Osmanthus cake was scattered all over the ground, the golden cake covered with crumbs of sugar, and rolled to my feet.
Her eyes immediately reddened, and she snatched the needle and thread from my hand and threw it on the table, her voice trembling with tears.
"Princess, why are you making things difficult for yourself? Let's not do this!"
If you like handkerchiefs, I will go to the Imperial Household Department and ask for the best brocade, and have the palace's top embroiderers embroider them for you.
The embroiderer's hands are so skillful that she can embroider peacocks so lifelike!
Your hands are for holding guns, for writing, for helping His Majesty share his burdens, not for enduring the hardship of handling embroidery needles!
As she spoke, she pulled a handkerchief embroidered with orchids from her sleeve pocket.
She embroidered it herself; the stitches were fine and dense, and the orchid leaves exuded a sense of vitality.
She carefully wiped the blood from my fingertips, her movements so gentle it was as if she were afraid of breaking me, but her tears fell drop by drop onto the back of my hand, burning my heart.
At that moment, I could no longer hold back, and tears finally fell, landing on the soft satin and spreading into small, damp stains.
Since then, I have never seen an embroidery needle in my palace again.
Wanqing put all the handkerchiefs, threads, and quilts into the bottom of the camphor wood chest and secretly locked it. She hid the key inside her dressing box.
That dressing box was a gift from the Empress Dowager; it was carved with lotus scrolls and inlaid with small agates.
She said to me, "Princess, you shouldn't be doing these things in the first place. Why make things difficult for yourself?"
If you like practicing martial arts and reading, then go ahead and do it. I will follow you no matter what happens!
"If anyone dares to gossip, I'll argue with them and make sure you suffer the slightest injustice!"
With a caring person like Wanqing by my side, I was quite happy to be free and easy, carrying the token specially granted by my father to the royal training ground every day.
The token was made of ivory, and it was engraved with my name and my father's imperial seal. My father personally handed it to me.
He patted my shoulder and laughed, "My Yuanhe has the spirit of a military general. There's no need to be bound by those rules. In the future, Father Emperor's empire will need you and your elder brother to protect it together."
My father's palms were warm, and the force with which he patted my shoulder was strong, as if giving me a boost of confidence.
In the training ground, there is a special group of soldiers, the "Lan Ying Guards," personally trained by King Jinrui Zhao.
Princess Zhao was the only non-royal prince of the Ning Dynasty. She had fought alongside her grandfather and father on the battlefield. It is said that she could lift a tripod with one hand when she was young and had even saved her father's life in the midst of chaos.
She possessed exceptional martial arts skills and had a straightforward, manly personality, so most people in the palace were afraid of her.
Once, a concubine was gossiped about because she "didn't know the rules," and she was cornered in the palace and silenced.
But she was exceptionally kind to me, always saying, "Yuanhe's personality is just like mine; she's enterprising and will definitely amount to something in the future."
She would also bring me little battlefield gadgets, like arrowheads stained with blood.
He said, "This is what I used when I killed someone for the first time. I'm keeping it for you as a memento so you know that practicing martial arts is not a joke."
These soldiers were all agile and skilled, dressed in uniform black outfits, with sharp short swords at their waists.
The scabbard is black, with dark red cloth strips wrapped around it to prevent slipping.
Her legs were neatly bound, and her eyes were as clear as a mountain stream, without the timidity and scheming of women in the harem, or the flattery and hypocrisy of court officials.
The way they looked at me was one of equality and friendliness. During training, they would call me "Yuanhe" instead of "Princess," which made me feel especially at ease.
They never frowned at me like my brother did, and when they taught me spear techniques, they were dedicated and unreserved.
The leading soldier was Ling Shuang, who was said to have been the Empress Dowager's personal bodyguard.
When her mother was attacked at the hunting grounds, she shielded her mother and took an arrow to the arm, leaving a scar that remains to this day.
She possessed unparalleled marksmanship and had killed many enemies on the battlefield, making her a true hero.
She would patiently correct my gun-holding posture, her calluses on her palms were thicker than mine, making my hands itch, yet she remained incredibly patient.
"Yuanhe, hold the gun steadily, and generate power from your waist, not your arm. Look, rotate your wrist like this—"
Yes, that's exactly it. Only with the tip of the spear can you thrust accurately and powerfully, protecting yourself and those around you on the battlefield.
During sparring practice, she never held back just because I'm a princess.
The wind that swept past my ear when the spear tip brushed against me carried the salty smell of sweat and the scent of earth, a hundred times more refreshing than the incense and cosmetics in the imperial harem.
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