Chapter 254: Swollen Face Refusal to Marry, Wedding Date Postponed
The heater in Shufangzhai was burning brightly, the charcoal smoke mixed with the rich aroma of ointment filling the room. Xiaoyanzi lay sprawled on the dressing table, grimacing at the mirror—her left cheek was swollen, squeezing her eye into a slit. Two red bumps lay side by side on her right cheek, looking like they were stained with red beans. Even her earlobes were swollen and shiny.
"Ouch..." She reached out to touch it, but Ziwei slapped her hand away.
Ziwei was holding a silver hairpin, carefully dipping it into the ointment that Doctor Li had just left, and applying it to her face. "Don't touch it! The doctor said that this ointment needs to be rubbed in slowly to be effective. The more you touch it, the more swelling it will get." Her movements were as light as plucking a feather, but her brows were twisted into knots. "It's all my fault. I didn't stop you just now."
"It's none of your business." Xiaoyanzi said sullenly, her voice leaking out from the corners of her swollen mouth, a little vague, "Who knew there was a beehive hidden in the broken locust flowers? Besides, where did the bees come from in this weather? Someone must be playing tricks!" She became more and more angry as she spoke, and she slammed the table, making the rouge box on the table clang.
Qing'er quickly supported her shoulders: "Don't get angry, be careful not to pull the wound, it will hurt more." She brought a bowl of iced mung bean soup, scooped some with a small silver spoon, and gently applied it to Xiaoyanzi's swollen cheek, "Use this to cool it down, it will make you feel better."
The cool touch made Xiaoyanzi squint her eyes comfortably. Just as she was about to praise Qing'er for her attentiveness, she heard the announcement from Xiaodeng outside: "The Emperor has arrived——"
Everyone in the room immediately became busy. Ziwei quickly hid the ointment in a drawer, Qing'er handed the ice bowl to Jinsuo, and Xiaoyanzi frantically tried to find a handkerchief to cover her face. But her face was so swollen that an ordinary handkerchief couldn't cover it at all. She stamped her feet anxiously, "What should I do? How can I face the Emperor like this?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Qianlong had already opened the curtain and walked in. He was wearing bright yellow casual clothes. As soon as he entered the door, he smelled the smell of medicine in the whole room. When he saw Xiaoyanzi's appearance, his brows immediately frowned: "What's going on?"
"Emperor Father!" Xiaoyanzi cried out in grievance and subconsciously dodged backwards, trying to hide behind Ziwei.
Yongqi hurriedly stepped forward, protecting Xiaoyanzi behind him, and told her in a deep voice about the bee sting. At the end, he added, "I have asked someone to investigate the origin of the locust flowers, and we must get to the bottom of it." The dark blue prince's uniform on him made his face look particularly serious, and his eyes were full of heartache for Xiaoyanzi.
Qianlong walked up to Xiaoyanzi, squatted down, and looked at her face carefully. His eyes, originally filled with anger, gradually became tinged with a helpless smile. "You...why do you always get into trouble wherever you go?" He reached out and gently touched her chin with his fingertips. "Does it hurt a lot?"
Xiaoyanzi nodded, then shook her head, her eyes red. "The pain is secondary. It's just... it's just that I look so ugly." She sniffed and suddenly raised her voice, "Father Emperor, can the wedding be postponed? I don't want to be married with this pig-headed face!"
Ziwei couldn't help laughing and Qing'er quietly pulled her sleeve.
Qianlong also smiled, stood up and said, "Even if you hadn't mentioned it, I was just about to bring it up." He looked at everyone, his tone full of unquestionable majesty, yet also gentleness, "Let's postpone the wedding for a few days. Once our Princess Huanzhu's face has subsided and she's back to her fresh, fresh look, we can hold it in full splendor."
"Really?" Xiaoyanzi's eyes lit up, forgetting the pain on her face, "Thank you, Father Emperor!"
Ziwei also breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "That's the best. A bride should be beautiful. How can she get married with a swollen face?" She turned and winked at Xiaoyanzi, "You, just stay well and recover from your injuries during this time. Don't run around anymore."
"I know!" Xiaoyanzi responded readily, but she was thinking in her heart - when she gets better, she will find out the person who released the bees and give his ancestors a good "greeting"!
Yongqi looked at her beaming expression and shook his head helplessly, his eyes brimming with smiles. "Then I'll have the wedding arrangements at the mansion halted until you're better." He pulled a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve and handed it to Xiaoyanzi. "This is a swelling-reducing ointment I had someone find outside the palace. It's said to be very effective. Try it."
Xiaoyanzi took it, opened it and smelled it, and a cool minty scent rushed into her nose: "You still understand me!" She leaned over and wanted to smile at Yongqi, but it moved the pimple on her face and she hissed in pain.
Seeing this, everyone couldn't help but laugh. The charcoal in the stove crackled, adding to the laughter in the room. Snow was still falling outside the window, but the warmth in Shufangzhai was like unmelted honey, so sweet that it softened everyone's heart.
Only Yongqi's eyes grew colder as he turned around and instructed the guards: "Investigate carefully, especially the movements in Jingren Palace. Don't miss any clues."
The guard responded in a deep voice and retreated silently. The icicles under the eaves reflected the skylight, making it dazzling, as if foreshadowing that this seemingly unexpected "bee plague" was hiding something fishy.
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