Chapter 1 An Unexpected Turn

As Xue Yuan left, Steward Liu placed the Mo Yu (black jade) tiger tally back into its box, and holding the box, politely said to Peng Detian, Chief Administrator Liu, and Ye Tao, who were still kneeling on the ground, "Please rise, everyone. I've put on a bit of a show in front of you all. I hope you'll forgive me."

Anyone who held the Mo Yu tiger tally was an imperial envoy. Peng Detian rose and approached, offering his respects and saying, "This humble official, Peng Detian, Governor-General of Yicheng, was unaware of the arrival of the imperial envoy. I beg your forgiveness." As he spoke, he was about to prostrate himself again.

Steward Liu gently supported him, saying, "Governor-General, I'm just a busybody, handling some troublesome matters for my young lady. I'm not an imperial envoy of the court. Governor-General, please return for now. My young lady will be staying in Yicheng for a few days, and we will inevitably be imposing on you."

Peng Detian glanced at the carriage parked not far away, full of doubts, and responded, "Yes. Then this official will take his leave."

Du Fengchi, who had just met Steward Liu, could hardly believe that in the blink of an eye, Miss Zhuo, whose status he had already highly anticipated, could produce the Mo Yu tiger tally.

"Steward Liu, thank you for your help this time," Du Fengchi said, bowing respectfully.

"This is my young lady's order," Steward Liu looked at the sky and said, "Young Master Ye, if it's convenient, please spare some time. My young lady would like to have a chat with you."

Ye Tao quickly replied, "I don't know where you'll be staying. I'll return to the workshop to tidy up a bit, and then I'll go to express my gratitude."

Du Fengchi said, "Oh, Xiao Ye, they're staying at Xunfeng Pavilion."

Steward Liu bid farewell, returned the box containing the Mo Yu tiger tally to the carriage, and left with his entourage. Ye Tao and Du Fengchi remained standing there.

"I think I'm the only one who hasn't stayed at Xunfeng Pavilion," Ye Tao complained. "I built it, after all. You families are really unreasonable."

Du Fengchi laughed heartily, knowing that Ye Tao would inevitably feel a bit depressed whenever the gardens he designed and built were mentioned. "This Miss Zhuo's background is quite something. I can believe that the Zhuo family holds the Mo Yu tiger tally now, but the Zhuo family entrusting the Mo Yu tiger tally to their own daughter for self-defense? That doesn't seem very likely."

"You recognize that thing?" Ye Tao still didn't know what Steward Liu had taken out earlier.

"I guessed. I haven't seen that thing before," Du Fengchi shrugged.

Ye Tao turned around unhappily and shouted, "Senior Brother, you pushed the fort-wagon out, you're responsible for re-oiling it… Old Ning, where are you? Old Ning! Sweep the floor, sweep the floor."

Although there had been some turbulence, Ye Tao's mood didn't seem to be affected. He changed his clothes at the workshop and went with Du Fengchi to Xunfeng Pavilion.

Xunfeng Pavilion was a scene of busy activity. The Du family had originally arranged for many servants to sweep and clean the place regularly, keeping it in a state where someone could move in at any time. But Miss Zhuo's group was even more particular. Several maids rearranged the potted plants, and several guards took off their sabers to help the Du family's servants with another round of cleaning. The rest of the guards, except for those who remained in the building, were mostly distributed throughout the courtyard, carefully searching the entire garden, not even leaving a single blade of grass unchecked.

Seeing Ye Tao and Du Fengchi arrive, the maid Sisi greeted them and bowed, saying, "Please come in, gentlemen. Miss has been waiting on the top floor for a long time."

Stepping into Xunfeng Pavilion filled Ye Tao with emotion. This was a classic building that was meticulously designed with both comfort and splendor in mind. Every eave, every corridor and passageway, every partition wall and fixed screen in this four-story pavilion had been carefully considered. Although it was designed to catch the wind from all directions, it cleverly avoided the southeastern monsoon that almost always blew in Yicheng in the summer, because it was too harsh. Instead, it cleverly used the passageways and gaps between the buildings to create a pattern of internal air convection driven by the external wind. And the small design details left in the staircases, eaves, ceilings, and other places that were often overlooked made this building a fine work that could be savored.

Especially the top floor. The floor height was a bit shorter than the three floors below, but with the help of a large number of structural designs, the entire fourth floor could actually be warm in winter and cool in summer. In particular, the wide and bright window platform, and the specially designed furniture for people to lie down and relax, made reading, writing, drinking tea, playing chess, or even picking flowers and drinking wine until falling asleep by the window an enjoyment in any season.

Stepping onto the top floor and seeing Miss Zhuo lazily lying on the windowsill, Ye Tao immediately understood that this Miss Zhuo was also a person who knew how to enjoy life. Miss Zhuo leaned on a soft cushion woven from cattails, and a cup of tea was placed on the low table beside her. The small stove for boiling water was placed on the stone platform a few steps away. There was also a plate of peaches and a plate of sugared corn kernels on the low table. Perhaps because the small birds that often stopped on the windowsill were so beautiful and cute, Miss Zhuo actually held a few corn kernels in her palm to lure the birds to stop on her palm and peck at the corn kernels. Her focused expression was extremely touching.

"Miss, the two gentlemen have arrived," Sisi ran up in small steps and replaced Miss Zhuo with a cup of hot tea. Then she withdrew.

Miss Zhuo saw that the little bird was stopping on the edge of her palm, so greedy for the corn kernels that it refused to fly away. She simply put the plate of corn kernels on the windowsill, letting the little bird eat its fill.

Wiping her hands with a handkerchief, Miss Zhuo beckoned the two to sit down opposite her. "My body is weak. I'm afraid I'll faint if I suddenly sit up. Please forgive me for neglecting the formalities."

Ye Tao and Du Fengchi repeatedly said, "Please, Miss, make yourself comfortable."

"This Xunfeng Pavilion is indeed extraordinary. From the courtyards, ponds, and stone steps below, there is not a single place that doesn't use ingenuity. Although Xunfeng Pavilion is not the highest point in Yicheng, it is an excellent place to overlook the setting sun. It's rare to be able to steal a glimpse of the river view in this bustling city. Especially in this building, it's so comfortable to sit or lie down anywhere. The gardens built in the capital at great expense are actually somewhat inferior to this place." Miss Zhuo obviously liked Xunfeng Pavilion very much and gave it a very high evaluation.

"I dare not. The garden masters in the capital build gardens for different purposes than this Xunfeng Pavilion. It's unfair to compare them like this," Ye Tao said modestly.

Miss Zhuo smiled and said, "It's not a matter of comparison. The word 'comfortable' is a matter of opinion. It's just that I probably prefer this place, prefer this kind of comfort. I heard from the manager of Linjiang Tower that this top-floor pavilion was drafty, but now I see that it's actually a good place to be warm in winter and cool in summer. It's a pity that I won't be able to stay in Yicheng for long… Well, maybe I'll come back in the winter next year or the year after. I just don't know if my body can withstand the journey in the winter."

Looking at Miss Zhuo's pale face, which only showed a hint of color in the setting sun, Ye Tao felt a pang of pity for this woman, who looked a bit younger than him. He comforted her, "Miss Zhuo, your health is the most important thing. Home is where the heart is. As long as it's a place where your heart can be at peace, where is not a landscape? The construction of pavilions and towers is just a small matter."

Miss Zhuo nodded and said, "Home is where the heart is. Well said. Young Master Ye, today I went to Yi Zhan Lou (Strategy Game House) and heard the shop assistant there say that you originally intended to open Yi Zhan Lou and Yi Zhan Xiao Pu (Strategy Game Shop) in the capital. Actually, the furniture from Ye Shi Gong Fang (Ye Family Workshop) is sold in the capital at exorbitant prices. If you intend to open a business in the capital, please build a comfortable residence for me as well."

Ye Tao smiled slightly and said, "There are many things from Ye Family Workshop in the capital, and I've heard something about it here. But different places have different ideas, and I don't have the confidence to make a profit in the capital. Although Yicheng is a gathering place for merchants, the atmosphere of pursuing profits is not very strong. Instead, because the climate is suitable, many wealthy merchants use Yicheng as a place to retire, pursuing comfort and ease rather than extravagance. This allows my lazy and comfortable nature to be brought into play. To the capital… can Yi Jia (Comfortable Home) really be Yi Jia there? I don't have that confidence. But if you want to build a garden or a building, Miss, just send a letter, and I will go to the capital immediately and do as you command."

Miss Zhuo didn't continue Ye Tao's train of thought, but instead suggested with great interest, "Then Yi Zhan Lou can always be opened in the capital, right? Junqi (Strategy Board Game) actually has so many variations. If I hadn't gone to see Yi Zhan Lou, I really wouldn't have known. Junqi is very popular among the young masters and soldiers in the capital, even that Da Bo Sha (Grand Melee) mode. Although everyone doesn't know that a formal charter has been issued here, they still play it privately according to their own agreements. I have three younger brothers at home, the two youngest of whom run to my study all day long to set up a dozen chessboards and play until they're dizzy, and they don't even know how to clean up. If you open Yi Zhan Lou and Yi Zhan Xiao Pu in the capital, those idle young masters in the capital will probably have their last penny squeezed out of their pockets."

In fact, Ye Tao was also very interested in how far Yi Zhan Lou could develop. He thought for a moment and said, "That is feasible. But Ye Family Workshop is also rushing to work recently, and I'm afraid it will take until the end of the year or the beginning of next year to free up manpower to go to the capital."

Miss Zhuo teased, "Rushing to work? To get back the house you live in?"

Ye Tao was a little embarrassed. The fact that he was constantly building houses but hadn't been able to live in one himself was really a bit funny. Who would have thought that those old guys with such big backgrounds would keep going back on their word with several houses?