Chapter 43: Imperial Undercurrent, City People Take Shelter
The morning dew still clung to the tips of the orchid leaves at Fang's house. Little Swallow sat under the porch, clutching a copy of "The Instructions for Women," her fingertips unconsciously picking at the edges of the pages, ruffling the fine rice paper. She had changed into a lake-blue, homely cloth skirt, embroidered with a few small daisies on the hem. It was simple and comfortable, much more relaxed than the moonlit nightgown she'd worn, but the melancholy lingering in her brows wouldn't dissipate.
"Ci'er, what are you daydreaming about?" Fang Zhihang emerged from the study, dressed in a navy blue robe and holding a scroll of poetry. Seeing his daughter lost in thought, her hair drooping over her face, he approached with quiet steps. "Yesterday at the palace banquet, the Emperor praised your paintings, and Daddy hasn't rewarded you properly yet."
Xiaoyanzi snapped back to her senses and hurriedly closed the book, rubbing her fingertips over the word "woman's virtue." "Dad, that's all the Emperor's flattery. I can't draw well." As she stood up, her skirt swept past the pillars, bringing with it the scent of orchids, but she couldn't hide the panic in her voice. "By the way, Dad, can I not go to the poetry gathering in the east city tomorrow? I want to learn how to pickle radishes from Sister Liu Hong."
Fang Zhihang was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. "A few days ago, you were still talking about wanting to see Li Xueshi's calligraphy. Why did you suddenly change your mind?" He reached out and rubbed his daughter's hair, his fingertips touching her trembling earlobe. "Are you tired from the palace banquet?"
"No, no!" Xiaoyanzi waved her hands quickly, the red silk ribbon at the end of her braid sweeping across her shoulders, "It's just... I just think poetry gatherings are too boring, not as interesting as pickled radishes." She looked away, not daring to look into her father's gentle eyes, for fear that she would be seen as afraid of meeting Qianlong again.
Xiao Jian came out of the kitchen carrying two bowls of lotus seed soup. The cuffs of his long blue cloth gown were slightly stained with water. He paused after hearing the conversation between father and daughter and placed the bowls on the stone table. "Dad, I heard that many officials from the Ministry of Rites will be attending the East City Poetry Society. Ci'er has a lively personality and might feel constrained if she goes. Why not let her rest for a day?" He winked at Xiao Yanzi and scooped up a spoonful of lotus seed soup and handed it to her. "It's freshly cooked and very sweet."
Xiaoyanzi immediately took the bowl, as if grabbing a life-saving straw: "Brother is still the one who understands me! Those officials speak in a very literary way, which gives me a headache. It's not as comfortable as being with Sister Liu Hong." She scooped up the lotus seeds and stuffed them into her mouth. She caught a glimpse of the worry in Xiao Jian's eyes, and her heart sank even more.
Fang Zhihang looked at his children's tacit understanding and shook his head helplessly. "Never mind, whatever you say. But you're not allowed to go to the courtyard all the time. Girls should be more careful." As he turned back to the study, his steps paused and his voice became softer. "Yesterday, the emperor specifically asked what books you usually read. Dad can't say that you spend all day thinking about pickling radishes, can you?"
Xiaoyanzi's hand, scooping up lotus seeds, suddenly paused, and the seeds slid back into the bowl, splashing a few drops of sweet soup. She lowered her head, watching her swaying reflection in the bowl, and uttered a muffled "hmm." It turned out that Qianlong not only paid attention to her paintings but also inquired about her daily life. This made the hairs on her back stand up, as if she were being stared at.
The sandalwood incense burned brightly in the imperial study. Qianlong held the secret report handed to him by Eunuch Su between his fingers. His gaze fell on the line that read, "Miss Fang often visits the courtyard south of the city and is close friends with the siblings Liu Qing and Liu Hong." His fingertips gently stroked the paper, a subtle smile playing at the corner of his mouth. Courtyard? Liu Qing and Liu Hong? These names were like keys, unlocking the floodgates of memory. The image of the wild girl bouncing around in the courtyard gradually merged with the image of Miss Fang in a pale blue cloth skirt before him.
"What is the compound?" He put down the secret report, picked up the teacup and took a sip. The fragrance of Longjing tea could not suppress the waves in his heart.
Eunuch Su bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, this is the courtyard where ordinary people live, mostly those doing small business. I heard that Liu Qing and Liu Hong opened a pancake stall, and Miss Fang often patronizes it." He stole a glance at the emperor's expression and saw that he was very pleased. He quickly added, "I also heard that the painting Miss Fang painted, the old locust tree in the courtyard and the stone table, are exactly the same as the scenery in the miscellaneous courtyard."
Qianlong's fingers tightened around the teacup, sweat beading on the celadon walls. He knew that no matter where this girl was reborn, her inner warmth would remain unchanged. In her previous life, she had protected the young and old in the compound. In this new life, despite her changed status, she still treated the poor as her own family. This genuine nature was far more precious than the pretentious women in the palace.
"I understand." He replied calmly, but his gaze drifted to the window, as if he could penetrate the palace walls and see the figure busying around in the courtyard. "Send an order to reward Fang Zhihang with a set of four treasures of the study, as a reward... for his good parenting."
Eunuch Su's heart skipped a beat. It was common for the emperor to reward his subjects, but specifically mentioning "good parenting" took on a different meaning. He quickly bowed and replied, "I obey your order." As he retreated to the door, he saw the emperor pick up the painting of the courtyard again, his fingertips gently tapping the small figure under the tree, the warmth in his eyes unconcealable.
It was dinnertime when the Fang family received their reward. A sandalwood gift box sat in the center of the main hall, containing exquisite Hu brushes, Hui ink, and rice paper. After the eunuch announced the decree, he smiled and said, "Master Fang is so blessed! The Emperor hasn't praised a young lady this much in ages."
Fang Zhihang's hands trembled slightly as he held the imperial edict, his face filled with undisguised fear. "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace." After sending the eunuch away, he looked at the gift box and sighed, "This reward came about strangely. I'm afraid..."
"Father, are you worried that the Emperor is paying too much attention to my sister?" Xiao Jian helped his father sit down, the cuffs of his long blue cloth gown wrinkled from his grasp. "I will pay more attention and not let my sister come into contact with people from the palace alone again."
Hiding behind the screen, Xiaoyanzi overheard her father and brother's conversation, her panic growing worse. She felt the empty space around her waist. She had deliberately tied the jade pendant with the word "righteousness" inside it when she changed her clothes that morning. Holding it against her heart, she felt a sense of peace. This imperial favor seemed to her like the shackles of a past life; the heavier it became, the more uneasy she felt.
"Ci'er, come out." Madam Fang took her hand and walked to the gift box, her fingertips brushing over the exquisite Hu brush. "This is a gift from the emperor, please keep it. But from now on... you must be more cautious when you go out, and don't be as wild as before."
Xiaoyanzi nodded, her eyes falling on the stack of rice paper. Suddenly, she remembered the scene at the palace banquet where she was forced to paint. Her fingertips felt cold. "Mother, I don't want to learn painting anymore, and I don't want to read those poetry books anymore. I just want to learn how to make pickles like Sister Liu Hong, okay?"
Mrs. Fang smiled helplessly and straightened her hair: "Silly child, what lady from a scholarly family would learn how to make pickles? I just want you to go to the courtyard less often to prevent outsiders from gossiping." What she didn't say was that the emperor's attention was both a favor and a hidden danger. Even this deep mansion was full of storms, let alone the turbulent palace.
The sweet aroma of pancakes wafted through the courtyard in the afternoon. Xiaoyanzi squatted beside the stall, helping Liuhong knead the dough. The coarse flour stained her hands, but it felt much more comfortable than holding a wolf-hair brush. She had deliberately worn her oldest gray cloth shorts today, the hems still stained with mud, and had replaced the red silk ribbon on her braid with a plain blue one, hoping to blend in among the common people, unnoticed.
"Third sister, why are you so listless today?" Liu Qing flipped a pancake, the back of his blue shirt soaked with sweat. "Is it because Uncle Fang didn't want you to come?"
"No!" Xiaoyanzi kneaded the dough vigorously, kneading all the irritation in her heart into the dough, "It's just... it's just that those people in the palace are so annoying. They talk in a roundabout way and always stare at people as if they are interrogating a criminal." She didn't mention the imperial gift for fear that they would worry.
Liu Hong handed over a freshly baked sugar cake. "Try it! It's sweet with sesame seeds." Her moon-white cloth coat was stained with flour, but her eyes sparkled. "We made a lot of money when we closed our stall yesterday. I bought you a piece of blue cloth and wanted to make you a new short coat, thicker than the one you're wearing."
Xiaoyanzi bit into the candied cake, the sweet aroma filling her mouth, and her eyes felt a little hot. Only in the compound could she be free from pretense and fear. The aroma of flour and the smell of fireworks here were her true support. She said vaguely, "Sister Hong, I may not be able to come here often in the future..."
"Why?" Liu Qing paused with the spatula in his hand, not even noticing that the edge of the pancake was burnt. "Did we cause you any trouble?"
"No, no!" Xiaoyanzi waved her hands quickly, flour rustling onto the ground. "It's just that my dad doesn't want me to go out all the time. He says...that girls should stay in their rooms and embroider." She didn't dare meet their eyes, lowering her head and poking at the dough. "But I'll come secretly. I haven't had enough of your pancakes yet!"
Liu Hong noticed that she was worried, so she quietly tugged at Liu Qing's sleeve and interrupted with a smile, "Silly girl, I'm just kidding! If you can't come, I'll make you some extra pickles. I guarantee they'll be better than what your cook makes." She stuffed a piece of maltose into Xiaoyanzi's hand, "It's sweet. Eating it will make you forget about your worries."
Sunlight filtered through the leaves of the old locust tree, casting dappled shadows on the ground. The aroma of pancakes, mixed with the sweetness of maltose, lifted some of the gloom from Xiaoyanzi's heart. She watched Liu Qing's busy figure and Liu Hong's warm smile, and suddenly felt that no matter how much wind and rain came, as long as the fireworks here continued to burn, she had a place to hide.
But she didn't know that the emperor's gaze, always following her, had already passed beyond the palace walls and landed on the courtyard she considered a safe haven. Qianlong stood in front of the map in the imperial study, his fingertips gently tapping on the location in the south of the city. The courtyard's name was not marked there, but it was clearly engraved in his mind.
"Su Peisheng," he said softly, "have all the officials of the Hanlin Academy bring their families to watch the rain-praying ceremony next month."
Eunuch Su's mind brightened, and he quickly responded, "I'll arrange it right away." He knew that the emperor wanted to find an opportunity to meet Miss Fang again, but this time, it was no longer a chance encounter, but a deliberate reunion.
As dusk fell, Xiaoyanzi returned to the Fang family's residence, carrying the pickled radish Liu Hong had given her. As she entered the corner gate, she ran into Xiao Jian. He was holding a green cloth cloak, and upon seeing her return, he quickly draped it over her shoulders. "Why did you come back so late? Mother's been waiting anxiously." His fingertips touched her cold hand, and he frowned. "Did you forget to use the heater again?"
Xiaoyanzi shook her head and stuffed the dried radish into his hand. "Sister Liu Hong gave it to me. It's delicious." She looked up at her brother's worried eyes and suddenly whispered, "Brother, I don't want to be associated with the palace anymore. Can we go back to Jiangnan?"
Xiao Jian's body stiffened, then he patted her back gently: "It will be fine after this period. With me here, no one can force you to do anything you don't want to do." But the worry in his eyes deepened a little. He knew that once the emperor's attention began, it would not stop easily. This storm could not be avoided.
The evening breeze, carrying the fragrance of orchids, blew through the corridors, causing lanterns to sway gently. Light and shadow flickered on the blue brick floor, a stark reflection of Xiaoyanzi's uneasiness. She clutched the maltose in her sleeve pocket. The sweetness of the candy seeped through the coarse cloth, but it couldn't compare to the warmth of the courtyard, nor could it suppress the panic deep within her heart. Life in the capital, she feared, would never return to its former tranquility.
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