Chapter 289 Tea-serving incident, undercurrent
The suffocating coldness and humiliation in the west courtyard were not dispelled at all by the morning light.
Yongqi stumbled from the bed covered in piercing red brocade, almost as if fleeing. The maids filed in, heads bowed, carrying copper basins, cloths, and a change of clothes. Their movements were light yet breathless with caution. Chen Zhihua, helped by her personal maid, had risen and sat at the dressing table with her back to him. The bronze mirror dimly reflected her pale face. The maid was carefully applying powder to conceal the dark circles under her eyes and the slightly swollen eyelids, but the bite marks on her lips were difficult to completely hide.
Yongqi casually allowed Xiao Zhuozi and Xiao Dengzi to help him wash and change clothes. The cold cloth covering his face made him shudder, and the hangover headache seemed to intensify, but even more painful was the hollow hole in his heart that had been ripped out and the unspeakable shame. As Xiao Dengzi handed over his outer robe, Yongqi's eyes swept over the bright red wedding dress that symbolized last night's absurdity. He frowned in disgust and said in a hoarse voice, "Take it away and change into your regular clothes."
He changed into a navy blue prince's formal attire, embroidered with a four-clawed python in gold thread. He looked solemn and reserved, yet it couldn't hide the deep sadness and fatigue between his brows. He didn't dare look at Chen Zhihua at the dressing table anymore. He felt only that her silent back was like a cold shackle, nailing him firmly to the pillar of shame.
"Your Majesty, Concubine, it's almost time." The butler, Uncle Fu's voice echoed outside the door, a hint of urgency amidst the respect. Serving tea was the most important ritual for a new bride upon entering the palace, and it was also the moment to declare her status to the principal wife and establish their rank.
Chen Zhihua finally turned slowly. She had changed into a new, more elegant lavender-colored Manchu dress embroidered with lotus flowers. Her hair was meticulously combed and pinned with a few elegant pearl flowers. The makeup on her face masked her haggardness, but it couldn't erase the coldness and almost cruel calmness in her eyes. She walked up to Yongqi, kneeling slightly, her voice flat and emotionless, "Your Highness, it's time to serve tea to my sister."
The word "sister" came out of her mouth with a strange, cold weight.
Yongqi's Adam's apple rolled, and those two words felt like needles piercing his eardrums. He nodded stiffly and took the lead, stepping out of the suffocating new house. Chen Zhihua followed him half a step, her back straight, her hands folded in front of her, her fingertips digging deep into her palms.
***
Under the crabapple tree in the east courtyard, the swing was still swinging slightly, and the dewy crabapple bud inserted in the knot looked gorgeous in the morning light.
Little Swallow was sitting on the beauty's bench in the porch, teasing a caged parrot. She had changed into a slightly more formal dress, a pale green Manchu dress embroidered with a broken magnolia branch, which set off her fair skin and made her eyes lively. Mingyue and Caixia stood by, one holding a red lacquer tray filled with fresh fruits, the other holding a pair of small silver scissors, ready to help her master trim the branches at any time.
"Idiot! Idiot!" The parrot flapped its wings and called persistently.
"If you keep barking, you'll be really hungry!" Little Swallow glared at the parrot in feigned anger, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up. She reached out and took a grape from the plate held by Mingyue, teasing the parrot, "Be good, say something nice!"
The atmosphere was relaxed and cheerful, as if yesterday's wedding in the West Courtyard was just an insignificant noise.
The footsteps came from far away, carrying a sense of stagnant heaviness.
Xiaoyanzi raised her head when she heard the voice. The smile on her face paused slightly when she saw Yongqi and the mauve figure behind him. Then she bloomed into a bigger, brighter and somewhat deliberate smile, like a lamp that was suddenly lit.
"Yongqi! You're back!" She jumped off the beauty chair and walked towards him like a light bird. Her eyes quickly swept across Yongqi's ugly face and Chen Zhihua who was lowering her head and looking submissive behind him, and finally fell on Yongqi's navy blue casual clothes. A trace of imperceptible doubt flashed across her eyes - why didn't he wear something festive on the second day of his wedding?
Yongqi looked at Xiaoyanzi's bright smile, her clear eyes, devoid of a trace of cloud. It felt as if an invisible hand gripped his heart, the pain so intense that he could barely breathe. A crushing sense of guilt and unspeakable shame instantly overwhelmed him. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but his throat seemed blocked, and he could only utter a muffled syllable: "...Hmm."
His eyes were evasive, he didn't dare to meet Xiaoyanzi's gaze, and he subconsciously avoided the hand she extended. His posture revealed a kind of alienation and embarrassment that he himself was not even aware of.
Xiaoyanzi's outstretched hand paused in mid-air, her smile faltering for a moment. She keenly sensed Yongqi's evasion and the weight of emotion that threatened to overwhelm him. Her heart felt like it had been gently stabbed. But she quickly masked it, withdrawing her hand as if nothing had happened. She turned to look at Chen Zhihua behind Yongqi, her smile still bright, but with a hint of scrutiny.
"This is Sister Zhihua, right? She's really pretty!" Xiaoyanzi stepped forward and took Chen Zhihua's folded hands. Her hands were warm and strong, with the calluses of someone who practices martial arts.
Chen Zhihua's hands were cold, even trembling slightly. Obediently, she let Xiaoyanzi pull her hand. She lifted her eyelids slightly, glanced at Xiaoyanzi quickly, then quickly dropped them again, her long lashes masking the icy undercurrent surging in them. She knelt in greeting, her voice deliberately soft and gentle, with just the right hint of timidity: "I, Chen Zhihua, pay my respects to the princess. Best wishes, sister." As she saluted, she tilted her head slightly, a faint, but visible, red kiss mark on her neck faintly visible in the morning light—the mark left by the passionate kiss last night.
How sharp was Xiaoyanzi's gaze? The mark pierced her eyes like a needle! She tightened her grip on Chen Zhihua's hand, the smile on her face frozen, the brilliance in her eyes dimming instantly, leaving only a sense of bewilderment and dull pain from being suddenly struck. She could almost imagine the scene of the red candlelight tent in the west courtyard last night, the whispering of ears. The area in her heart felt as if something had hollowed it out, and a cold wind blew in.
Mingyue and Caixia also saw the kiss mark. They looked at each other, a trace of worry flashed in their eyes, and they quickly lowered their heads.
The atmosphere suddenly became stagnant and subtle.
Uncle Fu stepped forward at the right moment, breaking the suffocating silence. His voice was loud and respectful: "The auspicious time has arrived. Please ask Concubine Fu to offer tea to the princess!"
A maid had already laid out a brocade mat under the crabapple tree in the center of the courtyard and placed a small rosewood table on it. On the table was a mahogany tray, on which was an official kiln covered bowl with a warm glaze and gold-painted patterns.
Chen Zhihua took a deep breath, freed herself from Xiaoyanzi's weakened hand, and walked to the brocade mat, kneeling with perfect posture. She picked up the perfectly warm cup of tea on the tray, raised both hands high above her head, and presented it to Xiaoyanzi standing before her. Her movements were meticulous, with the unique respectfulness of a bride, and her lowered lashes concealed any true emotion.
"Sister, please have some tea." The voice was still soft, but seemed to be wrapped in a layer of invisible ice.
Everyone's eyes were focused on the cup of tea.
Xiaoyanzi looked at the cup of tea before her, a symbol of her status as the wife and also of last night's humiliation. The gilded pattern on the lid was blindingly glaring. Her chest felt tight, her throat constricted, and her fingertips felt slightly cold. She tried to maintain her princess's dignity as she reached for the cup of tea.
Just as her fingertips were about to touch the warm wall of the cup——
“Snap!”
A crisp and sharp cracking sound suddenly rang out!
It wasn't the teacup that fell, but Yongqi accidentally knocked over the spare small teacup on the tray on the small table used to add water!
The scalding hot tea mixed with broken porcelain pieces splashed all over the floor. A few drops even splashed onto the back of Xiaoyanzi's outstretched hand, instantly scalding a small area red!
"Ah!" Xiaoyanzi cried out in pain and suddenly retracted her hand.
"Princess!" Mingyue and Caixia exclaimed and went forward to check.
Yongqi seemed to be awakened by this sudden change. His face was pale. Looking at Xiaoyanzi's burned hand, his eyes were filled with panic, regret and helplessness. He subconsciously took a step forward to check: "Xiaoyanzi! I..."
"Your Highness, please calm down!" Chen Zhihua spoke first, her voice filled with just the right amount of panic and concern. She still maintained the kneeling posture to serve tea, but her body leaned forward slightly, as if frightened by the accident. The teacup in her hand was steady. "It's my fault. I must have done something wrong to upset Your Highness, so I accidentally knocked over the teacup and scalded my sister! I deserve to die!" As she spoke, her eyes quickly turned red and she was about to cry. Her pitiful and submissive look perfectly portrayed a frightened and self-blaming bride.
Every word she said seemed to be an apology, but in reality, it was a stab in the heart! Blaming Yongqi's misbehavior on her "unruly" tea offering further confirmed that Yongqi's current "upset" was because of her! The phrase "I burned my sister" drew everyone's attention to Xiaoyanzi's burned hand and the dignity she was trying to maintain.
Xiaoyanzi looked at the glaring red mark on the back of her hand, then at Chen Zhihua who was kneeling on the ground with tears in her eyes, then at Yongqi who was at a loss, his eyes full of pain and guilt, and finally her eyes fell on the mess of tea and broken porcelain on the ground.
A wave of icy anger and a sense of absurdity suddenly washed over her! Everything before her seemed distorted and distorted, and her ears were buzzing. The tea ceremony, the rules, the sisterly love... at this moment, it all seemed ridiculous and disgusting!
She took a sharp breath, forcing down her surging emotions, not even bothering to look at her burned hand. The forced smile on her face vanished completely, leaving only an almost icy calm. She reached out again, this time with a swift and steady movement, taking the now slightly cold cup of tea from Chen Zhihua's hand.
"Sister, you're too kind," Xiaoyanzi's voice was unusually calm, even carrying a strange coldness, completely different from her usual lively personality. "It was just an accident, so there's no need to blame yourself. I'll drink this tea."
She lifted the lid of the cup, without even looking at it, and tilted her head back to drink the cup of tea that symbolized humiliation and acceptance! The tea was slightly cold, and it slid down her throat with an indescribable bitterness.
After drinking, she put the empty cup back on the tray that Chen Zhihua was still holding high, with quick and decisive movements.
"Tea has been served. Please get up, sister." Xiaoyanzi's eyes swept across Chen Zhihua's drooping hair, then across Yongqi's pale face, and finally landed on the heartless crabapple blossoms in the distance. There was no emotion in her voice. "I'm a little tired. Please help yourself."
With that, she turned away from everyone and headed straight for her main room. Her pale blue back stood straight, yet exuded a sense of isolation that seemed to repel anyone. Her footsteps shattered the porcelain shards on the floor, making a subtle, heart-pounding sound.
Mingyue and Caixia looked worriedly at Chen Zhihua who was kneeling on the ground and Yongqi who was standing stiffly on the spot. They quickly winked at Xiao Zhuozi and Xiao Dengzi, indicating that they should clean up the mess, and hurriedly chased after Xiao Yanzi.
In the courtyard, only Yongqi, Chen Zhihua kneeling on the ground, and the messy ground was left, with tea, broken porcelain and silently falling crabapple petals.
Yongqi watched Xiaoyanzi's resolute departure, and his blood ran cold. He opened his mouth, wanting to call out to her, but no sound came out. He knew that something had been shattered with that cup of tea and the debris scattered across the floor, and it could never be undone.
Chen Zhihua slowly stood up, eyes downcast, and leisurely adjusted the slightly wrinkled hem of her Manchu dress. She raised her eyes, looked toward the doorway where Xiaoyanzi had disappeared, then quickly glanced at the distraught Yongqi. The corners of her mouth curved upward ever so slightly, the arc so cold and fleeting that it could have been an illusion.
The tea ceremony was over. This cup of tea, a tribute to the rules, a broken bond, and a flame of unquenchable hatred. The morning light of the East Courtyard was finally swallowed up by the gloom brought from the West Courtyard.
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