Chapter 219: The Imperial Study is Warm, and the Shufangzhai is Happy
The sandalwood incense of the imperial study drifted in the afternoon sun. Emperor Qianlong sat on a bright yellow dragon throne, his fingers clutching a secret letter delivered by express horse from Jinan, the edges of the paper wrinkled from his twisting. Eunuch Su stood by, breathless, watching as the emperor's furrowed brow gradually relaxed, a faint smile even tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Well done, fellow Jinan resident." Qianlong placed the secret letter on the rosewood table. A blue and white porcelain vase on the table held fresh autumn chrysanthemums, their petals still stained with morning dew. "Fulun has done a good job. I reward you."
Eunuch Su bowed quickly and replied, "I will go and convey the order right away." Just as he was about to turn around, Qianlong called him back.
"Wait." Qianlong looked out the window toward the Imperial Garden and said in a gentler voice, "Tell Princess Huanzhu and Princess Mingzhu that everything is settled in Jinan. Tell them not to worry."
Eunuch Su smiled and responded, "That's not a problem for you. I will definitely convey the emperor's intentions." He tiptoed out, muttering to himself: These two princesses are so lucky to have the emperor care about them so much.
Silence returned to the imperial study. Qianlong picked up the secret letter and read it again. It described how the Jinan residents had protected Xia Yuhe's reputation and kept the men sent by Eunuch E at bay. The words were filled with warmth. He set the letter down, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table. A flicker of emotion crossed his eyes—in this life, at least, Yuhe and Ziwei hadn't suffered any more injustice.
When the news reached Shufangzhai, Xiaoyanzi was sprawled on a stone table beneath a crabapple tree, listening to Xiaodengzi tell a story. Xiaodengzi stood on the stone platform, wielding a copy of "Water Margin" as a gavel, and spit-filled, he recounted the story of Wu Song slaying the tiger: "Wu Song raised his whistle stick and, with a 'crack', struck the tiger on the head. The tiger howled in pain and lunged at him, attempting to bite him—"
"And then what?" Little Swallow patted the stone table, her lake-blue skirt sweeping across the ground, stirring up a few fallen leaves. "Was Wu Song eaten by a tiger?"
"Wow, boom!" Little Mosquito, squatting nearby, spinning a top in his hand, said, "You silly fool, Wu Song is a tiger-killing hero, how could he be eaten? He must have beaten the tiger to a pulp!"
Little Bug roared, imitating the roar of a tiger, while Xiaozhuo imitated Wu Song's poses, making the palace maids and eunuchs of Shufangzhai burst into laughter. Ziwei sat at her embroidery frame by the window, needle in hand, watching the playful crowd with a gentle smile on her lips. The sunlight shone on her moon-white skirt, making the pearl earrings on her temples gleam slightly.
"Princess! Princess!" Eunuch Su's voice came from outside the courtyard. He walked in quickly, holding up his coat, a smile on his face. "The emperor has ordered that everything in Jinan be settled. The neighbors are protecting Miss Xia's reputation so well that the people sent by Eunuch E didn't even enter the alley!"
Xiaoyanzi jumped up, nearly knocking over the teacup on the stone table. "Really?!" She rushed to Eunuch Su, her eyes shining like stars. "Did the Emperor really say that?"
"Absolutely true!" Eunuch Su nodded with a smile. "The Emperor also told the two princesses to relax, saying that even if the sky falls, the Emperor will hold it up!"
Ziwei also put down her needle and came over, clutching a half-finished handkerchief with half a lotus flower embroidered on it. "Thank you, Eunuch Su, for coming all the way here. Please inform the Emperor. We, the sons, now that we know, will stay in the palace and not cause any trouble for him."
"You're so polite, Princess Mingzhu," Eunuch Su said to Xiaoyanzi with a smile. "My Princess, the Emperor said if you're bored, you can go to the horse ranch in the Imperial Garden tomorrow for a ride. The Fifth Prince has already prepared your favorite 'Treading on Snow' there."
When Little Swallow heard the word "Treading Snow", her eyes lit up even more. She patted her chest and said, "Thank the Emperor for me! I will ride Treading Snow as fast as I can tomorrow to let it know who is the master!"
Eunuch Su smiled and agreed, bowing again before leaving. As soon as he left Shufangzhai, he heard a burst of cheers from inside. The little mosquito's catchphrases, the little stool's storytelling, and the little swallow's laughter mixed together, like a string of bells sprinkled with honey.
"That's great, sister!" Xiaoyanzi took Ziwei's hand and spun around, her skirt flying like a blue butterfly. "The neighbors in Jinan are really great! Let's see what nonsense those rumormongers can come up with!"
Ziwei stumbled as she was pulled, but her eyes curved with a smile. "Yes, it's all thanks to the Emperor, to the people sent by Lord Fu, and to the kind neighbors." She raised her hand to wipe the corners of her eyes, her fingertips stained with the light pink of the embroidery thread. "If my mother knew, she would be very pleased."
Yongqi had stood at the courtyard gate at some point, holding a freshly completed painting. It depicted the crabapple tree in Shufangzhai. Beneath the tree, two girls were chatting and laughing, one lively and energetic, the other gentle and demure. He watched the spinning little swallow, the tenderness in his eyes almost overflowing. "I just heard your laughter at the gate. What's so happy?"
"The Emperor said Jinan is fine!" Little Swallow ran up to him, snatched the drawing paper and looked at it. "Did you draw this? It's quite realistic, but I look much better than in the painting!"
Yongqi smiled and scratched her nose. "Yes, yes, our Xiaoyanzi is the most beautiful." He handed the painting to Ziwei, "Ziwei, take a look too. Does it make you look ugly?"
Ziwei took the painting, carefully examined the brushstrokes, and said softly, "It's very well drawn, even the lines on the crabapple petals are drawn. Yongqi, you're very thoughtful."
Erkang came in soon after, holding a food box in his hand, which contained snacks he had just brought from the Fu family's small kitchen: "I heard from the servants that there is good news in Jinan, so I specially brought the osmanthus cake that Ziwei likes." He placed the food box on the stone table and opened the lid. The snow-white osmanthus cake was sprinkled with golden osmanthus flowers, and the fragrance instantly filled the air.
Jinsuo quickly brought a plate and picked up a piece of cake for each person: "Master Erkang is thoughtful. This osmanthus cake looks delicious." She secretly glanced at the place where Liu Qing usually sat, hoping that he would come to the guest house at this time so that she could tell him the good news.
Little Swallow took a bite of the osmanthus cake and mumbled, "Delicious! Sweeter than the ones in the imperial kitchen!" She suddenly slammed the table and said, "Right! We should celebrate! Little Stool, keep telling the story of Wu Song fighting the tiger. You have to tell it three times today! Little Mosquito, recite all your jingles! Little Table, Little Bug, perform Wu Song fighting the tiger for us!"
"Okay!" Xiaodengzi immediately cleared his throat and raised his copy of "Water Margin." Just as he was about to speak, Ziwei stopped him with a smile, "Stop making noise! You might disturb the Empress Dowager's palace." She looked at everyone, her eyes gleaming. "Why don't we have a small banquet at Shufangzhai tonight? Just the few of us can have some snacks and chat, as a way to celebrate the good news from Jinan."
"Okay, okay!" Xiaoyanzi agreed with both hands. "I'll ask the kitchen to make beggar's chicken! I taught them the recipe last time, it's guaranteed to be delicious!"
Yong Qi shook his head helplessly: "How can the imperial kitchen make beggar's chicken? I'll ask them to make your favorite braised spareribs and fried meatballs, okay?"
Little Swallow thought for a moment and smacked her lips. "That's fine! But the balls have to be this big!" She spread her arms wide, gesturing, and everyone laughed. The sunlight filtered through the crabapple leaves, casting tiny specks of light on their faces, warm and cozy, as if gilded.
In the side hall of the Yikun Palace, however, the atmosphere was as cold as ice. Concubine Gao sat on a chair covered in white fox fur, clutching a cup of Biluochun tea. She hadn't taken a sip of the cold tea, her nails digging deep into the gilded rim, leaving crescent-shaped marks.
Nanny Li stood aside, her head lowered, her voice trembling, "Your Majesty, Jinan... failed. Fulun's men were one step ahead of us. The neighbors refused to change their ways and drove out the people we sent."
"Waste!" Concubine Gao slammed her teacup to the ground, sending shards of celadon scattering everywhere and soaking her pomegranate-red palace skirt. "If you can't even handle a few neighbors, what's the point of me keeping you around?"
Nanny Li knelt down with a thud, her knees thumping against the blue brick floor. "Your Majesty, calm down! I have another plan! We can find a false witness who claims to have seen Xia Yuhe with another man in Jinan. Then, by forging a few letters, we can bring Princess Mingzhu down with her!"
Concubine Gao narrowed her eyes, a fierce look flashing in them: "False witness? Forged letter? Can you hide it from the emperor's eyes?"
"No matter how shrewd the Emperor is, he can't stop a bunch of people from making a tiger out of nothing." Nanny Li crouched on the ground, her voice piercing with venom. "As long as we create a perfect fake witness and letter, and then have Lord E submit a memorial to the court, I'm sure the Emperor won't be suspicious! By then, not only Princess Mingzhu, but even Princess Huanzhu and the Fang family will be in trouble!"
Concubine Gao was silent for a moment, the only sound in the hall being the rustling of ashes from the incense burner. After a long moment, she slowly spoke, her voice as cold as ice: "Okay, I'll do as you say. But if something goes wrong again this time..." She paused, her eyes glancing at Nanny Li, "You'll come to me with your head on the line!"
Nanny Li kowtowed quickly: "I obey your command! I will do it right away and will not let your Majesty down!" She got up, bowed and backed out, her skirt sweeping across the porcelain pieces on the ground, making a harsh sound.
Concubine Gao looked at the empty palace door and slowly clenched her fists. The autumn wind outside, carrying fallen leaves, slapped against the window lattice like countless hands collecting debts. She sneered, "Princess Huanzhu, Princess Mingzhu? The more glorious you become, the more I will pull you down! How can I allow you two young girls to monopolize the glory of this harem!"
The candlelight in the corner of the hall swayed in the wind, casting her shadow on the wall, twisted and sinister. Unbeknownst to her, at that moment, the lights in Shufangzhai were warm, and a group of young people were chatting and laughing around a stone table. The sweet fragrance of osmanthus cake mingled with the crisp aroma of crabapple blossoms, and they had long since forgotten this dark plot.
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