Spring Garden was quite a distance from the palace, and the emperor's procession was indispensable, so it took two hours to get from the palace to the garden.

The garden is very large, covering an area of ​​1,200 mu.

The princes all lived in the West Garden, which had four lakes, and scattered around the lakes were buildings such as Taoyuan Study, Guande Pavilion, and Chenglu Pavilion.

He Zhuo lived here. It is estimated that this was the first and last time He Zhuo lived in Changchun Garden, because Emperor Kangxi bestowed a garden upon Yin Zhi, which was located to the east of Changchun Garden. Yin Zhi named it Qinyuan (borrowing the name).

It's already under renovation. The garden isn't very big, about 50 acres, covering an area of ​​approximately 30,000 square meters. Yinzhi had previously shown the plans to Hezhuo, who made some changes to the front yard, since the princes would be living there for their weddings in the future.

The courtyard next to the main courtyard has also been expanded a bit, to be used by the daughters in the future. The rest will remain as it was originally, a garden belonging to a Ming Dynasty prince, and only minor repairs are needed. It is estimated that they will be able to move in next year.

He Zhuo was unsure how long he would stay in the palace, but it shouldn't be too long, since the younger princes would be growing up and there wasn't enough space for them.

However, once Qinyuan Garden is repaired, people can move out to escape the summer heat every year, since Emperor Kangxi spent more than half of the year at Changchun Garden.

The Qing Dynasty implicitly agreed that princes should be granted the title of Beizi at the very least, so Yinzhi's current princely salary is that of a Beizi.

The Crown Prince still lived in the place closest to the Emperor. This time, the Crown Prince also brought his princess, Xiao Li, with him. Xiao Li was already seven months pregnant.

The Crown Prince's concubines, Lady Fan and Lady Li, had both suffered miscarriages, so he was very concerned about the pregnancy of his youngest concubine, Lady Li.

After resting in the garden for two days, the Third Princess sent an invitation, saying that she wanted everyone to enjoy the scenery together.

Actually, although it was called a gathering of the wives of the princes, only the Crown Prince's secondary wife, Lady Li Jia, and the First Prince's wife came. The Fourth Prince's wife was the same as always, she sent her gifts but did not attend, showing her filial piety.

The Third Princess found a pavilion and prepared some tea, snacks, and fruit.

"Sister-in-law, try this melon. It was brought back by our master yesterday, a gift from the Emperor." The Third Princess Consort was beaming with pride. Yesterday, the Third Prince accompanied the Emperor and received a reward from the Emperor.

The melons were a gift from the Emperor, newly presented as tribute from Tibet. Because of the limited quantity, Khoja had not yet received any.

"Mmm, crisp and sweet, it really tastes good."

He Zhuo picked up a piece with his silver chopsticks and tasted it; it was indeed sweet.

"I heard that the Third Prince accompanied Father Emperor on a tour of the garden yesterday and wrote a poem praising the scenery. Father Emperor rewarded us with this honeydew melon, and we were able to eat some."

The phrase "a beautiful sedan chair carries a person" struck a chord with the Third Prince's wife.

Although He Zhuo did not want to get too involved with his sisters-in-law, he still had to attend social events.

"The Third Prince is exceptionally talented in literature. I heard he composed a poem yesterday, which greatly pleased Father Emperor." The speaker was Li Jia, the Crown Prince's concubine.

For the sake of brevity, she will be referred to as Lady Li in the following text.

He Zhuo carefully observed Li Fujin, who was dressed in a pink qipao with white jasmine flowers on her clothes. She wore two peony flowers in her hair and a silver butterfly hairpin, looking lively and charming. It seemed that she had emerged from the shadow of her miscarriage.

The Third Princess Consort, being of noble birth, naturally looked down on Consort Li for being a concubine, but her expression softened upon hearing her words.

Actually, the allowances for us princes' wives are only slightly higher than those for Li Fujin. Apart from not being able to wear bright red or use items like peonies that belong to the principal wife, our allowances are the same as those for the princes' wives.

"Consort Li's qipao suits her skin tone very well. The peony and butterfly combination has a touch of romance between butterflies and flowers." The Third Consort was fond of poetry and literature, and her praise was quite elegant.

"Is that so?" Li Fujin smiled and gently stroked her head, feeling a little proud. This was given to her by the Crown Prince.

"The Third Princess's pale yellow qipao, amidst the lotus leaves, evokes the imagery of a lotus emerging from the water."

The Third Princess Consort is only 14 years old this year. Her figure has not yet fully developed, and her delicate, pale yellow skin is just right for her age.