Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 551 The Imperial Concubine's Visit Home (Part 4)

After arranging everything in the garden, Lady You and Sister Feng came to invite Yuan Chun to visit.

Just as Jia Lian was about to take his leave, Yuan Chun called him back, saying, "I just heard Grandmother and Mother say that when this garden was being built, it was Brother Lian who was in charge of everything. I imagine Brother Lian put in a lot of effort and understands the deeper meaning behind the construction of each part of the garden better than others. Therefore, I would like to invite Brother Lian and Bao Yu to come into the garden with me to guide us. I wonder if Brother Lian would agree?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian smiled and said, "If my elder sister has given the order, how could I dare not obey?"

The construction of the Grand View Garden was indeed overseen by Jia Lian from the time Shan Ziye designed the blueprints. However, Jia Lian later sent Princess Zhaoyang out of the pass and was ordered to go south to Jiangnan on business, which delayed the supervision and arrangement of the garden.

Yuan-chun's suggestion wasn't truly about getting Jia Lian to act as her guide; rather, it was to demonstrate to everyone that she cared for Jia Lian and Jia Bao-yu equally, without favoritism. Jia Lian, of course, understood this and readily agreed.

So Grandmother Jia, Jia Lian, and others helped Yuan Chun get up and walked into the garden together.

Early in the morning, I saw the garden lights and trees, with all sorts of things arranged in an extraordinary manner.

The group first visited places like "The Phoenix Arrives," "Red Fragrance and Green Jade," "Apricot Curtain in Sight," and "Fragrant Herbs," climbing towers and pavilions, traversing mountains and rivers, gazing and lingering in various ways. Each place was uniquely decorated, and each embellishment was novel, which greatly impressed Yuan Chun. However, she couldn't help but advise her again not to be so extravagant in the future.

Entering the palace through the west gate, one immediately sees a huge waterwheel lying across the pond, which Yuan Chun glances at.

Waterwheels are not uncommon; they are used by farmers for irrigation or by estates to draw water to higher ground. However, they all require a rapid flow of water to function.

The pond here was clearly man-made, with a slow water flow. The waterwheel placed in it was almost motionless, but its purpose was unknown. Not to mention Yuan Chun, even Jia Baoyu and Grandmother Jia were somewhat surprised. They exchanged glances and realized that they were not the only ones who did not understand. They found it even more strange and turned their gazes to Jia Lian.

It turns out that from the day the garden was to be completed, in order to show respect for the Imperial Concubine, Jia Zheng had long ago assigned special people to guard every tree and blade of grass inside and outside the palace, preventing unauthorized people from coming to visit.

Therefore, although Jia Baoyu and others wandered around the garden every day, they knew very little about the layout of the imperial palace.

Furthermore, this construction was added hastily after Jia Lian returned from Jiangnan and discussed it with Jia Zheng, so even some people like Grandmother Jia were unaware of it.

Jia Lian bowed to Yuan Chun, then pointed to a brightly lit side building and said, "This is where noble ladies bathe and change clothes in their leisure time. As for this place and the nearby pavilions, they are used for fetching water."

Yuan-chun seemed to understand something, "Since it's for drawing water, how can a still stream be used to drive it?"

"It can be done by manpower."

Yuan Chun appeared to understand, but in reality, she was even more puzzled. If it was to be driven by manpower, wooden barrels would suffice, so why build such a large-scale project? Was it merely for aesthetic purposes?

Seeing Yuan Chun's thoughts, Jia Lian smiled and said, "This waterwheel is slightly different from ordinary waterwheels. Because it uses a mechanism to rotate the shaft, even if only one person is working, they can easily take the clear water from the pool to this high platform and then pour it into the corner tower."

Several boilers were installed in the corner tower to heat water, which was then piped through bamboo tubes and channels into a large bath in the center of the tower, creating a human-made hot spring. Thus, even in cold weather, bathing here could be pleasant and relaxing.

Looking at the construction in front of them, and with Jia Lian's simple explanation, who among them didn't understand the underlying principles?

After thinking about the matter of Jia Baoyu and the others for a short while, I found it very interesting.

People at the time did not lack the idea of ​​bathing in pools, but it was too laborious, expensive, and space-consuming. Therefore, only the most discerning families would dare to build a place for bathing. Just look at Huaqing Pool in the Tang Dynasty, which attracted countless literati to compose poems about it, and that is enough to tell you.

However, considering that this place was built specifically for my imperial concubine sister to bathe in, I figured I probably wouldn't have the chance to go in and try it out.

Upon seeing something new, not only were Jia Baoyu and others suddenly lost in thought, but even Yuan Chun was instantly captivated.

It's important to know that even her Fengzao Palace didn't have a bathing pool. It seems that only the Retired Emperor's Chonghua Palace had a bathing pool, and it's rumored that hundreds, even nearly a thousand, eunuchs and palace maids served him each time he took a bath…

This can be seen.

It's not that the royals didn't know how to enjoy life; it's just that the palace was strictly governed by rules, and every blade of grass, every tree, and every brick was more precious than anywhere else. Without the emperor's decree, who would dare to move lightly?

However, this concern does not exist within royal estates. The royal family owns countless estates, including one with hot springs.

But how could the concubines in the harem easily leave the palace to enjoy themselves?

Therefore, Yuan Chun has never experienced bathing in a pool until now, but unexpectedly, a place for bathing has been set up in her own home, in the palace built for her by her own family.

Although they haven't gone inside to see it yet, they can guess what it looks like just from Jia Lian's few words.

"It just so happens that eldest sister is returning home today. She must be tired from her journey. Why don't you come into this building and take a bath first? We have prepared a feast and several entertainments for eldest sister. After she has bathed and changed, you can come and enjoy them." Jia Lian suddenly bowed and asked for permission.

"this……"

Yuan-chun hesitated for a moment, glanced at Grandmother Jia and the others, and said, "Let's leave it at that for tonight, and talk about it another time."

She rarely gets to go home and wants to spend more time with her family, so she doesn't want to waste time taking a bath.

Jia Lian gave Feng Jie a look, and Feng Jie, who had been holding back her words for a long time, immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, please do not worry. We have already made all the necessary arrangements in the room, and the hot water has been poured into the pool. Your Majesty's bathing in the palace will not take up much time."

Grandmother Jia and the others could also see that Yuan Chun was clearly interested, so they pretended to kneel down and said, "Please, Your Highness, enter the palace to rest."

Yuan Chun had already helped her mother up. Seeing everyone's earnestness, she nodded and sighed, "In that case, let it be as you wish."

The Jia family members barely slept last night in preparation for Yuan-chun's visit home. How could it be any different for Yuan-chun herself?

However, there were many rules and regulations in the palace, as well as many nobles, and today was the Mid-Autumn Festival. Therefore, after getting up early, she first went to pay her respects to the Empress, the Empress Dowager, and the Imperial Concubines, then went to Baoling Palace to worship Buddha, and then went to Daming Palace to receive a banquet. Only after that could she request permission to leave the palace.

She was eager to return home, so she didn't rest all day. She was exhausted after a whole day of such work, especially since she had spent more than an hour touring the garden with Grandmother Jia and others, which made her feel slightly sweaty.

That's true. Although she changed her clothes several times, she only changed her outer garments at most.

Seeing that Yuan Chun agreed, Zhao Rong and the others behind her immediately instructed their attendants to file into the palace to arrange for bathing.

Yuan Chun nodded to Grandmother Jia and the others, gave Jia Lian a special look, and then turned around and stepped into the hall with graceful steps.

With Yuan-chun gone, the women of the household, including Grandmother Jia, relaxed a bit and finally dared to speak and express their opinions.

"This place, was it another idea you came up with?"

Daiyu walked up to Jia Lian at some point and whispered something to him.

Jia Lian glanced at her, and seeing her lively and adorable appearance, he wanted to pat her head. Then he remembered that it was inappropriate to do so at this time and place, so he refrained and just looked at her with a smile.

Daiyu felt a little embarrassed, glanced at him, and was about to leave.

Jia Lian suddenly noticed the half-exposed jade bead on her wrist, so he took her small hand and asked, "This string of beads is very beautiful, where did you get it?"

As soon as Jia Lian finished speaking, Li Wan, who had been observing them, laughed: "This was given to her by the Imperial Concubine in the Old Madam's room just now. As for the meaning... the Imperial Concubine said it was a gift for our early meeting..."

Li Wan spoke with a smile, but Daiyu's face had already turned red with embarrassment.

She snatched her small hand back and hid behind Baochai.

Jia Lian smiled. Even though Li Wan hadn't explicitly stated it, Jia Lian understood. Alright, this is the future sister-in-law's gift to her future brother's wife.

Seeing Daiyu's attitude in personally putting it on her hand, Jia Lian couldn't help but feel happy.

She remembered that Daiyu was the one who truly looked down on the powerful and wealthy. The string of beads that Prince Bei Jing gave to Jia Baoyu was a treasure that Jia Baoyu kept specifically to present to Daiyu, but Daiyu threw it away like trash.

Unexpectedly, she did not show any disdain for the gifts Yuan Chun gave her. Jia Lian naturally attributed the reason to himself, thinking that Daiyu cared too much about him, which was why she accepted Yuan Chun's blessing.

Daiyu escaped, and Jia Lian didn't pursue the matter. Instead, he opened his eyes and glanced at Li Wan. He saw that Li Wan had a beautiful face and clear features, and suddenly felt that she was very different from her previous "withered and ashes" appearance.

It appeared particularly beautiful and otherworldly.

Upon closer inspection, it was realized that she had probably touched up her makeup. Considering the occasion, it was normal for Li Wan to change her usual style of going makeup-free, so she didn't think much of it.

This little incident caught Jia Baoyu's eye. He looked dejected and turned to look north... To the north was the sloping building where Yuan Chun bathed, where figures moved and lights shone brightly. He was startled, afraid that others would suspect his intentions, so he lowered his head.

Lady Wang also saw it, but could not pay attention to it, so she said to Grandmother Jia, "Grandmother, let's go to the back hall to wait for the Empress."

"Alright."

So the group went around the building and headed towards the main building behind the main hall.

Jia Lian naturally couldn't follow the group of women, so he turned around and went to the front yard to find Jia Zheng and the others.

……

Inside the sloping building, Yuan Chun entered under the guidance of Feng Jie, and indeed saw the unique scenery of the place, a world apart from others.

The decorations and layout were not much different from other palaces, except that in the center there was a bathing pool made of white jade, which was more than three zhang long and one zhang wide.

Upon seeing the vast pool, Yuan Chun finally understood why waterwheels were used to fetch water, along with this other engineering feat. If water were simply drawn using wooden buckets, filling the pool alone would have required countless people exerting immense physical effort.

At this moment, the water mist in the pool rose up and enveloped the entire hall, making it look like a fairyland.

Then they heard the sound of flowing water. Upon closer inspection, they discovered that several streams of steaming water were flowing out from the west wall of the pool and falling into the pool. Judging from their location and the bamboo pipes from which the water flowed, it was clear that the water was drawn from the west corner tower that Jia Lian had mentioned.

No wonder the entire hall was so warm and fragrant even in such cold weather; it turns out there was a continuous supply of hot water.

Seeing that Yuan Chun looked satisfied, Feng Jie immediately flattered her, saying, "Your Majesty doesn't know, this place was originally intended to be used as a side hall. Later, our Marquis came to take a look and said that the imperial palace was still lacking a palace for Your Majesty to bathe in, so this place was chosen for construction."

He even designed the construction plan himself. Because the Empress's return to her hometown was approaching, he stayed up for several nights in a row to finish the plan as soon as possible, all to build the place before the Empress's visit...

Sister Feng was deliberately trying to take credit. In reality, as long as you have money and people, and the land is readily available, it would be very easy to carry out such a project. It would be completed in just over ten days.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Chun felt even more moved. She glanced at Feng Jie and sighed, "Brother Lian is a man of insight and talent. You are fortunate to have married him."

Upon hearing this, Sister Feng suddenly remembered the embarrassing incident she had caused in the palace, which Yuan Chun also knew about. Feeling guilty, she shrank back and retreated.

Speaking of which, as Lady Wang's niece, Sister Feng and Yuan Chun are first cousins.

She was only two or three years younger than Yuan Chun, so they were naturally familiar with each other when they were children.

However, times have changed, and Yuan Chun is now a Noble Consort, while Feng Jie is most respectful of authority. Therefore, she inevitably has to be a little reserved in front of her.

However, Yuan Chun had no intention of controlling Feng Jie; she had merely sighed from the bottom of her heart.

Seeing her like this, he didn't say much, only saying, "I appreciate Brother Lian's kindness to me. Please thank her properly for me later. Alright, you may leave now."

After speaking, Yuan Chun, led by Bao Qin, came to the edge of the pond, spread her long arms, and four palace maids came forward to help her undress.

One by one, magnificent robes were removed from the noble and beautiful body; this scene was a sight to behold.

Sister Feng was never an honest person. Before retreating into the outer room, she couldn't help but glance back, and what she saw made her heart skip a beat.

I thought to myself, thank goodness the heartless ones couldn't see this, otherwise...

Pshaw, what am I thinking? I'm getting more and more pathetic. Why do I always think of him when there's something good going on?

With a chuckle to herself, Sister Feng sighed again, wondering when she would be able to possess the same grace and elegance as Yuan Chun, whose every gesture exuded the ultimate in grace and nobility.

Shaking her head, Sister Feng was still self-aware. Not to mention that she could never reach Yuan Chun's status in this lifetime, she herself was not suited to take the elegant route.

If one were to forcibly imitate, to put it bluntly, it would be like "Dong Shi imitating Xi Shi" (a Chinese idiom meaning to imitate someone poorly).

Bah! Even if I'm not as good as her, I'm not as ugly as Dong Shi. In terms of looks and figure, I should be just as good as her... right?

After forcing herself to think of some random things, Sister Feng respectfully retreated to the outer hall to wait quietly.