"My lady, everything is packed, we can set off now."

"Okay, let's go!"

Ji Huan took Shu Xiang's hand, then got into the carriage and followed the main group to the Yuanmingyuan.

Qingyin: "My lady, we have arrived. His Majesty has arranged for you to stay at Tianran Tuhua. This place is not far from His Majesty's Jiuzhou Qingyan. It is an excellent place."

Ji Huan smiled and nodded: "Was this place arranged by the Emperor or the Empress?"

"It was arranged by the Emperor. The Empress originally arranged for Her Majesty to stay at Wuling Chunse, which is a nice place, but it's a bit far from where the Emperor lives."

Ji Huan smiled and said, "Your Majesty is indeed very thoughtful. I think the scenery of the natural painting is really nice. You have all had a hard time following along. Please make some arrangements to distribute some reward money to the people who accompanied you."

“Your Highnesses, servants, I will make the arrangements immediately.”

"Okay, go ahead!"

Upon arriving at the Yuanmingyuan, Emperor Qianlong first spent two nights at the Empress's residence, then visited each of the concubines who had children, spending the night there as well. It was only seven or eight days later that he remembered Jihuan.

"Greetings, Your Majesty. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace."

Emperor Qianlong helped her up: "My beloved concubine, there's no need for such formalities. Are you getting used to living in this natural paradise?"

"I am naturally delighted with the place Your Majesty arranged. I love it so much! It's just that Your Majesty hasn't come over yet. I thought Your Majesty had forgotten about me!"

Emperor Qianlong chuckled and patted her hand: "My beloved concubine, are you jealous?"

Ji Huan playfully retorted, "What do you mean, Your Highness?"

"I think you are a little jealous, how could I bear to forget my beloved concubine?"

"Your Majesty~"

The two went inside as they talked. The Yuanmingyuan was cool, but ice was still needed. There was an ice basin inside, which was much cooler than outside.

As people felt cooler, Qianlong's mood improved even more. Ji Huan looked at the painting and quickly took out the works she had created in the past few days.

"Your Majesty, I am so fond of the natural scenery that I couldn't resist making a painting. I would be grateful if Your Majesty could give me some pointers."

"My beloved concubine can paint? I have never seen you paint before."

"There are still many things Your Majesty doesn't know about me. I will show them to Your Majesty one by one in the future."

"Very well, I'll be waiting."

As she spoke, Ji Huan unfolded the painting. Although Emperor Qianlong liked to stamp his seals and didn't have much respect for art, he still had some artistic talent thanks to the influence of many precious works of art, though not much.

This limited artistic skill is just enough to appreciate Ji Huan, who has only been painting for a few years.

Emperor Qianlong looked at Ji Huan's painting and thought it was indeed very good.

"The morning sun dries the overnight rain on the leaves, the water surface is clear and round, and the lotus leaves are lifted one by one by the wind!"

"It seems that the lotus flowers next to the natural painting are quite to my liking. Does my darling like lotus flowers?"

Ji Huan smiled sweetly: "The lotus leaves stretch to the sky, an endless expanse of green, while the lotus blossoms, bathed in sunlight, are a vibrant red. Such beautiful flowers are naturally pleasing to my eye. However, I love not only lotus flowers, but also peach blossoms, apricot blossoms, orchids, and crabapple blossoms in spring; lotus flowers, epiphyllum, jasmine, and gardenias in summer; chrysanthemums and maple leaves in autumn; and green bamboo and red plum blossoms in winter. I love a profusion of flowers in full bloom, a riot of color. With so many beautiful flowers, to only love one would be to disappoint the others."

Emperor Qianlong liked to hear this. He thought that flowers were like beautiful women, and he naturally liked the sight of a hundred flowers blooming in the harem.

“My beloved concubine is a wise woman. Different flowers bloom in each season. To only admire one flower would be to fail to appreciate nature’s gift.”

"As long as Your Majesty doesn't think I'm greedy."

"If my beloved concubine is a greedy person, then so am I. I also enjoy a hundred flowers blooming."

Ji Huan looked at him with bright, sparkling eyes: "Your Majesty, may I write a poem for this painting? I have long admired Your Majesty's talent and learning."

Emperor Qianlong loved composing poetry. When Ji Huan asked him to write a poem, he immediately picked up his brush without hesitation and composed one on the spot.

"The sweet rain has nourished the land, and the lotus flowers are in full bloom! Your Majesty's poem is excellent, but it is my painting that has disgraced it."

Emperor Qianlong confidently comforted Ji Huan, saying, "My beloved concubine has only been learning to paint for a short time. She will improve in the future, and I will write poems for her then."

Rarely, Ji Huan was silenced for a moment by his confidence. She was just being modest and didn't really think there was anything about her painting that was unworthy of his poem!

She quickly recovered and said with admiration, "With Your Majesty's words, I will certainly paint often. I look forward to Your Majesty writing poems for me again."

"I will not forget. My beloved concubine loves paintings. I have collected many treasures. Li Yu, go to my private treasury and select two paintings by Tang Bohu to give to Consort Rou."

Li Yu: "Yes, Your Majesty."

Ji Huan was truly overjoyed. Tang Bohu! His paintings are priceless, and very few genuine works have survived to this day. Although there were some fakes in Qianlong's collection, most of them were genuine.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your generous gift."

"I can see that you really like my gift. In the future, I will give you more paintings and calligraphy by famous artists."

Ji Huan smiled and said, "Then I thank Your Majesty in advance. In the future, I will definitely invite Your Majesty to give me guidance when I paint or write calligraphy."

"Haha, with my beloved consort's talent, I'm afraid my collection of calligraphy and paintings will inevitably end up in her study."

...

The two of them started chatting in the study, using a painting of lotus flowers in a summer courtyard as a backdrop. The conversation seemed endless.

That night, the two had a harmonious night together.

The following day, the imperial court not only delivered two genuine works by Tang Bohu, but also many genuine works by other Song Dynasty masters, as well as numerous lotus-shaped ornaments, jewelry, and fabrics…

It can be said that Emperor Qianlong was very generous, and Ji Huan was very happy.

Upon arriving at the Yuanmingyuan, the Empress's health began to decline again. Coupled with the summer heat, the Empress, out of consideration for the concubines in the harem, exempted them from the daily greetings and only required them to visit once on the first and fifteenth of each month.

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!