Unlimited estates for rural beauty-Chapter 609 Second Update (1)

’Phew,’ exhaling a breath of air, Feng Xuxu finally finished the drawing of the plans for the water reservoir. Admiring the decent masterpiece, she smiled gently. After a final glance at the items on the desk, she set down the paper and started fiddling with the miscellaneous parts, arranging and rearranging them, but to no avail. Eventually, she slumped back in her chair, cradling her forehead with one hand.

After a long silence, she carefully put away the freshly drawn plans, storing them in a small space, then rose to her feet, draped on a cloak, and walked out the door.

"Empress," Yingsu and Zhu Lengqing bowed down on either side of her, performing the kowtow.

"Yes, go inside and throw away everything in the room. Burn all the discarded papers, and do not leave a single piece behind," she instructed, then turned and headed toward the Imperial Garden.

Yingsu and Lengqing watched the Empress leave, then turned to a Palace Maid nearby, "Follow after Her Majesty, not too closely, and do not approach or disturb her. If anything arises, Her Majesty will naturally seek you out. Understand?"

"Yes, Aunt Yingsu, we understand," the attending Palace Maids respectfully replied to Yingsu, bowed, and turned to follow the Empress, keeping an appropriate distance.

The two then entered the room, swiftly gathering up the papers from the floor and placing them into a copper basin. They set them on fire, and Zhu Lengqing watched until every piece had turned to ash before pouring some water in to extinguish the flames and began cleaning up.

Yingsu worked quickly, placing small wooden sticks in the water basin—one by one, she took them all out to discard them. In less than the time it took an incense stick to burn, everything was tidied up. After one last inspection to ensure there were no issues, she departed the hall, closed the door behind her, and rapidly made her way to the Imperial Garden.

As Feng Xuxu stood in the cold wind, she quietly observed the just-arranged dark chrysanthemums in the Imperial Garden. Though she seemed to be appreciating the flowers, her mind was already wandering afar.

Xiao Jiazhen followed behind a Palace Attendant, approaching from the direction of Yangxin Hall. When she saw the Empress’s guard of honor outside the Imperial Garden, an Eunuch quickly turned and said to Xiao Jiazhen, "Miss Xiao, please wait here for a moment. I’ll go report to Her Majesty and return shortly."

"Thank you, Eunuch," Xiao Jiazhen said with a warm smile.

The little Eunuch merely bowed and hurried away.

"Aunt Zhu."

Lengqing turned around to see the palace Eunuch, her eyebrows slightly furrowing, "Why aren’t you attending to your duties at the gate, running over here for what?"

"To report back to you, Aunt Zhu, Miss Xiao Jiazhen from the Prime Minister Residence is here to see the Empress," the little Eunuch replied with a forced smile.

Lengqing glanced at Miss Xiao waiting outside, then looked towards the Empress, who was already looking in her direction; she turned back to the little Eunuch beside her, "You wait here, I will go report to Her Majesty."

"As you command."

Zhu Lengqing walked briskly over to Feng Xuxu and said, "Empress, the Prime Minister’s daughter has come to visit and is waiting outside the Imperial Garden."

Feng Xuxu looked outside, seeing Xiao Jiazhen shivering and standing out there, her eyes frequently darting in this direction, "Lead Miss Xiao to the Warm Pavilion, I will join her shortly."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Zhu Lengqing watched the Empress leave, and then turned to depart.

Zhu Lengqing was relatively familiar with Jiazhen. She approached her and gracefully performed a kowtow, "Miss Xiao, the Empress is in the Warm Pavilion, allow me to escort you there."

Xiao Jiazhen stepped to one side to avoid the formality and replied in kind, "Thank you, Aunt Zhu."

"You are welcome, please follow me," Lengqing led the way with Jiazhen following without glancing aside. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

The Warm Pavilion was not far from the Imperial Garden, just past a long corridor. The pavilion was specially designated for cultivating various colorful flowers, making it arguably the most beautiful spot within the palace during winter. The flowers grown there had been exclusively for the enjoyment of the various Empresses’ chambers. However, since Dugu Chen became Emperor, the concubines were abolished, and the gardeners initially thought they would have nothing to do, feeling very despondent. But Feng Xuxu revitalized the Warm Pavilion, completely refurbishing it inside out. With a heating system known as a ’fire wall’ beneath the floor, linked to hot air ducts, a single fire outside would warm the whole space. This uplifted the spirits of the gardeners, who happily continued their work in the pavilion.