Chapter 236 Xiangshan Villa
There are two theories about the origin of Xiangshan. One theory is that it was because the mountain was full of apricot trees at that time. When the flowers bloomed, the fragrance filled the mountain, so the local people called it Xiangshan. Another theory is that there is a stone in the mountain that looks like an incense burner, and the local people have the custom of burning incense, so the mountain was named Xiangshan.

Since the Jin Dynasty, Xiangshan has become a famous royal mountain. In the Ming Dynasty, Xiangshan became a Feng Shui treasure land. Not only were countless Ming Dynasty royal family members buried here, but also large-scale construction and temples were built here. In the Dashun Dynasty, the emperors of the Li family did not dislike Xiangshan as a Ming Dynasty mausoleum at all, and began to build gardens and palaces on a large scale. In summer and autumn, the emperors would go there to hunt and cool off.

There are exceptions. The workaholic Emperor Yongchang has never set foot here.

Xiangshan is located in the northwest suburbs of the capital, only fifty or sixty miles away from the residence of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery. Li Hu and Lin Daiyu quickly arrived here.

Although it had been sunny for two days, it was still white outside the city. Looking in all directions, there was thick snow. After leaving the official road, the road leading to the village became even more difficult to travel.

Li Hu sat on the couch, his body swaying with the rolling of the wheels. Feeling the movement behind him, he lowered the car curtain and turned to look: “Awake?”

Lin Daiyu yawned drowsily, rubbed her eyes, and asked, “Are we there yet?” Her voice was sleepy and soft.

“almost.”

Li Hu picked up Lin Daiyu and held her in his arms. He straightened her hair, picked up the purple clay teapot on the low table and fed her a sip of tea. He said softly, “Rest first today. I’ll take you around to see the scenery.”

Lin Daiyu hummed, then leaned her head on Li Hu’s shoulder and closed her eyes again.

Li Hu smiled and held her hand tightly. The road condition was very bad along the way. Not to mention Lin Daiyu, he was also uncomfortable with the shaking.

At this time, the front of the carriage was hit by the sound of a knife handle hitting “dong, dong, dong”, followed by the voice of a personal soldier: “Second Master, we are here.”

Li Hu lifted the car window curtain and looked out. It was a huge manor with a row of high blue brick walls and a watchtower every few feet. It looked like a small city.

Li Hu was surprised. No wonder this girl spent money like water. But it was understandable. After all, she built a villa here and planned to bring a group of sisters here for an outing.

The convoy drove into the fortress gate which was as big as a city gate. Military flags were flying on the houses on both sides and they were all occupied by the military.

Li Hu didn’t want to have his head chopped off in the middle of the night, so he not only transferred cavalry from the sentry camp, but also transferred a hundred musketeers from the firearms camp.

Keep walking along this road, and the view in front of you will suddenly become bright. In the distance, you can see a villa standing alone in the wilderness, with a small forest next to it.

Li Hu was really shocked this time. What a big deal! This girl actually enclosed all the five or six hundred acres of fertile land within the high blue brick wall, and also separated the villa and the houses with fields, so that the lives of both parties would not be disturbed by the other.

As he got closer, Li Hu discovered that there was a small river surrounding the villa, and a single-hole stone bridge proudly spanned the river.

I have to say, having money means being arrogant!
“Not bad, right?” Lin Daiyu finally woke up. She looked at the scenery outside the window and said with a smile, “Everything in the manor was planned by me myself. Every flower and tree in the villa were selected by me. This creek, in particular, is not only beautiful, but also can serve as a defense.” After saying that, she looked at Li Hu, as if to say, “Praise me!”

Li Hu was amused by her: “Sister is really smart!”

After hearing this, Lin Daiyu pouted her lips in satisfaction.

Li Hu laughed. This small river can indeed play a defensive role and prevent fire!
The carriage swayed, and the wheels rolled over the stone bridge and drove towards the gate of the villa.

In front, Zhang Cheng led a group of generals to meet them.

Li Hu knocked on the carriage: “Stop.”

The carriage stopped.

Li Hu lowered the car curtains and said to Lin Daiyu, who was still lying in his arms, “Zhang Cheng and the others are here. I’ll go down and talk to them.” Then he kissed her on the forehead.

Lin Daiyu said “hmm”, got off Li Hu, sat upright on the couch, and waved her hand.

Li Hu smiled, pushed open the carriage door and walked out.

Zhang Cheng quickened his pace, saluted, and said, “General, we have searched the manor three times inside and outside, and found nothing unusual. Wang Yaozu led the scouts into the mountains to scout the way for you.”

Li Hu smiled and nodded, saying, “Why did you come here in person?”

Zhang Cheng chuckled: “I want to eat bear paws, too.”

Li Hu: “I will kick you to death.” All the generals laughed.

After some jokes, Zhang Cheng continued, “Everything has been arranged here. If there’s nothing else, I’ll go back.”

Li Hu: “Chen Qiang is in the military camp, nothing will happen. You will go hunting with me in the mountains tomorrow, and eat bear paws before leaving.”

Everyone laughed again.

Zhang Cheng answered loudly, “Yes.” He glanced at the carriage and then at Li Hu, as if to ask: Do you want to salute?

Li Hu rolled his eyes at him and said, “Get out!” Then he raised his foot and kicked him.

Zhang Cheng dodged, bowed to the carriage, turned around and ran towards the stone bridge.

Li Hu smiled and said to the group of officers, “Control your people and don’t harass the people.”

The group of generals answered in unison, “Yes.” They bowed to the carriage and then chased after Zhang Cheng.

Li Hu waved his hand at the personal soldier driving the carriage, and the personal soldier tapped the horse’s buttocks with the whip and shouted in a low voice: “Go!”

The carriage slowly drove into the villa, and the carriages behind followed.

Walking at the end were Wang Daniu and twenty of his personal soldiers, who dismounted from their horses together.

Li Hu said to Wang Daniu, “Except for the sentry, everyone else should feed the horses with water, add feed, and brush their fur, then take a rest.”

Wang Daniu replied, “Yes.”

Li Hu: “We won’t leave the manor today, you should take a rest.”

Wang Daniu: “Yes.”

Li Hu turned and entered the villa.

As soon as they entered the second gate, a burst of giggles came from the courtyard. Qingwen, Xueyan and Xiangling looked here and touched there, just like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden, curious about everything.

Li Hu smiled. Nanny Wang didn’t come, so the three of them went out to play! Amber didn’t come either. There were too many things in the room, so she couldn’t leave.

“Second Master.” A housekeeper’s wife came over and said, “Lunch is ready.”

“Then bring it in.”

“Yes.”

Ignoring the three crazy girls, Li Hu walked straight to the backyard.

It is called a villa, but in fact it is a quadrangle with three entrances, except that the back room has been converted into a two-story building.

When they saw Li Hu coming in, several old women who were hanging out bedding to dry bowed to him.

When I walked into the hall, Zijuan was asking the maid to set up the table.

The rooms upstairs were left by Lin Daiyu for her close friends, and she lived in the main bedroom downstairs.

Without waiting for Li Hu to go in, Lin Daiyu walked out of the bedroom as the door curtain was lifted.

Li Hu: “After dinner, take a rest. I’ll take you for a walk.”

(End of this chapter)