Before the first rays of dawn had fully penetrated the night, the Empress Dowager's decree, carried by the shimmering morning dew, quietly arrived at the Prime Minister's residence. My eldest sister, Su Qingyao, was intently inserting a red-gold, kingfisher-inlaid hairpin into my hair. In the gilded mirror, her face, rarely seen in her daily life, took on a solemn expression. The delicate pearl necklace swayed with her gentle movements, as if to convey the solemnity of the moment.
"The Empress Dowager has summoned me. This is a very important matter." My eldest sister's eyes met mine in the mirror. She gently stroked the hair on my shoulders and continued, "This lilac-colored skirt paired with a black shawl is very elegant. It not only fits Mr. Jinxin's elegant temperament, but also retains the dignified bearing that a legitimate daughter of the prime minister should have." She leaned over slightly, her fingertips lightly brushing across the delicate lotus pattern on the hem of her skirt. This pattern was carefully made by the embroiderer overnight. The stitches were as fine as the twinkling stars in the night sky. Every stitch and every thread was poured with the embroiderer's hard work, and was also full of my eldest sister's care and expectations for me.
Mo Zhu walked in with light steps, holding a gilded brocade box. When the lid of the box was slowly opened, a wolf-hair brush inlaid with jade was caressed by the morning light, emitting a warm and soft luster, like a dazzling pearl. "Miss, this is the 'purple-hair brush inlaid with mutton-fat jade' brush given by the Empress Dowager!" Mo Zhu's eyes sparkled, as if hiding countless little stars, and her excitement was beyond words. As she spoke, the silver butterfly hairpins in her hair gently brushed the edge of the box, stirring up a layer of fine dust that danced in the sunlight, as if cheering for this honor. "I heard that this brush is made of Nanhai purple hair, and the pen holder is engraved with the words 'Interesting and Wonderful'!"
Upon entering the Hall of Mental Cultivation, a rich aroma of ambergris and Huizhou ink washed over me, intertwining to the point of slightly tickling my nose. The Empress Dowager, dressed in her moon-white kesi silk dress, sat elegantly on a soft couch embroidered with a nine-curve flowing wine cup pattern, flipping through the latest chapter of "The Story of a Concubine's Counterattack." The oriental pearl headband adorning her silver hair trembled gently with the smile on her face, like the shimmering surface of a lake. "Are you 'Jinxin'?" The Empress Dowager raised her head slightly, her gaze fixed on me with admiration and curiosity. "This account of Concubine Liu's withholding of her monthly allowance is even more detailed than the account books in my palace. It shows how deeply you observe the myriad aspects of life!"
I quickly bowed and saluted, and as I leaned forward, I caught a glimpse of a sugar-painted phoenix placed on the rosewood table beside her. The phoenix's wings were cleverly supported by thin bamboo strips, and its tail feathers were covered in gold powder, shimmering with a dreamy glow under the light. I recognized it immediately as the one Jiang Yan had sent yesterday, and a wave of emotion welled up in my heart. The Queen Mother smiled and waved at me, her armor tapping lightly against the table, making a crisp sound: "Get up, I didn't ask you to come here to listen to flattery. I heard you want to open a bookstore in West Market?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." I slowly straightened up and looked up into her smiling eyes. They were deep and gentle, reflecting the swaying bamboo shadows outside the window, as if they contained endless wisdom. I took a deep breath, mustered my courage, and said, "I want women everywhere to have access to interesting books, so they don't have to be trapped in the harem, only studying the 'Instructions for Women'. I hope that through this bookstore, I can open a window to the vast world for women."
"Great! 'No need to be trapped in the harem!'" Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager clapped her hands in delight, her eyes lit up with admiration. The maid beside her understood and immediately presented the rice paper, holding down the edges with a jade paperweight. The Empress Dowager gently lifted her brush, dipped it in ink, and the jade bracelets on her sleeves clashed with each other, creating a crisp, melodious sound. Her wolf-hair brush darted across the rice paper like a dragon, writing the four characters "Splendid Articles." The characters were powerful and vigorous, the ink shades perfectly balanced, and the strokes of her brush radiated the majesty and grandeur of the imperial family. "If this bookshop needs anything, just let me know. You can also copy the rare copy in my palace." The Empress Dowager set down her brush and looked at me kindly, as if offering support and encouragement.
I thanked her gratefully and left. Sunlight filtered through the cracks in the carved window lattices, streaming onto the golden brick floor like golden threads, casting a riot of light and shadow like a magnificent painting. Mo Zhu carefully held the empress dowager's imperial brush, his steps so brisk that he seemed to fly. "Miss, just now I saw Jiang Zhuangyuan's servant wandering outside the palace gates, holding a sugar painting. I wonder who he was giving it to."
When we reached the willow tree under the palace wall, we saw Jiang Yan riding a Zhaoyebai horse as white as snow, his figure as straight as a pine tree. He was wearing a moon-white brocade robe, and the corners of his robe swelled slightly in the breeze, just like an immortal descending to earth. He dismounted with a graceful and neat movement. The tassel of the bamboo flute at his waist swept across the abacus on the saddle, and the abacus beads made a clacking sound, as if playing a cheerful movement. "I heard that the Queen Mother rewarded you with a wolf-hair brush?" He walked towards me with a smile and handed over an oil-paper bag. There was an exquisite bamboo tube hanging on the tail of a sugar-painted dragon. "It seems that my sugar-painted brush will not catch the eye of Mr. Jinxin."
"Who says I can't?" I smiled as I took the sugar painting. My fingertips touched the gold powder on the dragon's scales, delicate and warm. "What's in this dragon's mouth?" I asked curiously, my eyes full of anticipation.
Jiang Yan's ears were slightly red, looking especially adorable in the sunlight. He reached out and gently removed the bamboo tube for me, unfolding the fine silk inside. The small calligraphy with flowery hairpins was clearly visible in the sunlight, and every word seemed to carry his deep affection: "Jinli's personal letter: Ever since I saw you kick Prince Wang into the dung heap on Suzaku Street, my heart has been moved for one hundred and thirty-eight days. Now that I hear that the Empress Dowager has bestowed upon me a name, I feel even more honored. May I ask, Mr. Jinxin, if I would be willing to take over the pen and write the rest of our lives together?"
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