On the Empress Dowager's birthday, the Forbidden City resembled a dreamlike palace bathed in sunlight. The glazed tiles, bathed in the generous autumn sun, seemed coated in a layer of flowing gold, shimmering and dazzling. Each tile, like a delicate mirror, reflected the warm autumn sun's glow, creating a vibrant tapestry of light and shadow.
I stood quietly beneath the carved corridor of a side hall in Kunning Palace, like a delicate flower blooming in the depths of time. The dress my eldest sister had meticulously crafted for me, emblazoned with the image of a Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix, fluttered gently in the gentle breeze, like a phoenix about to spread its wings and soar. The feathers on my skirt, meticulously strung with South China Sea pearls, rose and fell with my every step, emitting a soft and captivating luster, as if crushing a handful of tiny starlight with each step, a dreamlike experience. Mo Zhu followed me like a shadow, holding the glass tea set steady in his hands. The hairline-thin slit at the spout of the teapot was faintly visible in the sunlight, like a mysterious thread veiled in light and shadow. Inside, the teapot held an amber-colored tea, meticulously brewed over three days. It seemed to condense the essence of time, exuding an alluring aroma.
"Miss," Mo Zhu's voice was filled with obvious anger. She stamped her feet in anger, and the silver butterfly hairpin in her hair swayed violently with her movements, sweeping across the exquisitely carved lotus-patterned railings under the corridor. "Lin Wanyue is gossiping with a group of ladies backstage!" Her eyes flashed with sparks of anger, as if she wanted to burn the gossipmongers to ashes. "She said the pearls and jade on your dance costume are too dazzling, like the ones in the opera troupe..."
"Looks like an actor's costume, doesn't it?" I raised an eyebrow slightly, peering into the diamond-shaped bronze mirror, slowly adjusting the scarlet gold and kingfisher phoenix hairpin on my head. The pigeon-blood ruby on the hairpin's head, like a blazing flame, reflected the flicker of my eyes, adding a touch of flamboyance and nobility to my features. The woman in the mirror was graceful, her skirt gently grazing the golden brick floor. The phoenix tail feathers embroidered with colorful silk thread were so lifelike, as if they would break free and take flight at any moment. "Let her chew it. When we get on stage later, there's something that'll make her eyes pop." The corners of my mouth curled up slightly, revealing a confident and calm smile that seemed to declare to the world that all slander would dissipate in my radiance.
Before I could finish my words, a gust of wind, carrying the rich sweet aroma of sugar cakes, rushed towards me like a wave of sweetness. The young marquis, like a little cannonball full of energy, dressed in a brand new stone-blue brocade robe, rushed to open the moon-shaped door. The jade unicorn on the jade belt buckle at his waist was tilted to the side by his running. The food box in his hand jingled with his movements, as if playing a cheerful movement. "Sister!" His voice was crisp and loud, like the chirping of birds in the morning, "Jiang Zhuangyuan asked me to give you 'Calming Su'! He said that if you eat it, you won't shake your legs when you dance!"
The moment the food box was opened, an exquisite and beautiful picture unfolded before my eyes. Twelve plum blossom pastries were neatly stacked in the food box, like a group of quiet fairies. The words "Come on" were carefully outlined on each pastry with delicate icing sugar. The font was graceful and lively, as if it was full of Jiang Yan's care and encouragement. The edges of the petals were still stained with fine gold foil, which shimmered in the sunlight like stars twinkling in the night sky. I gently picked up a piece, and the pastry immediately broke into pieces in my palm like winter snowflakes, revealing the sweet osmanthus filling inside. The sweet osmanthus filling exuded a rich aroma, mixed with the sweetness of the pastry, making people salivate. "You didn't eat it secretly?" I looked at the young marquis with pretended seriousness, but there was a hint of smile in my eyes.
"God knows!" the young marquis stiffened his neck, pointing solemnly to the sky, as if swearing to the gods. However, the lingering icing sugar at the corners of his mouth betrayed him, and I couldn't help but laugh. "Mr. Jiang specifically said he'd gone through three blocks to buy this from a time-honored brand, and he also said..." He suddenly lowered his voice and leaned close to my ear like a mysterious messenger, "He said he's in the second row, by the window, holding a folding fan with a sugar dragon painted on it, so you can see it the moment you look up."
Hearing this, my heart skipped a beat, as if gently touched by a gentle hand. My thoughts instantly drifted back to three days ago, when Jiang Yan slipped me a note at the corner door, promising to secure "the best dance seat" for me at the birthday party. At that moment, his gentle yet resolute gaze seemed to be right before my eyes. My nose suddenly turned sour, and an indescribable feeling welled up in my heart.
Just then, my eldest sister's familiar footsteps echoed from behind me, like gentle ripples on a calm lake. She wore a moon-white, wide-sleeved dress, like a fairy from the Moon Palace descending to earth. Her sleeves gently brushed my shoulders, and her fingertips, clad in the cool jade armor, gently adjusted the hem of my skirt. Her movements were gentle and meticulous, filled with care and concern. "Why are your hands shaking?" My eldest sister's voice, like a gentle spring breeze, caressed my ears.
"A little..." I looked in the mirror at my slightly trembling fingertips. Thin calluses formed from pouring tea and writing poetry during last night's rehearsal, like medals of effort and perseverance. "I'm afraid the tea will spill on the rice paper." I bit my lip, a hint of worry flashing in my eyes.
"What are you afraid of?" My eldest sister raised an eyebrow slightly, her eyes radiating confidence and composure. She pressed a tube of lipstick, dyed with Luozi's ink, into my palm. The morning light caressed the lipstick, revealing a captivating pomegranate red, like a ripe pomegranate seed. "Even if it spills, it's still a hundred times better than that 'Yaochi Offering Longevity Picture' that Lin Wanyue bribed the painter to paint." She paused slightly, her voice lowered, as if she were revealing a mysterious secret. "I had the accountant check, and Qingfeng Painting Studio in the west of the city did indeed lose a drawing of the Queen Mother of the West last month."
At that moment, Liu's sharp, piercing laughter suddenly rang out. She was leading Lin Wanyue through the moonlit gate, like two night owls harboring ulterior motives. Lin Wanyue, dressed in a plain white kesi silk gown, deliberately presented an aloof, otherworldly presence. However, in her hair, she wore a sapphire hairpin, the same pattern as the water patterns in the Yaochi painting. Despite her deliberate disguise, the hairpin stood out, like a flaw on a beautiful jade. "Oh, Sister Su, you're dressed so grandly! If you didn't know better, you'd think you were some deity descended to earth." Lin Wanyue's voice, tinged with mockery and envy, was like an ice knife in the cold wind, trying to pierce my heart.
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