The Lovely Xiangling Wrongly Suffers Her Greedy Husband’s Rod; Wang the Daoist Talks Nonsense About a Cure for Jealousy

After hearing what Xiangling said, Jingui twisted her neck, curled her lip, snorted twice through her nose, clapped her hands, and sneered, “Who ever smelled fragrance in a water-caltrop flower? If water-caltrop flowers count as fragrant, where are the properly fragrant flowers to go? It makes no sense at all!” Xiangling said, “Not only water-caltrop flowers. Lotus leaves and lotus seed pods all have a fresh fragrance. That fragrance is different from ordinary flower scents. On a quiet night or early morning, if you pay close attention, it is even more pleasant than other flowers. Even water caltrops, gorgon nuts, reed leaves, and reed roots, when touched by dew and frost, give off a clear scent that refreshes the heart.” Jingui retorted, “By that reasoning, the fragrance of orchids and osmanthus is not good?” Xiangling was speaking with feeling and forgot to avoid the taboo. She answered without thinking, “The fragrance of orchids and osmanthus is beyond comparison with other flowers.” As soon as she finished, Jingui’s maid Baochan pointed at Xiangling’s face and......