Chapter 175: Morning Dew’s unexpected change, wisdom and strategy hidden
It was just dawn, and the petals of the crabapple trees in Shufangzhai were still stained with glistening morning dew. Little Swallow had just walked into the courtyard, sword in hand, when she saw Xiaozhuo rushing in from outside, his gray eunuch's uniform stained with grass debris.
"Princess! This is bad!" Xiao Zhuo ran so fast that he almost tripped over the threshold. "Last night... the guards on night patrol said they saw someone sneaking around outside our courtyard wall!"
Xiaoyanzi raised her eyebrows, leaned her sword against the pillar under the corridor, and picked up a falling crabapple petal with her fingertips: "Did you see who it is? Is it a man or a woman? What are they wearing?" She spoke very quickly, but her eyes were very clear, without any panic.
The little table scratched his head and said with a bitter face: "The guard said it was dark and he couldn't see clearly. He only saw a black shadow flash and then disappeared, as fast as a civet cat!" He suddenly slapped his thigh, "Oh, right! There's this left on the ground!" As he said, he took out an oil-paper bag from his sleeve pocket, opened it layer by layer, and inside was a small bunch of silk thread stained with pollen.
"This is..." Ziwei came out of the room carrying a basin of water. She wore a lilac cloak over her moon-white nightgown. Her face changed slightly when she saw the silk thread. "This thread looks familiar. It's very similar to the ice silk thread I used to embroider the longevity screen." She squatted down and took a closer look. "There's pollen on it. It looks like the crabapple from the Imperial Garden."
Xiaoyanzi's heart skipped a beat; that shadowy figure from last night had truly harbored ill intentions. She calmly tucked the silk thread into her sleeve pocket and patted the little table's shoulder. "Why are you panicking? Maybe one of the eunuchs got lost. Go wake up Xiaodeng and the others and tell them we're going to practice new sword techniques today."
Although Xiaozhu was full of doubts, he still responded. Ziwei held Xiaoyanzi's hand, her fingertips slightly cold. "Could it be... someone from Concubine Gao's side?" Xiaoyanzi blinked at her and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "When the enemy comes, we will fight them with our troops; when the water comes, we will block it with earth. Don't worry, sister, we have Sun Wukong to protect us."
As they were talking, Yongqi and Erkang walked in side by side. Yongqi was wearing royal blue clothes and a jade pendant at his waist. Seeing Xiaoyanzi standing in the morning dew, he immediately took off his outer robe and draped it over her shoulders. "Why don't you wear more clothes? Be careful not to catch a cold." Erkang walked over to Ziwei and whispered, "Didn't you sleep well last night? There's a faint blue shadow under your eyes."
Xiaoyanzi tightened her robe around herself and said with a smile, "I've been missing you guys, so I got up early to wait for you to practice swordsmanship." She extended her hand towards Yongqi, "Did you bring the sword manual? I haven't mastered the 'Spiritual Swallow Piercing the Willow' move I taught you yesterday."
Yongqi shook his head helplessly and took out the yellowed sword manual from his arms: "I knew you couldn't remember it." He opened the manual and pointed his finger at one of the pages, "The wrist should be turned quickly here, like this-" As he said, he picked up the sword that Xiaoyanzi was leaning against the pillar, turned his wrist lightly, and the green sword tassel drew a beautiful arc in the air.
Xiaoyanzi was watching attentively, and suddenly she cried out, "Oh no! When you taught me yesterday, the sword tassel didn't swing like this!" She grabbed the sword and tried it herself, but she didn't notice that the tassel on the sword tassel was entangled with her fingertips. As soon as she turned around, the tassel suddenly fell to the ground with a "click".
"What happened?" Yongqi bent down to pick up the sword tassel, his brows furrowed instantly. "The thread of the tassel was cut with a knife!" He pointed at the broken part. "Look how neat the cut is. It was clearly intentional!"
Ziwei and Erkang gathered around, their faces darkening after seeing the broken part. Erkang said in a deep voice, "If the tassel had fallen during sword practice yesterday, the sword would have easily slipped out of my hand, potentially injuring me at best, or worse..." He didn't finish, but everyone understood the danger.
Xiaoyanzi suddenly smiled, picked up the sword tassel, and weighed it. "This technique is too clumsy. Do you think I'm a three-year-old child?" She turned to Yongqi and said, "Fifth Prince, why don't we go to the Imperial Garden to practice swordsmanship today? I heard the crabapple trees in the West Palace are in full bloom."
Yongqi immediately understood what she meant and nodded, saying, "Okay, it's a good opportunity for you to see my new swordsmanship." Erkang also understood, saying, "I'll go prepare the carriage and tell Empress Ling Fei by the way." Ziwei looked at their tacit understanding and a faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
As the group reached the gate of the Imperial Garden, they saw Concubine Gao and Nanny Li approaching. Concubine Gao was wearing a pomegranate-red palace dress embroidered with lotus flowers. The red gold and kingfisher feather hairpins in her hair jingled with her steps. As she glanced at Xiaoyanzi, there was a subtle scrutiny.
"Oh, isn't this Princess Huanzhu and the Fifth Prince?" Concubine Gao's voice was gentle, yet tinged with pride. "Why are you running to the Imperial Garden so early in the morning instead of staying in Shufangzhai?" Her eyes fell on the sword in Xiaoyanzi's hand, and a sneer curled up at the corner of her mouth. "What? Princess Huanzhu also likes to wield swords and guns?"
Xiaoyanzi hid her sword behind her back and smiled innocently, "Madam Gao, I'm learning swordsmanship from the Fifth Prince to keep fit and avoid getting sick all the time and worrying the Emperor." She shook her wrist deliberately as she spoke, "But I'm clumsy. The tassel on my sword fell off during practice yesterday. Luckily, no one was hurt."
Nanny Li, standing behind Concubine Gao, heard the words "the sword tassel has fallen off." She subconsciously glanced toward the crabapple tree in the depths of the Imperial Garden. This subtle movement didn't escape Xiaoyanzi's notice. She sneered inwardly, but her expression grew more innocent. "It's strange! How could the sword tassel fall off? There's even some crabapple pollen on it. Could it be that a thief had come in during the night?"
Concubine Gao's expression changed slightly, and she forced a calm smile and said, "There are many rules in the palace. Princess, please be careful when practicing sword skills. Don't hurt yourself, and don't disturb the emperor." She flicked her handkerchief and said, "I still have to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager, so I won't chat with you anymore."
Watching Concubine Gao hurried away, Yongqi whispered, "It's them indeed." Xiaoyanzi played with the tassel of her sword and suddenly turned to Xiaodengzi and said, "Xiaodengzi, tell us the story of Sun Wukong's three battles with the White Bone Demon. I love it the most."
The little stool perked up immediately, cleared his throat, and imitated the storyteller's tone: "It's said that the White Bone Demon transformed into a village girl, carrying a basket and walked towards Tang Sanzang. But Sun Wukong glared at her with his fiery eyes—" He suddenly raised his voice, "Hey! Demon! How dare you cause trouble here! Look at me, Sun Wukong, hitting you with a stick!"
Erkang cooperated by drawing his sword and slashing at the crabapple tree, startling a few sparrows into flight. A faint dark shadow flashed beneath the crabapple tree that Nanny Li had glanced at earlier, quickly disappearing behind the rockery.
Ziwei covered her mouth and chuckled softly: "Xiaodengzi's story is really wonderful, even better than the opera troupe." Erkang sheathed his sword and cast a gentle gaze on her face: "After we finish practicing swords, I will take you to see the newly blooming peonies. They are much more beautiful than the opera troupe in the palace."
Xiaoyanzi led Yongqi to the training ground. The sun shone through the branches of the crabapple tree, casting a warm glow on them. Suddenly, she turned to Yongqi and winked. "Tell me, how did our performance of 'Sun Wukong and the White Bone Demon' go?"
Yongqi held her hand, feeling the warmth on his fingertips. "You acted very well, but next time, don't use yourself as bait. I'll be worried." Xiaoyanzi blushed, broke free from his hand and ran forward. "Who's the bait? I'm fighting a battle of wits! Do you understand?"
The morning dew shimmered in the sunlight, and the petals of the crabapple blossoms in the imperial garden drifted down in the wind, landing on the stone pavement behind them. In the distance, the lively voices of storytellers on a small stool mingled with the laughter of the crowd, temporarily dispelling the calculations lurking in the shadows in the warm morning light.
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