Chapter 187 - 162: Xuanzhu Garden

Meanwhile, the palace attendants of Yingchun Pavilion were trying their best to placate the displeased Lu Ronghua.

But no matter what they said, Lu Ronghua refused to crack a smile.

"Since we are in Xihua Garden, would Your Ladyship like to stroll elsewhere? We can go boating on Half Moon Lake at any time, and the peach blossoms in the garden are mostly in full bloom..."

"Do you take me for some country bumpkin, a small maid who has never seen the world and is lucky just to visit Xihua Garden once?" Lu Ronghua’s face fell as she scolded them. "When has the Emperor ever left the Imperial Palace without me? I grew tired of these sights long ago!"

’It’s only interesting if the Emperor is with me.’

Just as her Chief Palace Maid, Little Yu, was growing anxious, a eunuch hoping to win his mistress’s favor and get ahead had a flash of inspiration. "The newly renovated Xuanzhu Garden isn’t far from Yingchun Pavilion. It’s a garden that didn’t exist in previous years, so Your Ladyship has likely never been. It’s waiting for Your Ladyship to see something new. This servant has seen it—the trees inside provide deep shade, and it’s full of novel and clever designs."

After he finished, Lu Ronghua gave a disdainful smile. "If you told me a new variety of orchid had been cultivated, I might believe you. But what novelty can’t be found in the Capital?"

As a daughter of an aristocratic family, born and raised in the shadow of the Imperial City, she prided herself on her worldliness.

The eunuch bowed. "There’s a new garden in Xihua Garden, so the Emperor will surely come to see it. If Your Ladyship sees it first, you’ll have something to talk about with him later. Or, when the Emperor visits Xuanzhu Garden and asks if any of the concubines have been here, Your Ladyship will have the upper hand."

’Eunuchs are so good at divining their masters’ intentions!’ Lu Ronghua was swayed. "Since you’ve spoken so highly of Xuanzhu Garden, I suppose I’ll deign to take a look. If it’s dull and uninteresting, you need not serve me any longer."

...

Xuanzhu Garden was right next to Yingchun Pavilion, just a small bridge away.

The garden walls of Yan Chi typically featured round moon gates, but Xuanzhu Garden was separated by a tall fence. The space between each rail was open, allowing glimpses of the scenery within. The outside of the fence was painted with an off-white coating made from the sap of lacquer trees mixed with pigment. The main entrance was an archway, and most uniquely, it was covered in lush flowers and plants. Tender pink blossoms were in full bloom, vying to show off their beauty—a sight never before seen in the traditionally reserved gardens of Yan Chi.

Upon entering Xuanzhu Garden, she saw that the flowers on either side had been freed from dull pots. The eunuchs had felled thick trees, carved rectangular pits into the trunks, and then drilled grooves and holes to plant flowers with shallow root systems.

At a glance, every part of it looked perfectly natural.

These tree-trunk planters weren’t technically difficult to make and posed no challenge for the Royal Family’s master artisans; the real cost was the labor. In ancient times, effective preservation methods were lacking, so the planters had to be frequently replaced to maintain their best appearance. The expense was enormous, but for the Emperor’s garden, it was no problem at all.

Walking further in, Lu Ronghua saw a strange, verdant green object—

Looking closer, she saw it was shaped like a modern fountain, but with various flowers and plants replacing the water. The vibrant green, plump, round leaves of a Buddha Beads vine cascaded down like strings of pearls, mimicking the image of flowing water.

There was also a "flower wall," where morning glories bloomed quietly on a vertical planter, their beauty overwhelming.

The eunuch smiled and said, "The blueprints for these wooden frames that can hold soil were sent from the Imperial Palace. When this servant first saw them, my jaw nearly dropped to the floor!"

Lu Ronghua was speechless for a long time.

Further in, a circle of wooden tables and chairs surrounded a towering tree.

What was curious was that the tables and chairs had been deliberately aged to make their color closely match the tree trunk. The bases were even carved to look like thick, intertwined branches, as if the furniture had sprouted from the ground, created by the tree’s spirit as special seats for visitors.

The wind rustled, WHOOSH, and the tree’s shadow swayed, as if the old tree were welcoming its guests.

"This place is passable."

Though she had only seen half the garden, Lu Ronghua was already delighted.

But she was always stubborn and conscious of her status, so she only gave it a passing grade. Her Chief Palace Maid, Little Yu, who knew her mistress well, immediately chimed in to flatter her, "Xuanzhu Garden is so close to Yingchun Pavilion. No wonder the Emperor specifically reserved Yingchun Pavilion for Your Ladyship. It seems he had a hidden meaning behind it!"

These words struck a chord with Lu Ronghua. She had originally despised being assigned a mere pavilion... even if it was very spacious, it was still just a pavilion, unworthy of her. Now she saw that Yingchun Pavilion was not without its merits. As the palace maids and eunuchs lavished her with another round of praise, she began to feel smug and self-satisfied, the corners of her mouth lifting into a slight smile.

Her mood was excellent, right up until she rounded a corner and came upon a figure dressed in concubine-pink.

When she saw who it was, Lu Ronghua’s expression changed.

The other person, however, didn’t seem to take offense. She looked at Lu Ronghua coolly, waiting for her to curtsy. After pausing for several seconds, Lu Ronghua finally bowed reluctantly. "This concubine greets Sister Zhaoyi. I wish Sister Zhaoyi peace and

If you were to ask who in the harem Lu Ronghua least wanted to see, even Noble Princess Consort Rong would have to take a step back.

In her eyes, Noble Princess Consort Rong had a powerful background and noble birth, and had outranked her even before they entered the Prince Mansion. She was used to the Noble Consort’s arrogance. But Gu Zhaoyi was different. Lu Ronghua had watched with her own eyes as the other woman climbed step by step from an obscure small maid. Being surpassed by a latecomer was doubly agonizing.

’Lu Ronghua didn’t want to greet her. She didn’t want to bow.’

But the rules were the rules, so she had no choice but to bow.

Jiang Xian: "You may rise."

Even though Jiang Xian didn’t make things difficult for her, telling her to rise almost instantly, Lu Ronghua couldn’t help but feel a surge of resentment.

’How humiliating!’

Fuming inwardly, Lu Ronghua couldn’t resist trying to gain the upper hand verbally. She glanced at the large shears in Jiang Xian’s hand and said, "Gu Zhaoyi may not be aware, but this Xuanzhu Garden didn’t exist when this concubine visited in previous years. It must be a new renovation. The Emperor has yet to see it, yet Gu Zhaoyi is here with shears, cutting things left and right... I’m afraid that’s inappropriate." She added, "This concubine is only being kind. I wouldn’t want Gu Zhaoyi to spoil the Emperor’s enjoyment!"

’What a country bumpkin, she’s never seen anything nice.’

’As she had walked through Xuanzhu Garden, Lu Ronghua noted that there were no new flower species; its rare quality lay in the novel and clever layout. And now Mrs. Jiang was here with large shears to ruin the flowers...’ "If Gu Zhaoyi wishes to pick some flowers to put in a vase, you could just as easily pick them elsewhere. None of these are rare specimens."

With these words, Lu Ronghua established herself as an expert.

After she finished, Jiang Xian smiled. "So, Lu Ronghua, you’ve been strolling through Xuanzhu Garden for a while now?"

"I arrived earlier than you," Lu Ronghua said.

"And what do you think of this garden, Lu Ronghua?"

Hearing Gu Zhaoyi ask this, Lu Ronghua became even more certain that she knew nothing. "Gu Zhaoyi has probably never seen a garden of this new style before! There are many intricacies to it. This concubine happens to know a thing or two and can explain them to you."

Of course, her ’thing or two’ came entirely from the explanations the eunuch from Xihua Garden had provided while she was walking around moments earlier.