Chapter 279: Rong Mansion Night Talk, Moonlight Shines on the Heart
As soon as the vermilion lacquer door of Prince Rong's mansion was pushed open a crack, Yongqi was seen standing inside the door wearing moon-white casual clothes and holding a black cloak in his hand.
"Are you back?" He reached out to take Xiaoyanzi, and when his fingertips touched the back of her slightly cold hand, he couldn't help but frowned, "Why are you wearing so little?"
Xiaoyanzi had just emerged from the Fang Mansion's warm room, still scented with the sweet scent of osmanthus. She slapped Yongqi's hand away and skipped inside. "It's not cold! The dates at the Fang Mansion are sweet. I saved a big bag for you."
Little Dengzi had been following behind with his food box. When he saw Yongqi, he quickly replied, "Your Highness, Princess Qing from the Fang residence packed a lot of almond cakes for the princess. She said they were made with a recipe given by the Empress Dowager."
"Qing'er is really considerate." Yongqi smiled and straightened Xiaoyanzi's collar. His eyes fell on the sweet-scented osmanthus flowers in her hair and he reached out to pick them off for her. "Climbing trees in the Fang Mansion again?"
"I just picked a few dates," Xiaoyanzi said stubbornly. But she caught a glimpse of a newly made kite on the stone table in the corridor. Her eyes lit up and she asked, "Did you make this for me?"
The kite was covered in bright yellow silk, with a phoenix painted on it, its wings spread wide, and its tail adorned with multicolored tassels. Yongqi nodded, "Since tomorrow's weather is nice, I'll take you outside the city to fly it."
"Really?" Xiaoyanzi instantly forgot what she had just said. She grabbed Yongqi's sleeve and ran to the yard. "Hurry up and teach me how to set it off! The string on the one I set off in the palace last time broke!"
Ziwei and Erkang walked in at this moment and both smiled at the sight. Ziwei was wearing a lake blue jacket and skirt, holding a brocade box in her hands, and Erkang followed behind her, carrying a food box in his hands. He must have just come from the academy.
"It seems we've arrived just in time." Ziwei smiled and handed the brocade box to Xiaoyanzi. "This is a purse embroidered for you by the children of the academy. They want to say thank you for the pens and ink you donated."
Little Swallow opened the brocade box, and found a dozen small purses neatly arranged inside. Although the stitches were crooked, the embroidery was lively. Some were embroidered with magpies, some with peonies, and one with a little swallow with a tilted head.
"Wow! Who embroidered this? It's exactly like mine!" Little Swallow held up the purse with the tilted head and laughed so hard that she couldn't straighten her back.
Little Mosquito came out of the house, holding a piece of sweet-scented osmanthus cake in his hand. "My princess, this must have been embroidered by Xiaodouzi! He admires you the most and said he wanted to embroider a princess who can fly over the eaves and walk on the walls!"
Everyone was amused. Erkang handed the food box to Xiao Zhuozi: "This is the pea yellow made by Fu Jin, let you try it." He looked at Yongqi, "I just came from the academy, and the children are looking forward to the princess telling them stories about the martial arts world."
"No problem!" Little Swallow patted her chest. "After I fly the kite tomorrow, I'll go tell them how Liu Qing and Liu Hong beat up bullies!"
Yongqi shook his head helplessly and said to Ziwei: "Look at her, she is still so wild even after becoming a princess."
"That's better," Ziwei said gently. "If I feel restrained, I won't be like Xiaoyanzi anymore." She turned to Xiaoyanzi, her eyes sparkling. "By the way, Fulun's father said he wants to invite you and Yongqi to his mansion for a drink next month. Fujin has just learned a new dish from the south of the Yangtze River."
"Okay, okay!" Xiaoyanzi loved the hustle and bustle. "Let Ertai bring Liuhong along, and we can sit at the same table!"
As they spoke, Xiao Dengzi brought over freshly brewed tea, the delicate aroma of Longjing tea wafting from the purple clay teapot. Yongqi peeled an orange for Xiaoyanzi and handed Ziwei and Erkang a plate of preserved fruit. Moonlight filtered through the branches of the crabapple tree, casting dappled shadows on the stone table.
"Honestly," Xiaoyanzi bit an orange and suddenly sighed, "When I was in Jiangnan before, I never thought that I would have a life like this now." With Yongqi by her side, sisters like Ziwei, family members from the Fang Mansion, and a group of friends who can make jokes.
Yongqi held her hand, his palm warm: "It will only get better in the future."
Ziwei leaned on Erkang's shoulder and whispered, "Me too. I used to just think I could find my father, but now..." She glanced at Erkang, then at Xiaoyanzi and Yongqi, her eyes full of smiles, "It feels like a dream."
"This is not a dream." Erkang held her hand tightly, "This is the good day we deserve."
Little Mosquito pulled out a Kongming lantern from somewhere and came over with a grin, "Prince, Princess, would you like to release a lantern? I just wrote 'good weather and good harvest' on it!"
"Release it!" Little Swallow jumped up, snatched the Kongming lantern, and ran to the center of the yard. "I'm going to write 'Yongqi, never make me angry!'"
Yongqi followed with a smile: "Then I will also write 'Little Swallow, you are not allowed to climb trees and rob bird nests again'!"
Ziwei and Erkang stood in the corridor, watching, their faces smiling. The moonlight fell on their clasped hands, gentle as a pool of spring water. Xiao Dengzi and Xiao Zhuozi were busy passing the tinderbox, while Xiao Wenzi muttered to the side, "Guai guai long di dong, this lantern must fly high, so that even the heavens can see our wishes!"
The Kongming lantern slowly rose, its orange light piercing the crabapple treetops before merging into the inky blue of the night sky. Little Swallow tugged at Yongqi's sleeve, looking up at the tiny ray of light. Suddenly, she whispered, "Yongqi, do you think there really were gods in our past lives who, seeing how miserable we were, gave us a new life?"
Yongqi looked down at her, the tenderness in his eyes like indissoluble ink: "Whether there are immortals or not, I will never let you suffer any injustice again in this life."
The night watchman's clappers rang out from afar, signaling the third watch. Ziwei yawned, and Erkang stood up and said, "It's getting late, we should go back."
Xiaoyanzi stuffed the remaining almond cake into Ziwei's hand and said, "Take it back for a midnight snack. See you at the academy tomorrow."
When seeing Ziwei and Erkang off, Yongqi suddenly remembered something and said to Xiaoyanzi, "Oh, the Emperor said he's going to hold a banquet in the Imperial Garden the day after tomorrow and wants us all to go."
"Another banquet?" Little Swallow pouted. "Can I not go? I want to go flying a kite with you."
"Be good," Yongqi scratched her nose, "I'll only be gone for half a day. I'll take you to the guesthouse to eat beggar's chicken in the evening."
"That's more like it." Little Swallow smiled, stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek, then turned and ran into the house, "I'll go see if there are any typos in Little Mosquito's wish!"
Yongqi stood there, rubbing the spot she had kissed, unable to hide the smile on his face. The moonlight shone on him, and on every corner of Prince Rong's mansion, so gently that it seemed as if it were singing a never-ending ballad for the newlyweds.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
