Afterward, Tie Ci asked Consort Jing if she wanted to see the gardening effects from above, but was firmly refused by Consort Jing.
She would never want such an undignified posture.
When passing through the white Western-style sculptural archway, Tie Ci suddenly thought of her master. It had been a long time since they met—she should visit her soon.
She had heard that Murong Yi now also ran shops selling fresh foreign goods and had formed partnerships with Gui Qizhai, no wonder some of the designs here in Feng Garden showed such a change in style.
This section of Feng Garden was a newly opened entrance with no crowds. Upon entering, they were greeted by a massive artificial mountain made of strange, towering rocks shaped like twin peaks, with a narrow stream flowing through the gap between them. The clear water revealed colorful pebbles at the bottom, round and smooth like gemstones.
Rain boots that could be worn over shoes were already prepared beside the artificial mountain. Tie Yan enthusiastically put them on and waded through the water. Many colorful small fish swam in the water, unafraid of people, circling around their feet. Tie Yan bent down with great interest to catch them, and Murong Yi immediately produced, as if by magic, a set of fishing rods and nets, along with a small glass fish tank, personally attending to Tie Yan as he caught fish for a while and placed them in the small tank.
After fishing for a while, Tie Yan became interested and felt the boots were boring. He threw them off and entered the stream barefoot.
Tie Ci and the guards and eunuchs following behind were all startled. It was almost early winter—the water was cold. How could Tie Yan, pampered as an emperor, withstand this?
But Murong Yi laughed and said it was fine, gesturing for Tie Ci to feel the water. Only then did Tie Ci discover that the water wasn’t cold at all—it was warm.
The entire pond was filled with heated water.
Tie Ci glanced at Murong Yi, acknowledging his meticulous thoughtfulness, then also removed her boots and jumped into the water to catch fish with her father.
Though it was an artificial landscape, it was done with great delicacy—swimming fish, scattered rocks, vines, even the moss on the stones was a subtle green-yellow.
The artificial scenic spot created such natural wild charm that the Emperor Father, who hadn’t played outdoors since ascending the throne, was transported back to the free days of his youth.
Consort Jing held up her skirt the entire time, staying far away to one side. Murong Yi didn’t neglect her either, personally accompanying her to look at the small fish, discussing how these bright-colored fish would make unique jewelry designs, and what materials would be most suitable for such jewelry. His words made Consort Jing nod frequently, her eyes shining with interest.
When Tie Yan finally came ashore satisfied, hot water for washing feet and clean soft cloths were already prepared on the shore, with attendants ready to serve Tie Yan as he changed shoes.
Turning around the mountain wall and looking up, everyone’s eyes lit up.
Vast expanses of golden silk maple leaves burst into view.
Before them spread an endless sea of red, like still, blazing flames with brilliant golden light dancing at the edges, resembling a red lotus world under sunlight. Even the usually pristine blue sky seemed pale in comparison to such vivid color. The overwhelming crimson was like rosy clouds burning across the horizon, connecting with the snow-white wisps of clouds at the edge of the sky, like a richly colored painting spread between heaven and earth.
Those golden threads were like divine blades cutting a single line through the vast canvas, through which one might glimpse paradise.
Clouds steamed and glowed, brilliant and magnificent.
Everyone instinctively held their breath for a moment.
Golden silk maples were unique to Da Qian, famous for their more vivid leaves with golden edges, produced in very small quantities. Though more cold-resistant than ordinary maples, they were precious and difficult to cultivate—a single tree was worth a thousand gold. When ordinary official families managed to purchase one or two with great expense, they could host a grand tea party, widely inviting relatives and friends to admire the trees and show off.
The palace also had golden silk maples, planted in the Empress Dowager’s Ciren Palace, but only a small patch.
No one had ever imagined someone could plant vast expanses of golden silk maples, much less imagined that when vast expanses of golden silk maples burst into view, they would create such heart-stirring beauty.
It was a long time before Tie Yan let out a long sigh.
He said: “We speak of monarchs possessing all under heaven, having seen the ultimate beauty of the mortal world, yet we are still frogs at the bottom of a well.”
Consort Jing said: “The maple leaves outside have all withered, how can they still bloom so brilliantly here? Even in the Empress Dowager’s palace there aren’t…”
She suddenly stopped speaking.
Tie Ci was talking with Murong Yi and didn’t hear. Tie Yan also paid no attention, looking around and finding it strange as well.
Even if golden silk maples were somewhat more cold-resistant, for them to still be so lush now defied common sense.
Murong Yi tilted his head with a smile: “Underground tunnels were dug here with furnaces placed inside to heat the earth’s energy, so the maple leaves here are brilliant and flowers still bloom.”
He winked at Tie Ci: “This was inspired by the underground chamber in Ziyang.”
That place had underground iron-smelting furnaces that made the earth too hot, causing flowers to bloom out of season, which had aroused Tie Ci’s suspicion.
Tie Ci thought about the magnitude of this project and sighed inwardly.
This spendthrift.
Tie Yan asked in surprise: “Isn’t Feng Garden said to belong to a salt merchant from Central Province? How could you construct here?”
Murong Yi smiled: “Uncle, Feng Garden now bears my surname.”
Tie Yan was unimpressed by someone’s low-key display of wealth and walked away with a dismissive expression.
A small garden—what’s there to boast about!
Could it match the entire world as A Ci’s dowry!
Suddenly a large mass of snow surged from the golden silk maple forest.
Looking closer, they discovered it was a large group of rabbits.
All snow-white fur, bright red glass eyes, pink three-part mouths.
Like a moving cloud, they reached everyone’s feet in an instant.
A maid dressed as a healthy, simple village girl came over carrying a basket full of carrots. Seeing everyone, she smiled: “Would the honored guests like to feed the rabbits?”
Consort Jing became interested, took several carrots, and slowly fed the rabbits.
The palace also kept rabbits, but someone of her status would never feed them personally, considering it dirty.
But these rabbits were so snow-white and clean they seemed to emanate fragrance.
Someone drove up with a cart that was somewhat strange—the upper half was inlaid with transparent glass formed into countless compartments, with the front compartments able to open.
Two horses pulled the cart. Murong Yi invited everyone aboard. Inside were three rows of seats fixed to the carriage, with a small basket beside each seat containing various vegetables and fruits.
Everyone took their seats and the cart moved forward into the golden silk maple forest.
The maple forest was larger than imagined, with small mountains and waterfalls inside. The cart entered a grassy meadow when a large herd of deer came running over. Tie Yan instinctively reached for his bow—after all, he went hunting in the imperial preserve once a year, and animals were for hunting.
He didn’t find his bow, but found cabbage instead.
Murong Yi suddenly opened the window.
Immediately the group of tall deer stuck their heads through the window, their long mouths poking about randomly inside.
Tie Yan was caught off guard and got licked across the face with saliva.
The guards in the cart behind were greatly alarmed, with someone shouting about protecting His Majesty and trying to rush out of the glass cart.
A deer’s long red tongue was about to curl toward Tie Ci’s face when she quickly threw a cabbage at the deer, successfully blocking its mouth, while extending one hand to cover Consort Jing’s mouth, stopping her mood-killing scream.
Tie Yan quickly reacted, reaching his hand out the window to wave, signaling the guards to go back.
Having gotten food, the deer pushed their big heads even more enthusiastically through the windows. Tie Ci had only seen deer before as running prey waiting to be shot—she had never seen such gentle feeding and didn’t know deer could be fed this way.
Murong Yi said: “No need to worry, these deer have all been trained and won’t hurt anyone.”
Zhao San, who had gotten on last and was sitting at the back, made a gesture and shouted: “Line up! Line up to get food!”
Tie Ci looked at Zhao San, who had lost a lot of weight and seemed somewhat dried out—life in Ru Province must not have been easy.
The windows opened in sequence, and the deer obediently lined up at each window waiting to be fed. These deer were all well-cared for, sleek and glossy with beautiful markings and large, gentle eyes.
Seeing this made Tie Yan’s heart soft, and he fed basket after basket of carrots.
Even Consort Jing, who had originally shrunk to one side, couldn’t help but touch the big head of a deer. After touching it, she nervously sniffed her fingers to make sure there was no strange smell before relaxing.
The cart rolled forward across the grassland with deer running behind it. The grass spread like a green carpet to where it met the fire-gilded golden silk maple forest in the distance, with rocky peaks faintly visible and a hanging waterfall like a jade belt.
The light darkened as they entered the forest, and the deer stopped at the edge of the grassland, lingering with fearful expressions. There was also a layer of wire mesh at the grassland’s edge with sharp spikes on it. As the cart passed through, someone closed the wire mesh gate behind them.
Tie Yan asked in surprise: “Why are they separated?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the cart’s roof shook and iron bars dropped down crosswise, firmly securing the cart.
Tie Yan was somewhat panicked, instinctively looking at Murong Yi as the thought flashed through his mind: “Could this Liaodong prince be planning assassination here?”
He immediately felt some regret.
He had trusted his daughter’s judgment and gotten on this cart. If something happened with both him and A Ci in the cart, Da Qian would be finished.
They would be defeated by Liaodong without even fighting.
But then Tie Ci grasped his hand, pointing outside with a smile: “Quick, look, Old Dad!”
Tie Yan’s gaze turned outward. Looking through the transparent glass cut into small sections by iron bars, he was suddenly shaken by an extremely fierce roar, only then seeing rectangular black bears in the forest scratching their backs against trees, emerald green giant pythons hanging from treetops, brown wolf packs running on mountain cliffs, lions sleeping lazily under waterfalls, giant crocodiles silently surfacing in water pools like dead wood, and on the mountaintop, a white-browed tiger roaring at the sky.
A pack of hyenas passed by the cart, seemingly casual but occasionally turning their slender eyes that flashed with ferocity and predatory light. Only seeing all those iron bars and finding no way to attack did they leave resentfully.
There was a loud thud overhead. Tie Yan looked up through the equally transparent dome to see spotted fur and four black paws, as well as the particularly fluid and athletic silhouette of a feline. The beast walked a few steps overhead, and Tie Yan clearly saw the glass crack under its sharp claws.
The cart’s roof suddenly shook, shooting out something unknown. The beast let out a low howl and nimbly leaped down from the roof. Tie Yan saw its profile clearly—snow-white fangs with crimson flesh hanging from them, dark green eyes with a sinister gleam, turning its head to delicately sniff a small flower that trembled under its breath.
It was a mountain cat of enormous size with an extremely fierce countenance.
The cart suddenly sped up.
The pack of jackals that had clearly hidden in the grass and seemed completely indifferent suddenly appeared, barking and roaring as they bared their teeth in wild pursuit.
Seeing this scene from inside the transparent cart felt like being there in person.
Consort Jing, sitting in the back, screamed and threw herself into Tie Ci’s arms.
Countless small projectiles suddenly shot out from the back of the cart, hitting the pack of jackals on their noses. The pack of jackals running at full speed rolled into a heap amid billowing dust, looking utterly miserable. Consort Jing’s eyes widened, then she laughed.
Tie Yan stared intently out the window, his expression both tense and exhilarated.
He wasn’t a martial emperor. In his youth he had been of ordinary birth, law-abiding and rule-following. After ascending the throne, he lived a repressed life. The annual hunt was just going through the motions—a bunch of people would clear the mountain beforehand, mark out safe areas, drive harmless beasts before him, then surround him as he made a circuit, drew his bow and shot an arrow at a roe deer or stag. That task complete, everything else was other people’s business.
So having lived to this point, this was his first time seeing fierce beasts with his own eyes, seeing so many fierce beasts.
Suddenly a roar like a line of startling thunder rolled down from the mountaintop. A yellow-white wind, rolling with golden-red maple leaves and green grass across the mountain, flashed like lightning down the mountain path, crashed into the mid-mountain forest, and collided with the black bear that was amusing itself by uprooting trees.
Bloody wind filled the mountain as black and white masses grappled together. Scattered grass and broken wood flew into the air, then came whistling down. Bear roars and tiger howls shook half the mountain. Countless grass clumps rustled and moved, vast flocks of birds took frightened flight like a black fog pushing up to mid-sky, making even the sunlight seem colorless.
With a splash, the water in the pool at the mountain’s base erupted in spray half a zhang high. From the crystal water column emerged a huge black crocodile head that viciously bit toward the sleeping male lion.
The lion whipped its head around, tawny mane flying, and its fan-sized paw swung down hard with a slap that sent the crocodile back into the water.
The waterfall was abruptly broken, and the spray actually splashed onto the glass carriage two zhang away. This frightened Consort Jing into shrinking back into Tie Ci’s arms, closing her eyes and not daring to look, screaming: “Let’s go! Let’s go! It’s too terrifying!”
Tie Yan: “No! Stop here!”
His eyes didn’t know where to look.
His fingers gripped the window edge tightly.
Murong Yi shot Tie Ci a meaningful glance.
Tie Ci understood his meaning and pursed her lips, thinking that someone really knew how to cater to preferences.
Wild beasts and competition were pleasures no man could resist. Every man, whether cowardly or fierce, seemed to hide warlike and bloodthirsty factors in their blood. Perhaps they would never be activated in a lifetime, but in moments of battle, they could be instantly ignited.
This could be seen from Father Emperor’s love of cricket fighting.
However, experiencing this—not in a hunting situation, but personally witnessing a mountain full of wild beasts and real combat between beasts while ensuring safety—was truly the most suitable entertainment for Father Emperor.
Tie Ci scratched Murong Yi’s nape as a reward for his thoughtfulness.
The two battles ceased only after a quarter hour of fierce fighting. Half the mountain forest was devastated, with earth-shaking roars. The large rocks by the pool below were wet. The battle finally ended with the male lion biting the crocodile’s tail, swinging it up and nearly smashing it to death on the rocks. The giant crocodile desperately escaped, sliding into the water to once again become an insidious piece of wood waiting for opportunities, while the lion lazily got up to find another resting place.
Fully armed figures in armor appeared, dragging huge baskets from which they threw out raw meat to reward the victors.
Only then did Tie Yan lean back in his chair with satisfaction, his face showing that the trip had been worthwhile.
Tie Ci thought: Mm, is Murong Yi planning to write a book called “I Take My Father-in-Law to the Zoo”?