The Garden of Imperial Beauty

Within the enormous imperial palace of Senyon, Liliakinyosa, within the Inner Palace, where only Imperial Consorts of the Great Sacred Empire, princesses of the Imperial Family of the Great Sacred Empire, and their maids and servants are allowed, lies the Garden of Imperial Beauty, next to the Palace of Imperial Beauty of Empress Nehualu Hanna and the palaces of the four secondary wives of Emperor Yixing-Jiumin Jinsen, his Imperial Consorts, Consort Gwanjiyan Annelia, Consort Weyjiya Leling, Consort Winjiya Sulin, and Consort Yelenala Yilia.   The five highest-ranking women in Senyon, they are afforded privileges and honors that none others obtain, including their own private garden. Without invitation and being accompanied by one of the consorts or the empress herself, no one, other than servants assigned to maintain it, is allowed to set foot into the garden. Anyone that dares is subject to severe punishment.   The Garden of Imperial Beauty is continuously and meticulously maintained, every flower and shrub perfectly pruned and trimmed. Each season, new flowers are planted in the gardens, every one set and arranged in colorful arrays designed by the best horticulturists of the country. At the center of the Garden is a lake filled with huge, multi-hued carp and covered with giant, deep green lily pads, above which large dragonflies dart searching for prey.   At the center of the lake is a small island, on which stands an eight-story pagoda constructed of glossy white brick that reflects pink and orange light in the morning and evening sun. A small, wooden, arched bridge leads to the island, so the women can climb the stairs inside the pagoda up to the fifth floor (the stairs go no higher, only ladders for maintenance) to take in the view of the garden and the rest of Liliakinyosa.   Throughout the garden are flowering trees, cherry, plum, apricot, and apple, that bloom in their season, then produce delicious fruit. The trees are expertly maintained by arborists, and eunuchs ensure that not a single bad fruit remains anywhere on any tree, so any fruit that a consort or the empress picks is perfect. Several of the flower beds in the Garden are cultivated with flowers chosen to attract butterflies and hummingbirds, which flit and buzz around the Garden.   Small gravel and brick paths curl throughout the grounds and among the trees and shrubs of the Garden and interesting rock formations dot the landscape, giving the impression that one is in a deep woods, even though it may be just a few feet from one of the red brick roads of the Palace.   The Garden constantly changes, with new flower gardens, new benches and furniture replacing the old, and trees budding, blooming, and fading with the seasons. The horticulturists, arborists, and servants charged with maintaining the Garden are always seeking new ways to delight the Empress and Imperial Consorts.