100 Peonies

The feminine chatter grew louder as Yan Zheyun and Xiao De proceeded with their walk. The stone arrangements in the imperial gardens were very tastefully done. Yan Zheyun couldn't estimate how much manpower it must have taken to cart the large pieces over from where they had been naturally obtained, especially without the convenience of modern machinery and transportation. They had been shaped and artfully arranged to resemble the mountains in watercolour paintings, some of them almost tall enough to reach the height of the imperial city's walls.