Chapter 165: Night Exploration, the Knight Protects the Flower
The nights at Shufangzhai were always more lively than elsewhere. The window paper was covered with freshly cut pomegranate patterns, and the candlelight shone through the patterns, casting tiny specks of light on the ground like a handful of stars. Little Swallow sat cross-legged on the cushioned chaise longue, twirling the tampered sword tassel in her hand, the lake-blue fringe swirling around her fingertips.
"I think Nanny Li will definitely come again." She suddenly slammed the tassel of her sword on the table, making the teacup lid clink. "She didn't get any good treatment at the birthday banquet today, so who knows what she's up to!"
Yongqi was helping Erkang grind ink. He looked up and smiled, "Don't worry. I've asked Guard Zhou to bring two people to take turns guarding the outer perimeter of Shufangzhai. Not even a fly can get in." He put down the inkstone, walked over to Xiaoyanzi, and pulled out a small copper whistle from his bosom. "I had someone make this. Blow it if you see any danger. I'll come right away."
The copper whistle was polished to a gleaming finish, and engraved with a small swallow, its wings spread wide and perfectly shaped to fit in the palm of one's hand. The little swallow twisted the whistle in her hand, raising an eyebrow deliberately. "How can anyone hear such a small whistle?" Even so, she tucked it away like a treasure in her waist pouch.
Ziwei sat in front of her embroidery frame, embroidering a handkerchief with two cuddling mandarin ducks on it. She watched the two bickering, a smile playing on her lips. "Actually, I'm more worried about Jinsuo. The hotel just opened, and there are a lot of people around. Don't let her get implicated."
"Don't worry!" Xiaoyanzi leaped down, the hem of her moon-white dress sweeping the ground. "I asked Xiao Jian to go to the guesthouse this afternoon. He said he'd leave a few friends nearby to look after us and make sure nothing goes wrong." She suddenly leaned closer to Ziwei and lowered her voice. "Besides, Liu Qing, while he looks rough, is actually quite thoughtful. He'll definitely take good care of Jinsuo."
Just then, Xiao Dengzi came running in, holding a copy of Journey to the West, his face stained with pastry crumbs. "Princess! Little Mosquito wants to tell you a new joke. He said he heard it from the chef in the imperial kitchen. It's hilarious!"
"What joke?" Xiaoyanzi's eyes lit up and she patted the empty seat next to her.
Little Mosquito squeezed in from behind, holding half a piece of osmanthus cake in his hand, and spoke with his signature accent: "Guaiguai longdidong! Today I'm going to tell you a story about 'the chef fighting the fox' - it is said that Master Wang from the imperial kitchen encountered a white fox last night, and it stole the freshly roasted duck. Master Wang chased it out, but the fox actually stood up and bowed, saying 'Lend me a roast duck to satisfy your craving, and I'll return you a pheasant another day'..." He gestured as he spoke, imitating the fox's appearance vividly, making everyone laugh.
Ziwei smiled and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes: "How can there be such a clever fox? It must be made up."
"I'm not making this up!" Xiaodeng came closer and lowered his voice mysteriously. "I heard from Xiaozhuzi that things have been missing from under the crabapple tree in the west mansion of the Imperial Garden recently. It's probably that fox's doing—and by the way, that's where Madam Li loves to embroider!"
The laughter died down abruptly as these words were spoken. The copper whistle on Xiaoyanzi's fingertips tingled in her palms. She and Yongqi exchanged a glance, each seeing understanding in the other's eyes.
"The crabapple tree in Xifu..." Xiaoyanzi touched her chin and suddenly stood up, tightening the belt of her moon-white suit. "I'll go take a look."
"What are you going to do?" Yong Qi quickly pulled her back. "It's too late. The guards are watching us."
"How can a guard be as good as me in martial arts?" Xiaoyanzi slapped his hand away, her eyes flashing with eagerness. "I'm going to see if Nanny Li really hid something there, and by the way... meet the fox who stole the roast duck." As she spoke, she climbed onto the soft couch on the wall. That was the spot she had already stepped on. She could push open the small window above and directly climb over the wall.
Ziwei quickly grabbed her sleeve and said, "Xiaoyanzi, be careful!"
"Don't worry!" Little Swallow turned around and blinked at her. With a flip of her wrist, she disappeared silently into the night outside the window like a light swallow.
The night was as dark as ink, the flagstones of the Imperial Garden gleaming white in the moonlight. The branches of the crabapple tree swayed in the wind, casting tiny shadows as if someone were lingering beneath it. Little Swallow crouched on the rockery, holding her breath—sure enough, there was a figure beneath the tree, dressed in gray cloth, stealthily stuffing something into the tree's hole.
The figure was hunched over, but moved very quickly. After stuffing the things in, he looked around and hurried towards Jingren Palace. Xiaoyanzi recognized the back of the figure; it was Nanny Li!
She waited until Nanny Li was far away before tiptoeing down the rockery and making her way to the crabapple tree. There was an oil-paper package tucked into the tree's hole. When she opened it, she found some grease-stained rags and half a half-eaten cake, sprinkled with the same sesame seeds that Nanny Li had held at the birthday banquet.
"It's her," said the little swallow, stuffing the oil-paper bag back into the tree hole with a cold smile. Just as she was about to leave, she heard a rustling sound overhead. She looked up and saw a snow-white fox squatting on a branch, a piece of roast duck skin in its mouth, its eyes like black grapes staring straight at her.
"Oh, there really is a fox." The little swallow was amused. He took out a piece of osmanthus cake from his arms and gently placed it under the tree. "Here you go. It's healthier than roast duck." The white fox hesitated for a moment, jumped down the tree with the roast duck skin in his mouth, picked up the osmanthus cake and dived into the grass. The tip of his tail flashed in the night and then disappeared.
She was just smiling and shaking her head when she heard very light footsteps behind her. Xiaoyanzi turned around instantly, her hand already on the copper whistle at her waist, but when she saw who it was, she breathed a sigh of relief: "Brother? Why are you here?"
Xiao Jian was wearing a dark nightgown, his face half covered with a black cloth, revealing only his bright eyes. He gestured for silence and whispered, "I settled Liu Qing and the others in the guesthouse and came to check on you. Sure enough, you're a restless girl." He pointed at the hole in the crabapple tree. "What did you find?"
When Xiaoyanzi mentioned Nanny Li's hidden possessions, Xiao Jian frowned. "That old hag is quite cunning. She hid these scraps of cloth, perhaps hoping to frame you for stealing from the imperial kitchen." He pulled a small porcelain bottle from his bosom and handed it to Xiaoyanzi. "This is the knockout drug I made. If you run into danger, just throw it over. Don't fight back."
"I know, I'm not stupid." Xiaoyanzi took the porcelain bottle and put it in her purse. Suddenly she remembered something and pulled Xiaojian's sleeve and smiled. "By the way, brother, how are you and Qinggege doing? I saw the way she looked at you this afternoon. She almost made you crazy."
The tips of Xiao Jian's ears turned slightly red, and he coughed lightly: "Little kid, don't meddle in adult affairs." He looked up at the sky and said, "I should go now. I still have to keep an eye on the guesthouse. Be careful in the palace. If you have any questions, ask Xiao Deng to pass me a message." After saying that, he stepped on his toes, and disappeared into the shadow of the palace wall in a few jumps, as if he had never appeared.
When Xiaoyanzi returned to Shufangzhai, Yongqi was pacing anxiously in the courtyard, his royal blue dragon robe wet at the corners from the night dew. Seeing her jump down from the wall, he rushed over, his tone filled with fear: "Where have you been? You scared me to death!"
"I went to catch a fox." Xiaoyanzi shook the osmanthus cake crumbs in her hand with a playful smile, "I also met my brother, he said everything has been arranged at the guesthouse." When she mentioned the matter of Li Ma hiding the scraps of cloth, Yongqi's face darkened.
"It seems we need to find evidence as soon as possible to expose Nanny Li's fox tail." Yongqi pulled her into the house and poured her a cup of hot tea. "I'm going to the Imperial Household Department tomorrow to check if there's really been anything missing from the imperial kitchen recently."
Erkang was helping Ziwei put away her embroidery frame. He nodded when he heard this and said, "I'll also check on Nanny Li's whereabouts. I heard that she's been visiting Eunuch E quite often recently. Maybe she has something to do with Concubine E."
Ziwei folded the embroidered mandarin duck handkerchief and whispered, "Whatever their conspiracy is, as long as we are careful, we can always resolve it." She looked at Xiaoyanzi and Yongqi's tightly clasped hands, her eyes full of tenderness, "With so many people together, there is nothing to be afraid of."
Little Stool and Little Mosquito came over at some point, Little Stool still holding "Journey to the West" in his hand. "Princess, how about I tell you a story about the Monkey King's three tactical manipulations of the palm-leaf fan? Princess Iron Fan's fan can send bad guys flying a thousand miles with just one wave!"
"Great, great!" Little Swallow clapped her hands and lay down on the couch. "It's just right to listen to how Sun Wukong takes care of the bad guys!"
The flickering candlelight cast a warm glow across the room. The murmur of storytelling on the small stool, the laughter of mosquitoes, and the gentle voice of Ziwei blended together, making the night in Shufangzhai particularly cozy. The moonlight outside the window filtered through the pomegranate pattern, weaving a gentle net on the ground, as if it could block out all storms and conspiracies.
As Xiaoyanzi drank hot tea and listened to familiar stories, she suddenly felt at peace. In this life, she had family to protect her and friends to accompany her. Even if the palace was turbulent, she had the confidence to walk this path steadily and happily together with everyone else.
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