Chapter 188 - 163: Secretly Working Again

Lu Ronghua chattered on eloquently for a moment, but when she saw Jiang Xian staring at her with a wide grin, she paused warily. She suspected Jiang Xian was just toying with her, not actually listening but simply watching her ramble on.

But the moment she paused, Jiang Xian asked, "And then? The differences between Xuanzhu Garden and other gardens—do you see them as strengths or weaknesses?"

’So, she was listening very attentively after all!’

Opportunities to lecture Gu Zhaoyi were few and far between, so Lu Ronghua got a bit carried away. "Of course they’re strengths," she began her critique. "I’ve seen plenty of ordinary gardens in the Capital; they’re nothing special anymore. It’s rare to see such cleverness at every turn. The Emperor’s taste is truly one-of-a-kind." She had just spent a good deal of silver to loosen a eunuch’s tongue and had learned that the design for Xuanzhu Garden had in fact come from the Imperial Palace, and from a very high level at that—the Emperor himself had ordered its renovation.

As it happened, Lu Ronghua was particularly familiar with the Ministry of Rites.

Just as the Imperial Household was Noble Princess Consort Rong’s personal backyard, Lu Ronghua also had connections in the Ministry of Rites. Having connections there had little effect on one’s quality of life in the harem, but she hadn’t heard of any particularly innovative artisans emerging from the Ministry over the past year. It was clear the design wasn’t the work of an artisan. She mulled it over and concluded that the Emperor himself had likely designed it.

Even if the Emperor hadn’t designed it himself, it must have at least passed through his hands for approval.

And so, the flattery began.

"The Emperor’s taste is truly one-of-a-kind?"

Jiang Xian froze, then gave her a look filled with profound meaning. "You understand the ways of the world, Lu Ronghua."

’Even though she had single-handedly orchestrated the creation of Xuanzhu Garden, she was already planning to give all the credit to her boss. And it seemed Lu Ronghua had the same idea.’

Lu Ronghua said, "I suppose that’s something Gu Zhaoyi wouldn’t understand."

’As if I’d share the inside information I dug up with my rival.’

Jiang Xian replied, "Oh, I don’t know much. I really don’t."

After seeing Jiang Xian, alarm bells were blaring in Lu Ronghua’s mind. She made an excuse to leave and hurried to the West Warm Pavilion to invite the Emperor to tour Xuanzhu Garden with her, lest other concubines beat her to it—especially that wretched Gu Zhaoyi! When she stood before the Emperor, she even tattled on her, "While Your Concubine was admiring the scenery in Xuanzhu Garden, I saw Gu Zhaoyi holding a large pair of shears. I was afraid she might accidentally damage the flowers, so I offered a little reminder. Gu Zhaoyi took it all to heart. She really is so eager to learn."

’If the Emperor wants to tour a garden,’ Lu Ronghua thought, ’he ought to bring someone knowledgeable with him.’

After all, what fun would it be if the concubine accompanying him knew nothing about the garden culture of Yan Chi?

And when it came to artistic sensibility, she was quite confident she could outshine the country-bred Gu Zhaoyi.

"Gu Zhaoyi was in Xuanzhu Garden with a pair of shears?"

Just as she’d hoped, the Emperor frowned upon hearing this.

Moreover, he set down the bamboo scroll in his hands and summoned Liang Yuyin. "Prepare to leave for Xuanzhu Garden."

Joy surged in Lu Ronghua’s heart. "Does the Emperor require any refreshments for the tour?" she asked in a soft voice. "Your Concubine came in such a rush, I haven’t had time to prepare anything."

The Emperor, however, paid her no mind and strode out hastily.

Unable to stop the Emperor, Lu Ronghua had no choice but to block Liang Yuyin’s path. "Mr. Liang, has the Emperor eaten yet? Should I prepare sweet snacks, or would savory be better?"

Liang Yuyin, whose sleeve had been grabbed, discreetly tried to pull his arm free.

Unexpectedly, Lu Ronghua, who had jumped on the ’frail beauty’ bandwagon last time, had a surprisingly strong grip. He couldn’t pull his arm free and said helplessly, "Your Highness, forget the pastries. You ought to be more mindful."

***

「Xuanzhu Garden.」

After Lu Ronghua left, Jiang Xian led the Flower House Steward Eunuch on a full walk-through of Xuanzhu Garden.

She carried not only a pair of shears, but also a loose-leaf notebook.

Before she began to write, Jiang Xian asked, "Can you read?"

"This servant is illiterate, but there are palace maids in Xihua Garden who can read. This servant could ask them, or Your Highness could dictate to me. I will be sure to remember everything perfectly, without a single mistake," Hai Yi replied in fear and trepidation.

Jiang Xian hummed. "The general layout is mostly right, and you’ve handled things capably. It’s just that, after visiting in person, I realize my design is a bit too stark. It lacks the water features other courtyards have. And as Lu Ronghua just mentioned, Xuanzhu Garden feels too still. I think we can use water to add some life and solve both problems at once."

’The lessons the system provided had solutions for this, too.’

She walked over to a large tree while sketching a rough outline on her paper with a charcoal pencil. It was the shape of a crescent moon. "Dig a crescent-shaped trench here and fill it with water to create a reflective water feature." A still surface would act as a mirror. "Stagnant water will start to smell, so it must be changed daily. Don’t be afraid to change it more often; I’ll leave that to your discretion."

"Further away, on the other side, let’s create a cascading water effect. Can we divert a channel to Xuanzhu Garden? I noticed a source of running water next door."

"Your Highness, that shouldn’t be too difficult to achieve."

By building up landscaping walls and retaining walls, we can create tiers for the water to cascade down.

’Without electricity, water can only flow downward. The design has to work with nature.’

"Cascading falls in the distance, and a bamboo water feature up close."

Hai Yi looked puzzled at the mention of a "bamboo water feature."

Catching her subordinate’s expression from the corner of her eye, Jiang Xian explained it to him in detail. Without electricity, creating a bamboo water feature would be more laborious. But after her explanation, understanding dawned on Hai Yi’s face. "Bamboo has such positive symbolism! The Emperor is sure to like it. Your Highness has read so many books; you’re far more imaginative than an illiterate servant like me."

’Flattering and affirming the boss’s proposal was a required part of any job.’

Jiang Xian was very familiar with this routine. She simply heard the praise and let it pass. "Alright. The Flower House’s job is to grow flowers, so this isn’t technically your work. Go make the arrangements. If anyone objects, tell them to come find me. It won’t be a problem to get a written or verbal edict." She was, of course, referring to a written or verbal edict from the Emperor.

Her casual mention of securing the Emperor’s approval left everyone present even more awestruck by the immense favor Gu Zhaoyi held. No one dared to disobey.

After Hai Yi departed, Jiang Xian took her shears and began searching for anything that looked out of place. She started snipping away, making minor adjustments to her plan and trimming the garden closer to the ideal image she had in her mind.

When Lu Ronghua arrived at Xuanzhu Garden, following closely behind the Emperor’s palanquin, the first thing she saw was Jiang Xian ruthlessly pruning the flowers, snipping away with utter abandon!

Lu Ronghua was thrilled. She deliberately affected an anxious tone. "Sister Zhaoyi, didn’t I just remind you? If you wanted some flowers, you could have just asked me! Your Majesty, please don’t be angry with Sister Zhaoyi!"

The palace maids and eunuchs present heard her words and performed an automatic mental translation:

’Your Majesty, you absolutely must get angry at Gu Zhaoyi!’

’You have to hold this against her!’

Jiang Xian turned at the sound of her voice, her expression a mixture of surprise and guilt. "Your Majesty..."

’My project isn’t even in its final form yet, why is the boss here for a site inspection already!?’

Seeing the look on Jiang Xian’s face, Lu Ronghua inwardly cheered. Her timing was perfect.

What made her even happier was that a look of anger did indeed appear on the Emperor’s face.

He strode over to her, his Dragon Robe billowing like a tidal wave.

"Gu Zhaoyi,"

Xie Che frowned, grabbing the hand that held the shears. "Were you secretly working behind Our back again?"