Wu Zetian and the Peonies · chapter 2 of 4
The Night the Flowers Woke
夜里的花园
In the night, the flowers hear the empress's order and rush to bloom. Only one refuses, and Xiao Yue hears everything.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 夜里，风带着女皇的信，飞进了花园。所有的花都听到了。
Yèlǐ, fēng dài zhe nǚhuáng de xìn, fēi jìn le huāyuán. Suǒyǒu de huā dōu tīngdào le.
In the night, the wind carried the empress's letter into the garden. Every flower heard it.
- Plum Blossom 大家快醒醒！女皇给我们写信了！
Dàjiā kuài xǐngxǐng! Nǚhuáng gěi wǒmen xiěxìn le!
Everyone, wake up! The empress has written us a letter!
- Peach Blossom 什么？现在要我们开？我还在睡觉呢……
Shénme? Xiànzài yào wǒmen kāi? Wǒ hái zài shuìjiào ne…
What? She wants us to bloom now? But I'm still sleeping...
Chapter 2 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Wu Zetian and the Peonies is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller, The Odyssey, Robin Hood, Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Kitchen God from start to finish.
- Plum Blossom 女皇说，不开的花，不要留在长安！
Nǚhuáng shuō, bù kāi de huā, bú yào liúzài Cháng'ān!
The empress says any flower that doesn't bloom can't stay in Chang'an!
- Peach Blossom 啊！那我开！我马上就开！你别走！
A! Nà wǒ kāi! Wǒ mǎshàng jiù kāi! Nǐ bié zǒu!
Oh! Then I'll bloom! I'll bloom right now! Don't leave!
- Xiao Yue 天啊，花在说话！我要躲在大石头后面看。
Tiān a, huā zài shuōhuà! Wǒ yào duǒ zài dàshítou hòumiàn kàn.
Goodness, the flowers are talking! I'll hide behind this big rock and watch.
- Plum Blossom 太好了！明天早上，女皇一定会喜欢我们的花。
Tàihǎo le! Míngtiān zǎoshang, nǚhuáng yídìng huì xǐhuan wǒmen de huā.
Wonderful! Tomorrow morning the empress will love our flowers.
- Plum Blossom 我开好了！桃花，你看我多红，多漂亮！
Wǒ kāi hǎo le! Táohuā, nǐ kàn wǒ duō hóng, duō piàoliang!
I'm open! Peach Blossom, look how red and pretty I am!
- Peach Blossom 我也开了！这么多小花，好看不好看？
Wǒ yě kāi le! Zhème duō xiǎohuā, hǎokàn bu hǎokàn?
I'm open too! So many little flowers, aren't they pretty?
- Xiao Yue 花园一下子变成花海了！这么美，我没看过！
Huāyuán yí xiàzi biànchéng huāhǎi le! Zhème měi, wǒ méi kànguò!
The garden has suddenly become a sea of flowers! I've never seen anything so beautiful!
- Plum Blossom 牡丹姐姐，大家都开了。你怎么不开呢？
Mǔdan jiějie, dàjiā dōu kāi le. Nǐ zěnme bù kāi ne?
Sister Peony, everyone else has bloomed. Why haven't you?
- Peony 我不开。春天还没有来，我不想开。
Wǒ bù kāi. Chūntiān hái méiyǒu lái, wǒ bù xiǎng kāi.
I won't. Spring has not come yet, and I don't want to bloom.
- Peach Blossom 姐姐，你别这样。女皇会生气的！
Jiějie, nǐ bié zhèyàng. Nǚhuáng huì shēngqì de!
Sister, please don't do this. The empress will be angry!
- Peony 花什么时候开，春天说了算。不是女皇说了算。
Huā shénme shíhou kāi, chūntiān shuō le suàn. Bú shì nǚhuáng shuō le suàn.
When a flower blooms is up to spring. It is not up to the empress.
- Xiao Yue 牡丹不怕陛下吗？她的口气真大……
Mǔdan bú pà bìxià ma? Tā de kǒuqì zhēn dà…
Isn't the peony afraid of Her Majesty? What nerve...
- Peony 谁在大石头后面？快出来！
Shéi zài dàshítou hòumiàn? Kuài chūlái!
Who is behind that big rock? Come out!
- Xiao Yue 是我！我叫小月，是陛下的人。请你别生气！
Shì wǒ! Wǒ jiào Xiǎoyuè, shì bìxià de rén. Qǐng nǐ bié shēngqì!
It's me! I'm Xiao Yue, one of Her Majesty's people. Please don't be angry!
- Peony 你回去告诉陛下。我不会因为怕，就开花。
Nǐ huíqù gàosu bìxià. Wǒ bú huì yīnwèi pà, jiù kāihuā.
Go back and tell Her Majesty this: I will not bloom just because I'm afraid.
- Xiao Yue 可是你会有危险！陛下真的会很生气！
Kěshì nǐ huì yǒu wēixiǎn! Bìxià zhēn de huì hěn shēngqì!
But you'll be in danger! Her Majesty will be truly furious!
- Peony 我知道。可是我是牡丹，我要等春天。
Wǒ zhīdào. Kěshì wǒ shì mǔdan, wǒ yào děng chūntiān.
I know. But I am a peony, and I will wait for spring.
- Old Fu 天啊！陛下，您快来看！花园里全是花！
Tiān a! Bìxià, nín kuài lái kàn! Huāyuán lǐ quán shì huā!
Oh my! Your Majesty, come quick! The garden is full of flowers!
- Wu Zetian 好！红的，黄的，白的，都开了！我的花园真美！
Hǎo! Hóng de, huáng de, bái de, dōu kāi le! Wǒ de huāyuán zhēn měi!
Wonderful! Red ones, yellow ones, white ones, all open! My garden is so beautiful!
- Wu Zetian 小月，你看。我说话，花就听我的。
Xiǎoyuè, nǐ kàn. Wǒ shuōhuà, huā jiù tīng wǒ de.
Xiao Yue, see? When I speak, the flowers listen to me.
- Xiao Yue 是……是的，陛下。您说得对，花都听您的。
Shì… Shì de, bìxià. Nín shuō de duì, huā dōu tīng nín de.
Y-yes, Your Majesty. You're right, the flowers listen to you.
- Wu Zetian 那边是什么？绿绿的，一个花也没有。
Nàbiān shì shénme? Lǜlǜ de, yí gè huā yě méiyǒu.
What's over there? All green, and not one flower.
- Old Fu 陛下……那是牡丹。她一晚上都没有开。
Bìxià… Nà shì mǔdan. Tā yì wǎnshang dōu méiyǒu kāi.
Your Majesty... that's the peony. She did not bloom all night.
- Wu Zetian 牡丹？她不听我的话？
Mǔdan? Tā bù tīng wǒ dehuà?
The peony? She would not listen to me?
- Wu Zetian 好，很好。这么骄傲的花，我不要！
Hǎo, hěn hǎo. Zhème jiāo'ào de huā, wǒ bú yào!
Fine. Very well. I do not want such a proud flower!
- Wu Zetian 来人！把所有的牡丹，都送去洛阳！
Lái rén! Bǎ suǒyǒu de mǔdan, dōu sòng qù Luòyáng!
Guards! Send every peony away to Luoyang!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why does Xiao Yue hide behind a rock?
“花在说话！我要躲在大石头后面看。”
- Who says that spring decides when flowers bloom?
“花什么时候开，春天说了算。不是女皇说了算。”
- What does the peony say she will not do?
“我不会因为怕，就开花。”
- What does the empress see in the morning?
“花园里全是花！”
- What is the empress's order at the end?
“把所有的牡丹，都送去洛阳！”