"Grandma Zhao, Ye Ning has come to ask you for a bowl of noodles..."
Because they were going to Xiaguang Peak, Qin Weixi rushed to make a lot of pastries and went to the storeroom to get flower molds to make a lot of peach blossom-shaped flower cakes.
Feng Hua and Zi Jin originally intended to accompany her, but when Pu Niang heard that they were going to Xia Guang Ding, she quickly pulled the two of them back into the house.
As for Sparrow Tongue, Chu Yening took a heavy bag of silver from his waist and tossed it over, saying quietly, "Today, you are on leave."
Sparrow Tongue happily accepted it, and then saw him raise his chin slightly, looking very pleased as he said, "If you perform well, there will be a hefty reward at the end of the year."
Sparrow Tongue bowed respectfully, then rolled her eyes behind his back. She thought to herself: "Do you need to tell me?"
It was past noon when the two arrived at the foot of Xiaguang Peak. After leaving the mansion, Chu Yening was originally driving the carriage himself, but once they reached the outskirts of the city, he switched to his warhorse, Aoying.
Jiuqu was already waiting outside the city with the stubborn horse in tow. Aoying waved its tail listlessly and turned its head away, looking rather unhappy.
Seeing Qin Weixi bow first, Jiuqu grinned and said, "My lord, why don't you just ride your horse there!"
Chu Yening glanced at him and said lazily, "This Marquis wants to keep a low profile."
Upon hearing this, Jiuqu looked up at the dazzling lantern with the character "Chu" lit even during the day, and the bronze sculptures with the jingling sound of large dogs' heads hanging from the two corners of the carriage hood. He twitched the corner of his mouth.
Ding Wei was directing the eunuchs to move flowerpots in the garden when he was startled by the sound of horses' hooves. He then saw a fine horse, as black as satin, galloping up to meet it.
Ding Wei bowed respectfully to the two men and said kindly, "Young Marquis, why didn't you inform this old servant before you went up the mountain? This old servant could have prepared food in advance."
Chu Yening dismounted, carrying four octagonal flower boxes. He smiled and said, "If we had come earlier, we probably wouldn't have been able to get through the gate of Xiaguang Peak."
Ding Wei choked on his words, then gave a bitter laugh.
Qin Weixi asked, "Eunuch Ding, is the Empress Dowager taking a midday rest?" As she spoke, she glanced back at the food box in Chu Yening's hand. Chu Yening quickly understood and handed the food box over, as if the two were on the same wavelength.
Ding Wei watched this scene with a smile.
She said, "These are some snacks I made myself this morning. Thank you, Eunuch Ding, for taking such good care of Her Majesty the Empress Dowager all these years."
Ding Wei didn't refuse and readily accepted: "This is what this old servant should do. Her Majesty is currently watching a play in the Little Lotus Garden! It's just that the weather is getting hot, and Baozhu said to move the zinnias and other plants to the Wansong Pavilion. Although the Old Ancestor can't see them, she can feel it, and she's in a good mood."
Qin Weixi's eyes suddenly flashed, and she nodded with a smile: "Then let's go to Xiaohe Garden to find Grandmother."
Looking at the eunuchs bustling around behind Ding Wei, she asked casually, "Usually, I hear the palace maids laughing and talking even before I see the garden. It seems they've all gone to see the opera with Grandmother today."
Seeing that she was staring intently at the potted chrysanthemums, Ding Wei had a eunuch bring one over.
Qin Weixi's eyes showed delight as he stroked the petals and said, "By the way, Eunuch Ding, I met a few palace maids at Xiaguang Lake earlier. They looked unfamiliar. Are they new additions to Grandmother's side this year?"
“My grandmother was very kind-hearted. I remember her saying that if a palace maid reached marriageable age, she had to go down the mountain.”
Seeing that she was articulate, had a rosy complexion, and was even more beautiful than when she was young, and was no longer as frail as she had been, yet still worried about her ancestor who was on Xiaguang Peak, Ding Wei couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
Her words carried a hint of pity as she softened her voice and said, “When you were young, you didn’t come here often. More than ten years ago, when our ancestors came here, some of the palace maids got old and were released. The palace sent people here after that, and no new maids have come into the mountains since.”
"Our ancestors were kind; most of them didn't want to leave when they reached a certain age."
Qin Weixi seemed to realize something: "No wonder he looks unfamiliar."
Led by Ding Wei, the two gradually approached the Little Lotus Garden. In the distance, they saw Cui Lu standing at the Treasure Bottle Gate with his head bowed and hands at his sides. For some reason, Qin Weixi thought of the time when Cui Lu was on the verge of death on the snowy night.
She turned around and said, "Eunuch Ding, go ahead and do your work. I know this young eunuch, so he can take me to see my grandmother."
Ding Wei looked up and saw that the young Marquis of Jingning had been following the Luo family's daughter ever since he entered the garden, and was now looking at the lotus garden as if he hadn't heard anything. He then respectfully acknowledged and withdrew.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Cui Lu smiled and hurried over, saying respectfully, "Greetings to the two young masters."
His words were respectful but his voice was still childish. His eyes, which had been dim when he saw the two of them, suddenly lit up. Chu Yening and Qin Weixi both smiled at this.
She handed one of the boxes to Lawyer Cui: "How is Eunuch Cui doing?" She added at the end, "Has no one been giving you any trouble?"
Cui Lu kept his head down and said, "Miss, this servant is perfectly fine!"
Qin Weixi handed the food box forward again: "My arm will get tired if you don't take it, Father-in-law! There are candies and snacks inside, just some ordinary food."
Upon hearing this, Cui Lu hurriedly accepted the gift with both hands, holding it protectively in his arms as if it were a priceless treasure: "Thank you, young lady, thank you, lord."
Chu Yening raised an eyebrow: "Why are you thanking me?"
"Thank you for saving my life, Your Highness. I have no way to repay you."
Chu Yening seemed to understand: "It's a small matter."
Several eunuchs are currently standing scattered outside the Little Lotus Garden, but Cui Lü is the only one guarding the Treasure Bottle Gate, which shows how much Grandmother Zhao values him.
Seeing that Cui Lu glanced at the eunuchs and then lowered his head, as if he had something to say but hesitated, Chu Yening said, "It's alright."
Seeing this, Cui Lu remained unmoved and kept his mouth tightly shut. However, he took a step closer to Qin Weixi, but then stopped.
Qin Weixi suddenly understood. Before she left Xiaguang Peak, she had instructed Cui Lu to keep an eye on Grandmother Zhao. Could it be...?
She quickly replied, "It's alright."
"He's one of us."
Cui Lu then spoke, his voice low: "Her Majesty's appetite has been excellent these days, and Aunt Baozhu says she has been sleeping very soundly. Her Majesty is doing well."
"But one evening the Empress insisted on going to the garden to see the snow. Baozhu said there was no snow there, so she helped the Empress back to Wansong Pavilion to rest."
“The Japanese are not on night duty, but I am worried and have been keeping watch outside from a distance, keeping an eye on Wansong Pavilion.”
"Shortly afterward, the lights in the pavilion went out, and I saw Aunt Baozhu come out and go straight to Xiaotaoyuan to scold two palace maids. One of them was even slapped for it."
"I could vaguely hear the palace maid crying behind the artificial hill, saying that she would never dare to speak nonsense again and would never dare to mention the word 'snow' again."
Qin Weixi had been listening to his story calmly, but his pupils suddenly contracted when Cui Lu mentioned the last sentence.
Chu Yening sensed that there was something left unsaid in his words and said, "Go on."
"This servant has never seen Aunt Baozhu look like this before, and I am quite surprised. Later, when the patrolling palace guards came to Peach Garden, this servant left."
"But it was still daylight, past the hour of Yin, when I heard a commotion outside. Someone who was on night duty that night came back and said that a palace maid had fallen into the lake."
Upon hearing this, Chu Yening asked in a deep voice, "Have you spoken to the Empress Dowager about this?"
Cui Lu choked up: "This servant is worried about Your Highness's health. I haven't told Your Highness or Eunuch Ding yet. I wanted to go down the mountain to find the young lady under the pretext of visiting my mother, but because of the palace maid falling into the lake, the servants have been strictly controlled and not allowed to go out."
Qin Weixi asked, "And then what happened?"
Cui Lu: "Later, Grandmother Zhao only asked a few questions, and when she was sober, she ordered Eunuch Ding to take some money to appease the palace maid's family, and the matter was dropped."
Snow. Ten years ago, a blizzard swept through Xiaguang Peak and Xiaopenglai. Why did Aunt Baozhu forbid anyone from mentioning anything about snow? Was it to prevent Grandmother Zhao from remembering what happened back then, or was there some other reason?
Qin Weixi asked, "How old does that palace maid look? What is her size?"
Cui Lu pondered for a moment: "His height is about the same as the palace maids in Xiaohe Garden. As for his age, he looked to be over twenty years old from afar that night."
She was an old woman. Ten years ago, all those serving Grandmother Zhao were young girls, and now, ten years have passed, she should be about twenty years old. But her stature was different from the palace maid that Mu Tong had seen that day.
Seeing that her forehead was covered with a thin layer of sweat, Chu Yening said to Cui Lu, "Thank you." Then he took her hand and walked towards the Little Lotus Garden.
Qin Weixi came to his senses and looked up to see Grandmother Zhao listening to opera with great interest on the high platform by the lotus pond, with Baozhu serving her beside her. On the other side of the lotus pond, on the high platform, actors were twirling and singing melodiously.
Qin Weixi stepped forward, and Baozhu was also taken aback when she saw the person. Just as she was about to speak, Chu Yening gestured for her to be quiet.
Qin Weixi held those aged hands in one hand, without saying a word.
The Empress Dowager's empty eyes searched for the pearl, and she asked with a smile, "Which little palace maid is this now?"
Baozhu laughed from the side: "Grandmother, this is no ordinary palace maid."
The Empress Dowager, with a kind smile, raised a hand and gently touched her face.
“It’s me, Grandmother.”
"It's a girl..."
Qin Weixi laughed: "Does Grandmother know how to read a person's bones?"
The Empress Dowager said, "You didn't know how before, but you do now. Why did you come? It's not that I didn't want you to come up the mountain."
Qin Weixi grasped her wrinkled hands tightly again, her eyes gradually reddening, and said with a smile, "If you don't allow it, I won't come. I'll come to see you, Grandmother."
She then turned to Baozhu and said, "And could you please ask Auntie for a bowl of almond tea as well?"
Aunt Baozhu agreed and was about to leave when she heard the girl behind her say, "We used to love drinking almond tea the most. When Grandpa Bao was alive, if he wanted to drink lychee wine for us while keeping watch, he would always use this almond tea to fake it."
Baozhu paused, then went straight down the stone steps, jokingly saying, "I'll make a lot more today so you can drink your fill, Miss."
The Empress Dowager chuckled and then looked blankly behind Qin Weixi.
"Is it Ye Ning?"
Qin Weixi's smile deepened: "Grandmother, are you an old immortal in the Heavenly Palace? How do you know everything?"
Chu Yening walked over step by step and knelt down on the left side of the Empress Dowager.
Qin Weixi nestled her head against the Empress Dowager's knees again: "Grandmother, aren't you the most loving old goddess in the Heavenly Palace?"
The Empress Dowager asked as instructed, "Does that girl have any wishes?"
Then may Grandmother Zhao live a long and healthy life.
Those kind words gently flowed through Qin Weixi's heart, making her feel incredibly warm.
But recalling Cui Lu's words, she suddenly realized that the Qin family's destruction was not only due to the involvement of Li Mouliang and others, but perhaps also to other people or groups within the royal family behind the myriad gates.
She suddenly recalled the scene in the Imperial Garden at Zhenhui's birthday banquet that day, the actions of Princess Yongtai and Liang Xi, but Empress Tao, the mother of the nation who controlled the harem, seemed not to have heard anything and only sent Qingpai to resolve the matter.
In the sweltering heat of midsummer, she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
The Empress Dowager gently stroked her hair, then took Chu Yening's hand in hers. She smiled and asked, "Yening, what brings you here today to ask of this old woman?"
"Grandmother Zhao, Ye Ning has come to ask you for a bowl of noodles."
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