approved the memorial. On the one hand he issued an order for a banquet to be set for the chancellor in the rear garden; on the other, a boat left the provincial administration, and the imperial commissioner hurried to Yanling, ordering the magistrate of Yanling County to quickly send wintersweet as tribute to the capital.
Over one hundred and sixty li, the imperial commissioner soon arrived at the Yanling County yamen. When the magistrate of Yanling received the imperial edict, he did not dare delay. He immediately went out in person, selected a superior hundred-year-old plain-heart wintersweet and a gardener skilled in shaping wintersweet, and sent them together to Bianjing to deliver the imperial command.
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