Chapter 225: Red Makeup Ready to Get Married, Warmth Fills the Steps
As the morning light dyed the glazed tiles of Shufangzhai a golden red, the faint scent of cosmetics wafted through the courtyard. Little Zhuozi, perched on a high stool, tied red silk to the branches of a crabapple tree. The silk fluttered gently in the breeze, brushing against dew-soaked leaves and splashing tiny droplets of water. Little Wanzi, squatting in the porch, a red pen in hand, traced the Chinese character "囍" (囍) on a red lantern, humming a self-composed tune: "Guaiguai long di dong, red silk wrapped around the branches, lanterns hung high, the newlyweds' smiles blossomed!"
"Your handwriting is so crooked! Be careful that the princess sees it or she'll make you copy the 'Instructions for Women'!" Xiaodengzi came out of the room carrying a stack of freshly printed wedding invitations. He was wearing a brand new blue cloth jacket and his hair was slicked back. "Let me write it. After all, I'm a 'literary talent' and the '囍' character I write is worthy of our princess's wedding!"
"You're capable!" Little Mosquito pouted unconvinced, but still handed over the pen. "Then you have to write it in a grand manner, so that the whole Forbidden City knows that our Princess of Shufangzhai is getting married!"
As the two were arguing, Ziwei came out of the inner room, holding Caixia's hand. She was wearing a moon-white soft satin jacket with a delicate orchid pattern embroidered around the collar. Her jet-black hair was tied into a gentle, fallen-horse bun, accessorized only by a pearl hairpin, which only accentuated her elegant features. She walked to the porch, looking at the red silk lanterns scattered across the floor. Her fingertips gently brushed the tassels on the lanterns, a gentle smile in her eyes. "It's only the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, and the courtyard is already so bustling. It feels like spring has arrived early."
"That's right!" Little Swallow jumped in from the Moon Gate. She was wearing a pomegranate red short jacket with swallows with spread wings embroidered on the hem of her skirt. When she ran, her skirt fluttered in the wind, and she looked like a real swallow landing in a pile of red silk. "I just went to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to get the newly arrived gold thread. Look how bright the color is. It will look great embroidered on a wedding dress!" She raised the ball of gold thread in her hand, and the sunlight filtered through the silk thread, scattering tiny gold spots on the ground.
Ziwei took the gold thread with a smile. Her fingertips touched the cool silk thread and she whispered, "How is the alteration of your wedding dress going? Last time I heard Mingyue say that you thought the skirt was too heavy, so you asked the embroiderer to reduce the lining by three layers?"
"Of course not!" Little Swallow sat down on a bamboo chair in the porch, picked up an apple and took a big bite. "How can I walk in such a dragging dress? I've already made an agreement with the embroiderer to shorten the hem of her skirt and sew a secret pocket underneath so I can secretly put some candied fruit in it and eat it when I'm hungry!"
"You, always thinking about these childish things." Ziwei shook her head helplessly, but her eyes were full of indulgence. "If Brother Yongqi knew, he would definitely laugh at you again."
Just as he finished speaking, Yongqi's voice came from outside the door: "Who are you laughing at? Are you saying bad things about me?" He strode in, his body still cold from the morning dew, but in his hands he held an exquisite wooden box, "I just brought you some almond cakes from the imperial kitchen, they're still warm."
Xiaoyanzi's eyes lit up, and she immediately jumped up from the bamboo chair, snatched the wooden box and opened it. A sweet fragrance instantly spread out. "You have a conscience!" She picked up a piece of almond cake and stuffed it into her mouth, mumbling, "You've come at the right time. Help me check if this red silk is tied crookedly. I always feel that Xiaozhuozi's workmanship is asymmetrical."
Yongqi smiled and ruffled her hair, his fingertips accidentally touching the strands behind her ear. They both paused, their cheeks flushing softly. He looked up at the crabapple tree and said softly, "The left silk should be higher. It will look better against the lanterns." He stepped onto a high stool and adjusted the knot of the red silk. The sun fell on his straight profile, and his eyelashes cast a faint shadow under his eyes.
Ziwei looked at them, a smile on her lips. She turned to Erkang and said, "Look at them. They're about to get married, but they're still so childish." Erkang hadn't noticed when he was standing in the corridor, holding a scroll. Seeing Ziwei looking at him, he walked over and unfolded it. Inside was a meticulous orchid painting in elegant ink. Small words were inscribed on the petals: "Hold your hand, and grow old with you."
"I asked an artist to paint this. I wanted to hang it in our new home. It would go perfectly with the orchid screen you like." Erkang's voice was low and gentle, his fingertips lightly brushing the orchid in the painting. "After we get married, I'll grind ink for you every day. You can paint as long as you want."
Ziwei's cheeks flushed. She took the scroll, rolled it up carefully, and said softly, "Thank you, Erkang." She lowered her head to look at the words on the scroll, her eyelashes trembling slightly. The sunlight shone through the window lattice into her hair, and the pearl hairpin reflected the fragmented light.
Just as the party was getting lively, little Dengzi hurried in, holding a brocade box in his hand. "Princess! The Empress sent a gift! She said it's for the two princesses to add to their dowries!"
Xiaoyanzi and Ziwei hurried out to greet them. They saw Nanny Gui from the Empress's palace standing in the courtyard, followed by two young eunuchs holding three gilded lacquer boxes. Nanny Gui smiled and bowed, "The Empress said that the wedding of the two princesses is a great joyous event in the palace, and she specially asked me to bring some gifts to add to the joy for the princesses."
When the first box was opened, there were two sets of red silk wedding gowns embroidered with phoenixes wearing peonies, with fine stitching and glittering gold threads; in the second box were two pairs of phoenix hairpins made of red gold and kingfisher feathers. The phoenixes on the hairpins held pearls in their mouths, and made tiny sounds when they were shaken; in the third box were two pieces of cloud brocade with the pattern of "dragon and phoenix bringing good luck" woven on them, which shone with colorful luster in the sunlight.
"Your Majesty, you've taken so much trouble." Ziwei thanked her softly, her fingertips gently stroking the embroidery of her wedding dress. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for us."
Nanny Gui smiled and nodded. "The Empress also said that when she has some free time in the next few days, she will come to personally review the princesses' dowries and teach Princess Ziwei some palace etiquette to avoid any panic during the wedding." Her eyes fell on Xiaoyanzi and she added with a smile, "The Empress also specifically instructed that if Princess Xiaoyanzi's wedding dress doesn't fit, she should send someone to Kunning Palace to get the material. Don't let yourself be wronged."
Xiaoyanzi felt a warm feeling in her heart. She scratched her head and smiled, "Thank the Empress for me! She loves us so much, I almost forgot there are any rules in the palace!"
Aunt Gui was amused by her: "Princess, please stop saying that. The Empress often praises your cheerful personality and says that with you in the palace, every day is like New Year's Day." She gave a few more instructions, "Prepare well and don't take advantage of the cold," and then said goodbye with the eunuch.
After seeing Aunt Gui off, Xiaoyanzi held the red wedding dress and spun around in the yard, her skirt fluttering like a blooming red peony. "Look how magnificent this phoenix embroidery is! It's a hundred times more beautiful than I imagined!"
Yongqi came over and helped her straighten her crooked collar, his eyes full of tenderness: "You look good in anything." He moved closer and lowered his voice, "But the secret pocket you mentioned needs to be sewed firmly by the embroiderer, otherwise the candied fruit will fall out and the Empress Dowager will laugh at you."
"How dare you laugh at me?" Xiaoyanzi reached out to twist his arm, but he gently held her wrist. When their fingertips touched, they both felt like they were burned by a heater. They quickly let go, but their faces were flushed.
Ziwei and Erkang stood in the corridor, watching them and smiling at each other. Erkang said softly, "Looking at them like this, it seems like they've been married for a long time." Ziwei nodded, gently shaking the orchid painting in her hand, "It's so nice to have such a lively atmosphere."
As the sun climbed higher, smoke curled from the kitchen of Shufangzhai, and the aroma of simmering chicken soup wafted from the small kitchen. Little Chongzi crouched under the pomegranate tree, mimicking the magpie's "chirp chirp," hoping to "attract some birds of joy and bring good fortune." Little Zhuozi practiced his newly learned boxing and kicking in the courtyard, chanting, "Look at my little Zhuozi's mandarin duck legs! They'll definitely keep the princesses safe." Mingyue and Caixia carefully folded the empress's wedding gown and placed it in a gilded dowry chest, their movements as gentle as if they were protecting fragile treasures.
Xiaoyanzi leaned on Ziwei's shoulder, looking at the red silk lanterns filling the courtyard and smelling the aroma of chicken soup. Suddenly, she smiled and said, "Tell me, in our previous lives, how could we have dreamed of being able to wait peacefully in the palace to get married?" Her voice was very soft, as if she was afraid of disturbing something. "Back then, I always thought life was hard. Now I know, this is what a sweet life is like."
Ziwei held her hand tightly, feeling the warmth on her fingertips: "Yes, with you here, with the Emperor protecting us, and with so many people who love us, how can life not be sweet?"
Sunlight filtered through the red silk, casting dappled shadows on the ground, lengthening everyone's shadow. From afar came the sound of court musicians tuning their instruments. The clear melodies mingled with the laughter and chatter of those in Shufangzhai, like a gentle overture, gently unfolding, awaiting the perfect spring wedding.
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