Chapter 169: Shufang's Night Talk, Secretly Observing Clues
Dusk completely enveloped the Forbidden City. Lanterns along the palace roads lit up one after another, their dim glow filtering through the gauze screens, casting mottled shadows on the bluestone slabs. As Xiaoyanzi and Ziwei's carriage pulled up at the entrance to Shufangzhai, Mingyue and Caixia emerged, lanterns in hand, their tassels tinkling with silver bells.
"The princesses are finally back!" Mingyue took Xiaoyanzi's cloak, her fingertips touching the coolness of the fabric. "It's windy outside, come inside and warm up. The kitchen has stewed ginger duck, and it's just been cooked." Caixia supported Ziwei and noticed the ink stain on her cuff. "Miss, your cuff is dirty. Can I take it to wash it?"
The warmth of Shufangzhai was cozy. The charcoal basin in the main room burned brightly. A bowl of freshly served hot soup sat on the crabapple-shaped wooden table, with white mist rising from it. A small table and stool were moving the screen toward the wall. Seeing them enter, they hurriedly bowed, "Girls, you're back! I've prepared 'The Three Heroes and Five Gallants' tonight, and I'm waiting for you to listen!"
Xiaoyanzi took off her cloak and sat on the chair. She grabbed the candied fruit on the table and stuffed it into her mouth, saying vaguely, "Drink the soup first! I ate too much at the guesthouse just now, and now I want to drink something hot." She scooped a spoonful of duck soup, but her eyes glanced at the sword rack in the corner - the Qingfeng sword that accompanied her in sword practice was hanging on it, and the red tassel on the sword tassel drooped slightly, not as fluffy as before.
Ziwei had just sat down when Erkang emerged from the inner room, clutching a copy of "Shuyu Ci." He wore a royal blue brocade robe, its cuffs embroidered with bamboo leaves. Seeing Ziwei, his eyes instantly lit up with tenderness. "I've been waiting for you for a long time. Here's a poem about crabapples. You're sure to like it." He naturally sat down beside Ziwei, his fingertips gently tapping the pages. "'Cherish your love, don't reveal it lightly, and let the peach and plum blossoms bloom in the spring breeze.' It's so much like you."
Ziwei's cheeks flushed slightly as she took the collection and quietly read, her fingertips unconsciously caressing the edges of the pages. Suddenly, she remembered Xiao Jian's instructions from the day before and looked up at Xiaoyanzi, her eyes filled with worry. Xiaoyanzi understood and nudged her with her elbow, a smile playing on her lips. "What are you looking at? Drink your soup quickly; it won't taste good if it gets cold."
Yongqi walked in carrying a food box filled with sweet-scented osmanthus cakes he had just ordered from the imperial kitchen. "I know you like sweet things, so I asked someone to save some for you." He placed the food box on the table and paused as his gaze swept over the sword rack. "Did you practice swordsmanship today? Why does the sword tassel look loose?"
Xiaoyanzi followed his gaze and took a closer look at the sword tassel. The red silk tassels were untied in several places, and the jade pendant at the end was crooked, as if someone had tampered with it. Her heart skipped a beat, but she remained calm. She reached out and pulled the tassel off the sword. "Maybe it got caught on a branch while practicing swordplay. I'll ask Xiaozhu to make a new one later."
The little table was wiping the table. Upon hearing this, she came over and said, "Don't worry, princess! The tassels made by the little table are unique. I guarantee they will be stronger than the original ones. Add two pearls on them and they will be sparkling!" The little mosquito ran in from outside, holding an apple in her hand and biting it with a crisp sound: "Wow, long dong, pearls and swords, princess, when you dance, even the gods will give you a thumbs up!" Everyone laughed.
Ziwei's grip on the soup bowl tightened slightly. She remembered that earlier in the day, while tidying up the embroidery frame, she'd noticed a few crooked stitches on the corners of the longevity screen she'd been embroidering for the Empress Dowager. The stitches were so fine and dense that they were practically invisible without close inspection. The embroidery was designed with the motif of "pine and cypress for longevity," and those crooked stitches, right at the base of the pine needles, were particularly glaring. She whispered, "I was tidying up the longevity screen today and noticed some of the stitching wasn't quite right. Maybe I'm just seeing things."
Erkang immediately put down his teacup. "Where's the longevity screen? Let me see." Ziwei led him to the embroidery frame in the inner room. The green pines and cypresses on the screen were lifelike. Erkang took a closer look and found a few awkward stitches in the gaps between the pine needles. The stitches were darker than the embroidery thread, obviously added later. "This isn't your embroidery." Erkang's fingertips gently brushed over the stitches. "Your stitches are smooth and round, but these are burred. Someone else added them later."
Xiaoyanzi also came over to see, her brows furrowed instantly. "Who's so bold as to touch the Empress Dowager's birthday screen?" She remembered the unusual tassel on her sword, and a vague thought came to her mind. "My sword tassel is loose too. Could someone be deliberately doing this?"
Yongqi walked over to the sword stand, picked up the tassel, and examined it carefully. Suddenly, he pointed at the base of the tassel and said, "There are traces of a sharp weapon cutting here. Very thin, like it was cut with an embroidery needle." He looked up at Xiaoyanzi with a serious look in his eyes. "It's not as simple as just getting caught on a branch."
Xiao Dengzi, holding a storybook, stood at the doorway and whispered, "I saw Xiao Zhuzi hanging around outside Shufangzhai a few days ago. He's not one of our eunuchs, and he was even asking when the princesses were practicing swordplay and embroidering." Xiao Chongzi also came over and imitated Xiao Zhuzi's peeking. "Chirp! He was even peeking through the window, but I scared him off by meowing like a cat!"
"Xiao Zhuzi?" Xiaoyanzi raised an eyebrow. "Is he the skinny eunuch who always follows Nanny Li?" Xiaowenzi slapped his thigh. "Yes, yes, yes! That's him! Last time in the Imperial Garden, I saw him handing something to Nanny Li, so sneaky!"
Ziwei gently held Xiaoyanzi's hand, her fingertips feeling a little cold. "Could it be... Noble Concubine Gao?" She remembered how every time she saw Noble Concubine Gao, she always looked at them with a cold look. "She didn't give me a good look at the last enthronement ceremony."
"No matter who it is, anyone who dares to have evil intentions will suffer a disastrous end!" Xiaoyanzi clenched her fists, a fierce look flashing in her eyes, but she quickly softened. "But we don't have evidence now, so we can't act rashly." She turned to look at Yongqi and Erkang, "We have to be careful. From now on, keep Shouping and the sword away, and don't let anyone take advantage of us again."
Yongqi nodded. "I'll have the guards keep a close eye on the area around Shufangzhai. If any strange eunuchs approach, they'll be apprehended immediately." Erkang also said, "I'll take the Shouping back to the mansion first. I'll have the most meticulous embroiderer there see if she can dismantle and re-embroider it to avoid any hidden dangers."
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Xiaodeng quickly raised his storybook, "Don't worry, princesses! The storyteller said that justice will always triumph over evil, just like Sun Wukong's flaming eyes, which can see through even the most cunning monsters!" He cleared his throat and clapped his hands to wake up. "It's said that the White Bone Demon transformed into a village girl, trying to trick Tang Sanzang, but was exposed by Sun Wukong with a blow of his stick—" The little bug immediately imitated Sun Wukong's cries, "Squeak! Where are you running, monster!"
Ziwei couldn't help laughing, and Xiaoyanzi relaxed her brows, patting Xiaodeng's shoulder: "Well said! We are Sun Wukong, and those who are doing evil are the White Bone Demon. We will definitely see through their tricks!" She grabbed a piece of osmanthus cake and stuffed it into Xiaodeng's hand. "Here's your reward, keep talking!"
As the night deepened, the lights in Shufangzhai grew brighter. The murmur of storytelling on the small stool, the murmur of the little mosquito, the clinking of Mingyue Caixia's chopsticks as she cleared the dishes, and the occasional crackle of the wood in the charcoal basin, weaved a warm nocturne. Yongqi taught Xiaoyanzi how to identify the silk thread on the sword tassel, their fingertips occasionally brushing against each other, both blushing. Erkang helped Ziwei organize her embroidery threads, whispering allusions from poetry. Ziwei listened intently, her hair falling on her cheeks, gently brushed behind her ears by Erkang.
Xiaoyanzi looked at the warmth before her, and her inner wariness gradually gave way to a warm feeling. She stole a glance out the window. The palace path was deserted, with only the rustling of crabapple leaves in the wind. No matter who was behind the scenes, as long as they were united, with the help of Yongqi and Erkang, and the caring people like Shufangzhai, they could overcome any obstacle.
She picked up the newly woven sword tassel on the small table. The red silk was adorned with two white pearls, which gleamed brightly in the light. "It's beautiful!" Little Swallow fastened the tassel back onto the sword and weighed it. "I'll practice with it tomorrow and see who dares to tamper with it!"
Yongqi looked at the light in her eyes, smiled and shook his head: "You can practice sword, but you are not allowed to climb trees and rob bird nests anymore. Last time you fell and sprained your ankle, the Emperor has been nagging about it for several days." Xiaoyanzi stuck out her tongue, grabbed a piece of osmanthus cake and stuffed it into his mouth to stop him from talking, which made everyone laugh again.
The night wind rustled the window lattices, and the halo of the palace lanterns swayed gently on the ground. The laughter from Shufangzhai drifted through the courtyard and into the silent palace corridor, like a stone dropped into a lake, spreading warm ripples. And the eyes in the dark seemed to retreat quietly into the shadows at the sound of this laughter.
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