Chapter 122: Night talk, leaving the old house, the wind rings the bell and enters the fragrant room
The candles in the Fang residence burned brightly throughout the night, like stars scattered across the blue bricks. On the window paper of the west wing, the silhouettes of three women flickered in the shadows of lanterns. Xiaoyanzi was stuffing the blue cloth sachet Xiao Jian had given her into her purse. Her fingertips touched the hard antidote pill inside, and she felt a sense of peace.
"Take these jade bracelets with you." Mother Fang pinched a mutton-fat jade bracelet and slipped it onto Xiaoyanzi's wrist. The bracelet made a soft dinging sound as it hit the mahogany pendant. "Mother knows you don't like these luxurious things, but when you come to the palace, you have to have a treasure that you cherish." She suddenly stopped, her brows slightly furrowed, her tone full of confusion. "Didn't you really hate going to the palace before? Last time you came back from the palace banquet, you angrily complained, 'The tiles in the Golden Throne Hall are colder than everywhere else.' Why did you agree to it when the emperor mentioned it this time?"
Xiaoyanzi looked down at the jade bracelet on her wrist. It was warm, like the warmth of her mother's palm. She nudged Fang's mother's arm, her voice softening. "I wasn't sensible before." Her fingertips unconsciously scratched the drawstring of her purse. "The emperor has spoken with such care. If we disobey his orders, it will be difficult for our Fang family to survive in the capital. We'll inevitably be gossiped about." When she looked up, her eyes gleamed. "Besides, if I become Princess Huanzhu, I can protect Ziwei, the Fang family will also receive the royal family's care, and Dad will be able to stand taller in the court. How wonderful!"
"I'm relieved to know you think so." Mother Fang handed Ziwei the other bracelet. "This is my dowry gift. Take it with you. The palace is different from home. You have to be more careful about everything." She looked at Jinsuo, who was holding a suitcase beside her, and stuffed a cloth bag embroidered with "peace" into her hand. "There are some wound medicine and mosquito repellent incense in it. You should stay with the girls and take care of each other."
Jinsuo quickly knelt down and saluted, her eyes red: "Madam, don't worry, I will definitely protect the young lady and the princess." She hugged the cloth bag tightly in her arms, and the hem of her coarse cloth skirt swept across the charcoal ash on the ground, leaving a faint trace.
Ziwei held Xiaoyanzi's hand, her fingertips touching the jade bracelet on her wrist. "Don't worry about home. I'll ask Chuntao to come back often to report to the lady." She looked out the window at the pomegranate tree, the moonlight filtering through the leaves onto her face. "When we get to the palace, the three of us will live together, just like we did in the Fang Mansion."
Before daybreak, the imperial sedan stopped at the entrance of the Fang residence. The vermilion-lacquered sedan was embroidered with golden lotus flowers, its curtains damp with morning dew, glistening with lustrous light. Xiaoyanzi helped Ziwei into the sedan, while Jinsuo followed closely behind, clutching a wooden box containing a blood-lettered letter and a jade pendant. The sedan bearers lifted the sedan steadily, and amidst the creaking sound, the lanterns of the Fang residence gradually receded into the distance.
The sedan chair was covered with thick brocade cushions. Xiaoyanzi put the heater into Ziwei's hands and peeked out through the crack in the curtains. The palace walls were tall, moss crawling on the blue bricks, and the eaves of the corner towers cut sharp arcs in the morning light. She looked out the window at the pine forest passing by, and suddenly remembered her past life - the year Ziwei came to the capital with a token, asking her to help deliver the scroll depicting the misty rain in the south of the Yangtze River and the folding fan inscribed with poems to the emperor. She hid the scroll in the grass of the paddock, intending to hand it to the emperor when he passed by, but suddenly an arrow whistled and hit her left shoulder. The arrowhead grazed the bone, and blood instantly dyed the corners of the scroll hidden in her arms red. She trembled with pain, but she held the scroll tightly. She was wrapped in a coarse cloth and thrown on the horse's back and thrown into the palace. She was afraid that the token would be lost all the way, and even more afraid that she would die. She couldn't tell Ziwei about these things. She just sighed softly in her heart, turned her head and smiled at Ziwei: "This palace wall is really high, completely different from the courtyard walls in our Jiangnan area."
Ziwei took the stove, her fingertips warm. "Yes, it looks very solemn." She didn't notice Xiaoyanzi's distraction, and only looked curiously at the winding branches on the wall of the sedan chair. "I wonder what Shufangzhai looks like."
The sedan stopped at the entrance of Shufangzhai, just as the morning light was streaming over the threshold. Little Swallow lifted the curtain and leaped from the sedan, her feet landing on the ground as she cried out, "Ah!" The orchids in the corner of the courtyard were in full bloom, their pale purple petals drenched in dew—the very variety Ziwei loved. A string of shell wind chimes hung in the corridor, their ding-ding-ding sounds in the wind like a morning song from the south of the Yangtze River.
"This...is this decorated according to our preferences?" Ziwei walked in holding Jinsuo's hand, her eyes sweeping across the wind chimes in the corridor, and then falling on the smoke rising from the small kitchen, her eyes full of surprise.
"The Emperor said he would make sure you two have a comfortable stay." Eunuch Su followed behind with a smile, holding a roster in his hand. "Princess, study companions, these are the servants serving in Shufangzhai."
As soon as he finished speaking, several figures came running from the corridor. The young eunuch in the lead was wearing a blue cloth eunuch uniform, with his hat tilted to one side. It was Xiao Dengzi; behind him followed Xiao Zhuozi, who was still holding a piece of unfinished osmanthus cake in his hand; Mingyue and Caixia caught up with their skirts lifted up, the silver hairpins on their temples swaying, their figures were slim, and there was a gentle smile between their eyebrows.
"Your servants Xiao Dengzi/Xiao Zhuozi/Mingyue/Caixia pay their respects to Princess Huanzhu and Miss Ziwei!" The four of them knelt down in unison, their voices crisp.
Xiaoyanzi looked at them, and a sudden warmth welled up in her heart. She remembered that in her previous life, when she first moved in, her left shoulder injury hadn't healed yet, and she was always worried about whether Ziwei's token had been delivered to the emperor. The pain kept her awake at night, so she would pull Xiao Dengzi and Xiao Zhuozi to tell stories about Jiangnan. She smiled and waved her hand, "Hurry up, there's no need to be so polite in the future, just be casual."
"And us!" Two even smaller eunuchs emerged from behind a pillar. One had a round face and big eyes, the other was tall and slender, clever. They were Little Bug and Little Wart. Little Wart held a glass lantern in his hand and began with his signature catchphrase: "Guaiguai longdidong! Your servant, Little Wart, pays his respects to the princess!" Little Bug quickly followed suit, bowing, his lantern shaking violently as he shouted, "Your servant, Little Bug, will follow your servant to serve the princess! I promise to be there whenever you call, no hesitation!"
"Oh, these two funny guys." Xiaoyanzi was amused by them. She reached out and pinched the little bug's round face, and patted the little mosquito's shoulder. "Still 'good boy, long and dong'. Hold the lantern steady first, don't drop the gift from the emperor." She turned to look at Mingyue and Caixia standing beside them, her eyes shining with smiles. "You two look so graceful. From now on, you will be the 'two beauties' of our Shufangzhai!"
Mingyue and Caixia blushed slightly and quickly knelt down to express their gratitude: "Thank you for the name, Princess!"
Little Swallow pointed at Little Dengzi, Little Zhuozi, Little Bug, and Little Ware and laughed heartily, "You four clever and mischievous creatures make up the perfect 'Four Talents of Shufangzhai'! Little Dengzi is steady, Little Zhuozi is clever, Little Bug is bold, and Little Ware is sweet-tongued. From now on, the fun here will depend on you!"
Upon hearing this, little Dengzi scratched his head, grinning foolishly as he put his hat on straight. Little Zhuozi stuffed the osmanthus cake into his arms and puffed out his chest, "We promise to keep Shufangzhai bustling with activity!" Little Bug jumped up and down, raising his hand, saying, "I can climb trees to dig out bird nests, and I can even imitate the calls of various birds!" Little Mosquito followed up with another catchphrase, "Good boy, long, long, dong! I can tell you some rhymes, and I promise to make the princess and the girls happy every day!"
Ziwei stood beside the orchid, watching the lively scene, and couldn't help laughing. Her fingertips gently brushed the dew on the petals: "With you here, this place really feels like home."
Jinsuo placed the wooden box on the Eight Immortals Table in the main hall. When she opened it, she saw the blood letter and jade pendant lying safely inside. She breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, and a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.
The fragrance from the small kitchen became stronger and stronger. Mingyue brought out the steaming lotus seed buns that had just been steamed. "Princess, young lady, this is made according to the recipe from the imperial kitchen. They said that young lady Ziwei likes sweet food." She placed the tray on the table gently, her skirt swaying gently with her movements.
Xiaoyanzi picked up a lotus seed bun and stuffed it into her mouth, mumbling, "Delicious!" She caught a glimpse of Little Bug and Little Mosquito staring at the buns, their eyes wide open as they drooled. She smiled and handed them two, "Four talented men, try some! Eat your fill so you have the energy to help the two beauties!"
The little mosquito took the bun, took a big bite, and muttered, "Wow, long, long, dong, this bun is ten times better than the ones on the street!" The little bug also wolfed it down, mumbling, "Thank you, princess! I will definitely learn more skills and tell you stories in the future!"
The wind rustled through the wind chimes in the corridor, their ding-ding-ding sounds mingling with the laughter of the crowd. Little Swallow quietly touched her purse, the mahogany pendant and protective sachet inside rubbing against her palm, bringing a sense of reassurance. In her previous life, Shufangzhai was a place of care and pain. In this life, with Ziwei by her side and the bustling "two beauties" and "four talented men" before her, this place felt like home. The unspoken past transformed into a warmth in her heart, accompanying her on the journey ahead.
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