Chapter 177 Royal Villa

Even unknown corners seemed to be unable to escape his observation.

The corner behind the cabinet was already moldy and had a little moss growing on it.

The spider under the bed was busy reinforcing its web, and there were already two victims on the web.

In just a dozen breaths, he had a clear understanding of his guest room. It was obviously one of the best inns and guest rooms in Shihuan City, but the dark corners that were invisible to the eyes were so...dirty.

Well, there were two copper coins falling in the cracks of the floor.

As a beginner, he still felt at ease, so he tried to expand his mind again, wanting to explore the world outside the house.

The wall on this side of the door was very thick, and the mind could not probe out, so he changed to the window.

His mind suddenly became clear, as if he had escaped from some shackles and jumped out. The scene in the room was vivid and clearer than before.

He Lingchuan was overjoyed. He had actually reached the state of "ecstasy" with just one thought, that is, the stage where the mind jumped out of the constraints of the body and expanded outward on a large scale.

He "saw" Yao Yuan squatting beside the enlarged alchemy furnace, making hand gestures to make an elixir; Mao Tao was packing things in the yard, and suddenly found a little metallic luster in the tree roots, and quickly dug it out with a dagger. It turned out to be a small piece of loose silver, Mao Tao smiled and put it in his mouth to chew it.

At this time, He Yue walked in and looked around: "Where is my brother?"

Mao Tao answered: "The young master is practicing, and he doesn't want to be disturbed."

"Please urge him for me, we will leave soon." He Yue walked out after saying that, and was sprinkled with sunshine.

He Lingchuan still wanted to follow, but as soon as his mind expanded into the ground filled with sunshine, he felt a sharp pain in his head, as if he was pricked by a needle, and couldn't help but screamed "ah".

The sound echoed in the guest room, and he automatically exited the state of meditation.

He Lingchuan covered his head, and the pain still lingered.

This is the result of greed and recklessness.

The soul of a beginner is still fragile. Although the sun is only one hour away from setting, the true fire contained in it is not something he can bear. When a lonely soul is exposed to the sun, it will immediately turn into ashes; his living soul is slightly better, but he should also be careful of excessive joy and sorrow.

He Lingchuan shook his head. Didn't the Ziwu Jue say that the failure rate of the first "opening of the sky eye" is as high as 80%? He did it easily, and even tried "going into a trance", which was successful.

Does this mean that his soul is much stronger than others?

It seems that this is natural, after all, his soul has lived two lives as a human being, which is reasonable.

He Lingchuan happily pushed the door and walked out. Mao Tao hurriedly greeted him: "Young Master, you finally finished your practice, the sun is about to set!"

"Tell the store to bring water, I want to take a bath."

Mao Tao responded, and just as he was about to walk out, He Lingchuan looked at the tree roots on the ground and suddenly said: "This kind of root gap is the most popular for cats and dogs to urinate as a mark."

Mao Tao's face turned green, and he bent over and spit for a long time.

Before he could stand up, He Lingchuan kicked him in the calf: "Go get me some hot water!"

"Yes." Mao Tao felt sick and confused. Why did the young master say this for no reason? Did he peek at her through the crack of the door before?

Thinking of this, goose bumps immediately appeared on his back.

At this time, Mrs. Ying also sent someone to deliver a set of brocade clothes, asking the eldest son to pack them as soon as possible. He Lingchuan washed off his sweaty body with hot water, tied his hair and dressed up again, looking like a spirited young man again.

The Zhu family held a special dust-cleaning banquet for Zhu Xiuer after dark.

...

"Is this Luming Garden really on the mountain?" Mrs. Ying lifted the curtain and looked out. It was dark, and the mountain view was gone. Only the dark outline of Bijia Mountain remained.

The family took a carriage on the winding mountain road, but it was not a narrow path, but a wide road that could accommodate three cars. The snow stopped in the afternoon, and the snow on the ground had been cleared, revealing the road paved with black stone strips underneath.

The driving was extremely smooth, not inferior to the urban area.

As the sky gradually darkened, large braziers were set up on both sides of the road for lighting and guidance.

Madam Ying looked out of the car window and saw that in addition to the blazing braziers in front, there were many light spots moving along the mountain shape, forming a long line - all families and clans were invited to Luming Garden, and a lantern was hung in front of the car.

Each light spot may be a noble, aristocratic, or wealthy family living in Shihuan City. Madam Ying tightened the rabbit fur cloak on her shoulders and exhaled a puff of white steam: "How many families will go up the mountain tonight!"

Assistant Liu was also sitting in the car tonight, explaining the current situation to the He family. He leaned out to take a look, then retracted and smiled, "The royal family, relatives of the emperor, and wealthy families in the capital have many properties in Shihuan City. This is the secondary capital, with fewer rules than the capital, and the residence is close to the river, so it is comfortable to live in. In addition, Lord Zhu specially chose Luming Garden for the banquet, and I think half of the nobles in Shihuan City will come."

"Luming Garden?" Madam Ying was curious, "Is this place special?"

"Of course it is special." Assistant Liu pointed his thumb to the mountain, "This is one of the royal villas."

The He family was a little surprised, and He Yue couldn't help asking, "Lord Zhu can hold a banquet in the royal villa?" Or even so loudly advertised a happy event in the family, but the emperor didn't punish him?

"Back then, the founding emperor surrounded Bijia Mountain and released deer, rabbits, pigs, sheep, and a small number of wolves as hunting grounds. The building on the top of the mountain was called Luming Garden."

Assistant Liu talked endlessly, and it was obvious that he had told this story by heart: "By the time of the previous emperor, there were already three royal hunting grounds near the capital, and the other two were closer to the palace and larger. He said that there were too many hunting grounds to use, so why waste them? He simply opened the Luming Garden in Shihuan City to the public. As long as you are an official of rank, you can rent Luming Garden to hold a banquet, but the price is much higher than that of the big restaurants in the city."

He added: "But there is an imperial chef in Luming Garden, and everything from utensils to regulations is very high, so this place is very popular and you have to book it at least half a month in advance."

Expensive is good, even the emperor eats, sleeps and hunts here, so Luming Garden is naturally a symbol of high-end wealth, no wonder the dignitaries flock to it.

Madam Ying sighed: "The previous emperor is so down-to-earth?"

He Chunhua didn't say anything, but He Lingchuan sneered.

Madam Ying glared at him: "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing, I saw the lights of the carriage in front were off, and the driver couldn't light them up no matter how hard he tried." He Lingchuan pointed forward, and then he realized that the carriage was a little broken and a little small, and looked like a rented civilian carriage, which was out of tune with other similar carriages on the mountain road.

Which family of impoverished nobles is this?

Madam Ying knew that her eldest son was talking nonsense, but He Lingchuan grabbed the melon seeds on the table and started to eat them, smiling without saying a word.

Only the youngest son kindly reminded her: "Mother, this shows that the late emperor was pragmatic. Since the Hongchuan flood sixteen years ago, the national treasury has often been in deficit. I heard that in recent years, the income has not been enough to cover the expenditure, and the deficit has been getting bigger and bigger."

When it comes to money, Madam Ying blinked and understood.

It turns out that the country has no money, and the late emperor had to take out all the royal villas to collect rent.

"Don't underestimate the income of Luming Garden." Assistant Liu said with a smile, "I heard that it earned 200,000 taels of silver last year alone."

Mrs. Ying was moved: "It's really a golden goose that lays eggs!"

"The rich people in the capital are really full of brains... cough, big and strong!" He Lingchuan asked Assistant Liu, "Whose carriage is in front?"

Assistant Liu leaned out to take a look and shook his head: "There is no family emblem, no surname on the lantern, and the carriage was rented by a carriage and horse shop. It is probably a minor official. Tonight's banquet is full of celebrities, and it is a good opportunity for the people below to get close to the powerful."

Bijia Mountain is not high, with an altitude of less than 60 feet. This winding mountain road soon came to the end.

The He family dismounted, and opposite was the main building of Luming Garden. Needless to say, it was magnificent and brightly lit, and at this moment, there were even more distinguished guests.

When everyone turned around, there was another beautiful scene:

At the foot of the mountain, thousands of lights.

Luming Garden was built on the giant Eagle Beak Rock near the top of the mountain, from which you can basically overlook the entire Shihuan City.

At nightfall, the lights of this prosperous secondary capital have been lit. From the top of the mountain, it seems as if stars have fallen to the earth and the jade tower has descended to the earth.

The smell of fireworks hits the face.

Madam Ying was surprised and said, "I seem to see pedestrians walking on the street. Hey, that one seems to be the inn we live in."

He Lingchuan exhaled and suddenly understood why the nobles like to come to Luming Garden for banquets.

In the capital, no one can live higher than the emperor.

This feeling of looking down on all living beings and looking thousands of miles away has always been unique to the king.

After being notified, Zhu Xiyan, the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, went out to meet him, clasped his fists to He Chunhua, and said to his granddaughter Zhu Xiuer, "Why don't you come and thank your lifesaver!"

Zhu Xiuer gathered her skirts and saluted He Chunhua and his wife, and He Lingchuan and his brother.

Mrs. Ying waited for her to stand up before she took a step forward and held her hand, saying warmly: "Why are there so many complicated etiquettes! You have been with us for half a month and finally returned home. Are you happy?"

Zhu Xiu'er was full of emotion: "The tired bird returns to the nest, and finally has a place to rely on."

He Lingchuan saw that her hair was full of pearls and jade, and her rouge covered the yellowness on her face, and she looked very healthy.

Zhu Xiyan led the He family into Luming Garden and sat in the middle seat on the left in the hall.

They were distinguished guests personally welcomed by the host. Mrs. Ying shook hands and chatted with Zhu Xiu'er, the protagonist of the night, warmly and intimately, and it was hard for others not to notice.

A voice sang beside them: "He Chunhua, the general manager of Xiazhou, has arrived with his family!"

So the He family suddenly became the focus of the whole audience.

Countless people in gorgeous robes and high hats shouted that they had long admired them and surrounded them.

He Lingchuan looked around and saw countless people smiling and welcoming them, so he had to smile back.

After laughing and chatting dozens of times and answering in a formulaic way, his face became stiff and he had to break out.

He Lingchuan squeezed out of the crowd, hid in a corner, and patted his face hard.

Shi Huan people are really enthusiastic.

He Yue came out from nowhere and stood beside him, holding a wine pot and a cup in his hands.

He Lingchuan waited for him to pour a glass for himself before asking, "Can you drink?"

"Let's have fun together, what's there to be afraid of?" He Yue smiled, "Besides, how can my mother take care of me now?"