It was a gift from Emperor Li Tianmin to Consort Zhen upon the birth of their first princess. It was considered Consort Zhen’s own private courtyard. Within this Qingjing Garden, Consort Zhen kept many dogs. Most of them were strays from the streets that no one else cared for. Consort Zhen had a kind heart and housed them all within the garden, often visiting to look after them herself. This was common knowledge throughout the palace.
Under normal circumstances, keeping dogs in the palace was against the rules. However, as Consort Zhen was one of Emperor Li Tianmin’s favorite consorts and Empress Zhangsun was also quite fond of her, no one had ever raised an objection. As long as the dogs didn’t cause any trouble, everyone simply turned a blind eye.
But as it turned out, Consort Zhen’s current illness was the direct result of this dog-keeping.
Chapter 265