Chapter 50: Red Silk Ties the Heart, Undercurrents Surge
As the courtyard's smoke drifted over the top of the old locust tree, Little Swallow rushed through the gate clutching an oil-paper package. The hem of her short, ginger-colored skirt swept past the wild chrysanthemums in the corner, bringing with it a whiff of delicate floral fragrance. The red silk ribbon at the end of her braid flew high, brighter than the red peppers drying on the courtyard wall.
"Sister Hong! Brother Liu Qing! Try this!" She placed the oil-paper package on the stone table. The sweet osmanthus cake inside was still steaming, and its sweet fragrance instantly filled the courtyard. "This is a recipe from the palace. It's made with freshly picked osmanthus flowers. It's so sweet!"
Liu Hong was squatting by the coal stove, simmering sweet noodle sauce. Her moon-white cloth gown was stained with brown sauce. Upon hearing this, she straightened up, her nose twitching in the heat. "Where did you get this good thing, girl?" She picked up a piece of osmanthus cake, her fingertips touching the soft cake, and suddenly noticed the redness on Xiaoyanzi's ears. "Why is your face so red? Going to the palace to deliver cakes... did everything go wrong?"
Xiaoyanzi bit into the osmanthus cake and waved her hands vaguely, "Nothing wrong! It's just... he asked me to draw a picture of the apricot blossoms in Tongcheng." She swallowed the cake in her mouth, picked up a piece of cake and stuffed it into Liu Qing's hand, "Brother Liu Qing, you can have some too. The sweetness can calm you down."
Liu Qing had just finished repairing the bamboo fender of his stall. The cuffs of his blue cloth shirt were stained with sawdust. He took a bite of the cake and his eyes lit up: "It's sweeter than the date cake Aunt Zhang made last time! But... the emperor asked you to paint? Didn't he put it in a difficult position for you?" His dark face was full of worry. Although life in the courtyard was hard, it was much more stable than the turbulent life in the palace.
Xiaoyanzi said nothing, simply lowering her head and poking at the osmanthus petals on the cake. The look in Qianlong's eyes when he looked at the painting kept flashing through her mind. That look was so bright, it seemed to penetrate her disguise, making her feel uneasy. She touched the jade pendant with the word "righteousness" at her waist. The cool jade pressed against her heart, and she finally calmed down a little. "He didn't make things difficult for me, he just... praised my painting."
"That's good." Liu Hong breathed a sigh of relief and stuffed a piece of freshly pickled radish into her hand. "If you eat too much sweet food, you will feel sick. Try something salty." The sour and crispy radish mixed with the sweet fragrance of osmanthus brought a wonderful warmth to the tip of the tongue, which made Xiaoyanzi feel more at ease than the exquisite snacks in the palace.
Beneath the old locust tree in the corner of the courtyard, Xiaodouzi ran by, holding a candy cane, a small flower in his braid made by Liuhong from scraps of fabric. Xiaoyanzi watched him fall and get up again, patting his butt and grinning, and suddenly felt that the noise of this courtyard was more reassuring than the silence of the palace.
But this sense of security didn't last long. Xiao Jian appeared at the gate, his blue cotton gown stained with dust, and his expression more serious than usual. "Ci'er, come out for a moment." He waved to Xiao Yanzi, his voice low, his eyes filled with worry.
Xiaoyanzi's heart skipped a beat as she followed him to the old elm tree at the corner of the alley. "What's wrong, brother?" She clutched the oil-paper bag in her hand, her fingertips white from pinching it.
"Someone from the Imperial Household Department just arrived." Xiao Jian's voice drifted over on the wind, carrying a chill. "The Emperor rewarded Dad with a pair of jade ruyi and said... in three days, Dad will take you and me to the Imperial Garden to admire the newly planted Jiangnan peonies."
"What?!" Xiaoyanzi almost dropped the oil-paper bag in her hand to the ground. The sweet fragrance of the osmanthus cake wafted out, but it couldn't sweeten her tense heart. "Going to the palace again? What does he want to do?" The oppressive feeling of being frequently summoned in her previous life suddenly surged up, making her fingertips cold.
"Father, I guess the Emperor really is... interested in you." Xiao Jian looked at his sister's red eyes, his heart aching, but he could only steel his will and advise, "In three days, when we go to the Imperial Garden, you must be more cautious. Speak less, look up less, don't let him see you're afraid of him, and don't... even mention the courtyard." He pulled a small silver bracelet from his sleeve pocket and pressed it into her hand. "This was made by a craftsman hired by Escort Captain Zheng. It's hollow inside, so you can hide something. If you really need help, just knock on the bracelet three times. I've arranged for someone nearby."
Little Swallow clutched the cool silver bracelet, rubbing the pattern with her fingertips. Suddenly, she felt that the sunlight in the courtyard wasn't as warm anymore. She looked at the people passing by the alley, the shouts of the candied haws vendors, the thudding of the porters, these familiar sounds of the market, now seemed blurred and distant, as if separated by a veil.
"I don't want to go." Her voice trembled with grievance. "I just want to roast sweet potatoes and eat pancakes in the courtyard. I don't want to go to that cold Imperial Garden and look into his eyes."
Xiao Jian patted her back gently, the fabric of his blue cotton robe brushing against her cheek. "I know. But this is an imperial decree, I can't refuse it. Just endure this time, and we'll find another way." He looked at the red silk ribbon on his sister's braid, suddenly reached out to untie it, and replaced it with a plain blue cloth. "There are many rules in the palace, and red silk is too eye-catching."
The red silk ribbon had fallen from her braid, and it felt like a warm piece of something was missing from her heart. Xiaoyanzi pinched the piece of red silk, feeling a familiar touch on her fingertips—it was sewn for her by Liu Hong from scraps of cloth after she was reborn. The stitches were crooked, but they had accompanied her through every warm day in the compound.
"Brother, I have to wear this red silk." She stuffed the red silk into her sleeve pocket and hid it close to her heart. "Hide it inside, no one will see it." This was her wish, her little courage to fight against the coldness of the court.
Xiao Jian sighed and stopped trying to stop him.
In the imperial study, Emperor Qianlong was adjusting his clothes in front of a bronze mirror, his bright yellow robe gleaming in the candlelight. Eunuch Su entered, carrying a brocade box containing a step-shaking ornament embroidered with red gold and kingfisher feathers, the feathers adorned with tiny pearls.
"Your Majesty, this was picked out by me according to your instructions. I heard it's a new style from Jiangnan, and it would be perfect with Miss Fang's lilac-colored skirt."
Qianlong picked up the hairpin, his fingertips brushing against the trembling emerald feathers, a smile glittering in his eyes. "This is it. Three days from now, when we're admiring the peonies, have the Imperial Household Department 'accidentally' deliver it to Miss Fang." He put the hairpin down, his gaze falling on the painting of apricot blossoms on the wall. The red silk ribbons at the end of the pigtails in the painting seemed to come alive in the candlelight. "Su Peisheng, keep a close eye on that part of the courtyard, but don't alert anyone inside."
"I understand." Eunuch Su knew that the emperor wanted to get close to Miss Fang, but was afraid of scaring her. He was so cautious that he had never been so cautious before.
Three days later, in the Imperial Garden, peonies were in full bloom. Yao Huang and Wei Zi flowers clustered around the vermilion pavilion. Incense mixed with the fragrance of the flowers drifted in the warm breeze, but it couldn't dispel the chill in Xiaoyanzi's heart. She wore a lilac-colored skirt and a simple silver hairpin in her hair. She clutched the silver bracelet Xiao Jian had given her so tightly that her fingertips were rubbed red.
Fang Zhihang was talking to several ministers. Xiao Jian stood beside her, gently touching her arm with the sleeve of his blue cotton robe, signaling her to relax. But Xiao Yanzi's eyes just glanced at the bright yellow figure not far away, and she hurriedly lowered her head, her heart pounding.
Qianlong was talking to the Empress, but his gaze would occasionally drift toward Xiaoyanzi. Seeing her cowering behind Xiao Jian like a frightened deer, the smile in his eyes deepened. He winked at Eunuch Su, who immediately understood and walked toward Xiaoyanzi, holding a brocade box.
"Miss Fang, this is a hairpin given by the Emperor. He said it would be perfect with your skirt."
Xiaoyanzi was forced to stop and look at the red gold and kingfisher hairpin in the brocade box. Her fingertips felt cold. The hairpin was too gorgeous, like a heavy yoke, pressing down on her and making her breathless. She was about to refuse when she heard Qianlong's voice from behind: "Miss Fang, don't you like it?"
She spun around, her gaze meeting his deep, penetrating eyes. There was a smile, a probing gaze, and a gentleness that made her uneasy. The sunlight filtered through the peony petals onto his face, the silver hair at his temples gleaming, and it reminded her of Grandpa Zhang basking in the sun in the courtyard. Yet, his imperial majesty kept her from getting even close.
"Your Majesty, your servant...thanks for your grace." She took the brocade box, her fingertips touched the cold gold, but her heart was thinking of the red silk ribbon in the courtyard - the red silk sewn with coarse cloth, although not precious, was tied with her warmest thoughts.
Qianlong watched her clutching the brocade box and suddenly whispered, "My birthday is in three days. I've given you permission... to bring some pancakes from the courtyard. I want to try the 'spicier, spicier' flavor."
Xiaoyanzi's heart felt like it was struck by thunder, and she suddenly looked up at him. How did he know about the pancakes with spicy diced radish?! He had indeed been keeping an eye on her days in the courtyard! The red ribbon hidden in her sleeve pocket burned against her heart, as if reminding her: the turmoil in the palace had already reached the very place she most wanted to protect.
She opened her mouth, but could not utter a word. She only felt that the red gold hairpin in her hand was getting heavier and heavier, as heavy as the fate that she could no longer escape.
Qianlong looked at her shocked and flustered expression, his determination growing stronger. With the red silk tied to his heart and the courtyard in his thoughts, he would always keep her by his side in this life, and make up for the warmth he had missed, bit by bit.
A warm breeze blew through the peony bushes, and petals rustled down, landing on Xiaoyanzi's skirt like a grand yet cold invitation. She knew that from the moment the emperor uttered the words "Zayuan Jianbing", this inevitable entanglement had just begun.
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