Chapter 270: Warm Words in the Palace, Family Happiness
By the time we returned from the guesthouse to the palace, dusk had already permeated the palace walls. As the carriage passed Shenwu Gate, Eunuch Su and two young eunuchs were waiting by the palace road. Seeing the carriage stop, they hurriedly bowed and came forward to greet us. "Your Highness, Princess, the Emperor is waiting in the Shufangzhai. He wants to have dinner with you two."
Xiaoyanzi lifted the carriage curtain, and the cold wind blew in, carrying snow foam. She shrank her neck and wrapped her cloak tighter around her: "Why did the Emperor come here so suddenly?"
Yongqi adjusted the hood of her cloak and brushed his fingertips across her red, frozen earlobe. "Maybe you missed me," he said to Eunuch Su. "I see. We'll be there soon."
The lights in Shufangzhai were already on, and a warm yellow glow filtered through the window paper, like a piece of melted honey. As soon as I entered the courtyard, I was greeted by a familiar sweet aroma—it was the rock sugar and snow pear soup freshly made in the imperial kitchen, Xiaoyanzi's favorite.
"Father Emperor!" Xiaoyanzi stepped into the main hall and saw Emperor Qianlong sitting at the table on the kang, flipping through a chess manual. The Empress and Concubine Ling were chatting with him. She quickly stepped forward to greet him. "Why are you here?"
Qianlong looked up, put down the chess manual, and smiled. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were filled with warmth. "Why, you're not welcome?" He pointed to the food box on the table. "Concubine Ling said you had a lot of fun outside at noon and must not have eaten well. She asked the imperial kitchen to make some of your favorite food."
Concubine Ling smiled and pulled Xiaoyanzi to her side, touching her hand. "Are you cold? Come on up to the kang and warm up." She turned to the palace maid and said, "Replace the basin with new charcoal to add some more energy."
The Queen looked at the crabapple hairpin on Xiaoyanzi's temples with a gentle look in her eyes. "This hairpin is quite unique. Was it a gift from Yongqi?"
Xiaoyanzi blushed and stole a glance at Yongqi. Seeing him smiling at her, she felt as if a warm stove was burning in her heart. She muttered, "It's... just an ordinary hairpin."
Yongqi walked forward and greeted Emperor Qianlong and the Empress before sitting down next to Xiaoyanzi. He picked up the teacup on the table and poured her a cup of hot tea: "Drink some to warm yourself up first. The snow pear soup will have to wait."
Qianlong watched the two people's little movements, and the smile on his lips deepened. "Is it appropriate for you to run away just after getting married?" Although his words were a bit reproachful, his eyes were full of indulgence. "Yongqi, you must keep a close eye on her from now on. Don't let her stay away from home every day."
"Your son obeys your order." Yongqi responded with a smile and secretly touched the back of Xiaoyanzi's hand, in return she rolled her eyes playfully.
As they were talking, Ziwei and Erkang also arrived. Ziwei was wearing a moon-white gauze jacket with a light red bodice over it. When she saw Qianlong and the Empress, she bowed meekly, "Father Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress."
"Hurry up and sit down." Qianlong beckoned her to come to his side. "I heard that you and Erkang planted a crape myrtle greenhouse in the mansion. I'll go take a look later."
Erkang bowed and said, "I have asked someone to prepare tea in the warm room. If Your Majesty is interested, I will accompany you there another day."
Concubine Ling handed Ziwei a piece of plum blossom pastry. "Did you just come from the Fang family? Madam Fang said Qing'er embroidered a purse these days. The stitching is very good. I'll ask her to bring it to you later."
Ziwei was about to answer when she saw Xiaoyanzi grab a handful of melon seeds from the table on the kang, stuff a few into her hands, and wink at her with the same expression she had when they first met at the Fang family. Ziwei felt a warm feeling in her heart, and she secretly smiled back.
When dinner was served, the kang table was almost full: braised prawns were Xiaoyanzi's favorite, squirrel mandarin fish was Ziwei's favorite, there was also Qianlong's favorite roast duck, and the empress's favorite chestnut chicken. The table was so full that it felt like Chinese New Year.
Xiaoyanzi picked up the chopsticks and was about to pick up some shrimp when Yongqi stopped her: "Drink some soup first. You just came back and your stomach is empty." He filled a bowl of snow pear soup and placed it in front of her. The sweet aroma of rock sugar mixed with the freshness of the pear went straight to her nose.
"Yongqi is really attentive." Concubine Ling smiled and joked, "Our little Yanzi is just a child who never grows up."
Xiaoyanzi pouted in disbelief, "I'm not!" She picked up a piece of roast duck and stuffed it into her mouth, mumbling, "I can embroider, play chess, and... I can also practice swordplay!"
Qianlong was amused by her and picked up a piece of fish belly with his serving chopsticks. "Yes, yes, our Princess Huanzhu is the most amazing." He looked at Yongqi. "I heard you hunted a white fox a few days ago? Where's the cloak you made for Xiaoyanzi?"
"Reporting to the Emperor, it's ready. The material is soft and just right for her." Yongqi said, "I'll have it delivered tomorrow."
The Queen put down her chopsticks, looked at Xiaoyanzi and said, "From now on, you must not act as willfully as you did in Shufangzhai when you are in the palace. Even though it is our own palace, there are still rules to follow. I will ask Rong Mama to teach you how to manage the household. As a girl, you should always know the basics of life."
Xiaoyanzi's heart tightened, and she subconsciously wanted to hide—in her previous life, she had always been a little intimidated by the word "rules." But seeing the Queen's gentle, not at all stern, look, she breathed a sigh of relief and nodded obediently, "Thank you, Mother. I will learn."
Concubine Ling tried to smooth things over: "Xiaoyanzi is clever and will learn it quickly. Besides, with Yongqi's help, there's no doubt she'll be fine."
Qianlong put down his teacup, his tone tinged with emotion. "Think back to when you first entered the palace, you were all so timid. Now, you've all started families and are living your own lives. It's wonderful." He looked at Xiaoyanzi and Ziwei. "Especially you two sisters. Being able to be by my side peacefully like this is better than anything else."
Xiaoyanzi's heart stirred, and she looked up at Qianlong. The dim light cast a shadow on the silver hair at his temples, making him look much friendlier than usual. She suddenly recalled the bitter days of confrontation in her past life. Then, looking at the warm stove, the hot soup, and the table full of laughter, her eyes suddenly warmed. She quickly lowered her head to drink the soup, trying to hide the tears in her eyes.
Yongqi noticed something was wrong with her and quietly held her hand. The warmth of his palm, transmitted through the thin sleeve, steadily suppressed her turbulent emotions.
After dinner, Emperor Qianlong and the Empress returned to the palace, while Concubine Ling stayed behind to chat with them. As they reached the door, Emperor Qianlong suddenly turned around and said to Xiaoyanzi, "Tomorrow, let Yongqi accompany you back to the Fang family to visit your parents. Fang Zhihang recently acquired an authentic Wang Xizhi painting. You should go take a look at it and learn some calligraphy instead of just focusing on swordplay."
"I know, Your Majesty!" Xiaoyanzi responded with a smile, but her heart was sweet - Your Majesty treated her like his own daughter.
After seeing off Emperor Qianlong and the Empress, Concubine Ling took Xiaoyanzi and Ziwei's hands and sat on the kang, chattering about family matters. "The Empress Dowager was still thinking about you today. She said that when the snow stops, she wants you to go to Changchun Palace to play mahjong with her." She looked at Ziwei and said, "How are the preparations for your academy going? If you need anything, just let me know. I'll send you any unused items in the palace that I can use."
Ziwei nodded gratefully: "Thank you, Empress Lingfei, it's almost done, and classes can start after the New Year."
Little Swallow interjected, "I want to donate some things, too! I'll donate all my unused clothes and jewelry to make new clothes for those orphan girls!"
Concubine Ling smiled and tapped her forehead: "You are the one with so many ideas. But it's good, it's a good thing."
As the night deepened, Concubine Ling left for the palace, leaving only Xiaoyanzi and Yongqi in the Shufangzhai. The charcoal fire crackled in the stove, casting their shadows gently on the wall.
Xiaoyanzi leaned in Yongqi's arms, playing with the jade pendant on his waist: "Yongqi, do you think we are dreaming?"
"It's not a dream." Yong Qi lowered his head and kissed the top of her head. His voice was low and gentle. "Look, this charcoal fire is hot, this tea is fragrant, I am real, the Emperor, the Empress, Ziwei, everyone is real."
Little Swallow looked up at him. Moonlight leaked in through the window lattice, falling into his eyes like a rim full of stars. She suddenly smiled, leaned over and pecked him on the lips: "Yes, it's true."
The snow outside the window had stopped falling at some point, and the moonlight, shimmering across the palace tiles, was blindingly white. The lights in Shufangzhai burned late into the night, and whispers of laughter drifted through the warm yellow light, mingling with the warmth of the charcoal fire, filling the room with a sweet aroma in the quiet palace night.
The Forbidden City in this life is different after all. The red walls are no longer cold, the palace rules are no longer strict, because there are people around me who I want to protect, and there are hands willing to warm each other, even the wind and snow have become gentle.
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