Chapter 182: Warm lights and soft words, love grows secretly
Dusk, like a piece of warm black jade, slowly spread across the glazed tiles of the Forbidden City. The goat-horn palace lanterns in Shufangzhai had already been lit, their warm yellow glow filtering through the fine silk shades, casting circles of soft light on the blue brick floor. The shadow of the crabapple tree, stretched long by the light, resembled a flowing ink painting, gently swaying on the window paper.
Xiaoyanzi sat cross-legged on the cushioned couch, a wolf-hair brush clutched in her hand, her brow furrowed like a frightened animal. Yongqi sat across from her, patiently holding her hand as he taught her how to write the character "Yongqi." "The horizontal strokes should be flat, the vertical strokes straight. Look at the slanted hook of 'Qi'; it should resemble the curved lines you draw when practicing swordplay." His warm fingertips gently touched the back of her hand, the scent of ink mixed with his faint pinewood fragrance lingering on her nose.
"It's too difficult!" Xiaoyanzi pouted, the tip of the pen tilted, and the ink spread out on the rice paper to form a small black dot. "You might as well let me practice sword. Writing is more difficult than dealing with the little eunuch!" She swung her hand, and the pen fell on the table with a "click". Her green sleeve swept across the inkstone, and she didn't care about the ink stain.
Yongqi was amused by her and picked up a handkerchief to wipe the ink marks on the back of her hand. His fingertips accidentally brushed against her palm, and they both pulled their hands back as if burned, a faint blush creeping onto their cheeks. "Take your time," he said softly. "Once you learn to write my name, I'll teach you horseback riding and archery, and take you to the hunting grounds to shoot rabbits." Xiaoyanzi's eyes immediately lit up, like falling stars. "Really? You mean what you say!"
By the next window, Ziwei was embroidering a purse by the light of a lamp. On the plain white satin, a crape myrtle flower had already taken shape, its petals outlined in gold thread gleaming in the light. Erkang stood behind her, holding a collection of poetry, murmured: "'I wish to find a devoted person, to be with me till we grow old'... This line seems to be about us." His gaze fell on the top of her head, tender enough to draw tears.
Ziwei's fingertips trembled slightly, and the embroidery needle almost pricked her finger. The tip of her ear turned red like a ripe cherry. "Brother Erkang is teasing me again," she scolded softly, but held the newly embroidered petals close to his eyes. "Look at this color. Doesn't it resemble the crape myrtles by Jinan Lake?" Erkang leaned in for a closer look, his nose almost touching the tip of her hair. His voice dropped even lower. "Yes, but not as pretty as you." Ziwei buried her head even lower in shame, the silk thread in her hands tangled into a ball.
"Good boy, boom! Little Stool, tell me how Sun Wukong dealt with the White Bone Demon!" The little mosquito's shrieking came from outside, breaking the silence in the house. Little Stool stood in the yard, waving a copy of "Journey to the West" in his hand, and spitting as he spoke: "The Great Sage pulled out his golden cudgel from his ear, shook it in the wind, and it became as thick as a bowl. He shouted, 'Where are you going, monster?'" The little bug squatted beside him, cooperating and imitating the monkey's cry: "Squeak! Squeak!" It made Mingyue Caixia laugh.
When Xiaoyanzi heard the noise, she immediately jumped off the couch and ran out barefoot: "I want to listen too! I love listening to Sun Wukong fighting monsters the most!" Yongqi hurriedly stood up to stop her, but she grabbed her sleeve and dragged him into the yard: "Let's listen together, it's much more fun than writing!"
Ziwei and Erkang also walked to the door and saw Xiaoyanzi huddled beside the small stool. Her eyes lit up as she listened, and she clapped her hands from time to time: "Well done! That's how you should deal with bad things!" Ziwei smiled and whispered to Erkang: "Look at her, she's still like a child." Erkang looked at her gentle profile. The moonlight fell on her eyelashes, like a layer of broken silver. "This is good, always so happy."
Just as the atmosphere was bustling, Guard Zhou suddenly announced at the gate, "Princess, the Emperor has arrived." Everyone hurriedly stood up to greet him. Emperor Qianlong, dressed in his everyday clothes, walked in accompanied by Eunuch Su. A smile crossed his face. "I heard you're having a blast from afar. What good stories are you telling?"
Xiaoyanzi immediately jumped in front of him, pointing at the small stool as if offering a treasure: "Your Majesty, the small stool is telling the story of Sun Wukong fighting the White Bone Demon! It's so exciting!" Qianlong smiled and ruffled her hair, his eyes sweeping across the warmth that filled the courtyard - Yongqi was still holding the unfinished rice paper in his hand, Ziwei's embroidery frame was placed by the window, and the little mosquitoes and insects were still imitating monkey calls. The corners of his mouth unconsciously curled with tenderness: "My Shufangzhai has become the most lively place in the whole Forbidden City."
He walked to the table and sat down. Xiaoyanzi quickly handed him a cup of hot tea and took the opportunity to act coquettishly: "Father Emperor, Yongqi bullied me and said my handwriting was ugly!" Yongqi shook his head helplessly: "I didn't, it was her own handwriting that was crooked and she blamed me." Qianlong watched their bickering, and the smile in his eyes became even more intense: "If you are not good at writing, you must not be lazy when practicing sword. Tomorrow I will accompany you to the martial arts field to practice." Xiaoyanzi immediately cheered: "Father Emperor, you are the best!"
Ziwei brought the freshly made lotus seed soup and whispered, "Your Majesty, please try it. It's made with freshly picked lotus seeds." Qianlong scooped a spoonful, and the warmth flowed from the tip of his tongue to the bottom of his heart. He looked at the children in front of him - Xiaoyanzi smiled with curved eyebrows, Ziwei was gentle and quiet, Yongqi's eyes could not hide the doting, and Erkang looked at Ziwei with eyes full of cherishment. Suddenly, he felt that the night in the palace had never been so warm.
"It would be nice if we could get together like this more often in the future." Qianlong put down the jade spoon, his voice filled with emotion, "A lively and lively family is better than anything else." He looked at Xiaoyanzi, a hint of tacit understanding flashed in his eyes that only the two of them could understand - in this life, he must protect this warmth and not let anyone destroy it.
As the night deepened, Emperor Qianlong rose to return to the palace. Before leaving, he specifically instructed Yongqi, "Keep an eye on your princess. Don't let her climb trees and rob bird nests at night." Little Swallow stuck out her tongue and made a face at him. In the halo of palace lanterns, Yongqi smoothed Little Swallow's wind-twisted hair. Ziwei leaned against Erkang, whispering softly. Xiaodengzi continued to recount the story of Sun Wukong's havoc in Heaven. Little Waxman's "Guaiguailongdidong" mingled with laughter, drifted out of Shufangzhai and gently landed on the moonlit palace path.
In the shadows of Chuxiu Palace, Nanny Li was whispering to Concubine Gao: "Your Majesty, I heard from the eunuch that the Emperor stayed in Shufangzhai until very late tonight, and was praising Princess Huanzhu..." Concubine Gao crushed the jade pendant in her hand, and the fragments pierced into her palm. The coldness in her eyes was colder than the night: "Wait, the best is yet to come." But this time, she didn't notice that there was an inconspicuous eunuch hiding on the crabapple branch outside the window, who was quietly writing down their conversation.
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