Chang'an, Great Tang, northern city.
Zhao Yue Princess Mansion stood at the end of Vermilion Bird Street.
When this residence had been built, the commotion had been no small matter.
The Ministry of Works had assembled over three thousand craftsmen, who ate and slept at the construction site.
In order to give Jiang Yuechu a surprise, the Emperor had specially dispatched a unit of Imperial Guards to seal off the surrounding hundred zhang, strictly forbidding idle outsiders from approaching.
The news had spread through the city like wind and rain. The common people only knew that a residence was being built there, but had no idea what mysteries lay within.
Today, this mysterious mansion had finally shed the veil concealing it.
Upturned eaves soared skyward, carved beams and painted rafters gleamed.
A tower every five steps, a pavilion every ten.
The main gate stood three zhang high, entirely carved from crimson thousand-year fire-sinking wood, its studs made from supreme South Sea pearls.
The two stone lions guarding the residence were not made from ordinary stone, but from whole blocks of naturally formed warm jade spirit stone, faintly giving off a gentle white radiance.
Looking inward.
Water had been drawn into the garden, where winding streams bore floating wine cups.
The white-jade paving stones were as smooth as mirrors. Along the winding corridors, exotic flowers and rare herbs that could not be bought outside even with vast sums of money had been planted in pleasing disorder.
Even the main hall's ridge was covered in supreme glazed tiles. When the morning light shone upon them, the entire mansion glittered brilliantly, dazzling to the eye.
How could this be a residence of the mortal world?
Even if one moved a heavenly palace down into the human realm, it would likely be no more