Chapter 187: Exploring the Changyin Pavilion and Passing Secret Words
The sun climbed high in the sky, illuminating the glazed tiles of Changyin Pavilion. This attic, specially designed for birthday banquets, boasted carved beams and painted buildings. Strings of red lanterns hung in the corridors, swaying gently in the wind, casting shadows on the ground. Xiaoyanzi and Yongqi were walking slowly along the attic's corridors, pen and paper in hand, occasionally making marks.
"Look at the pillars on either side of the stage," Xiaoyanzi stopped beside a dragon-shaped pillar and tapped it with her fingertips. "They're closest to the guest seats. If someone wants to throw something from above, this is the most convenient place." She looked up at the beams. Sunlight filtered in through the carved window lattices, casting tiny specks of light on the pillars. "Have Guard Zhou bring two people to stand behind these pillars during the banquet, pretending to adjust the curtains and keep an eye on what's going on above."
Yongqi marked the position of the pillar on the paper and paused with his pen. "There's a corner in the corridor from the kitchen to the guest hall. I just saw that the floor tiles there are loose. Someone might trip us there." He looked up at Xiaoyanzi with concern in his eyes. "You never look at your feet when you walk. Follow me closely and don't run around." Xiaoyanzi raised an eyebrow and patted his arm. "Don't worry, my Qinggong skills are very good! If someone really tries to do something bad, I'll fly over and leave them dumbfounded!"
Ziwei and Erkang were standing in the guest area. Ziwei held a freshly embroidered handkerchief and gently spread it across a chair. The gold thread on the handkerchief gleamed in the sunlight. She bent down and touched the cushion, feeling the coolness of the peppermint ointment inside. "This cushion is really well-sewn. I pressed it for a long time just now, but I couldn't find a needle hole." Erkang squatted down and examined the chair leg. Suddenly, he pointed to a gap. "There's a thin silk thread stuck here, like it was just wrapped." He carefully pulled the thread out and held it up to the light. "The thread end is stained with wax. I'm afraid someone tried to smear something on the chair leg."
"Use turpentine to wipe it clean!" Little Swallow came over to take a look, frowning, "Are they trying to play tricks on us? Then let all their 'good stuff' go to waste!" Little Table ran over with a toolbox containing turpentine, soft cloth and a small brush. He patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, princess. I promise to wipe it clean. Not even a trace of wax will be left!" Little Stool followed behind with the copy of "Journey to the West" in his hand. Seeing a little eunuch looking around furtively in the corridor, he immediately cleared his throat, "Hey! Who are you, little demon? How dare you look around in the territory of the Monkey King?" The little eunuch was so scared that he shuddered and hurried away with his head down.
Ziwei couldn't help laughing, twisting the tassels on the handkerchief with her fingertips: "The 'tail' sound of the little stool is more effective than the sound of a gong." She turned to look at Erkang with warmth in her eyes, "Fortunately, you are careful, otherwise the silk thread would get entangled in the chair legs and might really hook the hem of your skirt." Erkang held her hand and whispered: "I am here, and I will not let you suffer any grievances." The sunlight fell on their clasped hands, and they were warm.
As they were talking, Mingyue came in carrying a food box containing snacks and herbal tea she had just brought from Shufangzhai. "Princess, take a break. The kitchen made some mung bean cakes to clear away heat and relieve summer heat." She placed the food box on the table and opened the lid. The mung bean cakes inside were a light green, sprinkled with white sesame seeds. Little Mosquito leaned over to smell them and smacked his lips. "Wow, this mung bean cake is delicious! I guarantee you won't feel dizzy after eating it!" He picked up a piece and handed it to the little bug. "Try it quickly, or you'll be exhausted from checking the 'goblin' later!"
Xiaoyanzi picked up a piece of mung bean cake and took a bite when she saw Guard Zhou walking quickly from the end of the corridor, holding a small bamboo whistle in his hand. "Princess, I just found this on the back wall of the attic. It was tied to a stone and thrown in. It looks like a secret signal from Chuxiu Palace." Xiaoyanzi took the whistle and examined it. A small crabapple flower was engraved on the whistle. She raised an eyebrow and said, "Madame Li's mark is quite conspicuous. It must be delivering a message to someone inside." She handed the whistle to Yongqi and said, "Tell Guard Wu to find out who has been interacting with the people in Chuxiu Palace recently, especially Steward Liu from the Imperial Kitchen."
Yongqi took the bamboo whistle, his fingertips caressing the crabapple blossoms on it. "This whistle has a sharp sound. I'm afraid it's used to signal at banquets." He looked up at the stage. "Tell the guards to listen carefully. If they hear a whistle, they'll do as we agreed." Ziwei suddenly pointed at the curtain beside the stage. "There seems to be a black cloth bag on the shelf behind the curtain. I didn't notice it before."
Xiaoyanzi immediately stood on tiptoe, leaped with her lightness skills, and grasped the edge of the curtain, gently lifting it. Sure enough, there was a black cloth bag on the shelf. She reached down and took it down, untying the rope and looking inside, she found a number of tiny iron needles, the needle tips gleaming coldly. "How sinister!" Xiaoyanzi threw the cloth bag to Yongqi, "They want the dancing palace maids to step on it, so that they will be thrown off balance and take advantage of the opportunity to attack!"
The little stool frowned and weighed the "Journey to the West" in his hand: "This is just like the White Bone Demon who transformed into a beautiful woman to deceive people. It looks glamorous, but it's full of evil!" The little table rolled up its sleeves: "I'll put away all these needles later and replace them with embroidery needles, so that they can shoot themselves in the foot!" Everyone laughed, and the wind in the corridor seemed to be softer.
Meanwhile, in Chuxiu Palace, Nanny Li stood by the window, gazing towards Changyin Pavilion, clutching a similar bamboo whistle. Concubine Gao sat before a mirror, a palace maid inserting a red gold hairpin into her hair, the beads jingling. "Steward Liu said everything has been arranged," Nanny Li whispered. "The needles behind the curtains, the wax on the chair legs, and the sweet soup in the kitchen—I guarantee they'll make a fool of themselves." Concubine Gao curled her lips in the mirror, a cold look in her eyes: "I hope they can enjoy their glory to the end."
The sun gradually set over Changyin Pavilion, lengthening the shadows of the group. Xiaoyanzi stuffed the last piece of mung bean cake into her mouth and clapped her hands. "Everything's checked out. Just waiting to catch the monster tonight!" She looked up at the sunset glow, its crimson glow reflecting in her eyes, blazing like tiny flames. "We can't let Father Huang and Sister down." Yongqi smiled and ruffled her hair. The golden light of the setting sun fell on them both, warming this moment of peace.
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