Chapter 181: The Heart is Treacherous, and the Light Footsteps Avoid the Edge
Morning light filtered through the window lattices of Shufangzhai, casting fragmented shadows of crabapple blossoms on the blue brick floor. Ziwei was placing a plate of freshly made rose cake into a gilded food box, her fingertips pinching a pink silk handkerchief as she gently wiped away the crumbs from the edge. "This is made to the Empress's preferred sweetness, with some almond powder added. It should suit her taste." She smiled up at Xiaoyanzi, the dimples at the corners of her eyes soaked in the morning light, as gentle as the spring waters of the south of the Yangtze River.
Xiaoyanzi was holding half a piece of osmanthus cake in her mouth and squatting on the doorstep, watching the little table practicing somersaults. Hearing this, she said vaguely, "The Queen will definitely like my sister's cooking skills! But you let Mingyue go with her and keep a close eye on her on the road so that nothing goes wrong again." The incident of Shouping and Jiansui yesterday was still on her mind. She always felt that someone was watching her from behind. The hem of her turquoise skirt swept across the ground, bringing up a faint floral fragrance.
Ziwei nodded in agreement and handed the food box to Mingyue, repeatedly reminding her: "After delivering it to Kunning Palace, be sure to watch the Empress taste it before coming back to report." Mingyue agreed, holding the food box and walked towards the palace in the morning light, the hem of her pale blue palace dress fluttering gently on the stone road.
Less than half an hour later, Mingyue came running back in a panic, with the lid of the food box tilted to one side and a look of panic on her face: "Princess! Oh no! The Queen was about to take the rose cake, but Madam Rong suddenly discovered that there were chopped walnuts in the cake - the Queen is allergic to walnuts!" Her hand shook, and the food box fell to the ground. The rose cake rolled out, and sure enough, finely chopped walnuts could be seen, completely different from Ziwei's original filling.
Ziwei's face paled instantly, and her fingers gripping the handkerchief trembled slightly. "I clearly didn't put walnuts in there... someone must have replaced the filling along the way." She remembered the broken thread from the Shouping (birthday screen) yesterday, and her heart tightened. If the Queen had eaten it, the consequences would be disastrous. Xiaoyanzi stood up with a jerk, not even caring about the osmanthus cake that had fallen to the ground. Her brows knitted together. "This is getting outrageous! This is clearly an attempt to harm me!"
Yongqi and Erkang walked in at that moment, hearing the noise and hurrying over. Yongqi picked up the rose cake from the floor and examined it carefully, picking up a bit of walnut crumbs with his fingertips. His face darkened as if rain was about to fall. "This method is similar to the powder on the sword tassel yesterday. It must be the same group of people." Erkang held Ziwei's arm and said gently, "Don't be afraid. Fortunately, we discovered it in time and didn't cause any disaster."
Xiaoyanzi paced back and forth in the courtyard, her green figure like an anxious little animal. "First it was the longevity screen, then the sword tassel, and now they've even dared to touch the snacks for the Queen! Do you really think we in Shufangzhai are easy to bully?" She stopped abruptly, her eyes lighting up. "Let's go pay our respects to Concubine Gao! I want to see how many 'goodies' she has left in her palace!"
Yongqi wanted to stop her: "It's too dangerous. What if they set another trap—" "Don't worry," Xiaoyanzi patted the sword at her waist, a smile on her lips, "I'm good at Qinggong. Even if there are nails hidden under the carpet, I can stand firm." She turned her head and winked at Ziwei, "Sister is waiting at home. I'll go meet them."
In the side hall of Chuxiu Palace, sandalwood burned brightly, but it couldn't dispel the chill in the air. Noble Concubine Gao reclined on the couch, reading the secret report handed to her by Nanny Li, scratching her nails lightly on the edge. "The Queen didn't eat?" Nanny Li bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, Nanny Rong figured it out. However, I have already smeared pine oil under the carpet leading to the side hall as planned, and I'm waiting for Xiaoyanzi to pay her respects..." She didn't finish her words, but a sinister smile appeared on her face.
"The princess is here—" As soon as the eunuch's announcement fell, Xiaoyanzi lifted the curtain and walked in. Her green palace dress made her eyes and eyebrows look lively, and she was holding a small food box in her hand: "Sister Gao Guifei, I brought some pine nut candies from Jiangnan, would you like to try them?" As she spoke, her eyes glanced at the ground, and sure enough, she saw that the edge of the carpet leading to the main seat was brighter and smoother than other places, with a faint luster of pine oil.
Concubine Gao raised her hand with a forced smile: "Princess Huanzhu, you are so thoughtful. Please sit down." Xiaoyanzi took a step forward and just as she stepped onto the carpet, she felt her foot slip and fell backwards. Nanny Li feigned surprise, but her eyes were filled with anticipation. Unexpectedly, Xiaoyanzi seemed to be about to fall, but she used the momentum to gently spin around, tapping her toes on the carpet and landing on the chair as steady as a willow leaf. She even patted the hem of her skirt playfully: "This carpet is so slippery. I almost fell. Fortunately, I reacted quickly."
Concubine Gao's smile faltered, and her hand holding the tea cup tightened slightly. "The palace carpets haven't been changed in a while. It's time to have the Imperial Household Department take care of them." Xiaoyanzi picked up a piece of pine nut candy and slowly peeled off the wrapper. "Speaking of taking care of things, Sister Ziwei's birthday screen was almost ruined by the silk thread yesterday. Luckily, we found the thread that was embroidered incorrectly, and it's still stained with crabapple pollen." She looked up at Concubine Gao and smiled innocently. "I heard that Madam Li loves to embroider under the crabapple tree. What a coincidence."
Nanny Li's face paled, and she nearly dropped the teacup in her hand. Concubine Gao's knuckles whitened as she gripped the cup, forcing a smile. "Really? Perhaps one of the young palace maids was clueless and took Nanny's silk thread." Little Swallow, chewing a pine nut candy, spoke in a clear voice, "I hope so. After all, the Empress Dowager's birthday is coming up soon. If something unlucky happens again, it would be disastrous."
When they left Chuxiu Palace, the sun was shining brightly. Xiaoyanzi walked forward, following the spots of light along the palace path, her steps so light and brisk that she seemed to be flying. Yongqi was waiting for her at the palace gate. Seeing her come out safely, his heart finally settled down. He hurried over to her, "How's everything? Is everything okay?" Xiaoyanzi took his arm, looking up and smiling, "Don't worry. Who is your Xiaoyanzi? This little trick can't faze me! But..." A sharp light flashed in her eyes, "It's time to teach them a lesson."
In Shufangzhai, Ziwei and Erkang were sorting out the replaced fillings of pastries. Seeing Xiaoyanzi coming back, they hurried to greet her: "Did you suffer any injustice?" Xiaoyanzi shook her head, picked up a piece of untouched rose cake and stuffed it into her mouth: "Sweet, right? We are not afraid of them doing bad things. As long as we sisters are united, even the most vicious plan can be broken!" The sunlight shone through the branches of crabapple flowers, dancing on her face, like a handful of gold, and the determination in her eyes was brighter than ever.
In the shadows of Chuxiu Palace, Nanny Li knelt on the ground, trembling. Concubine Gao smashed the teacup hard, sending shards scattering everywhere. "Waste! You can't even handle such a simple task! And she's caught me!" She stared out the window toward Shufangzhai, her eyes thick with venom, "Looks like I'll have to resort to more ruthless methods." A silent battle had just begun.
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