I am Li Shen and Li Shimin, the free kings of the Tang Dynasty

"Grand Historian Li, what do you think of the feng shui of my palace? Is there anything amiss?"

At the highest point in the backyard of Prince Ji's residence, Li Shenzheng and Grand Astrologer Li Chunfeng overlooked the entire Prince Ji's residence.

After Li Shen returned to the palace, he was forced to have a doctor take his pulse. The result was still that he had kidney essence deficiency and needed to be treated slowly.

However, the doctor was also puzzled by the fact that Liu Ruyan had been serving Li Shen for more than half a year without having a child.

They felt that even if Li Shen was mentally unstable, it shouldn't have taken so long for him to be unable to conceive. Later, they also took Liu Ruyan's pulse.

The result was obvious: Liu Ruyan was in good health, even healthier than Li Shen.

This left the doctor completely baffled.

Finally, Li Shen felt that the orthodox approach wouldn't work, so he decided to try the unorthodox one. He sent someone to summon the Grand Astrologer Li Chunfeng to examine his feng shui.

Li Chunfeng looked around, then turned to Li Shen and bowed, saying:

"Your Highness Prince Ji, the feng shui layout of Prince Ji's residence is very sophisticated, and it must have been designed by a master."

"I took a look, but I couldn't see anything amiss."

"The design of this palace was done by the brothers Yan Liben and Yan Lide. It was built entirely according to their blueprints, with almost no difference."

Li Shen nodded.

"No wonder, it turns out it was done by those two. Master Yan's skills are unparalleled; the palace renovations and the construction of the imperial palace were all done by him."

Li Chunfeng said admiringly. He was still somewhat reserved, for the person standing before him was a demon king-level figure from Chang'an City.

He was just a minor official of the fifth rank, a lowly Grand Historian. He had offended Prince Ji and would not even know how he died.

"Grand Historian Li, is there really no problem with Prince Ji's residence?" Li Shen was still somewhat unwilling to give up; there must be some issues.

Otherwise, wouldn't he be confirmed as having kidney deficiency? He would rather it be a problem with the feng shui of the Prince Ji's mansion than with his own kidney deficiency.

"Your Highness, may I ask why you summoned me here? Could you please tell me the details?"

"This humble official can also take a detailed look for Your Highness."

Li Chunfeng bowed and inquired.

He was inexplicably summoned by Prince Ji, who then took him here to drink the wind, insisting that he take a look at the feng shui of Prince Ji's mansion.

Logically speaking, with Prince Ji's current power and wealth, the Prince Ji's mansion should be thriving.

But it seems that Prince Ji is not very satisfied now.

"Well... could you please check if the Ji Prince's mansion is thriving?"

Li Shen hesitated for a moment, but still did not reveal the truth. The fewer people who knew about this, the better, so he wouldn't have to kill anyone to cover it up.

"Population?" Li Chunfeng was puzzled upon hearing this, but he still secretly investigated.

"Your Highness, I need to look around before I can draw a conclusion."

Although it's high up here, there are many places that you can't see.

"Alright, let's go for a walk." Li Shen immediately led Li Chunfeng to stroll around his palace.

The Prince Ji's mansion covered several hundred acres, it was truly enormous. The two strolled around for an hour, but in the end, Li Shen was simply too tired to continue.

"Grand Historian Li, why don't you go have a cup of tea and rest for a while?"

After saying that, he led Li Chunfeng to the living room and ordered someone to serve tea.

"Grand Historian Li, we've gone through almost the entire area. I wonder if we've noticed anything?"

After sitting down, Li Shen asked impatiently.

"Your Highness Prince Ji, the feng shui of the Prince Ji's residence is excellent, and there is nothing wrong with it. However, Your Highness wishes to inquire about the population."

"I do have some ideas," Li Chunfeng said respectfully.

"Oh? Tell me quickly." Li Shen immediately became interested.

"Your Highness Prince Ji, I have noticed a large artificial hill on the south side of the winding stream in the Prince's residence, along with a long screen. I find this somewhat inappropriate."

"Artificial rockery, screen,"

Upon hearing Li Chunfeng's words, Li Shen pondered what place Li Chunfeng was referring to, as his royal gardens differed somewhat from the orthodox architectural style of the Tang Dynasty.

It's not the typical courtyard house structure.

The garden behind is filled with artificial hills and screens, as well as small bridges, flowing water, ponds, and lakes.

"Stone, fetch the map of the Prince's Palace."

Li Shen still didn't know where Li Chunfeng was referring to, so he could only consult the map.

This map was recently drawn by the realist painters taught by Li Shen.

Soon Shi Tou retrieved the map, and Li Shen spread it out on the table.

"Come, Li Taishi, tell me what place this is?"

Li Chunfeng stepped forward to examine it closely; the map was so lifelike that it was completely clear.

"Here, this artificial hill, and this very long screen."

Li Chunfeng pointed to a spot and looked up at Li Shen.

Li Shen looked over.

"This is where I rest, and this is my study. The reason for placing the artificial hill here is to echo the pavilion over here."

This screen is mainly for blocking moisture, and also to prevent the stream from rising when it rains.

This is too close to the study; it could easily flood the study's foundation.

Li Shen pointed at the map and began to explain to Li Chunfeng.

"Your Highness, this mountain and this screen block your sleeping quarters and study, making the air here stagnant."

These two places are where the prince spends the most time, and they are not very good for him.

Moreover, Your Highness observes that, overall, these two locations divide the Prince Ji's residence in two, with the energy flowing from both sides; feng shui requires wind.

Li Chunfeng explained it to Li Shen.

Li Shen stood up and looked at the entire map, which was indeed just as Li Chunfeng had said.

To be honest, regardless of whether it's feudal superstition or not, Li Shen was a businessman in his previous life, so he still believes in feng shui.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have sought out Li Chunfeng. Feng shui is a discipline passed down from our ancestors for thousands of years, just like science.

However, learning feng shui requires talent, and it is not suitable for everyone. Many things can only be understood intuitively and cannot be explained in words.

What we learn is sometimes ethereal and intangible; those who understand will understand, and those who don't will never understand. It depends on comprehension and innate talent.

Just like traditional Chinese medicine, it requires a long period of accumulation and also depends on whether you have talent.

The ability to diagnose illnesses simply by touching the wrist is something those Westerners will never understand.

Li Shen looked at Li Chunfeng and humbly asked:

"So, according to Grand Historian Li, what should be done? Should these two places be moved?"

"Actually, you don't have to move it all away, otherwise it will disrupt the layout of the entire Prince Ji's mansion. Just smash half of this screen to allow the air to pass through."

The artificial hill only needs to be moved one zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) to the west, away from the central hall.

Li Chunfeng offered a solution: moving such a large area would not only disrupt the overall layout, but also leave the space empty, which would be uncomfortable to look at and would affect the owner's mood.

Li Shen nodded repeatedly after listening:

"That's right. As the saying goes, wind governs people and water governs wealth. If the wind doesn't enter the house, the family won't prosper. By ensuring good ventilation, the family will naturally thrive."

(The platform has issued another risk warning. Is there a risk in writing a novel now?)

The inclusion of Li Chunfeng was due to someone mentioning this legendary figure, which gave him some screen time.