Chapter 187 Strolling in the Garden

Huo Lin took Jiang Huan's hand, and the two walked side by side into the garden.

Wang Degui and Xiao Zhao, along with a group of palace servants, hurriedly followed from a distance, while the remaining concubines looked at each other, having been selectively ignored.

Autumn is in full swing in the Imperial Garden.

Huo Lin was in a great mood. Holding Jiang Huan's soft hand, he felt as if the air itself had become fresher.

So quiet, so comfortable.

Where she is, even the wind tastes sweet.

Jiang Huan was a little itchy to touch him because of his sweet words, but her eyes were honestly drawn to the things by the roadside.

Hey, it looks pretty good!

These flowers are full and golden in color, much better than the chrysanthemums she uses for rinsing water now.

She pointed to a small clump of golden chrysanthemums in full bloom beside the artificial hill: "Your Majesty, if a flower thief were to enter your Imperial Garden, wouldn't you be angry?"

Huo Lin raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but chuckle: "Wang Degui."

That metaphor is very much in her style.

[If this flower thief were her, I would gladly allow her into the Imperial Garden, or even into my own room.]

Wang Degui's ears twitched, and he gave a wink to the side.

A young eunuch immediately stepped forward and began picking the fruit with practiced ease.

With tacit approval, Jiang Huan's interest immediately soared.

Although the small kitchen never lacks ingredients.

But experiencing the joy of picking your own produce is what every chef pursues throughout their life!

As they passed by a pomegranate tree laden with small orange-red fruits, Jiang Huan's eyes lit up.

"These pomegranates are ripe; we can't let them rot on the ground and die alone..."

Huo Lin stayed close to her, the smile on his lips never fading.

This time, without needing any prompting, Wang Degui readily twisted off the large, plump pomegranate.

After wandering to the shore of Taiye Pond, several plump and brightly colored koi carp leisurely swayed their tails in the clear water.

Jiang Huan peeked out, giving a serious review with the expression of a professional diner.

"They're really plump. They'd be best steamed in a pot; the meat would definitely be firm and tender."

The eunuchs felt a chill run down their spines as they looked in horror at the imperial koi in the pond, unaware of the impending doom.

Huo Lin followed her gaze, and his first reaction was not to admire the fish's posture, but to nod in agreement.

"Yeah, it's definitely fat enough."

"How about we catch a couple to try?"

Although Jiang Huan was known for her sustenance, she also knew that lucky koi fish should not be cooked.

I'm just reminiscing; who knows, I might come back to worship again tomorrow.

She chuckled twice and gently nudged Huo Lin's arm.

"It's a lucky koi, a symbol of good fortune. If it dies in my pot, I'll lose my lifespan!"

"Besides, whose imperial garden has fish for eating?"

Huo Lin was not angry at being rejected; instead, looking at Jiang Huan's smiling eyes, his heart was filled with joy.

"Okay, then I won't eat it."

Carp are all puffy and mushy, with lots of bones and little meat, so they're not very tasty.

The two walked and stopped frequently. It was as if Jiang Huan had turned on a radar; she would point to the left and look to the right, and the ingredients would fall into her pocket with a thud.

"Your Majesty, look at that persimmon tree. The fruit is bright orange-red. We can pick it and make dried persimmons."

"The bamboo shoots in that grove should be sprouting by now, right? Let's dig up some fresh ones to stir-fry with cured meat or make soup—they'll be so delicious!"

"Oh my, the osmanthus trees are in bloom, and the fragrance is so strong! I'll pick some to make osmanthus honey, osmanthus cake, or even brew osmanthus wine. Just thinking about it makes me happy!"

Huo Lin listened with great interest, feeling that everything Jiang Huan said was right, and nodded repeatedly, waving his hand.

"Wang Degui, write this down and have someone pick them and send them all to Weiyang Palace."

"It's just some fruit, bamboo shoots, and osmanthus; my imperial garden is her imperial garden too."

[And with her gathering the ingredients, I'm the one who's lucky enough to enjoy them!]

[Just thinking about it is wonderful... Oh no, I hope I didn't drool.]

Wang Degui followed behind with several eunuchs.

She was busy memorizing locations and picking osmanthus flowers.

However, this warmth was soon shattered.

Out of the corner of Huo Lin's eye, he caught a glimpse of several figures hiding behind the artificial hill in the distance, peeking and peering in their direction.

The red and green hues belong to the concubines who were in the pavilion earlier.

[Tsk, she's like a persistent ghost; even enjoying the autumn scenery with me can't be peaceful.]

[Even a dog skin plaster isn't this sticky; you can't shake it off, can you?]

Huo Lin's face instantly darkened, his eyes turning as cold as ice.

He turned to Wang Degui and coldly ordered, "Tell them to disperse and go about their business. If they dare to peek again, they can forget about having their eyes."

[So annoying, just like those old ministers at the morning court.]

[They're all brightly colored; if you didn't know better, you'd think the artificial hill was covered in flowers.]

No, there are no flowers this ugly in my imperial garden.

Wang Degui felt a chill and quickly bowed.

"This servant will take care of it immediately!"

He turned and walked quickly toward the artificial hill, silently mourning for those short-sighted concubines for a second.

A suppressed gasp and a flurry of panic came from behind the artificial hill, but soon fell silent again.

Huo Lin withdrew his gaze with satisfaction, and when he looked at Jiang Huan again, his eyes regained their gentleness.

Phew, finally some peace and quiet.

The two walked slowly along the edge of the pool. Huo Lin was in a good mood and began to talk to Jiang Huan about the morning court session.

"I did something during the morning court session this day."

Jiang Huan was pondering the clump of goji berries in front of her when she heard this and casually replied, "Oh? Which fool has His Majesty dealt with this time?"

Then she realized, "Wait, didn't you say you weren't angry?!"

Huo Lin was taken aback by her impatient and accusatory attitude, then chuckled: "In your heart, is all I know how to do is punish people?"

He squeezed Jiang Huan's hand. "It's a good thing. I have exonerated your maternal grandfather's family."

Jiang Huan paused, looked up at him with some confusion, her almond-shaped eyes wide open.

"Maternal grandfather? Rehabilitated?"

"Yes, Xu Zhengqing, the prefect of Jiangning, is your maternal grandfather. This morning at court, I issued an edict to exonerate him and restore the reputation of the Xu family."

[Am I not so considerate? Am I not so fair? Aren't you touched?]

[I'm ready to be bombarded with her praise!]

Jiang Huan desperately searched her mind for details about her maternal grandfather's family, and finally remembered this wrongful conviction.

But she didn't expect that Huo Lin would go out of his way to dig up these old cases and then issue an imperial decree to exonerate them.

This is the ultimate level of loving someone because of them.

Thinking of this, Jiang Huan's eyes brightened, veiled with a soft tenderness.

Encouraged by that gaze, Huo Lin continued, "I have already sent people to Jiangnan to search for the descendants of the Xu family, especially your maternal grandfather's grandsons. I heard they are all quite talented. When they return to the capital, I will test their abilities and appoint them to positions. They will surely be able to uphold the reputation of the Xu family."

He paused, then leaned closer to Jiang Huan.

"After the Xu family's affairs are settled, I intend to promote your father further. He has been diligent and down-to-earth over the years, and it is time for him to be promoted. Once he has established himself, I will consider promoting you to a higher rank."

Look how meticulously I've planned!

[First, exonerate her maternal family, recall talented individuals, and stabilize the foundation. Then, elevate her father's status, demonstrate tangible achievements, and finally, naturally, promote her rank.]

[Shut up everyone, she deserves the best!]

Huo Lin became more and more excited as he spoke, as if he could already see Jiang Huan dressed in gorgeous clothes, standing beside him and receiving the homage of all the officials.

However, after listening to his long and grand vision, Jiang Huan was moved, but reason made her calm down.

Imperial Concubine? Empress?

Taking such big steps can easily lead to a sprained leg.

"Your Majesty," she hesitated for a moment before interrupting Huo Lin's reverie, "this matter cannot be rushed."

"Now that I am one of the four imperial concubines, who in the harem would dare to bully me? If I were to be promoted rashly, I fear that some people in the court might take advantage of me and harm me instead."