Inside the Feng Hall, the decor was exquisite, every flower, grass, and piece of wood being extremely valuable, as was every piece of furniture in the room.
Upon entering the inner hall, Su Rong looked around and asked Yuewan, who had followed her in, "Who arranged all this? It’s quite similar to the Nuanxiang Pavilion where my mother used to live." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
Yuewan chuckled, "It was His Majesty. I don’t know where he got the blueprint of the Nuanxiang Pavilion, and as for the furnishings, he asked me, I have some impressions, so I described them to His Majesty. A while ago, when the situation at Heiya Pass was critical and it was said that you were in great danger confronting the Crown Prince of Dawei, His Majesty and we all couldn’t sleep, so we spent the night planning this place."
Su Rong nodded, "The Nuanxiang Pavilion was burned down by me a long time ago. No matter how similar the setup is, it’s not the same."
She distinctly remembered that at that time she had left nothing behind, everything was burned to ashes.
Yuewan nodded, "But His Majesty said, if we could retrieve some memories and thoughts, it would be good. Maybe the Lady of Jiangning County would bless you in the heavens and ensure your safe return. And now, haven’t you returned safely?"
Remembering how Cui Xingzhi and Cui Yanjin had saved her at the critical moment, Su Rong laughed and said, "Indeed."
Luck is indeed a strange thing. Even though she believed her mother must have been reincarnated by now, her blessing could still benifit her, the only child. After all, she has been saved multiple times in life-or-death situations.
"Miss, you should take a bath first. I’ll command someone to go to the Imperial Kitchen and bring in the food," Yuewan said.
Su Rong nodded.
Consequently, Yuewan directed the palace maids and eunuchs and everything fell into busy activity within Feng Hall.
Sitting in the chair, Su Rong clicked her tongue, "Yuewan, you’ve grown a lot. I hardly recognize you anymore."
Yuewan moved her foot aside, "Miss, don’t tease your servant."
She used to refer to herself in the first person, now she refers to herself as a maid.
Su Rong laughed.
Soon, everything was arranged. Yuewan took Su Rong to the Sanctuary. Compared to her previous residence at the Governor’s Residence in Jiangning County, which only had a sanctuary, the Feng Hall in the palace was equipped with a pool converted into a hot spa, billowing with hot steam.
Yuewan introduced, "This is the hot spring. The miss can soak here for a while to relieve fatigue. After that, you can go to the warm pool to soak again and then cleanse yourself. I will keep watch over you here."
Su Rong nodded, stripped off her clothes, threw them aside, and dipped into the water while asking Yuewan, "Does the Huang Hall also have a hot spring like this?"
"Yes, the layouts are the same." Yuewan nodded, "Except for the interior arrangement is different, otherwise the structures are identical. His Majesty has ordered people to arrange this courtyard according to Young Master Zhou Gu’s residence in the Duke’s Residence. Knowing that Zhou Gu likes grapes, a few grape racks have been specially transplanted."
When Su Rong immersed herself in the water, it immediately swept away the chill from her body. Although it was the end of February, it was still cold. She leaned against the smooth stone surface, closed her eyes comfortably, "It’s truly luxurious, how much silver must it have cost? If it were used for military purposes..."
Yuewan interrupted her words, speaking softly, "Miss, it was His Majesty who paid from his own personal treasure, he did not use the state treasury. The Minister of Finance Ye Xiang did have some objections. But His Majesty argued that you and Zhou Gu would live in this palace for a lifetime, and it had to be comfortable for us to run the state. Besides, he has been saving for many years in his personal treasure, and it was meant to be used for his daughter. If Ye Xiang blocked his fatherly affection, he would cry on Ye Xiang, who then stopped obstructing."
Laughing at the image of her father crying to Ye Xiang, Su Rong said, "I’ll take a nap, wake me up later."
Yuewan nodded and sat aside obediently to guard her, "Alright."
After being led in by Nurse Zhao, Zhou Gu took a tour of the entire Huang Hall, and asked, "Nurse, isn’t it wasteful when Xiaoqi and I get married and live together, to have two such luxurious places set up?"
"It won’t be a waste, His Majesty said, after you and Princess Su Rong get married and have children, one of these places will be vacated for them to live in." Nurse Zhao giggled.
Touching his nose with a slightly red face, Zhou Gu remarked, "My father-in-law is really considerate." After entering the room, he felt warmed, "This arrangement feels like I’ve gone home."
"His Majesty said, since you have come to Nanchu from such a long distance to accompany the princess, he will treat you as his own son." Nurse Zhao said, "You also have a mansion outside the palace. His Majesty said that if you ever had a quarrel with the princess, you can go there. It’s better than being upset and running back to Daliang. The journey is too long, it would not be easy to pursue."
Zhou Gu: "..."
He rubbed his forehead, "We never fight."
Nurse Zhao laughed, "What couple doesn’t fight? His Majesty is very considerate. You should also go and see the mansion outside the palace. It’s not far from the palace. It wasn’t extensively refurbished, but it’s a wonderful mansion."
Zhou said emotionally, "Ah, my father-in-law really is great."
He was orphaned at a young age and never experienced a father’s affection. But now it seemed like he had.
Nurse Zhao laughed and said, "There is a hot spring inside, and the layout is exactly the same as the Feng Hall. The prince has traveled a long way and may be exhausted, he can soak in the hot spring to relieve fatigue. After two quarters of an hour, I will have the Imperial Kitchen send us food. Would you like to eat alone or go to Feng Hall and eat with the princess?"
Zhou Gu waved his hand, "I’ll eat alone, I won’t go. She’s tired too, let her rest early."
Nurse Zhao agreed and called in a young eunuch, "Little Fuzi is smart and efficient. Whatever tasks Young Master Zhou Gu assigns him. He’s been at the royal palace for many years, and he used to serve His Majesty. His Majesty gave him to you, and he’s very familiar with the royal palace. I’ve already trained him, and he is very competent, feel free to use him."
Little Fuzi quickly greeted, "Your humble servant wishes Young Master Zhou Gu peace!"
Zhou Gu nodded, although he didn’t want to use a eunuch, he knew he had to follow the customs of the palace here. He waved his hand, "Alright, I know, Nurse Zhao, don’t worry and go about your business. I have Little Fuzi here."
Nurse Zhao laughed and agreed. She gave Little Fuzi a few more instructions before leaving.
Zhou Gu went straight to the hot spring, and like Su Rong, found it to be a marvelous luxury. Hearing from Little Fuzi that it was paid for from the personal treasures of the King of Nanchu, he thought that this show of fatherly love wasn’t bad at all.
Ziye sat by the hot spring, guarding Zhou Gu, whispering, "Young Master, I think you are enjoying the life of a royal consort too much."
Zhou Gu closed his eyes, "Hmm, this blessing, money can’t buy."
Ziye sighed, "Nanchu is really wealthy. I heard that the treasures that the Nangong family didn’t have time to take away could pile into a mountain. Though Nanchu was in chaos for half a year which drained a lot of resources, because Nanchu is rich, the national treasury was not depleted. On the whole, it is richer than Daliang."
Zhou Gu felt relaxed, "As long as it’s richer than Daliang, that’s good. With money, you can do a lot, restore national power quickly, and support more troops. Only in about ten years, can we completely overrun Dawei, unlike now, when Dawei seeks peace, we have to stop."
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