Chapter 244: The Wedding Dress is Cut Lightly, the Heart is Sewn Secretly
In the embroidery room of Shufangzhai, the heater burned brightly, filling the room with a cozy warmth of silk and satin. Little Swallow sat cross-legged on a low couch covered with brocade cushions, clutching an elaborate and gorgeous scarlet wedding dress, her brow furrowed like a tangled ball of red silk.
"This material is as hard as armor!" She tugged at the gold-threaded phoenix on the hem of her skirt, the thread pinching her fingertips until it hurt. "How can I walk in this? Not to mention jumping out the window!" Just as she finished speaking, she suddenly remembered something. Her eyes lit up, and she waved to Mingyue, who was sorting the silk threads. "Mingyue! Hurry and get the scissors!"
Mingyue was startled, and the spool of silk thread in her hand rolled to the ground: "Princess! You can't do this! This is a phoenix robe that the Suzhou Weaving Bureau spent three months to embroider. If you cut it, you will lose your head!" She rushed over and held Xiaoyanzi's hand, her face pale.
Xiaoyanzi waved her hand nonchalantly, "Don't worry, I know my limits!" She pointed to the cumbersome rippled train on the hem of her skirt and said, "Cut that off and narrow the cuffs. It'll look beautiful and neat!" She remembered the silver fox cloak Yongqi had given her and added, "And sew a circle of white fox fur around the collar. It'll be warm and majestic!"
"This..." Mingyue was in a dilemma, rubbing the corner of her clothes and looking at Caixia beside her. Caixia was holding a pomegranate red jacket and smiled when she heard him say, "Don't worry, Sister Mingyue, the princess knows what she's doing. The last time she modified the riding and archery uniform, the emperor praised it for its uniqueness."
As he spoke, Emperor Qianlong entered through the curtains, his bright yellow dragon robe sweeping across the threshold, bringing a chill. He immediately spotted the scissors in Xiaoyanzi's hand and the ripped wedding dress, raising his eyebrows slightly. "Are you planning to dismantle your phoenix robe to make war attire?"
Xiaoyanzi frantically hid the scissors and the wedding dress behind her, sticking out her tongue. "Father Emperor! What brings you here?" Her eyes rolled, and she grabbed the dress and leaned forward. "Look at how stiff the material is! It feels like tying a dumpling. I'll make it softer so I can kowtow to you on our wedding day!"
Qianlong took the wedding gown, his fingertips brushing over the gold-thread embroidery of a hundred sons and grandsons, his eyes softening. He remembered her tears in her previous life, wearing an ill-fitting gown, and couldn't help but laugh. "If you want to change it, then change it. Let the embroiderer help you. Don't hurt your hands." He paused, looking at the trailing ripples. "This part is indeed cumbersome. It's better to cut it off."
"You are so kind, Father Emperor!" Xiaoyanzi cheered and shook Qianlong's arm. "I knew you loved me the most!"
Qianlong patted the back of her hand, his gaze fixed on the solid gold bracelet on her wrist—a gift from Fang's mother for her coming-of-age ceremony. He whispered, "Marriage is a momentous occasion. I can wrong no one, but not my Princess Huanzhu." He turned to Mingyue and said, "Go to the storehouse and fetch some oriental pearls to add some tassels to Princess Huanzhu's wedding gown. Something lively and elegant."
Mingyue quickly agreed and retreated. Caixia took the opportunity to hand over the pomegranate red jacket and said, "Your Majesty, this is made by the princess for the future young prince. It is made of the latest brocade from Jiangnan."
Qianlong picked up the small jacket. It was embroidered with a cute little tiger in silver thread. The stitching was crooked, yet it exuded a sense of life. He couldn't help but laugh: "Why is the tiger's tail embroidered like a fox?"
"That's called innovation!" Xiaoyanzi snatched the little jacket and said confidently, "My son must be different from others!" As soon as she said this, her face turned red. She stuffed the little jacket into her arms and ran to the inner room, "I'll go see if the embroiderer is here!"
Watching her blushing figure running away, Qianlong's smile deepened. He said to Caixia, "Princess, please change it however you like. Don't be bound by the rules." After a pause, he added, "Prepare some soft cotton. She's afraid of the cold."
Ziwei's embroidery room was much quieter. She sat at her frame by the window, needle in hand, weaving a lotus flower on a square of white silk. Sunlight filtered through the window lattice, streaming into her hair. The golden tassels swayed gently, casting a warm glow on the plain lapels of her dress.
Erkang gently put his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head, his nose filled with the faint scent of jasmine. "Are you embroidering this again?" He looked at the lotus bud about to bloom, his fingertips brushing against the jade bracelet on her wrist - a token of love he had given her.
Ziwei turned her head to look at him, a gentle smile in her eyes. "This is a purse I'm embroidering for you. It needs to be finished before the wedding." She picked up the needle and carefully dotted the lotus with golden stamens. "Look at these lotus seeds. I used pearl powder imported from the South China Sea. They will shine in the light."
Erkang held her needle-holding hand, his fingertips touching the fine calluses on her fingertips. He said with concern, "Don't tire yourself out. I'm not in a hurry." He pulled a small wooden box from his sleeve and opened it to reveal a jade hairpin with half a plum blossom carved on the head. "This is the warm jade I spent three months searching for. It won't feel cold even in winter."
Ziwei took the jade hairpin and stroked her cool jade face with her fingertips. Her face suddenly flushed and she whispered, "Erkang, I... I'm a little scared." She thought of the cumbersome formalities that Concubine Ling had taught her and felt overwhelmed. "If I bow incorrectly or say the wrong thing, will I be laughed at?"
Erkang bent down and looked into her eyes, his tone solemn: "In my heart, you are fine no matter what." He picked up the half-embroidered white silk and said with a smile, "Besides, I am here with you. If you bow wrongly, I will bow wrongly with you; if you speak wrongly, I will speak wrongly with you."
Ziwei was amused by him, and the sadness in her eyes disappeared. She put the jade hairpin in her hair, looked at herself in the bronze mirror, and said softly, "It's really beautiful."
Erkang embraced her from behind and whispered in her ear, "When we get married, I'll pin your hair every day." His warm breath brushed against her ear, causing her to shiver slightly. The wintersweet flowers outside the window were in full bloom, their delicate fragrance drifting in on the breeze, mingling with the scent of embroidery thread that filled the room, sweet as honey.
In the Fang Mansion's study, Xiao Jian was lost in thought, staring at a blueprint. It depicted an exquisite dagger, its hilt recessed and inscribed with the words "Inlaid with the jade pendant given by Qing'er." His fingertips brushed the lines on the blueprint, and he remembered the handkerchief embroidered with clouds and cranes that Qing'er had given him. His lips curled up.
"What good things are you thinking about?" Fang Zhihang walked in with a cup of hot tea. Seeing the rare gentleness on his son's face, he joked, "Are you thinking about what betrothal gifts to prepare for Princess Qing?"
Xiao Jian put away the blueprint, his ears slightly reddened. "Dad." He pulled out a brocade box from his bosom. Inside was a transparent jade pendant with the word "peace" engraved on it. "This is a warm jade I asked a friend in the martial arts world to find. I want to embed it on her sword for self-defense."
Fang Zhihang took the jade pendant, looked at it against the light, and nodded, saying, "Good taste. This jade is nourishing, and it's a perfect match for Princess Qing." He put the jade pendant down and said earnestly, "Princess Qing has suffered a lot of grievances in the palace. You must treat her well in the future."
"Don't worry, Dad." Xiao Jian held the jade pendant tightly, his tone firm, "I will protect her with my life."
As they were talking, Chuntao came in with a plate of freshly made osmanthus cakes and said with a smile, "Master, Master, Madam wants you to try some new cakes." She put down the plate and added, "I just heard Mingyue say that Princess Huanzhu is having her wedding dress altered. She wants it to be so nice that she can fly over rooftops and walls."
Xiao Jian and Fang Zhihang smiled at each other. Xiao Jian said, "She's been like this since she was a child. She can't sit still." His words were filled with doting. He picked up a piece of osmanthus cake and put it in his mouth. The sweet fragrance spread on his tongue, just like the taste in his heart at the moment.
The sunlight outside the window was just right, filtering through the lattice onto the dagger and jade pendant on the blueprint, refracting a gentle glow. Three days until the wedding, the air was thicker and thicker with joy, like the winter plum blossoms about to bloom, waiting for the east wind to blow, filling the city with fragrance.
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