Heavy snow had fallen on the Capital overnight, leaving the entire city wrapped in a blanket of silver.
The Old Ancestor, having just celebrated his eightieth birthday, felt a sudden surge of poetic inspiration. Early in the morning, he summoned a eunuch to convey his wishes: Prince Jia, the Fifteenth Prince Yongyan; his favorite courtier, He Shen; Grand Councilor Dong Gao; Vice Minister of Personnel Liu Yong; and his youngest son, the Seventeenth Prince Yonglin, were all to accompany him to the Fengze Garden.
Fengze Garden had been built by the Old Ancestor’s grandfather, the Kangxi Emperor, to manifest a wish for annual harvests across Great Qing. The name of the garden, however, had been penned by the Old Ancestor himself. The original plaque had long since been blown away by a great gale.
Chapter 182