Chapter 218: Jinan’s Warm Wind and the Love in the Guesthouse
The warm autumn sun of Jinan Prefecture shone across the bluestone pavement of Kuanhouli. At the entrance to the alley where Xia Yuhe's former residence stood, the leaves of several old locust trees had already turned golden. The wind blew, and a few petals rustled down, landing on the shoulders of Aunt Zhang, an elderly neighbor who stood guard at the entrance. She wore an indigo-colored cloth skirt, clutching a bamboo basket filled with needlework. She watched the alley entrance warily. Seeing two men in shorts approaching, she immediately stood up and blocked the way at the door.
"Who are you two looking for?" Aunt Zhang hid the bamboo basket behind her. In the basket, half of the embroidered handkerchief Xia Yuhe gave her was revealed. It was embroidered with light lotus flowers. "This alley is full of old residents. Strangers are not allowed to enter casually."
The leading man bowed and smiled, "Don't panic, Ma'am. We're from the capital, sent by Lord Fu to visit the neighbors." He pulled out a waist badge inscribed with "Guards of the Fulun Mansion" and said, "I heard someone was asking about Miss Xia recently. We're here to protect you all."
Nanny Zhang squinted her eyes as she studied the badge, then glanced at the swords on the two women's waists. She finally breathed a sigh of relief, her wrinkles etched with a smile. "So it was sent by Lord Fu! We just received a letter yesterday from a relative in the Fang Mansion saying someone in the capital was trying to spread rumors, and told us not to believe them or spread them. Miss Xia was such a good person back then. She taught us girls embroidery and helped every family in need. How could she have done such dirty things?" She called out to the alley, "Come out, everyone! She's one of us!"
Several neighbors immediately emerged from the alley: an auntie carrying a vegetable basket, an accountant holding an abacus, and a woman holding a child. They all chatted, each holding the gifts Xia Yuhe had given them—a bellyband embroidered with lotus flowers, a fan inscribed with poetry, a bamboo basket woven with floral patterns.
"Miss Xia told us back then that the man she was waiting for was a gentleman who valued friendship and loyalty. How could he possibly do something reckless?" The accountant pushed his glasses and unfolded his fan. "Look at the calligraphy: 'Lotus breeze carries fragrance.' What a pure phrase! It doesn't sound like what those people said!"
The woman holding the child lifted him higher. In his hand, the child was clutching a cloth tiger that Xia Yuhe had sewn herself. "The tiger-head shoes my child wears are all made by Miss Xia. She has a kind heart! If anyone dares to say anything bad about her, we, among the dozens of families in this alley, will be the first to disapprove!"
The two guards looked at the warm items filling the alley, their hearts warmed. The leading guard clasped his fists and said, "Thank you, neighbors, for your kindness! We'll be guarding the alley entrance to make sure no bad guys come in and cause trouble. After this is over, Princess Mingzhu might come back to see everyone!"
Aunt Zhang's eyes lit up, and she quickly stuffed the osmanthus cake from the bamboo basket into their hands: "Hurry and try it! This is Miss Xia's favorite osmanthus cake recipe, we've always remembered it. When Princess comes back, we'll make a big table for her!"
The sunlight at the alley entrance grew brighter and brighter. Beneath the old locust tree, the laughter of the neighbors, mingled with the fragrance of osmanthus, formed the strongest barrier. Meanwhile, at the Jinan post station, two clerks sent by Eunuch E were yawning and settling accounts, completely unaware that the "witness" they were looking for had already been well protected by the neighbors.
Inside the Beijing's guesthouse, however, a bustling scene unfolded. The afternoon sun streamed through the carved wooden windows, illuminating the lobby's eight-immortals table. Liu Qing was directing the waiters to hang a newly made sign on the wall. Inscribed in gold on a red background, it read, "Guesthouse's Delicious Cuisine, Warming Guests' Hearts." Jinsuo approached with freshly brewed jasmine tea. The pale green teacup shimmered in her pale white hands. She watched Liu Qing's busy back, her lips curling upwards.
"Brother Liu, take a break and have some tea." Jinsuo put the teacup on the table, and her fingertips accidentally touched the back of Liu Qing's hand. Both of them retracted their hands as if they were scalded, and Jinsuo's cheeks instantly flushed.
Liu Qing scratched his head, took the teacup and took a gulp, not noticing the tea foam on the corner of his mouth. "I heard someone in the palace was spreading rumors, so I thought I'd tidy up the guesthouse a bit so the princesses would be more comfortable when they leave the palace." He put down the teacup, pulled out a small cloth bag from his bosom, and handed it to Jinsuo. "This is for you."
Inside the cloth bag was a silver hairpin with a small lotus flower carved into the head. He had picked it out after scouring the jewelry stores in Beijing. Jinsuo held the hairpin in his hand, his fingertips gently stroking the petals, his eyes warming. "Why are you wasting your money again..."
"It's not a waste of money!" Liu Qing's face flushed with anxiety, and he said in a gruff voice, "This is the first part of the betrothal gift! After this storm is over, I will go to the Fang family to propose marriage and marry you off with great fanfare!" He scratched the back of his head and softened his voice. "Don't worry, with me here, no one can bully you, and I won't let those rumors implicate you."
Jinsuo lowered her head and carefully inserted the silver hairpin into her bun, revealing half of her flushed face: "I'm not afraid. With you and the princesses, I'm not afraid of anything."
"Well said!" Liu Hong came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of freshly fried fried dough twists. Her light blue shorts made her look slender. "No one in our guesthouse is afraid of trouble!" She put the twists on the table, picked up a stick, popped it into her mouth, and took a crunch. "Yesterday, Ertai said he wanted to bring the Yulin Army to protect the guesthouse, but I scolded him back. We should handle our own affairs ourselves. Why bother the palace?"
As he was speaking, Ertai lifted the curtain and came in, still carrying the smell of the smoky streets of the market outside the palace. He was holding a paper bag in his hand. As soon as he entered the door, he shouted, "Liuhong! Look what I bought for you?" In the paper bag was a string of candied haws. The bright red haws were wrapped in crystal sugar coating, still steaming.
Liu Hong glared at him but said harshly: "Who wants to eat your food! I just said I didn't need your help, but you ran to the palace to ask for help?" Having said that, she still reached out to take the candied haws. When her fingertips touched his hand, she quickly retracted her hand.
Ertai smiled brightly, revealing two small canine teeth. "I'm just worried about you! Besides, you don't need guards, but you must eat this candied haws. Last time you said you liked the sourest ones, so I specially asked the vendor to put more hawthorns in." He looked at Liu Hong's narrowed eyes as she bit into the candied haws, and his heart was filled with sweetness. "When this is over, I'll take you to the overpass. I heard there's a new shadow puppet show there, and the performance of 'The Legend of the White Snake' is really good!"
The candied haws in Liu Hong's mouth almost fell out, and she said vaguely, "Who wants to go with you..." But her cheeks were as red as a ripe apple.
Liu Qing couldn't help laughing when he saw his younger brother and sister. He patted Ertai on the shoulder and said, "Good job, kid. You have the same style as I did back then!"
The laughter in the guest house mixed with the aroma of food drifted out of the window. Passersby smelled the fragrance and couldn't help but stick their heads in to ask, "Boss Liu, what delicious dishes do you have today?" Liu Qing greeted with a smile, "We have everything! I guarantee that the food will warm your heart and stomach!" The sunlight shone through the window lattice, onto everyone's face, dispelling most of the haze brought by the rumors.
The autumn chrysanthemums in the Imperial Garden were in full bloom, yellow, white, and purple, clashing in the flowerbeds, vying for splendor. Little Swallow squatted beside the flowerbed, tugging on a piece of foxtail grass, intermittently teasing the civet cat at her feet, her brow furrowed. Yongqi stood behind her, clutching a moon-white cloak. Seeing her exposed ankles reddened from the cold, he couldn't help but sigh.
"The ground's cold, get up." Yongqi draped his cloak over her shoulders, his fingertips accidentally brushing against her neck, sending both of them shuddering as if struck by electricity. Xiaoyanzi abruptly stood up, her cloak falling to the ground. She bent down to pick it up, but collided headfirst with Yongqi, who was also bending over. Her forehead struck his chin, causing her to hiss in pain.
"How stupid!" Xiaoyanzi covered her forehead and glared at him, her eyes red. "It's all the fault of those who spread the rumors. They made me so upset!"
Yongqi rubbed her forehead, his movements extremely gentle, his voice as soft as the autumn breeze. "Don't get yourself upset. The Emperor has already sent someone to investigate, and they'll soon find the source." He pulled a small sachet from his bosom and pressed it into her hand. "This is the amulet I asked Mother to pray for. Wear it and you'll be less troubled."
The sachet was pale green, embroidered with a crooked little swallow. Though the stitching was rough, it was clear she had put a lot of effort into it. Little Swallow pinched the sachet, her lips curling up involuntarily, but she kept a deliberately stern face. "Who wants your amulet...it's so ugly!" Even so, she clutched the sachet tightly in her hand and tucked it into her lapel.
"Even if it's ugly, I'll only give you one." Yongqi looked at her red ears, a smile in his eyes, "After this is over, I'll take you to the hunting ground to ride horses, just the two of us, okay?"
Xiaoyanzi's eyes lit up, and she was about to agree, but then she frowned as if remembering something: "No! My sister is still worried, how can I have the heart to play." She kicked the stones under her feet and said in a muffled voice, "I just can't help it. My sister is so good, Aunt Xia is so kind, why are they being slandered by those people!"
"So we must be more courageous." Yongqi picked up the cloak from the ground and tied it back on her. "If you get too angry, who will protect Ziwei? Who will find those bad guys who spread the rumors?" He looked her in the eyes and said seriously, "I will help you, Erkang will help Ziwei, and all of us will help you. We will never let those people succeed."
Xiaoyanzi looked at his determined eyes, and the irritability in her heart gradually dissipated. She nodded vigorously and clenched the amulet in her hand: "Yes! We will not lose! When we catch those bad guys, I will make them taste the power of 'My Fair Princess'!" She waved her fist, and her skirt swept across the flower bed, bringing up a few chrysanthemum petals, like a small butterfly flapping its wings and about to fly.
Not far away, under the corridor, Ziwei and Erkang stood side by side, watching the two people playing around, and couldn't help laughing. Ziwei leaned against the pillar, holding the jade pendant given by Erkang in her hand, and said softly: "It's great to have them around."
Erkang stood beside her, shielding her from the autumn wind, and said softly, "With all of us here, everything will be fine." The sunlight filtered through the carvings on the corridor, casting tiny spots of light on them. The jade pendant felt slightly warm in Ziwei's palm, like a warm heart.
At this time, in the study of the E Mansion, Eunuch E was sneering at a letter, the edge of the letter paper was wrinkled by his pinching: "It's time to take action in Jinan, right? Once we get the 'evidence', we'll see how those two princesses can still be so glorious!" The autumn wind outside the window swept the fallen leaves past, bringing with it a barely perceptible chill, but it could not blow away the calculations that filled the room.
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