Ye Hua knew the emperor's temper well.
Most of the time, this emperor was a wise ruler.
He loved his people as his own children, being open - minded and magnanimous.
However, deep inside the emperor, there lurked a childish bear - like boy.
This boy would occasionally pop out, causing quite a headache.
The characteristic of this childish boy was that once he came across something or someone that interested him, he would be mischievous and try to play tricks on others.
For example, when Ji Shisu was resisting the enemy at Shiguan Pass, the emperor insisted that Ye Hua take two concubines to Ji Shisu just to annoy him.
Now, his attention had turned to Zhao Luoning.
Ji Shisu was a rough - hewn man, and the emperor could do whatever he wanted with him.
But Zhao Luoning was a delicate beauty. Ye Hua wasn't worried about other things; he was just afraid that the emperor might fall for Zhao Luoning while playing around.
If that happened, things would get really complicated.
Ye Hua was calculating how to tell Ji Shisu and Zhao Luoning about this so that the couple could be on guard.
At this moment, the empress dowager, who was listening to the opera, turned to look at the emperor and said, "It's a good idea. She can be considered your cousin, so it's proper for you to meet her."
"Cousin?!" Both the emperor and Ye Hua were greatly shocked.
The empress dowager nodded and said, "I've been close friends with her mother for many years. We're closer than real sisters. So, isn't Zhao Luoning your cousin?"
The empress dowager also knew her son's temper. She added,
"I'm putting it out there. I don't care about others, but Zhao Luoning is the apple of my old friend's eye. You should treat her like your own sister and mustn't neglect her."
At this moment, the emperor was on the verge of a breakdown.
Own sister?
Didn't that mean he couldn't play around with her?!
Meanwhile, Ye Hua on the side secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness. He didn't have to worry about Ji Shisu losing his wife.
...
The Bai Mansion
The chief supervisor of the Bai Mansion was Zhao Luochun.
Since Zhao Luoning had specifically told them not to show off their wealth, a lot of ingenuity had been put into the construction of the Bai Mansion.
Although it occupied half of a mountain, almost no walls could be seen from the outside. Some were hidden by bamboo fences, while others were built into fake rockeries that looked extremely real.
From the outside, it just seemed like there were one or two more courtyards on the mountain.
Zhao Luochun was highly motivated. He not only personally planned the layout of the entire Bai Mansion but also crafted the furniture himself.
His enthusiasm for this project even exceeded his interest in farming.
Zhao Luoning didn't stop him. She covered all the expenses.
As long as her elder brother was happy.
Thankfully, after years of experience, Zhao Luochun was no longer the muddle - headed young master of the Zhao family. He knew how to make the best use of resources and save money for Zhao Luoning.
Moreover, he first had the main courtyard cleaned up. The remaining courtyards could be furnished slowly. But Zhao Luoning's belly was getting bigger and bigger.
Zhao Luoning's child, his precious nephew, couldn't be born in someone else's house.
So, when the main courtyard for Zhao Luoning and Ji Shisu was just completed, all the furniture, such as cabinets, beds, and dressing tables, were also ready.
The new courtyard was twice as big as the one Zhao Luoning lived in at the Ye Mansion!
It had a front yard, a back yard, a viewing corridor, and a lotus pond.
Knowing that Zhao Luoning liked water, the courtyard was specially built next to a small waterfall that cascaded down the mountain. The waterfall formed a small stream that wound around the courtyard.
There was a pavilion by the stream, from which one could overlook the entire scenery below the mountain.
There were scenic views every few steps, with mountains and water in perfect harmony.
If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, Zhao Luoning would never have believed that this was designed by her clumsy elder brother.
Yes, it was not only beautiful but also very ingenious.
Zhao Luochun knew that she liked to sit alone and enjoy the scenery. Afraid that she would catch a cold, he thoughtfully ordered bamboo curtains to be hung around the回廊.
On one hand, they could block the sunlight; on the other hand, they could keep out the cold wind. On a fine day, the curtains could be rolled up, and it wouldn't affect the mood of enjoying the scenery.
This courtyard was exclusively for the couple, so there were no extra rooms. Apart from the master bedroom and the study, there were only two side rooms.
One was used as a nursery, so that the wet - nurse could take care of the baby conveniently when little Luoning or little Shisu was born.
The other was Zhao Luoning's private accounting room.
Although Zhao Luoning was pregnant and didn't manage things often, the shops were still running normally, but she couldn't be completely idle.
Ji Shisu had handed over all his private savings.
Some people seemed like prodigal sons on the surface, but in fact, they were masters at saving money.
Zhao Luoning calculated that Ji Shisu's property was three or four times hers.
And this was when Ji Shisu hadn't managed it much.
When the accounts of Zhao Luoning and Ji Shisu were combined, the silver flowing in every day was no small amount.
Rendong came out with Ji Shisu to take care of Zhao Luoning's daily life. Together with Qiuling, they filled in for Caixue.
Guixiu and Jingsu helped Zhao Luoning manage affairs outside. Once they got the hang of it, they were no worse than Feixing.
Ji Shisu supported the heavily pregnant Zhao Luoning as they walked through the courtyard that Zhao Luochun had painstakingly designed.
The more Zhao Luoning walked, the more she felt that the money spent was worth it.
The design of this courtyard coincided with many of Zhao Luoning's ideas.
The tacit understanding between the siblings played a big role this time.
Walking in such a garden, one could always feel a serene and elegant atmosphere.
This feeling could be a gentle breeze, a warm sun.
It could be the smile of a flower or the murmur of the wind.
Being in it, one felt that in this world, all things were not worth a flower, a leaf, or a beauty's smile.
Coupled with the winding corridors, every corner was like a secluded path leading to a quiet and deep place, with fragrant chambers and lush flowers and trees.
The mountain scenery delighted the birds, and the pond reflection emptied the mind. All sounds were silent here, except for the sound of the bell and the chime.
Zhao Luochun had used all the little literary qualities left in his bones on this.
"So, Ning'er, is there any place that needs to be modified? Since the craftsmen are still here, let's solve it all at once."
Zhao Luochun asked while watching Ji Shisu carefully supporting Zhao Luoning out of the courtyard.
It was strange. Zhao Luoning's belly hadn't shown much in the early stage; it seemed like she wasn't pregnant at all.
But now, it was growing bigger every day, much bigger than that of an ordinary pregnant woman.
Zhao Luochun thought happily in his heart.
My nephew must be a big, chubby boy!
Looking at Zhao Luoning, the corners of Zhao Luochun's eyebrows and eyes were filled with smiles.
Zhao Luoning walked up to Zhao Luochun and looked back at the entire courtyard.
"It's good, but there's one thing I don't understand, big brother. Why haven't you named the garden and the pavilions?"
Ji Shisu reminded her, "My lady, big brother is waiting for us to name them."
These words woke Zhao Luoning up.
After getting pregnant, Zhao Luoning had become a lot slower.
Ji Shisu had known Zhao Luochun's intention since the beginning of the construction of the new garden.
He had thought that Zhao Luoning had already seen it.
But naming things really stumped Zhao Luoning. She had become lazier and lazier since she got pregnant.
Ask her to use her brain? She refused!
Zhao Luoning gave a sly smile and had an idea.