"I heard from my old man that the Guardian Lady dotes on her only daughter like a precious jewel. She had the Luan Garden specially built for her as part of her future dowry. But a Feng Shui Master said the garden is too large and has too many plants. It needs a surge of human presence before anyone can move in, or else the yin energy might be too heavy."
"The Guardian Lady originally planned to open the garden for a day, letting the public wander in and enjoy it."
"But I heard her daughter, that young lady, wouldn't have it. She said if commoners went in, they'd not only dirty her garden but also taint it with their vulgarity."
"So she declared that only the talented or the beautiful could enter. They left a stack of invitations at the garden gate for anyone who considered themselves talented or beautiful to take."
Gu Fei found this amusing. "Well, beauty is easy enough to judge—you know it when you see it. But there's no real standard, and everyone has different tastes."
