Chapter 179: Birthday Talks in the Candlelight, Embroidery Needles Hidden Secrets
The candlelight in Shufangzhai flickered, gently swaying the shadows in the room. Xiaodeng's Journey to the West was telling the story of Sun Wukong burrowing into Princess Iron Fan's belly. He placed one hand on his hip and gestured with the other, shouting in a resounding voice, "The Great Sage somersaults and stands on his hand in the belly, making Princess Iron Fan scream in pain and beg for mercy—" The little bug immediately squatted on the ground and howled like a wolf, making Little Swallow laugh so hard she clapped her hands on the table. The hem of her turquoise skirt swept across the ground, stirring up a light breeze.
"Little Bug, you're not imitating Princess Iron Fan, you're clearly a wolf cub from the back mountains!" Xiaoyanzi smiled and tossed the orange slices in her hand to him. The little bug nimbly caught them, puffing out its cheeks and chirping twice, like a bird that had stolen food. Yongqi sat beside her, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the jade pendant at his waist. He looked at her smiling face, the tenderness in his eyes almost overflowing.
Ziwei was mending Erkang's cuffs that had been torn by a branch, the silver thread gleaming brightly in the candlelight. Erkang sat opposite her, his eyes glued to her focused profile, not even taking his eyes away when Xiaozhang got to the exciting part. "Brother Erkang, do you think the stitches are crooked?" Ziwei asked softly, holding up her cuffs, her eyelashes casting a faint shadow under her eyes. Erkang nodded quickly, "No, it's very beautiful, even more exquisite than the ones made by the palace embroiderers." Ziwei's cheeks instantly flushed, like peach blossoms warmed by the candlelight.
Little Swallow caught a glimpse of this and coughed deliberately: "Some people only care about needlework, they can't even hear Sun Wukong borrowing his fan." Ziwei gave her a reproachful look and handed the sewn cuff to Erkang: "If you make trouble again, I won't embroider your sword tassel." Little Swallow immediately raised her hands in surrender: "I was wrong, I was wrong! My dear sister, my sword tassel is still waiting for your golden thread."
As she was speaking, Mingyue came in with a basin of hot water, and Caixia followed behind with a clean handkerchief: "Girls, it's time to wash and rest. You have to pay your respects to the Queen Mother tomorrow." Xiaoyanzi pouted and said, "Listen to me for a while longer. Sun Wukong hasn't borrowed the real fan yet!" Yongqi rubbed her hair helplessly: "Be obedient. I will practice sword with you tomorrow. After that, let Xiaodeng continue." His fingertips touched her hair, and the soft touch made his heart beat faster.
Little Mosquito suddenly popped out, holding up a newly woven grass dragonfly. "Wow, look at this! Little Table taught me how to make it, and it flies!" He loosened his grip, and the grass dragonfly really took off, brushing against Ziwei's hair and landing in Erkang's hands. Erkang smiled and played with it, "Nice craftsmanship! It's much better than the crooked-necked grasshopper that Little Swallow made last time."
"Fulkang, what do you mean?" Xiaoyanzi's eyes widened immediately. She grabbed the orange on the table and was about to throw it, but Yongqi stopped her. Yongqi held her wrist, his palm warm, "Hold it down, or you'll hit the candlestick." He turned to Xiaoyanzi and said, "Call Xiaozhuo over tomorrow and have him teach us how to weave straw toys. We'll have something new for the Queen Mother's birthday."
Mentioning the Empress Dowager's birthday, Ziwei put down her embroidery frame and whispered, "I'm only a few stitches away from finishing my birthday screen. I'll have to work harder tomorrow." Her fingertips brushed over the peonies on the embroidered screen, the gold thread gleaming softly in the candlelight. "I hope the Empress Dowager will like them." Xiaoyanzi leaned over to take a look. "Such beautiful peonies, the Empress Dowager will surely like them! They're even more vibrant than the real ones in the Imperial Gardens."
Yongqi looked at the embroidered screen and frowned slightly: "This longevity screen is so important, you must keep it carefully and don't let others touch it." He thought of the pomegranate-red figure on the street corner during the day, and his tone unconsciously became serious, "I'll ask Guard Wu to stand guard outside Shufangzhai for a few more shifts and be more alert at night." Xiaoyanzi nodded in agreement, but thought to herself: As long as I'm here, no one can touch my sister's longevity screen.
As the night deepened, the crowd gradually dispersed. Ziwei returned to her room to continue embroidering the longevity screen. Erkang stood in the corridor, watching the candlelight in front of her window. He left quietly only after the candlelight went out. Xiaoyanzi was dragged by Yongqi to practice sword in the courtyard. Her green figure leaped and turned in the moonlight, her light and graceful skills like a night bird. "Look, turning like this can avoid sneak attacks." She tapped her toes on the stone table and reached out to Yongqi, "Would you like to try it?"
Yongqi smiled and leaped onto the stone table. Just as he was stabilizing himself, she gave him a gentle push, causing him to stumble and nearly fall. Fortunately, he caught her wrist in time. Their gazes met in the moonlight, their breaths mingling. Yongqi's Adam's apple moved. "Xiaoyanzi, the palace is not like the martial arts world. Don't be so reckless." Xiaoyanzi looked up at him, her eyes reflecting the stars. "With you here, I'm not afraid."
At that moment, the candlelight in Chuxiu Palace was chilling. Nanny Li knelt on the ground, holding a small brocade box. Inside was several embroidery needles, their tips gleaming with an eerie black light. "Your Majesty, these are the 'Drunken Immortal Needles' I asked someone to buy from outside the palace. The tips are laced with an anesthetic. A single prick of the needles will cause the thread to become brittle and break easily. It may appear like ordinary silk thread, but in sunlight, it will leave a dark mark, a truly ominous omen."
Concubine Gao sat on the soft couch, her nails scratching across the carved patterns on the edge. Her voice was as cold as ice: "Is the maid in the embroidery room reliable?" Li Ma Ma kowtowed quickly: "She is! Her brother owed money to the gambling den, and I paid it off for her. She dared not disobey. Tomorrow, Princess Ziwei will go to the embroidery room to get the gold thread, and she will have the opportunity to take action."
"Okay," Concubine Gao sneered, "Be sure to do it cleanly and neatly, and don't leave any traces." She looked at the moonlight outside the window, her eyes full of resentment, "Since they want to show off in front of the Queen Mother, I will make them the biggest joke in the palace!" Nanny Li retreated with the brocade box in her hands, the soles of her shoes stepping on the blue bricks, making a light sound, like the hissing sound of a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue.
The moonlight over Shufangzhai gradually sank westward. Xiaoyanzi, having finished her sword practice, lay on the stone table, watching Yongqi write. Yongqi held her hand and taught her to write the character "Shou" (longevity), the tip of his brush tracing across the rice paper, leaving behind neat, precise strokes. "Look, this is how you write with a steady hand." His breath brushed against her ear, warm and gentle. Xiaoyanzi's heart felt like it had been tickled by a feather, itching. She couldn't help but turn her head away, only to be met with his smiling eyes.
"It's getting late, let's go back to the palace." Yongqi smoothed her wind-blown hair, his fingertips warm. "I'll come see you tomorrow." Xiaoyanzi nodded, watching his figure disappear at the end of the palace road before turning back to her room. Passing by Ziwei's door, she gently knocked: "Sister, are you asleep? Shouping, don't be too tired." Ziwei's gentle voice came from inside: "I'm asleep, you should get some rest too."
Back in her room, Xiaoyanzi fished out the protective sachet Xiao Jian had given her from beneath her pillow. The silver needle within gleamed coldly. She blew out the candle, lay on the couch, and stared out the window at the moonlight. The palace nights seemed peaceful, yet they held countless hidden arrows. But as long as she had her sister, Yongqi, and so many people who loved her by her side, she wasn't afraid of any dark night.
The candlelight in Chuxiu Palace burned until dawn. Nanny Li carefully handed the "Drunken Immortal Needles" to the palace maid in the embroidery room who came to answer her questions, and whispered to her, "Remember, only pierce the dark part of the peony petals, not the conspicuous place. Afterwards, throw the needle into the lake in the imperial garden immediately." The palace maid's face turned pale, and she clenched the needle in her hand, as if holding a ball of burning fire, and left in a hurry.
At dawn, the crabapple blossoms in Shufangzhai were shimmering with dew, their shimmering beauty. Little Swallow, stretching lazily, emerged from her room just as Ziwei, carrying a longevity screen, the peony embroidered on it, vibrant in the morning light. "Sister, these peonies look even more vibrant!" Little Swallow smiled as she approached, unaware that the gold thread on Ziwei's fingertips was now a bit more brittle than yesterday, gleaming a faint black hue in the morning light. A hidden battle over the longevity screen had quietly begun, unnoticed in the morning light.
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