Between the two enormous floating island clusters of the Ning and Rong Mansions, besides the recently completed garden complex built for the imperial visit, there was another vast floating island. It held an enormous artificial lake bound by an array, along with a dock for mooring celestial ships.
A gigantic floating island high above the Ninth Heaven, and an equally gigantic artificial lake—just the scale of the project and the lake itself offered a glimpse of the might wielded by Heaven and the immortals in this world!
But that wasn't important. What mattered was that the Jia family's enormous Cloud Palace Celestial Ship should have been moored in the lake. Instead, the water was now completely empty.
As it turned out, to receive the fleet accompanying Imperial Consort Yuan on her visit, the enormous Cloud Palace Celestial Ship and the Jia family's other celestial vessels, large and small, had been moved elsewhere several days earlier. The dock had been cleared out entirely, leaving not a single sail in sight on the floating island or across the vast lake.
These past few days, the garden built especially to welcome Imperial Consort Yuan home had been a hive of activity.
And it wasn't just these past few days. In fact, ever since the seventh day of the first month, large numbers of celestial officials and immortal maidens had come from the White Jade Capital in Heaven. They arrived one after another aboard all kinds of celestial ships to inspect and supervise the garden, and to make arrangements with jade slips and illustrated plans in hand.
For example, they decided where Imperial Consort Yuan would stop, change clothes, sit for a while, receive greetings, converse, hold a banquet, and retire to rest.
The rules were endless and absurdly fussy. They acted as if