Structure of the Inner Court

Beside each foundation, the corresponding building materials were stacked in neat order—bundles of timber, piles of bricks and tiles, and rows upon rows of Column Base Stones. They only needed the owner's command before construction could begin.

"It's so huge..." Ning Rongrong looked around and could not help exclaiming.

"This is only the Outer Court." Liu Erlong smiled. "It's even bigger inside."

The group passed through the foundation of Ju Xian Hall, walked through an as-yet-uninstalled doorway, and entered the second courtyard.

The scene before them changed completely.

This was an enormous complex of courtyards divided by walls. According to Xiao Yun's design, the entire Inner Court was split into five sections—Spring Garden, Summer Garden, Autumn Garden, Winter Garden, and the Central Main Courtyard at the very center.

The Central Main Courtyard was square and occupied the largest area. At its center lay the foundation of the Main Courtyard where Xiao Yun would live. It was still only a stretch of level ground, but one could imagine that once completed, it would become the heart of the entire estate. Behind the Main Courtyard, a rockery had already been piled up. Though no flowers or trees had yet been planted upon it, its craggy shape held a certain charm. A small pavilion atop the hill had already been framed, awaiting only its final decorations. Around the rockery, the foundations of auxiliary buildings such as the kitchen, dining hall, Study Room, and warehouse were also clearly visible.

Surrounding the Central Main Courtyard were the four great courtyards of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Each occupied a ninety-degree fan-shaped section, guarding the main courtyard at the center.

Spring Garden lay to the east. It was still a stretch of level ground, but rows of Peach Trees had already been planted. Though they had