Chapter 273: Shufang conveys the order, and the old subordinates accompany him
The golden light of the setting sun slanted down on the glazed tiles of the Forbidden City. As soon as Emperor Qianlong and the empress's carriage passed through Taihe Gate, Emperor Qianlong lifted a corner of the curtain and looked over the layers of palace walls in the direction of Shufangzhai.
"Let's go to Shufangzhai and have a seat." He lowered the curtain, with a barely perceptible worry in his voice.
The Empress picked up the teacup, the mist from the teacup blurring her gentle features. "Your Majesty, is he still thinking of Xiaoyanzi? Just now at the palace, I saw her playing and joking with Yongqi. She seemed more at ease than in the palace."
"She's free, yes," Qianlong tapped his fingertips lightly on his knees, "but this child is used to being wild. Even if the rules of the palace are relaxed, it's still not Shufangzhai. She still needs someone capable around her to stay with her."
By the time the imperial carriage stopped at the entrance to Shufangzhai, dusk had already thickened the eaves. Mingyue was directing the eunuchs to wipe the vermilion pillars under the corridor. Seeing the emperor's arrival, he hurriedly led everyone to kneel in greeting.
"Everyone get up." Qianlong stepped into the courtyard and glanced at the familiar yard - the branches of the crabapple tree were more luxuriant than last year, and on the stone table under the tree was the coarse pottery tea bowl that Xiaoyanzi usually used, and the chip on the edge of the bowl was clearly visible.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" There was a sudden noise in the east wing. Little Dengzi, Little Zhuozi, Little Chongzi, and Little Wenzi rushed out with a bunch of colored threads. When they saw Qianlong, they dropped their things to the floor and knelt hurriedly, kowtowed, "Your servants pay their respects to the Emperor! Your Majesty!"
Qianlong looked at their flustered appearance, a smile curled up on the corner of his mouth: "What are you doing?"
The little mosquito was the cleverest. He knelt half a step and yelled, "Guai guai lang di dong! Your Majesty, we are making a new kite for the princess! She said she wants to fly it in the courtyard of the palace when spring comes, and she insists on a phoenix kite that is twice as big as the one in Shufangzhai!"
The little bug quickly added, gesturing with his hands as if he were making wings: "The princess said they should be dyed golden red, and decorated with little bells, the kind that tinkle when they fly!"
The queen was amused by them, her eyes falling on the half-finished kite stand in the corner: "You are more concerned about it than she is."
"Of course!" Little Dengzi puffed out his chest. "The princess has been so kind to us that we'd go through fire and water, let alone making kites..."
"Alright, alright," Qianlong interrupted him with a smile, sitting down on the stone bench under the crabapple tree. "Xiaoyanzi is in the palace. Is she getting into trouble?"
Xiao Zhuozi hurriedly moved forward to his knees, still clutching half a kite string in his hand, and said anxiously, "Your Majesty, yesterday I went to give the princess the roll of Tiancan silk thread that she left in Shufangzhai - the one she used best for flying kites. I saw it with my own eyes!" He swallowed his saliva and described it vividly, "The princess looked at the old locust tree at the west wall of the palace, which was full of golden and red persimmons. Her eyes widened, and she rolled up her sleeves and was about to climb up. Prince Rong was anxiously circling beside her, saying, "The tree is too high, what if I fall?" The princess glared and said, "My Qinggong is better than yours." The two of them argued until their faces were red and their necks were thick -"
"What happened next?" the queen asked with interest.
"Later," Xiao Zhuozi grinned, revealing two small canine teeth, "the prince couldn't resist her, so he climbed up the tree and picked a basket full of persimmons himself! The princess smiled and hugged the persimmons, and even stuffed the reddest one into the prince's mouth, saying, 'You're smart!'"
Qianlong listened, tapping his fingertips lightly on the stone table, a smile spreading in his eyes, but he deliberately frowned: "Yongqi is too indulgent to her." The warmth at the end of his words could not be concealed - he remembered the way Xiaoyanzi stuffed lotus cake into Yongqi's mouth in the palace just now, and it was exactly the same as the scene of picking persimmons that Xiaozhuozi described.
He stroked the broken edge of the tea bowl and suddenly said seriously, "I came here today to tell you something."
The four of them held their breath and stood straight.
"Xiaoyanzi just arrived at the palace, and she won't be able to do without someone who knows her well to serve her." Qianlong glanced at the four people, "You four will move to Prince Rong's palace starting tomorrow, and follow the princess from now on."
The little mosquito was stunned at first, then jumped up and said, "Wow, boom! Is what the emperor said true?"
"A king's words are not meant to be jokes." Qianlong looked into their shining eyes and called out their names one by one. "Little Dengzi is thoughtful, keep an eye on her and don't let her get too high and low; Little Zhuozi is quick-witted, she wants to leave the palace, you should follow her and protect her; Little Chongzi is sweet-mouthed, make her smile more; Little Wenzi..." He paused, unable to resist a laugh, "tell her more fresh jokes and don't let her get bored."
"Your servants obey your command!" The four of them kowtowed heavily, their foreheads hitting the bluestone slabs, making a crisp sound that made the copper bells in the corridor jingle.
The Queen said gently, "When you get to the Prince's Mansion, don't behave like you did in Shufangzhai and disturb the Prince."
"The servants have taken note!" Xiao Zhuozi said hurriedly, "We must abide by our duties and never cause any trouble for the princess!"
As Qianlong stood up, he caught a glimpse of a few bunches of dried flowers drying on the windowsill. They were the wild chrysanthemums that Xiaoyanzi had picked last autumn, still tinged with a faint yellow. He paused and said to Mingyue, "Take good care of Shufangzhai and don't let it go to waste."
"Yes, I obey your command." Mingyue's eyes were red, and she was still holding the handkerchief she had just sewn halfway for Xiaoyanzi. The stitches were crooked, but she put a lot of thought into it.
By the time they left Shufangzhai, darkness had already fallen over the palace walls. The faint cheers of Xiao Dengzi and the other three drifted from the courtyard, mingling with the rustling of packing, creating a lively atmosphere. The Queen listened attentively and whispered, "With these four around, Xiaoyanzi can truly feel at ease in the palace."
Qianlong looked toward Prince Rong's mansion, where the lights flickered in the twilight. He recalled the grievances Xiaoyanzi had endured in the palace in his previous life, and a slight knot formed in his throat. In this life, he would give her everything he could, so that she could live in this mansion like she had in Jiangnan, with the light of freedom always shining in her eyes.
At this time in Shufangzhai, little Dengzi was directing the packing of luggage, little Zhuozi stuffed the unfinished kite into the bag, little Chongzi put a bird-teasing whistle in his pocket, and little Wenzi took out the small bronze gong that little Yanzi gave him, saying that he would take it to the palace, in case the princess wanted to "gather people", it would be convenient to ring it.
"Quick! Bring the princess's favorite dice set!" Little Dengzi suddenly remembered something. "Yesterday she asked Little Zhuozi to tell her that there's no one to play with her in the palace!"
The four of them hurriedly packed up, the moonlight filtering through the cracks in the crabapple tree onto them, like a shower of silver. The lights in the east wing stayed on until late, until the sky was just beginning to turn pale. Then, four familiar figures, carrying their bundles, briskly exited the palace, heading towards Prince Rong's residence.
There, there are people they have to protect, new fireworks, and continued warmth.
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