At three quarters past midnight, the night was as dark as ink, so thick it seemed to engulf everything in the world. Suddenly, the crisp sound of a clapperboard clapper echoed through the still air, remarkably clear in the utter silence. Jiang Yan, a man usually as gentle as jade, was now hurriedly rushing into the Moon-Raising Pavilion, treading on the silvery moonlight. He wore dark casual clothes, his shoulders still stained with the night dew from the palace walls, which shimmered in the moonlight, like a witness to his hasty journey.
At this moment, in the Lanyue Pavilion, candlelight flickered, and the warm yellow light cast mottled shadows on the wall. Su Jinli was holding Siyan's little hand and gently fiddling with the abacus. The square pear wood beads, illuminated by the candlelight, shone with a warm luster, as if telling of the peaceful years. Suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps broke the silence, followed by a "clatter", and the entire string of beads rolled to the ground like a frightened bird. The sudden sound startled Nianli, who was lying on the corner of the table, and she raised her head suddenly. The golden pepper pendant tightly grasped in her little hand, under the illumination of the candlelight, flickered with tiny and dazzling light.
"What's going on?" Su Jinli subconsciously squatted down to pick up the beads. When she looked up, she saw Jiang Yan's face was as pale as paper, his eyes wide open behind his glasses. He looked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, full of fear and panic. Si Yan, who was only four years old, didn't know what had happened. Instead, he thought his father's expression was extremely funny. He clapped his chubby little hands and shouted crisply, "Daddy, learn to be a frog!"
"The Emperor... The Emperor wants to arrange a marriage for Nianli!" Jiang Yan rushed to Su Jinli and grabbed her wrist. His fingertips almost dug into her flesh because of the force. His voice was full of anxiety and fear. "Become a child bride for the prince!"
"What?" The abacus beads that Su Jinli was picking up fell to the ground with a "clack". This sudden news startled Nianli so much that she subconsciously stuffed the golden pepper pendant into her mouth, her eyes wide open. Su Jinli's mind instantly flashed back to the scene last month when the prince playfully pulled Nianli's braid in the imperial garden, and was chased and beaten for three blocks by his own daughter. She couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Is the emperor confused by the rouge of the empress dowager? Nianli can beat the prince, that little fat boy, into a pulp."
"Madam, don't laugh!" Jiang Yan was so anxious that he grabbed the coat beside him and hurriedly put it on, not even caring about the crooked collar. "The other day, the prince took apart Nianli's wooden horse and fed it to the koi. Nianli was so angry that she ignored him for three days! If this really becomes a child bride, won't the Eastern Palace be overthrown?"
话音未落，“砰”的一声巨响，房门被猛地撞开。苏小侯爷如同一头勇猛的小狮子，扛着柄镶铜吞口的木枪闯了进来。他身后的猩红披风随风舞动，一下扫翻了桌上的茶盏。琥珀色的茶水如脱缰的野马，在账本上肆意漫开，瞬间洇湿了那一页页工整的字迹。“姐！听说皇上要把念璃嫁出去？我这就去东宫把太子揍成猪头！”苏小侯爷双眼圆睁，满脸的愤怒与不甘。
"Nonsense!" Su Xiang heard the noise and hurried over from the study. He was wearing a long, dark satin robe, the cuffs still stained with cinnabar, and in his hand he tightly grasped a heavy brocade bag. Su Xiang loudly scolded the young Marquis Su while stuffing the brocade bag into Jiang Yan's hand. The corner of the banknote peeked out from the opening of the brocade bag. "I already bought a farm in Jiangnan. I took Jinli and the child away tonight. If you don't have enough money, go to Suzhou Prefecture to find Manager Liu." Su Xiang's eyes were full of worry and concern, as well as a hint of unquestionable determination.
Su Qingyao walked out from behind the screen, holding a vermilion lacquer makeup box. The pearl hairpins on her temples swayed gently with her movements, and the reflected light was dazzling. "I knew Dad was partial." Su Qingyao pouted slightly and said in a pretended angry tone. She gently opened the lid of the box, and saw ten mother-of-pearl inlaid rouges neatly arranged in the box, like soldiers waiting for inspection. The one in the middle was her new blend, "Red After the Rain", the color was gorgeous, as if it condensed the most beautiful colors in the world. "The humidity in Jiangnan is heavy, don't let Nianli's skin down, these rouges are all smudge-proof." Su Qingyao's voice was gentle and delicate, full of love for Nianli.
After the night watchman struck the second watch, the lights in Lanyue Pavilion were brightly lit, and everyone was busy in a tense and orderly manner. Su Jinli stuffed Siyan's abacus into her bag. To Siyan, the abacus was like a treasure. Nianli, on the other hand, hugged a chili-shaped puppet tightly and refused to let go, muttering, "Mother, take my chili doll with you." Jiang Yan squatted down and gently tied her cloak. His eyes fell on the pearl hairpin newly made by Su Qingyao on his daughter's temples, but his thoughts drifted away involuntarily. He suddenly remembered the emperor patting the dragon throne during the day and vowing to prepare "ten miles of red makeup" for Nianli. His heart ached and his teeth ached.
"Are you all ready?" Su Xiang stood at the gate, his expression serious and solemn. Behind him were two servants carrying boxes filled with valuables that the Jiang family would need to escape. "Go south after the city gate, and don't take the official road." Su Xiang instructed, and as if suddenly remembering something, he hurriedly pulled out an oilcloth bag from his sleeve and handed it to Jiang Yan. "This is the customs clearance document that your grandfather used back then. If anyone asks you about it along the way, just say you're going to visit relatives in Jiangnan."
The sound of the three-o'clock clappers came from far away, as if it was a horn urging them to set off. Two black horses slowly squeezed out from the crack of the back door of the prime minister's residence. The two horses were agile, and their smooth fur gleamed in the moonlight. They were pulling a half-worn blue cloth carriage, which looked low-key and steady in the night. Jiang Yan gently opened the curtains and looked inside the carriage. He saw Si Yan holding an abacus, sleeping soundly, saliva flowing from the corners of his mouth, and traces of frosting on his little face. Nian Li was holding a golden pepper pendant, and her little head was dozing off little by little. She looked very cute. Seeing the children so safe, Jiang Yan breathed a sigh of relief. The coachman gently cracked the whip, and with a crisp "snap", the black horse raised its four hooves, crushed the moonlight on the ground, and galloped towards the south of the city.
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