Chapter 226: Warm Hearth, Happy News
The afternoon sun slanted through the carved window lattices of Shufangzhai, casting diamond-shaped patches of light on the blue brick floor. The silver charcoal in the brazier burned brightly, and the room was warm and cozy, mingling with the faint aroma of incense and freshly brewed jasmine tea, which was particularly soothing. Little Swallow sat cross-legged on a red felt couch, holding a half-embroidered mandarin duck handkerchief. She frowned at the crooked mandarin duck on the handkerchief and muttered, "This mandarin duck's neck looks like a duckling. Ziwei, come and save it!"
Ziwei was sitting at the embroidery frame opposite, embroidering lotus flowers on the cuffs of her wedding gown. Upon hearing this, she put down her frame, walked over, picked up the handkerchief, and looked at it. She couldn't help laughing, "Your mandarin duck must have practiced light martial arts. Its neck is flying." She picked up the embroidery needle and gently picked out the crooked silk thread. "It should be embroidered along the outline like this. The stitches should be denser to make it look better."
"You're really the best." Xiaoyanzi leaned over to watch her sew. The sunlight shone on Ziwei's hair, casting a soft glow on her jet-black hair. "When we get married, I'll ask you to teach me embroidery every day. I'll embroider a bunch of little ducks... No, mandarin ducks!"
"You." Ziwei smiled and tapped her forehead. As soon as her fingertips touched her forehead, Xiaoyanzi grabbed her wrist. The two of them laughed so hard that the strands of hair on their temples rubbed together.
"What are you so happy about?" Concubine Ling's voice came from outside the door. She was wearing a royal blue palace dress with delicate magnolia embroidered on the hem of her skirt. She was holding a little palace maid's hand, and the palace maid was holding a gold-painted lacquer box. Behind her were two eunuchs carrying a red lacquer wooden box.
"Empress Ling!" Xiaoyanzi immediately jumped down from the couch, her skirt brushing against the copper incense burner beside the charcoal basin, bringing a waft of warmth. "Why are you here? Come and sit down!" She took Concubine Ling's hand and led her to the couch, but her eyes glanced at the red lacquered wooden box and asked curiously, "What good things are in here?"
Concubine Ling smiled and patted her hand, the smile in the corners of her eyes as gentle as spring water. "Knowing you're getting married, I specially had some things prepared and sent over. This box contains ten quilts I had my embroiderer make to keep you warm in the winter. This lacquer box contains some small personal items, all the finest ones I used when I got married. I'm giving them to you to bring you good luck."
The maid opened the lacquer box, revealing two pairs of silver warming stoves, inscribed with the words "Happy Marriage" (happiness is the key to a happy marriage). There were also two pairs of jade bracelets, the jade itself soft and luminous in the light. At the bottom lay several rolls of fine cotton cloth, soft to the touch. Concubine Ling explained, "This is cotton cloth from Jiangnan. It's comfortable to wear next to the skin and perfect for undergarments."
Ziwei picked up the heater, her fingertips touched the cool silver surface, but her heart was warmed: "Your Majesty, you are so worried. You have been thinking about me all these years."
"Silly children, if I don't miss you, who else would I miss?" Concubine Ling took Ziwei's hand and sat down, her eyes fixed on her unfinished wedding dress. "The lotus flowers on the cuffs are so elegant, it's obvious how much thought was put into them. It's going to be windy on your wedding day, so I had mink cloaks prepared for you to keep you warm." She turned to Xiaoyanzi and pulled a small brocade pouch from her sleeve. "This is a peace talisman I prayed to the Bodhisattva for. You have a wild temper. With this, everything will go smoothly."
Xiaoyanzi took the brocade bag, pinched the hard talisman paper inside, and nodded vigorously: "Thank you, Empress Ling Fei! I will definitely wear it every day, even when I sleep!" She stuffed the brocade bag into her arms, close to her heart, with a smile on her face.
As they were talking, Yongqi and Erkang walked in one after the other. Yongqi wore a royal blue dress with arrow sleeves, a jade belt around his waist, and held a red sandalwood box in his hand; Erkang wore a moon-white gown and held a book in his hand. Both of them had a chill when they entered, but when they saw the warmth in the room, their brows softened instantly.
"Empress Ling is here too." Yongqi bowed, his eyes unconsciously falling on Xiaoyanzi. Seeing her arms bulging, he asked with a smile, "What goodies are you hiding? Are you hiding candied fruit again?"
"What do you care?" Xiaoyanzi glared at him, but she showed him a little bit of the amulet given by Concubine Ling. "It's the amulet given by Concubine Ling. It's much more valuable than your candied fruit!"
Erkang walked up to Ziwei and handed her the book. “This is a newly annotated edition of ‘The Admonitions for Women’ that I found after searching all the bookstores in Beijing. It contains a lot of principles on how to treat people after marriage. See if you can use it.” There was a dried orchid on the cover of the book, which was Ziwei’s favorite variety.
Ziwei took the book, stroked the yellowed pages with her fingertips, and whispered, "You are always so careful." When she raised her eyes, she met Erkang's gentle gaze. Both of them blushed and hurriedly looked away.
Concubine Ling looked at them and joked with a smile, "In a few days, two pairs of golden phoenixes will fly out of Shufangzhai. The harem will be much less lively."
"Of course not!" Xiaoyanzi retorted immediately, "Yongqi and I still live in Shufangzhai, and Ziwei and Erkang often come to visit. When the time comes, we can get together every day, and it will be even more lively than it is now!" As she spoke, she hooked her arm around Ziwei's shoulders, "Right, sister?"
Ziwei smiled and nodded, the smile in her eyes was so gentle that it could melt the winter ice: "Well, we will never separate."
Yongqi opened the rosewood box in his hand. Inside was a phoenix hairpin made of pure gold. The phoenix's tail feathers were adorned with tiny pearls, which made a rustling sound when gently shaken. "I had someone make this according to your drawing last time. I'll put it in my hair on the wedding day. The pearls will sway when I walk. It will look beautiful."
Xiaoyanzi picked up her hairpin and gestured in front of the bronze mirror. The light from the pearls reflected in her eyes, sparkling brightly. "Why are the eyes of this phoenix green?"
"It's jade beads." Yongqi walked behind her and helped her put the hairpin into her bun. His fingertips accidentally touched her earlobe, and both of them trembled slightly. He whispered, "The jade suits you perfectly."
Xiao Zhuozi came in with some freshly cut candied fruit. Seeing this, he smiled and retreated to the door, winking at the little mosquito in the corridor: "My dear, I'm afraid the candied fruit is too late. The young couple is enjoying it!"
Little Wanzi was squatting on the ground counting wedding invitations. He stood up when he heard this and patted the dust off his hands: "Then let's share in the good luck and send out the wedding invitations quickly so that the whole capital will know that our princess is getting married!" As he said this, he picked up a stack of wedding invitations and ran off with Little Zhuozi. The red lanterns in the corridor swayed gently in the wind they brought.
Concubine Ling looked at the lively scene and stood up with a smile. "It's getting late. I should return to the palace. Ask the imperial kitchen to bring you some lotus seed soup for dinner to nourish your bodies." When she reached the door, she turned back and reminded, "If you can't remember the wedding etiquette, ask Mingyue Caixia to ask me. Don't be embarrassed."
After seeing Concubine Ling off, the setting sun had already dyed the western sky red. Xiaoyanzi carefully placed her hairpin back into its box and then picked up the heater Concubine Ling had given her, cradling it in her arms. The warmth from the heater filtered through her clothes, warming her heart. Ziwei continued to embroider her wedding dress at the embroidery frame. Erkang sat beside her, quietly reading from the newly annotated "Legends for Women" in a low, gentle voice. Yongqi leaned against the edge of the couch, watching Xiaoyanzi fiddling with the dowry, a smile on his face that never faded.
Sparks from the charcoal brazier occasionally crackled, red silk outside the window fluttered gently in the evening breeze, and the distant sound of the night watchman's clappers echoed distinctly in the silent twilight. The lights in Shufangzhai lit up one by one, stretching each person's shadow long and casting it on the wall like a warm painting.
"I suddenly feel like," Xiaoyanzi said softly, hugging the stove, "it's so nice to be able to wait for marriage peacefully in this life."
Ziwei raised her head, the light of the lamp reflected in her eyes: "Yeah, that's great."
Yongqi and Erkang glanced at each other, each seeing a smile in the other's eyes. The warmth in the room, the impending wedding, the family and friends around them, were like the warmest sunshine on a winter's day, melting away past regrets and leaving behind only hope and peace.
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