In the end, Li chose to protect herself. She sent her family over a thousand taels of silver notes and a prescription as a bonus.
It is a prescription for conceiving a child.
Nian Sisi felt disgusted, as if she had swallowed a fly. She had taken a risky gamble and lost. Not only did she fail to achieve her goal, but she also became mortal enemies with the Li family. She could no longer maintain a superficial harmonious relationship as before.
Yi Hua was shocked by Li's thought process. It was understandable that she would send some silver notes as compensation, but what was the meaning of that prescription for conceiving a child? The Li family head and his wife would probably be disgusted to death if they received it.
In this seemingly peaceful atmosphere, the masters of the Forbidden City set off for the Old Summer Palace in a grand procession as scheduled.
This was Yihua's second visit. She could tell from the plaque and stone lions at the entrance that the owner was of a different status. And she wondered if it was just her imagination, but the overall color scheme of the garden was much brighter than the last time she visited, like a pearl being dusted off or a beauty removing her veil.
Zhengda Guangming, with its prime location on the central axis of the Yuanmingyuan Garden, served as both Yinzhen's bedroom and office.
Yi Hua had already chosen Bi Tong Academy, which was said to have a phoenix tree planted in the courtyard. Yi Hua longed for the legendary phoenix perching on the phoenix tree.
The Yuanmingyuan Garden covers a vast area, and since Yinzhen brought few people who could be considered masters, there were many empty rooms. Yihua planned to stay in whichever room she liked for a few days, determined to see all the sights.
After all, this is the Garden of Gardens!
Instead of going to Bitong Academy first, Yihua turned around and went to Xinghuachun Pavilion, which was not far away. It was the residence chosen by the eldest princess and Liuliu.
Once Liu Liu heard about apricot blossoms, she couldn't hear anything else. Her mind was filled with thoughts of eating apricot flesh, and she ignored Yi Hua's rebuttal.
Although there was no fruit, the apricot blossoms scattered throughout the yard at varying heights were still a sight to behold.
The light and elegant fragrance is not pungent, making this place suitable for unmarried girls to live in: "Granny Chen, we must repel mosquitoes here every day. Yuanmingyuan is nestled against the mountains and by the water, making it easy for small insects to breed. Don't frighten the two princesses."
"Also, provide everyone with sedan chairs. The palaces are too far apart. Everyone is here to escape the heat. Don't let them get heatstroke from having to walk back and forth."
"Furthermore, I instructed the people accompanying the young masters not to let them play in the water as they please. These lakes may look shallow, but they are quite deep in the middle."
Yi Hua strolled over, raising the servants' awareness of safety.
"Yes." Granny Chen agreed and quickly responded.
"Please hold on a little longer, Granny. The Empress Dowager is staying at Changchun Immortal Pavilion. We can go and take a look before we go back." This was Yihua's responsibility, and failing to do so would be her dereliction of duty.
"Your Highness underestimates me. When I work in the palace, I'm not afraid of anything except walking. But Your Highness doesn't walk this much often, so be careful not to hurt your feet. I just called for a sedan chair to come over, so please rest."
Yi Hua did feel the pain in the soles of her feet and realized that she was not as good as before. The days when she could still go shopping even if her feet bled from wearing high heels were long gone.
Enough of that, a hero doesn't dwell on past glories.
Leaning back on the soft cushion, Yi Hua sighed comfortably, thinking how much more enjoyable it was not to walk herself.
Upon arriving at Changchun Immortal Hall, Yihua found the courtyard bustling with activity, everyone gathered around two... cranes.
That white creature, plump like a ball, was probably a crane, Yi Hua thought, not entirely sure.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects." Yi Hua greeted the Empress Dowager.
"Get up." The Empress Dowager was more interested in the two cranes, and slowly coaxed them with feed in her hand.
The two exchanged pleasantries. The Empress Dowager didn't concern herself with affairs; she simply said she wanted to have some fun.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager is right. Once everyone is settled, Your Majesty and I will accompany you for a stroll around the courtyard." It is likely that when Yinzhen goes on a grand tour, he will bring his trusted ministers along, and it will be lively with many people.
"Call the children too. Honghui goes without saying, but also Hongchun and Hongming. It's been a long time since I've seen anyone from the Fourteenth Family," the Empress Dowager said with a sigh.
"Of course, His Majesty has moved the Imperial Study here as well, and the tutors all live in the garden. You can see them anytime you want." Seeing that the Empress Dowager didn't seem to like her very much, Yi Hua asked a few more questions about her health and well-being before leaving.
After wandering around in a chaotic manner for a while, Yi Hua finally returned to her Bi Tong Academy. Unlike the noisy outside world, Bi Tong Academy was very quiet.
Yinzhen was sitting under a paulownia tree, having set up a chessboard. He was leisurely drinking tea, picking up fallen paulownia leaves with one hand, looking very relaxed and content.
Yi Hua focused her gaze on the large tree that would require at least three, if not five, people to encircle, and slowly opened her mouth wide.
The size and area of this tree exceeded her comprehension. Its branches twisted and turned, seemingly reaching into the clouds. It must be over a thousand years old. She wondered how much effort the Ministry of Works had put in to make this tree survive.
"Greetings to Your Majesty." Yi Hua bowed slightly, made a gesture of respect, and then sat down opposite Yinzhen.
She was thirsty, so she poured herself a cup of warm tea and drank it all in one gulp.
Yinzhen raised his hand to refill Yihua's cup: "I rarely have free time today, and I wanted to find Tangtang to have some fun, but I didn't expect the Empress to be even busier than me."
Yi Hua tilted her head back and finished drinking, then felt like she had come back to life: "I just went to check out Changchun Xianguan and Xinghua Chunguan. I won't feel at ease if I don't see the Empress Dowager and the princesses' residences with my own eyes."
"Putting everything else aside, the food at Yuanmingyuan must have been pretty good." Yi Hua couldn't help but chuckle. "You didn't see it, but Changchun Xianguan kept two cranes that were so fat they were almost like cats. I had to look closely to recognize them."
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