Chapter 141: Imperial Garden Morning Breeze, Imperial Study Room Determination
It was just dawn, and the orchid leaves in Shufangzhai were still shimmering with morning dew. The wind chimes in the corridor were touched by the first breeze, making a delicate "ding-dong" sound. Ziwei sat by the window, playing the zither, her bare hands gently plucking the strings. The tune of "Wild Geese Flying Over the Plain Sand" drifted out slowly, her hair swaying gently with her movements, her expression focused and gentle. Xiaoyanzi lay at the drawing table, a wolf-hair brush in hand. She had just finished half a crabapple painting on the rice paper, the petals smudged with vibrant colors, but she yawned and put the brush down, "Sleep a little longer... The layering of the petals is so difficult to achieve. The teacher said that it would look better if there was some white space..."
"Princess, it's time to get up." Mingyue walked in quietly and draped a lilac-colored cheongsam embroidered with magnolia flowers on the screen. "Eunuch Su just sent someone to tell me that the emperor is waiting to see you in the imperial study."
Xiaoyanzi sat up suddenly, the jade hairpin in her bun swaying. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the painting table. "The Emperor wanted to see me? Did he want to see my new painting, 'Spring Scene in Shufang Studio'?" As she stood up, she created a gust of wind, causing the rice paper on the painting table to flutter gently. She reached out and held it down. "I just inscribed it yesterday and was just about to show it to the Emperor."
Ziwei stopped plucking the zither and turned to look at her with a smile, a reserved tenderness in her eyes. She was still a study companion, and she was always cautious in her words and actions in the palace. "It must be a good thing, Xiaoyanzi. Your crabapple painting is superb. The teacher praised your delicate brushwork. The emperor will surely be pleased to see it." She put down the plectrum and gently plucked the strings with her fingertips. "I'll ask the kitchen to warm up your favorite osmanthus cake. Go and wash up quickly, don't keep the emperor waiting."
Xiaoyanzi then smiled and agreed, letting Caixia comb her hair. The girl in the bronze mirror had bright eyes and eyebrows, and a fresh white magnolia flower tucked behind her ear, which she had picked from the courtyard that morning. After her rebirth, she studied with a famous teacher in Jiangnan for three years, and she was proficient in calligraphy, painting, and zither playing. Although she still had a bit of a playful air, she had gained a lot of scholarly air.
Inside the imperial study, the air wafted with the scent of sandalwood. Qianlong sat behind a rosewood desk, clutching a jade pendant, his fingertips repeatedly stroking the lotus pattern on it. This was the fifth night in a row he had dreamed of Xia Yuhe. In his dreams, she always stood beneath the willow trees by Daming Lake, her eyes filled with tears as she gazed at him, "Your Majesty, why don't you acknowledge our daughter? She's your study companion in the palace, and she doesn't even dare to say a word of endearment to you when she sees you. How can I feel at peace..."
"Your Majesty, Princess Huanzhu has arrived." Su Peisheng reported softly.
"Let her in." Qianlong carefully put the jade pendant back into the brocade box. When he raised his eyes, Xiaoyanzi had walked in with her skirt lifted up, holding a scroll carefully in her hand. Her lilac-colored Manchu dress made her eyes and eyebrows brighter, and the faint fragrance of white magnolia wafted from her temples.
"Good luck, Your Majesty!" Xiaoyanzi bowed and handed the scroll forward. "This is my daughter's new painting, 'Spring Scene in Shufangzhai.' Please give me your guidance, Your Majesty."
Qianlong took the scroll and unfolded it. The crabapple and orchid blossoms in the Shufangzhai painting, along with the wind chimes in the corridor, were all vividly rendered. In the corner, inscribed in small characters, "The east wind brings warmth, and flowers fill the courtyard steps," the handwriting was elegant and lively. A smile crossed his eyes. "Excellent painting! The movement of the wind chimes is perfectly captured. It's even more impressive than my previous painting, 'Misty Rain in Jiangnan.'"
Xiaoyanzi's eyes lit up and she leaned closer to the desk. "Really? Master said my ink application wasn't steady enough. What do you think needs to be changed, Father Royal?"
Qianlong pointed to the blank space beside the orchid in the painting and said, "If this space were wider, it would appear more elegant." He put down the scroll and spoke in a more serious tone, "Little Swallow, Your Majesty, I want to ask you: Is Ziwei getting used to living in Shufangzhai? The other day, I passed by Shufangzhai and heard her playing the qin. She played 'Three Variations on the Plum Blossom' very well, and her fingering has become more and more skillful."
"I'm used to it!" Xiaoyanzi nodded, her voice full of joy. "Sister Ziwei teaches me new music every day. She wants to compete with me to see who can learn Guangling San first. She even embroidered a zither bag with stitches as fine as a painting. She just replaced it for my zither yesterday." Noticing Qianlong's solemn expression, she whispered, "Father, is there something on your mind? Tell your daughter about it."
Qianlong stood up and walked to the window, gazing at the palace walls bathed in the morning light. The glazed tiles shone golden in the sunlight. "I've been dreaming about your Aunt Xia Yuhe these past few days. She asked me when Ziwei would stop calling me 'Your Majesty' and become as open and honest as you are, calling me 'Father Emperor'."
Xiaoyanzi tightened her grip on the paintbrush, her fingertips turning white. "Although Sister Ziwei didn't say it, I know. She often stares blankly at the zither she brought from Jinan at night. The words 'Yuhe' are engraved on it, and she always plays it very softly, as if she's afraid of disturbing anything. The other day, she embroidered a purse for the Emperor, and the stitches were three times denser than the ones she embroidered for us. She said she wanted to 'uphold her duty'..."
"I owe them mother and daughter." Qianlong turned around, his eyes filled with deep guilt. "Ziwei is talented and kind-hearted. She shouldn't have been wronged all this time. Xiaoyanzi, I want to give her a title and let her become my Mingzhu Princess. Do you think it's okay?"
Xiaoyanzi looked up suddenly, her eyes instantly red, but she smiled and clapped her hands, "Great! That's great! Father Emperor! If Sister Ziwei knew, she would definitely play her most precious pipa for you! She brought it from Jinan, and the tone is so clear. She said it was a souvenir from her mother!" She was so excited that she spoke incoherently, "From now on, we sisters can accompany Father Emperor to paint and play the piano together. There will be no need to distinguish between 'Princess' and 'Reading Companion' anymore!"
"Silly child, your eyes are red." Qianlong wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. "I have made up my mind and will issue an edict today. The enthronement ceremony must be well-organized. She will be crowned as my Princess Mingzhu in all her splendor, and she will become a pair of 'pearls and jades' with you, Princess Huanzhu."
Xiaoyanzi threw herself into Qianlong's arms, her voice choked with sobs but tinged with laughter: "Thank you, Father! I'll go back and tell Sister Ziwei to clean her pipa and be ready to play a new piece for you, Father!"
At this time, Su Peisheng came in and reported: "Your Majesty, Lord Fu Erkang requests to see you."
Qianlong let her go and helped her straighten her slightly messy clothes: "Go, tell Ziwei to wait patiently, she will be my good child in the future."
Xiaoyanzi ran out of the imperial study, holding the scroll. As she reached the palace entrance, she ran into Fu Erkang, who had hurried over. He was wearing a royal blue brocade robe and holding a zither sheet music. When he saw Xiaoyanzi, he quickly stopped and said, "Xiaoyanzi."
"Erkang!" Xiaoyanzi waved the scroll, her eyes curved with a smile. "The Emperor is going to make Sister Ziwei the Princess Mingzhu! From now on, she can call him 'Emperor' whenever she sees him!"
The music sheet in Fu Erkang's hand fell to the ground with a "clack". He stared at Xiaoyanzi blankly, his lips moving for a long time before he asked in a trembling voice, "You said... the emperor... wants to recognize Ziwei back?"
"It's absolutely true!" Xiaoyanzi picked up the music sheet and put it back into his hands, patting her chest and saying, "The Emperor told me this himself! Go to the Imperial Study! He must have told you this!"
Falcon came back to his senses, an ecstatic smile instantly broke out on his face, and he bowed deeply to Xiaoyanzi: "Thank you for telling me!" After that, he turned around and ran towards the imperial study, his steps were light, and the hem of his brocade robe drew an arc in the air.
Little Swallow watched his back, then turned and ran towards Shufangzhai, the scroll in her arms swaying gently with her steps. The morning light shone upon her, the fragrance of white magnolia drifted by her temples, and her heart leaped with joy like the wind chimes in the painting. "Sister Ziwei, soon you'll be able to call out the long-held "Emperor Father," just like me."
Meanwhile, in Jingren Palace, Concubine Gao was testing her newly made red gold and ruby hairpin in front of a bronze mirror, while Nanny Li was grinding ink for her. "Your Majesty, I heard that the Emperor summoned Princess Huanzhu early this morning and also sent Fu Erkang to the Imperial Study."
Concubine Gao glanced at her brightly made-up face in her glasses and snorted coldly, "An adopted daughter, a study companion of unknown origin, relying on a few talents to think she could enter the imperial court?" She picked up the jade hairpin and pinned it in her hair, a cold glint in her eyes. "Go and check Ziwei's background. I want to see why she deserves the emperor's attention."
A gleam of light flashed in Nanny Li's eyes, and she knelt down and replied, "I'll do it right away." The bronze mirror reflected the gloomy faces of the two people, which was a stark contrast to the warmth and cozy atmosphere in the imperial study.
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