Chapter 337 Floating Shadows
Fireflies were still flickering among the crabapple branches in Shufangzhai. Little Swallow was clapping her hands as she listened to Little Warts' storytelling when she suddenly felt something sway in the moonlight at the foot of the west wall. Her hand, clutching a melon seed, paused. From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the moss in the corner of the wall undulating slightly in the night breeze, as if nothing had happened.
"What's wrong, Xiaoyanzi?" Yongqi followed her gaze. The palace lanterns in the corridor cast his shadow on the bluestone slabs. "What did you see?"
"No..." Little Swallow shook her head and knocked the melon seed shells on the stone table. "Maybe it's the wind that's moving the rose branches." But the uneasiness in her heart did not dissipate - the black shadow just now was too fast, too fast to be like an ordinary nocturnal animal, but more like... a person who has practiced Kung Fu.
Just as the little mosquito was talking about Sun Wukong swinging his golden cudgel, he noticed the princess was distracted and quickly raised his voice: "Wow, boom! That White Bone Demon transformed into an old man for the third time, leaning on a cane and approaching Tang Sanzang. Sun Wukong was sharp-eyed and brought his cudgel down—"
"Bang!" He slammed the table, startling the grasshopper in Mianrui's hand and causing it to drop to the ground. His little mouth pursed, ready to cry. Xiaodengzi quickly picked up the grasshopper and stuffed it back into his hand, imitating the Monkey King's tone: "Don't cry, little brother! I'll make you a better one!" He then pulled a piece of dogtail grass and, in a few seconds, wove a long-eared rabbit. Mianrui immediately burst into laughter.
Ziwei covered her mouth and chuckled. Erkang gathered the plain cloak draped over her shoulders and said, "It's cold at night. Do you want to go back to the house and rest?" She shook her head and her eyes fell on Xiaoyanzi. At that moment, she clearly saw Xiaoyanzi's hand touching her waist, which was her habitual action of holding the hilt of the sword.
Yongqi also noticed it. While everyone was laughing, he quietly moved closer to Xiaoyanzi, his warm breath brushing against her ear: "Do you feel something is wrong?"
"Hmm." Xiaoyanzi lowered her voice, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the patina on the armrests of the bamboo chair. "Just now, there was a figure in the corner of the west wall."
Yongqi's eyes darkened, his expressionless gaze sweeping across the dense, impenetrable night. He personally arranged the guards at Shufangzhai; no ordinary person could possibly break in. Unless... they were from the palace? Or... He remembered the news Eunuch Su had passed on earlier in the day, saying that Zhihua, from the west courtyard of Prince Rong's mansion, had sent a letter to the palace the day before.
"Don't worry." He held her hand, the warmth of his palm ironing her slightly cold fingertips. "I'll have Guard Zhou take people to investigate. Let's just keep everyone company for now."
Xiaoyanzi nodded and was about to speak when she saw Xiaozhuozi coming in from the moon gate with a food box in his hand. The lantern made his face flush red. "Princess, Your Majesty, I just went to the imperial kitchen to get some freshly made rose cakes. They're still warm!"
Little Dengzi followed closely behind, holding a wine pot in his hand: "This is the sweet-scented osmanthus wine that the emperor gave as a reward. He said he wanted the prince and princess to taste it."
"The Emperor still loves me!" Xiaoyanzi's eyes lit up. Just as she was about to open the food box, Yongqi held her hand and said, "I just drank almond milk. Let's fill our stomach first before eating anything sweet." He picked up a piece of rose cake and held it to her mouth. "Try one."
Xiaoyanzi bit into half a piece, and the sweet fragrance mixed with the sweet osmanthus fragrance spread on the tip of her tongue. Her eyebrows curved, "It's delicious! You guys should try it too!" She stuffed the remaining half to Yongqi, picked up another piece and stuffed it into Ziwei's hand, "Ziwei, you should try it too. It's not as greasy as the one made by the imperial kitchen last time."
Ziwei took it with a smile. Just as her fingertips touched the pastry, she heard a very soft sound from the west wall, like the sound of tiles falling to the ground. Erkang stood up suddenly, his hand on the sword at his waist: "Who's there?"
The laughter in the courtyard stopped instantly. The flickering glow of the fireflies cast a solemn look on everyone's faces. Guard Zhou, accompanied by two guards, emerged from the darkness and knelt on one knee. "Your Highness, I failed in my duty. I didn't notice anything unusual during my inspection."
"Go and take a look." There was no emotion in Yongqi's voice, but his fingers subconsciously protected Xiaoyanzi.
Guard Zhou obeyed, lantern in hand, and walked toward the corner. His footsteps were especially clear in the silent courtyard. Xiaoyanzi clenched Yongqi's hand, her gaze sharp as an eagle—her Qinggong skills were taught by Xiao Jian, and she was all too familiar with the deliberately suppressed breathing. The sound had come not far away, behind the late-blooming rose bush.
"Your Highness, there's nothing." Guard Zhou returned with a dew-soaked rose petal in his hand. "Perhaps a night owl stepped on a tile."
Yongqi took the petal and twisted it with his fingertips. There was a very fine tooth mark on the edge of the petal, which didn't look like it had been broken by the wind. He calmly put the petal into his sleeve pocket and smiled at everyone, "It seems we were too nervous. Let's continue listening to Xiao Wanzi's storytelling."
Xiao Wenzi swallowed and was about to speak when she saw Xiao Yanzi stand up and pat her skirt. "It's getting late. Mian Rui and Mian Xin should go to bed. Yong Qi, it's time for us to return to the palace."
Her tone was brisk, but Yongqi could see clearly that when she turned around, the hem of her skirt swept across the stone table, bringing down a melon seed shell, which was pointed in the direction of the west wall.
Ziwei immediately understood and stood up, saying, "Yes, Dong'er must be tired too. Erkang, let's say goodbye too."
Everyone stood up. Xiaodengzi held the yawning Mianrui in his arms, and Xiaochongzi carried a lantern with fireflies in it. As they passed the west wall, Xiaoyanzi deliberately slowed down her pace. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a gray shadow clinging to the wall deep in the rose bushes. She even held her breath.
A barely perceptible sneer curled up the corner of her mouth. Suddenly, she stopped and pointed at the full moon on the wall. "Look at the moon tonight. It's as round as a silver plate! Yongqi, when we return to the palace, how about hanging some fireflies in the yard?"
Yongqi agreed, "Okay, I'll have someone catch some tomorrow and hang them all over Haitang Courtyard."
As she spoke, she flicked her wrist extremely quickly, and a melon seed shell flew out silently, hitting the branch of the rose bush with a soft "tap". The gray figure froze noticeably, then retreated even faster into the shadows.
Arriving at the entrance to Shufangzhai, Xiaoyanzi glanced back. In the halo of the palace lanterns, the rose bush was still blooming beautifully, as if nothing had happened. She turned and stepped out of the threshold, saying to Guard Zhou, "Watch carefully. I'll come back to see Mingyue and the others tomorrow."
"Yes, Princess."
When the carriage left the Forbidden City, Xiaoyanzi leaned on Yongqi's shoulder and whispered, "It's Zhihua's man."
Yongqi held her hand, his fingertips cold. "I know. The tooth marks on the petals were made by the silver hairpin she often used." He paused, his voice as deep as if dipped in ice. "How dare she have such thoughts in Shufangzhai?"
"She's probably not the only one who's had these thoughts." Xiaoyanzi looked out the window at the palace walls passing by, the moonlight casting a cold, tiny glint in her eyes. "I'm afraid I won't feel comfortable living in the west courtyard of Prince Rong's mansion anymore."
The carriage fell silent, with only the sound of wheels rolling over bluestone slabs and the faint beating of a night watchman's drum in the distance. Xiaoyanzi suddenly remembered the note Ziwei had slipped her in Shufangzhai. It had only two words on it: "Be careful."
She lowered her head and smiled, tightening her grip on Yongqi's hand. No matter how many eyes watched from the shadows, she would never again allow herself to be manipulated like she had in her previous life. In this life, she had him, Ziwei, the entire Shufangzhai, and... the rose petal Yongqi had hidden in his sleeve pocket.
At this moment, in the west courtyard of Prince Rong's Mansion, Zhihua was standing in front of the window, listening to Chuntao's report.
"...Guard Zhou checked the west wall but found nothing. Princess Huanzhu and the others have already returned home." Chuntao lowered her head, her voice trembling. "But... when Xiao Luzi came back, he said he seemed to have been discovered. Princess Huanzhu glanced towards the rose bush several times before leaving."
Zhihua's grip on the handkerchief suddenly tightened, deforming the lotus embroidery on it. She had originally wanted to ask Xiao Luzi to find out if Xiao Yanzi had said anything bad about her in Shufangzhai, but she had almost been caught.
"Waste!" She cursed in a low voice, and the silk thread on the handkerchief was torn again. The thin and sharp thread pierced into the palm of her hand, bringing a sharp pain.
The moonlight from outside the window poured in coldly, illuminating her face, which was slightly twisted with jealousy. She looked at the warm yellow lights coming from the east courtyard, which should be filled with laughter at this moment.
"Just wait, Fang Ci." She whispered to the empty courtyard, her voice cold, "The position of mistress of Prince Rong's mansion will be mine sooner or later."
The night wind, carrying the fragrance of osmanthus, came in through the window, causing the candlelight to flicker and casting her shadow on the wall, like a lone wolf ready to pounce.
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