Chapter 196: Yuyuan draws his sword, hiding his strategy
The next morning, in the Imperial Garden, autumn dew still clung to the grass, illuminated by the rising sun like scattered silver. In the open space at the end of the flagstone path, Xiaoyanzi was warming up with her sword. Her royal blue outfit accentuated her tall and straight figure, the red ribbon at her waist fluttering as she kicked. Her hair, held up with a matching ribbon, a few strands plastered to her forehead, a thin sheen of sweat.
"Princess, is the sword tassel tied tight?" Mingyue squatted on the ground, helping her tighten the tassel on the scabbard. The tassel was new, specially wrapped with strong hemp rope by Xiao Jian, ten times more stable than ordinary silk thread. Xiaoyanzi flexed her wrist, and the sword blade drew a cold arc in the morning light, and with a "swish" it was unsheathed half an inch, the cold light dazzling people.
"Don't worry, even if the sword tassel breaks, I can still wield the sword more steadily than you can embroider." Xiaoyanzi patted Mingyue's shoulder and caught a glimpse of Ziwei walking out from under the willow tree with a food box. Her plain green skirt was blown against her body by the wind, and she was holding a collection of poems in her hand.
"You've been practicing for so long, take a break and have some sweet-scented osmanthus cake." Ziwei placed the food box on the stone table and opened the lid. Inside was a layer of cake and a small pot of warm almond tea. She wiped the sweat from Xiaoyanzi's forehead, her fingertips touching her warm skin, and whispered, "Be careful later. I feel uneasy."
Xiaoyanzi took a bite of the osmanthus cake, and the sweet fragrance mixed with the aroma of tea spread on her tongue. She said vaguely, "It's normal to feel uneasy. It means the fish is about to take the bait." She nodded in the direction of the rockery and said, "Look, is there a piece of clothing moving in the cracks in the rockery?"
Ziwei followed her gaze and saw a faint glimpse of a corner of an apricot-yellow palace dress in the stone cave of the rockery on the east side. She was so frightened that she clutched her handkerchief tightly: "There really is someone..."
"Don't be afraid." Xiaoyanzi held her hand, her palm warm from sword practice. "Guards Zhou and Wu are behind the bamboo forest, and Yongqi is watching from the top of the rockery." She deliberately raised her voice, drew her sword and pointed it into the air. "Today we'll practice the 'Thirteen Moves of Flowing Clouds' that Xiaojian taught me. I heard this sword technique can split fallen leaves from three meters away. I wonder if it's true?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiaodiaozi came over, holding a stuffed monkey puppet in his hand—a monkey puppet he had sewn all night long, with eyes and eyebrows painted to look a bit like Sun Wukong. "Princess, you want to practice swordsmanship? Then you'll need Sun Wukong to help you!" He held up the puppet and shouted like a storyteller, "Look at me, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, showing off my magical powers. All the demons and monsters will appear!" The little bug beside him imitated the owl's cry: "Cuckoo!"
As soon as the signal was given, the lantern atop the rockery swayed three times. Xiaoyanzi, knowing what she was doing, drew her sword and walked to the center of the clearing. With a flick of her wrist, the tip of her sword drew a semicircle of sparks on the ground, and the sword's energy sent the surrounding fallen leaves soaring into the air. She deliberately slowed her movements, her peripheral vision fixed on the rockery, her ears catching any movement in the darkness—besides the rustling of willow leaves in the wind, there were also two very soft breaths hidden behind the third boulder.
"Princess Huanzhu, you're so good at this!" a eunuch called out from afar. Concubine Gao, flanked by a group of palace maids, approached, dressed in a pomegranate-red palace gown and a hair adorned with pearls and jade, but the coldness in her eyes couldn't be concealed. Nanny Li followed behind her, holding a bamboo basket covered in a blue cloth. It was unclear what was inside.
Xiaoyanzi put away her sword and saluted, a smile playing on her lips: "Sister Gao Guifei, why did you really come? I thought you looked down on my unconventional swordsmanship."
Concubine Gao sat down on the stone bench, and the palace maid quickly laid out the cushions. She picked up the teacup and took a sip, then said slowly: "The emperor often praises your agile swordsmanship. I want to see what kind of great skill it is." But her eyes swept across the rockery inconspicuously, and she exchanged a glance with Nanny Li.
Nanny Li took the opportunity to step forward and lifted the blue cloth of the bamboo basket, revealing a gold-painted sword stand inside: "The Empress said that the princess's sword always dings when placed on the ground, so she specially asked me to make a sword stand and send it to you. The wood is rosewood, so it is not afraid of dings." As she spoke, her fingers tapped lightly on the legs of the sword stand three times - that was the signal to take action.
Little Swallow stared at the sword stand, noticing that the bottoms of its four legs were covered in sheet metal. She sneered inwardly: This wasn't a gift, it was a plan to have the ambushed men push rocks down from the rockery while she was about to unleash her sword, using the creaking sound of the iron sheet to mask the noise. She feigned delight and reached out to take the sword stand. "Thank you, Noble Concubine Gao, for your kindness. This sword stand is truly beautiful..."
Before she finished speaking, there was a sudden "boom" from behind the rockery, and a stone half a person's height rolled down, rushing straight towards Ziwei behind Xiaoyanzi! Ziwei was so scared that her face turned pale, but she stood still without moving - she knew Xiaoyanzi would definitely protect her.
"Be careful!" Yongqi's voice echoed from the rockery, and he dove down like an arrow. But Xiaoyanzi was faster than him. With a touch of her toes, she soared into the air. The silver dart at her waist flew out with a whoosh, hitting the side of the stone with precision. The reaction force caused the stone to turn abruptly and crash into the willow trunk with a loud thud, shattering into several pieces.
At the same time, when Xiaoyanzi landed, she kicked the entrance of the rockery cave. With a cry of "Ouch", two young eunuchs in menial uniforms rolled out, holding half a hemp rope in their hands - the tool used to pull stones.
"This is..." Concubine Gao's teacup fell to the ground with a clang, the tea splashed on her skirt, and her face instantly turned as pale as paper.
Matron Li knelt hurriedly, "I don't know! Perhaps these two servants were lazy and hid here, and accidentally knocked over the stone!"
Xiaoyanzi walked over, sword in hand, and plucked the hemp rope from the young eunuch's hand with the tip of her sword. She sneered, "Slacking off? There's a bell tied to this rope. Are you worried the stone won't roll loud enough and no one will know you're harming people?" She turned to Concubine Gao, her eyes sharp as a sword. "Sister Concubine Gao, is this what you call 'instructing on swordsmanship'? Instructing with a stone?"
Ziwei walked forward, helped the trembling eunuch up, and asked softly, "Who told you to push the stone? Tell the truth, and the princess won't punish you."
The young eunuch had never seen such a scene before, and was already crying with fear: "It's... it's Madam Li! She said that if we push the rock down, she will give us fifty taels of silver and let us run away!"
The evidence was irrefutable. Concubine Gao's lips trembled, unable to utter a single word. Yongqi had already led Guard Zhou to pull the remaining ambushers out from behind the rockery, each holding a hidden weapon or a rope.
Xiaoyanzi sheathed her sword and walked up to Concubine Gao, but her tone softened: "Sister Concubine Gao, I know you look down on me, a princess who came here halfway, but we have no grudges against each other, so why use this risky trick? If someone is hurt, the emperor will be so sad when he finds out." She deliberately emphasized the word "emperor", but there was a warning in her eyes.
Sunlight filtered through the willow leaves, casting swaying specks of light on the ground. Ziwei walked over to Xiaoyanzi and gently held her hand. The sweat on her palm hadn't yet dried, but it felt a steady warmth. Xiaodengzi, holding the stuffed monkey, whispered, "Sun Wukong is indeed powerful! All the demons and monsters have revealed themselves!" Xiaowenzi chimed in, "Wow, boom! We've finally caught the real culprit!"
Concubine Gao looked at the mess on the ground, then at Xiaoyanzi's clear yet sharp eyes, and suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. She knew that not only had she failed to profit from her schemes this time, but she had actually fallen flat on her face. Meanwhile, the people of Shufangzhai, with unspoken agreement, had woven a protective net in this imperial garden, keeping no one out.
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