Chapter 172: Pure Heart Garden
It took Shen Yuexi, Xiao Zhuo and their group more than 20 days, and it was almost mid-November before they arrived in Yongwei. Prince Mei Pu of Xiliang led the people out of the city to welcome them in person. The scene was grand and the etiquette for welcoming the prince was used.
According to the auspicious date set, there were still seven days until the wedding. Yongwei City was already decorated with lanterns and a festive atmosphere was everywhere.
Xiao Zhuo got off the carriage and rode side by side with Mei Pu at the front of the convoy. Shen Yuexi stayed in the carriage.
She had been staying in Xiaogang Village since leaving the country, and now, as she was visiting a large city for the first time, she couldn't help but feel excited. She opened the car window and looked left and right, comparing it with her impression of Beijing.
Yongwei was more than twice the size of Leshan County, which they had previously passed through. The city walls were especially high and thick. It was no wonder that the King of Xiliang fled to Yongwei upon his escape from Leshan. Even if the Western Rong army wanted to attack Yongwei, they would likely be left with nothing but a sigh of despair.
Once inside the city, while not as prosperous as the capital I'd imagined, it wasn't bad either. Shops lined the streets, offering a dazzling array of goods, and the cries of hawkers echoed endlessly. The constant stream of pedestrians bustling about marked this affluent place.
After twenty days of eating cakes, she had been thinking about going to Yongwei for a change of pace. If the team hadn't had to go to their accommodation first, she would have jumped out of the car to buy something.
After walking for a full quarter of an hour, the convoy finally stopped in front of a house in the east of the city.
Shen Yuexi pushed open the car door and was about to jump out when two girls dressed as maids, about fourteen or fifteen years old, hurried forward and took her arm, saying:
"Don't worry, Madam. Let the servants help you get out of the car."
Shen Yuexi looked up at the two maids and didn't recognize them.
"You are..."
"Madam Shen, we are sent by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to take care of you." A maid who looked very clever smiled and said, "You can just call me Xiao Cui, and her name is Xiao Xiang. If you are worried about getting them mixed up, just remember them by the colors of their clothes. Xiao Cui wears green, and Xiao Xiang wears yellow, the same color as the incense sticks used for offerings."
The girl in yellow next to her smiled and gently pushed her.
Shen Yuexi nodded.
Thinking about it, Mep did a pretty good job. Not only was the welcoming etiquette very high-end, but he also specially assigned a maid to serve her.
The two maids seemed relaxed and easygoing, and it seemed they hadn't grown up in a strictly hierarchical environment. Thinking they were sent by Mep, it made sense.
She wasn't the kind of lady from ancient times, and wasn't particularly fond of such formalities. But out of consideration for not embarrassing the maids by being too willful, she allowed the two of them to help her get out of the carriage.
Before me lay a magnificent mansion. The bluestone-paved avenue outside was immaculately swept, dusted with clean water. The courtyard was surrounded by red tiles and white walls, beneath which clusters of flowers bloomed, their fragrance filling the air. On either side of the entrance steps stood a carved stone statue of a phoenix perched on a sycamore tree. Through the open gate, a rockery, craggy with jagged rocks, met the sound of gurgling water.
Right above the gate, a horizontal plaque made of gold-painted ebony has three large characters "Jingxin Garden" written on it.
Xiao Zhuo and Mei Pu had already gone in. Shen Yuexi asked Xiao Cui beside her, "Xiao Cui, what is this place? It feels like a place where women live."
"Mrs. Shen has a good eye. She saw it right away." Xiao Cui showed admiration and replied with a smile, "This is where our princess lived when she was a child. Two years ago, she entered the palace to serve the current emperor, and this place has been empty ever since. Our prince has ordered that this is a place dedicated to entertaining distinguished guests."
Qiang Lin and other accompanying soldiers were led into the courtyard by servants to rest. Shen Yuexi and two maids entered the mansion, and Xiao Cui introduced her along the way.
"Jingxin Garden is divided into three courtyards: the front courtyard, the middle courtyard, and the back courtyard. There are fifty-six rooms. The front courtyard is used to entertain guests, and the back courtyard is for the princess herself..."
Everyone walked to the front hall, where Xiao Zhuo and Mei Pu were talking. Shen Yuexi greeted them and continued walking towards the backyard.
She had lived in the Duke's Mansion for many years and was no stranger to this kind of house. After only walking around once, she had memorized every room and route.
Arriving at the backyard and passing through a winding corridor on the water, Xiao Cui pointed to an elegant two-story building at the end and said, "Madam Shen, this is the Tingyu Tower where the princess lives. When the old prince was still alive, he built this mansion for the princess, and all the bricks, tiles, and wood were shipped from other places. You can rest here, the servants are downstairs, just call them if you need anything."
Shen Yuexi looked at Tingyu Tower and felt emotional.
Surprisingly, the old King of Xiliang treated his granddaughter, Mei Dai, very well. She lived there until she was sixteen. Now, things have changed. Mei Dai has left Xiliang and entered the palace to serve the emperor as a concubine. She herself had also lived in the Duke's Mansion for many years, becoming an exiled prisoner overnight at the age of sixteen, and her and her husband had a bumpy journey to this day.
She put these thoughts aside, went upstairs, and sat down in her room. Feeling a little hungry, she said to Xiao Cui, "Xiao Cui, I'm a little hungry."
Xiao Cui said, "Madam, please wait a moment. I will ask the servants to bring you some porridge to fill your stomach. His Royal Highness will prepare a banquet for you later."
While eating and drinking, Shen Yuexi had nothing to do, so she looked around the house.
On one side of the room was a bookshelf with various books neatly stacked on it. She went over to browse and found that the bookshelf was spotless. It must have been cleaned regularly by the servants.
The books are mainly various classics, covering everything and coming in many categories.
She found a book called "Stories of Heavenly Creations" on the bookshelf and was surprised. She had never thought that Mei Dai would read books about inventions.
Shen Yuexi flipped open the book "Tian Gong Wu Shu" and saw densely written small characters in the corners of the pages, recording her reading experience. It seemed that Mei Dai read very seriously and even took notes.
While flipping through the pages, the voice of the maid Xiaoxiang rang out from outside the door: “Madam Shen, Miss Li is here and is waiting downstairs.”
"Li Wan?" Shen Yuexi put down the book in her hand.
She is about to become Mep's wife, so why is she rushing over to meet him when I just got here?
Shen Yuexi went down the stairs to the first floor and saw Li Wan standing in front of the window with her back to her. She was wearing a cloak and had her hands twisted in front of her, looking quite anxious.
"Miss Li." Shen Yuexi called out with a smile, "I just got here and haven't had time to wash and dress."
She held no ill will towards Li Wan. Although she occasionally lost her temper, Shen Yuexi could see that she wasn't a bad person at heart. Furthermore, she was about to marry Mei Pu, and she should welcome the happy occasion with a smile.
Li Wan turned around and said to Xiaoxiang, "I have something to discuss with Madam Shen. Please leave first. Don't come in unless I call you."
"Yes." Xiaoxiang responded respectfully and walked out the door.
Li Wan married the Crown Prince and would be Xiliang's Crown Princess. The slaves knew this very well, and now they considered Li Wan the Crown Princess.
Shen Yuexi felt something was wrong when she saw Li Wan send the maid away. Did Li Wan have something to say to her?
After taking a closer look, she noticed that Li Wan's eyes were red and her eyelids seemed a little swollen, as if she had just cried. She asked, "Miss Li, please sit down first. What can I do for you?"
Li Wan looked at her, opened her mouth and stopped several times, then suddenly stepped forward, held her hand, tears falling from her eyes.
Shen Yuexi was confused. She pulled Li Wan to the table and sat down. "What's going on? Why are you crying all of a sudden?"
Before, she only knew that Li Wan and Madam Li had returned to Xiliang with Mei Pu, but she had no idea why. Now that she had just met Li Wan, she was like this, and she had no idea why.
Li Wan wiped her tears with her sleeve: "I...I don't know what to do. I thought about it for a long time, and the only person I wanted to think about was you, Miss Shen. I just wanted to come to you."
"What happened? Where is Madam Li?" Shen Yuexi asked.
Mrs. Li is Li Wan's mother. Logically speaking, no matter what the matter is, it is not appropriate for her to give advice.
Did Mep play a prank on Li Wan?
That shouldn't be the case. Mep's pranks usually don't target women.
She was still pondering when Xiaoxiang's voice rang out from outside the door again: "Miss Li, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince knows you're here and has come to pick you up."
Li Wan's expression changed, she tightly grasped Shen Yuexi's hand, and whispered, "I won't go, I won't go."
Shen Yuexi had no idea what was going on. Just as she was about to comfort Li Wan, Xiao Cui's voice rang out from outside the courtyard: "This servant greets His Highness the Crown Prince."
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