Chapter 52: Spicy and fragrant, the storm is coming
The warm breeze from the Imperial Garden suddenly grew heavy, carrying the rich fragrance of peonies across her face, almost suffocating Xiaoyanzi. Her fingers, gripping the red-gold, kingfisher-emerald hairpin, suddenly tightened, the cold metal pricking her palm. The pearls on the emerald feathers trembled, a perfect reflection of her frantic heartbeat.
"The spicier, the better..." she repeated almost subconsciously, her voice as thin as a mosquito's hum, but the ending trembled uncontrollably. How could it be? How could he even know about a dish like spicy diced radish, a dish only found in the ghetto?
Qianlong looked at her face, which had suddenly turned pale, and her almond-shaped eyes, which had instantly widened—filled with shock, vigilance, and a hint of the stubbornness he was most familiar with—and the smile in his eyes deepened. This was exactly the effect he wanted. This girl was too secretive, and he had to reveal her hidden hand from time to time to see if she was still the lively and energetic Xiaoyanzi.
"Why?" He deliberately drawled out his words, his gaze lingering on the hairpin in her hair. Though delicate, it looked as if it were covered in frost, far less vibrant than the red silk at the end of the braid in the courtyard. "Miss Fang, are you reluctant to part with the pancakes? Or... do you think I'm unworthy of eating common food?"
"Your humble servant dares not!" Xiaoyanzi hurriedly bent her knees, their knees hitting the kneepads beneath her skirt with a soft thud. She lowered her head, her long eyelashes fluttering like frightened butterfly wings, and the red silk ribbon she had secretly replaced with the end of her braid was faintly visible under her lilac skirt. "Your humble servant... Your humble servant simply feels that the coarse food from the market would be a disgrace to His Majesty."
"I think the real flavor is found in coarse food." Qianlong's eyes swept across her tightly pursed lips, where a few crumbs of osmanthus cake were still stained, like tiny pearls. "It's settled. Tomorrow at my birthday banquet, I'm looking forward to Miss Fang's spicy pancakes."
After he finished speaking, without looking at Xiaoyanzi's instantly stiff back, he turned and walked towards Chengrui Pavilion. His bright yellow dragon robe swept across a field of blooming Wei Zi flowers, bringing a gust of fragrant breeze, but it could not blow away the chill in Xiaoyanzi's heart.
"Brother..." Xiaoyanzi's voice was tearful, and her knees were so numb that she could hardly stand. If Xiao Jian hadn't reached out to help her in time, she would have really fallen to the ground in public.
Xiao Jian's expression wasn't much better than his sister's. The cuffs of his moon-white gown were wrinkled from being clenched by him, and his fingertips were cold: "Bear with it for now." He held Xiao Yanzi's arm and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "We'll talk about it when we get back." His eyes swept over the inquiring eyes of Eunuch Su not far away, and the figures of several young ladies from official families whispering to each other, and his brows were twisted into knots.
This flower-viewing banquet eventually turned into a Hongmen Banquet.
As the carriage pulled away from the palace, Xiaoyanzi buried her face in Xiao Jian's moon-white gown. The scent of pinewood on the fabric couldn't suppress her trembling. She had thrown the red-gold and kingfisher-emerald hairpin in the corner of the carriage, its feathers facing downward, like a bird with broken wings.
"He did it on purpose." Xiao Jian's voice was low, filled with suppressed anger. "He knows what the compound means to you, and that Liu Qing and Liu Hong are your weaknesses."
Xiaoyanzi suddenly raised her head, her eyes were red, and the red silk ribbon at the end of her braid was wet, she couldn't tell if it was sweat or tears: "What does he want to do? Just for a piece of broken pancake? Or does he want to... involve the courtyard as well?" The bloody smell of the court struggle in her previous life seemed to come to her face again. Those people who suffered because of her, those broken warmth, pierced her heart like needles.
"It's hard to say right now." Xiao Jian took out a handkerchief and wiped her face. His movements were gentle, but his eyes were filled with solemnity. "But one thing is for sure, he won't be satisfied with just a pancake." He looked at his sister's knuckles, which were clenched white, and added, "When you get back, don't go to the compound yet. I'll send a message to Liu Qing and Liu Hong, asking them to be careful and not let anyone catch them."
"No!" Xiaoyanzi retorted immediately, her voice rising suddenly. "I have to tell them! This happened because of me, I can't let them be kept in the dark!" She grabbed Xiao Jian's sleeve, the red silk ribbon brushing across the back of his hand with an impatient heat. "Brother, I know my limits. Let's just say the palace wants to taste their cooking, without mentioning the emperor. Is that okay?"
Xiao Jian looked at the stubbornness in her eyes and finally sighed: "I'll go with you. Go quickly and come back quickly."
The Fang family's dinner was unusually silent. Fang Zhihang watched his daughter's barely touched food, then glanced at his son, who seemed hesitant to speak. He put down his chopsticks, worry visible in the folds of his navy blue brocade robe. "Has something happened in the palace again?"
Xiao Jian glanced at Xiao Yanzi and told her in a deep voice that Qianlong had requested pancakes, omitting the detail of "the spicier the better".
Madam Fang's silver chopsticks clattered onto the plate, and her face paled instantly. "Your Majesty...why would Your Majesty suddenly want to eat something like that? And you even want Ci'er to deliver it? What if something goes wrong..."
"Mom, don't worry." Xiaoyanzi forced herself to cheer up and put a piece of tofu into her mother's bowl. "It's just a matter of convenience. I'll put it in the lunch box and pass it in quietly. Nothing will go wrong." She comforted him with her mouth, but her heart felt heavy as if a stone was pressing on it.
Fang Zhihang was silent for a long moment, his fingertips tapping lightly on the table, making a regular "thump, thump" sound, as if he were weighing something. Finally, he raised his head, his gaze resting on his daughter, his expression unmistakable and serious: "Ci'er, you must be extremely careful on this errand. Just deliver it, don't say too much, don't look too much, and don't... let on any reluctance. We can't guess the emperor's thoughts, so we can only go along with it." He paused, his voice lowered. "Also, from today on, have Xiao Jian accompany you. Unless it's something important, don't go to the courtyard too often."
Xiaoyanzi nodded and took two mouthfuls of rice, which tasted like chewing wax.
The lights in the courtyard lit up in the twilight, and the dim light filtered through the window lattices, casting a swaying shadow on the ground. As Xiaoyanzi entered the courtyard, she smelled the familiar aroma of sweet noodle sauce, her heart warmed, and her eyes felt a little hot.
"Little Swallow? Why are you here?" Liu Hong was squatting by the coal stove, roasting sweet potatoes. Her moon-white cloth coat was stained with charcoal ash. Seeing her come in, she smiled and patted the ash off her hands. "I just said I saved two juicy roasted sweet potatoes for you!"
Liu Qing came out of the house, holding a newly made bamboo spatula in his hand, with the sleeves of his blue shirt rolled up to his elbows. He saw Xiao Jian behind Xiao Yanzi, looked at her serious expression, and put the spatula on the stone table. "What happened?"
Xiaoyanzi pulled Liu Hong under the old locust tree, trying to sound relaxed. "Sister Hong, Brother Liu Qing, there's a... a friend in the palace who heard your pancakes are great, especially the ones with spicy diced radish. He wants to try some. Tomorrow's his birthday, so he asked me... to bring some over, is that okay?"
Liu Hong's eyes lit up. "Do people in the palace know about our pancakes?" She took Xiaoyanzi's hand, the warmth of her palm soothing her coldness. "Why not? I guarantee your friend will be satisfied! Do you want some sesame candy? The sweet and spicy combination is even more refreshing!"
Liu Qing, however, was less optimistic, his brows furrowed slightly. "People from the palace? Can they be trusted? Are they... deliberately looking for trouble?" His dark face was full of vigilance. "We're a small business, we can't afford to be disturbed."
"I'm not looking for trouble, I just want to eat." Xiaoyanzi explained quickly, her fingertips unconsciously twisting the red silk ribbon at the end of her braid, "He's... a very easy-going friend, he won't make things difficult for us. Just think of it... just think of it as expanding our business, maybe we can even supply the imperial kitchen in the future!" She tried hard to force a smile, but her heart felt a pain as if it were being pricked by needles.
Xiao Jian spoke up at the right time to smooth things over for her: "They'll send a eunuch to wait at the alley entrance, so you don't need to show up. Brother Liu Qing, just focus on making the pancakes, and I'll take care of the rest."
Liu Qing looked at Xiao Jian, then at Xiao Yanzi. Although he still had some doubts, he nodded when he saw their sincerity. "Okay! Since Xiao Yanzi asked, we won't argue! I promise to make it fragrant and spicy, so that your friend will want more!"
Liu Hong was already excitedly rummaging through the newly harvested red peppers: "I'll pickle the diced radish again and add more peppercorns. I guarantee it'll be flavorful!"
Watching them busy at work, Xiaoyanzi felt a mixture of emotions. She squatted by the coal stove, adding a piece of coal. The flames crackled, making her eyes red. This warm, smoky atmosphere was something she had desperately wanted to protect, but now, she had to personally push it into the unknown.
"Don't think too much." Xiao Jian stood behind her, the shadow of his blue cotton robe falling on her like a safe shelter. "I will make proper arrangements and prevent them from getting involved."
Xiaoyanzi said nothing, only nodded gently. Her fingertips brushed the scorching stove wall, the burning sensation sobering her up a bit. She had no idea what kind of uproar that spicy pancake, savory and spicy, would stir at tomorrow's birthday banquet. She only knew that from the moment Qianlong uttered those words, she could no longer hide from him.
The night wind blew through the courtyard, and the leaves of the old locust tree rustled, as if they were sighing softly. In the imperial study of the Forbidden City, Emperor Qianlong faced the painting of the courtyard, his fingertips gently tapping the pancake stall in the painting, a smile of determination playing on his lips.
He had waited for this day for too long.
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