Rehe, Lion Garden.
Qian Shengyan sat in the Pianyun Shujuan Palace, looking at the surrounding environment, and once again marveled at the power of time travel.
In her time, the Lion Garden had long since vanished without a trace due to a flood. People could only guess at the original appearance of the Yongzheng Emperor's Lion Garden through some of Qianlong's memoirs and notes. And now, she lives there.
Similar to the feeling she had towards the Old Summer Palace, countless treasures were crushed and countless glories were created in the rolling tide of history. Although the dead are gone and cannot be retrieved, the things that we know existed but are no longer here are still heartbreaking.
Take the Lion Park, for example.
The Lion Garden is located in a mountain valley in Rehe, covering a considerable area, but it has very few palaces.
The main hall was named "Leshan Academy" by Emperor Kangxi, and a couplet inscribed by Emperor Yinzhen hangs in the front hall: "The passing of the sun and moon illuminates the ultimate truth; the fragrance of flowers and the songs of birds reveal the true mechanism." To the east of the main hall is the Pianyun Shujuan Hall, to the northeast is Huyun Manor, and to the northwest are the Qunshan Huancui Hall and the Daiyue and Cuibai Cangsong Pavilions. There are also three uniquely styled thatched houses. To the south of the main hall, across the stream, is the Dongshan Academy.
Apart from this residential area, as far as the eye can see, there are lush green mountains and verdant grass everywhere.
No wonder Emperor Kangxi loved to stay here. He visited more than forty times during his reign, basically every year.
Qian Shengyan took a deep breath and felt that the air here was much fresher.
"Mother, Mother!" Yuan Shou stumbled over, smiling as he opened his chubby little hand to show Qian Shengyan, "Mother, new flower."
This chubby boy had picked almost every flower in the Old Summer Palace. Now that he'd come to a new place, he was overjoyed. There were countless fresh flowers he'd never seen before!
Qian Shengyan smiled as she took the small purple flower, which her son had crumpled up, and casually tucked it into her hair: "Does Mother look good?"
"Good, good, good, Mother is the best!" Yuan Shou clapped his hands happily, then turned around and went to play again.
Closely following Yuan Shou was a young eunuch named Li Yu, whom Qian Shengyan had specially selected from the Yuanmingyuan Garden. He was only seven years old at the time, but he was extremely loyal to Yuan Shou. Qian Shengyan chose him for no other reason than that the child was exceptionally fast.
As Yuan Shou grew older, he became increasingly agile, and sometimes Granny Yuan would not know where he had slipped away if she could only look at him for a moment.
Qian Shengyan specifically chose a young eunuch who didn't have to do anything else but follow Yuan Shou.
She sat on the long corridor in front of the palace. The maids were still tidying up the rooms, and the noise made her unwilling to go in. Watching Yuan Shou run further and further away, Qian Shengyan became interested. She stood up and called out to Qingxue, "Come on, let's go for a walk."
Qingxue naturally had no objections.
There are now eight maids serving Qian Shengyan. This time, she brought six from the mansion and two from the garden with her. She had them pack up while Qian Shengyan, along with Qingxue and the eunuchs Weidong and Weibei, went to visit the Lion Garden.
At that time, Rehe was still considered a remote area beyond the Great Wall, with a grand and ancient landscape. Perhaps Emperor Kangxi preferred this unadorned natural scenery, as neither the Summer Palace nor the gardens bestowed upon a few princes were significantly altered.
When Qian Shengyan passed a grassy area, she called out to Yuan Shou again. The group then passed the main hall and headed northeast.
When they got tired, they would rest, and when they had rested enough, they would continue strolling. Qian Shengyan didn't even finish strolling through the entire garden until Yuan Shou was too tired to run anymore.
"Let's go back." Qian Shengyan wiped the sweat from her forehead and said with a smile to Qingxue beside her, "The prince went to meet the emperor today, so he probably won't be back for long. We're not in a hurry to finish touring the garden."
Qingxue smiled and agreed. The group had only been walking back for a short while when they heard the sound of horses' hooves.
Wei Dong and Wei Bei immediately stepped forward to protect Qian Shengyan, but from a distance, Qian Shengyan saw a yellow flag with a large "Yong" written on it.
"Is it the Prince?" Qian Shengyan was not quite sure, but soon the sound of horses' hooves approached, and everyone could see that the one leading the way was indeed Yinzhen.
Yinzhen reined in his horse, glanced at Qian Shengyan with amusement, then dismounted and looked at Yuan Shou, who was already asleep, and said helplessly, "You've gone quite a distance."
"Master, you can ride a horse in the garden?" Qian Shengyan looked at the pure black horse with curiosity, wanting to get closer but not daring to.
Yinzhen seemed to see through her thoughts, and ordered Su Peisheng to take people to send the Fourth Prince back first. Then he dragged Qian Shengyan onto the horse and wanted to take her for a ride.
Qian Shengyan was still a little hesitant, but Yinzhen thought she was scared and gently advised, "It's your own garden, so don't worry about so much. This wood is perfect for horseback riding, so you can take this opportunity to learn."
"I'm a little scared," Qian Shengyan said, hooking her finger around Yinzhen's and shaking it. "This horse is too tall..."
Yinzhen chuckled: "What a coincidence, I actually prepared a pony for you, but it's not here right now, so you'll have to ride Tulehuntuji back first."
"...Tulehuntuji?" Qian Shengyan wanted to delay, but unexpectedly, Yinzhen dragged her and threw her onto the horse. Qian Shengyan screamed in fright, but soon, Yinzhen mounted the horse and hugged her from behind, his smiling breath blowing in her ear: "Don't be afraid, I won't let you fall off."
Qian Shengyan: ...
Yinzhen, you son of a bitch!!!
She was too terrified to scream, because the lunatic behind her was galloping away on horseback. She felt herself bobbing up and down, the scenery rushing past her eyes, as if it wasn't the horse galloping, but herself...
"Slow down! Slow down, ahhh..." After a long while, Qian Shengyan was finally able to speak. She huddled in Yinzhen's arms, tightly hugging his arm, and shouted with her eyes closed, "Slow down, Your Highness..."
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