He'd known the imperial family was wealthy, but he'd assumed it was from taxes and tribute. He hadn't realized they were essentially running a massive agricultural operation.
"This is..." he said slowly, "this is incredible. Your mother built all of this?"
Heena nodded. "My mother believed in practical wealth. She said flowers were beautiful, but they don't feed people. Fruits and vegetables do. So she convinced my father to convert half of the ornamental gardens into productive farmland."
She smiled fondly at the memory.
"The nobles thought she was crazy at first. 'An Empress doing farming? How undignified!' But when they tasted the fruits and vegetables from here, when they saw the profits from selling the surplus, they changed their tune pretty quickly."
Larus laughed. "Your mother sounds like she was an amazing woman."
"She was," Heena said quietly. "She was brilliant. Strong. Practical. I wish I'd had more time with her."
