After Li Shimin had eaten and drunk his fill, he went directly out of the east gate of Qinglongfang and headed straight for Qujiang Pool.
Qujiang Pool is located in the southeast corner of Chang'an City. If it weren't for this deep pit in the way, Chang'an could have had two more wards.
Fortunately, Qujiang Pool still has some scenic value. During the Sui Dynasty, the Hibiscus Garden was built on the pool for the royal family's recreation. After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, it was directly renovated on the basis of the Sui Dynasty, which is how the Hibiscus Garden came to be the size it is today.
Although Li Shimin had visited Furong Garden more than once, and even when Emperor Yang of Sui was emperor, he brought friends to enjoy it, he was still deeply impressed when he revisited the place and saw the magnificent scenery of Furong Garden again.
Around the once muddy Qujiang Pool, a stone-paved path has been built, encircling the entire pool. Flowers and weeping willows have been planted on both sides of the path, making the whole Qujiang Pool brighter. Even more wonderful is that, under the shade of the weeping willows, there are many new pavilions and towers for people to rest, which are no less impressive than the Taiji Palace Imperial Garden.
"good!"
"You can tell this kid put a lot of thought into it!"
"Your Majesty, the eldest grandson not only put in a lot of effort, but the blueprints for this place were also specially drawn by Yan Liben at the request of Princess Jinyang!"
"Oh, oh, oh?"
"Since it's Yan Liben who's in charge, Qujiang New Scenery must be pretty good, hahaha!"
As soon as the two stepped onto the stone-paved road, they were stopped by two craftsmen who were working.
"Distinguished guests, this place is not open to the public at the moment. Please come back tomorrow to enjoy it!"
Li Shimin frowned slightly upon hearing this, feeling quite displeased.
This is his territory in the Great Tang Dynasty, how dare anyone stop him?
However, just as he was about to lose his temper, an old man came running over and started punching and kicking the two craftsmen.
"Are you all blind? This is our lord's grandfather!"
After dealing with the two ignorant craftsmen, Hu Delu immediately transformed into a smiling tiger, showering Li Shimin with flattery.
"Is this distinguished guest here for a stroll in the garden?"
"Hmm, come and take a look!"
"Let me be your guide, old man!"
"This rotten ditch has been completely transformed after our Lord cleaned it up. An ordinary person might not even be able to find their way through it!"
"Yeah?"
Li Shimin smiled dismissively upon hearing this, thinking to himself that he had been playing around Qujiang Pool since he was a child. He could walk around with his eyes closed, but he should be able to find his way around without any trouble.
However, after strolling around with Hu Delu for a while, Li Shimin was immediately convinced.
There are so many twists and turns on this stone path, it's like a new scene every five steps and a stop every ten steps. Without a guide, it's easy to get lost!
“My lord, we just entered through the North Gate. There are also gates on the west, east, and south sides, but none of them are as grand as our North Gate!”
"Look at this apricot grove. This place is called Apricot Garden. Not only can you admire the apricot trees, but there are also teahouses and restaurants for temporary meals. Further west from Apricot Garden, there are inns and restaurants for those who missed the curfew and couldn't get back to the city to stay here!"
Li Shimin looked in the direction Hu Delu pointed and saw a large complex of buildings to the northwest of Xingyuan Garden, which amazed him.
"That must have cost a lot of money, right?"
"money?"
Hu Delu smiled smugly upon hearing this.
"Our lord is so rich he only has money left, what's a little bit of money to him?"
"Besides, building those restaurants and inns doesn't require our Lord's money. There are plenty of people eager to give our Lord money, but our Lord doesn't even want it!"
"oh?"
"What does this mean?"
Hu Delu only knew how to boast, but he had no idea about the underlying business logic, so he was stumped by Li Shimin's question.
"This... we don't understand. We've seen many wealthy merchants from Chang'an rushing to give money to our lord, blocking the village of Sanglin all day long. Our lord has been so annoyed that he's been hiding in the military camp for half a month and hasn't dared to come out!"
Li Shimin became even more curious upon hearing this. He could understand the business logic of the food court, but surely the restaurants and teahouses here wouldn't be like the food court, with some kind of franchise fee?
The two walked through the apricot garden and soon saw a grand teahouse.
"My lord, what's this teahouse called again? Anyway, it's a teahouse, a place specifically for people to rest and drink tea!"
The two walked through the teahouse area, and Hu Delu pointed to a large door and laughed.
"This is Simon!"
"The paint has just been applied, and the smell isn't very pleasant yet. Please bear with it!"
"We'll go around the west gate and climb the long corridor that extends into the pool, and then we'll see the place where the royal family holds banquets."
"What was that place called again?"
Seeing that Hu Delu was so anxious that he was pulling his hair, Li Shimin couldn't help but remind him.
"The Imperial Banquet Palace!"
"Yes, yes, that's the name!"
"It is said that His Majesty the Emperor of our Great Tang Dynasty once hosted a banquet for all the civil and military officials there!"
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin racked his brains, but he couldn't recall ever asking for help here.
However, upon hearing what Hu Delu said next, he instantly understood.
"If this were in the past, how could ordinary people like us come to a place like this?"
"Now, Her Highness Princess Jinyang has shown great mercy by offering this place to the people for their enjoyment. For just two hundred strings of cash, one can host a banquet at the very spot where our emperor once held his feast. Just imagine what a great favor this is!"
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin smiled slightly; he could basically guess who had spread the rumor.
Aside from that grandson, almost no one could spread such a rumor!
That grandson is really cunning; he even used my name to make money!
Li Shimin followed Hu Delu past a waterside pavilion, and then the exquisite and dazzling Ziyun Tower came into view.
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