Chapter 63 The Emperor Arrives Before the Morning Dew
The morning dew still clung to the petals of the crabapple blossoms at the Fang Mansion, shimmering like shattered diamonds in the rising sun. Little Swallow sat at the zither table, her fingertips hovering over the strings, her fingers lingering. The Jiangnan Yuefu scroll on the table was curled from her pages, and the score for "Picking the Lotus" was stained with ink in several places. She had barely slept last night, and whenever she was still, the sound of "Emperor Father" from the alleyway would linger in her ears like a spell.
"Miss, you've played this piece wrong three times." Chun Tao came in with a copper basin. Seeing her fingertips trembling, she couldn't help but whispered, "Why don't you take a break? Madam has stewed some rock sugar and snow pears, saying it's good for your throat."
Xiaoyanzi shook her head, biting her lower lip as she resumed her fingering. The strings twitched jerkily, the tune warped like a lotus leaf ruffled by the wind. She wasn't trying to practice; only by keeping her fingertips busy could she contain the panic that surged within her. She was afraid Qianlong would overthink things, afraid that the name she'd blurted out would destroy the Fang family's stability.
"Ci'er, are you practicing the piano?" Xiao Jian's voice came from the courtyard gate. He was wearing a dark blue gown and holding two books in his hands. "Dad asked you to go to the front yard, saying..."
Before he finished speaking, he heard the hurried footsteps of the housekeeper outside the door, with an unbelievable panic: "Master! Madam! Someone from the palace... the palace is here! They say the emperor has arrived and is right outside the palace gate!"
With a clang, Xiaoyanzi's plectrum fell onto the table, sending wood chips flying across the back of her hand. She looked up abruptly, her face pale, her lips trembling. "Emperor...Emperor? Why is he here?"
Xiao Jian quickly stepped forward and held her trembling shoulders, his eyes darkening: "Don't be afraid, Dad and I are here. Go back to your room and change your clothes first, and behave yourself." His fingertips were cold, and he obviously didn't expect Qianlong to come so soon.
Chuntao half-supported and half-helped Xiaoyanzi back to her room, her fingers clasping the doorframe to steady herself. The bronze mirror reflected her pale face, the dark shadows beneath her eyes barely concealed. The red silk ribbon at the end of her braid hung loose, giving her no semblance of a lady from a noble family. She had hastily put on a lilac dress embroidered with a broken crabapple branch, even buttoning the collar incorrectly. Her fingertips were so shaky that she couldn't even pin the stitches.
"Miss, please go slowly." Chun Tao helped her straighten her clothes. Seeing the water on her eyelashes, she sighed anxiously, "The emperor is here to see the master. He may not ask about you. Don't panic."
But how could Xiaoyanzi not panic? In her previous life, when Emperor Qianlong suddenly visited Shufangzhai, it was most likely that she had caused trouble again. In this life, when he came personally, could it be a good thing?
She followed Xiao Jian toward the front yard, her steps feeling like they were treading on knife-edge. As soon as she rounded the screen wall, she saw her father, Fang Zhihang, standing in the corridor, dressed in a brand new royal blue gown, bowing and saluting a man in navy blue uniform. The man turned, a bright yellow sash tied around his waist. Though he wasn't wearing a dragon robe, his innate majesty couldn't be concealed—it was Qianlong.
The morning light fell on Qianlong's face. There was a faint smile on the corner of his mouth. His eyes passed Fang Zhihang and fell directly on Xiaoyanzi. There was inquiry in his deep eyes, as if he was looking at a lost and found treasure.
Xiaoyanzi's heart skipped a beat and she subconsciously hid behind Xiao Jian, clutching the hem of her skirt with both hands, her knuckles turning white.
"Your humble servant Fangci, hello... hello, Your Excellency." She lowered her head, her voice as thin as a mosquito, and even deliberately avoided addressing him as "Your Majesty", daring only to use the word "Your Excellency".
Qianlong's gaze lingered on her trembling shoulders for a moment before he turned to Fang Zhihang and spoke gently, "Brother Zhihang, there's no need to be so polite. I happened to be passing by your house on my way to the Fayuan Temple to burn incense today. Thinking of the zither music I appreciated a few days ago, I wondered how your daughter's practice was going, so I stopped by to see you."
The word "on the way" was said lightly, but Fang Zhihang didn't dare to take it seriously. He quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty is considerate. I...I am grateful to you. I am stupid and I am afraid that I have failed your kindness."
"Oh?" Qianlong raised an eyebrow, his gaze drifting back to Xiaoyanzi, "Miss Fang, do you think the music is difficult to understand?"
Xiaoyanzi's back was as tense as a board, and she dug her fingertips deep into her palms before she managed to squeeze out a few words: "No... it's not difficult to understand. It's just that your servant... your servant's skills are not very good, and you haven't practiced them yet."
"Practice makes perfect." Qianlong walked slowly to the stone table in the corridor. His eyes fell on the unopened music sheet on the table. He reached out and gently brushed the wrinkles at the corner of the page. "I remember this 'Lotus Picking Song'. The tune of the Jiangnan water town is the most lively. I'm sure Miss Fang will play it with a different flavor."
How could he remember "The Lotus Picking Song"? Xiaoyanzi's heart suddenly sank. In her previous life, she had played this song to pieces in the imperial garden, and even said to Qianlong coquettishly, "The lotus flowers dance and bloom, and the song should dance and play." Could it be that he...he remembered it all?
"Your Majesty, thank you for your kind words." Xiao Jian stepped forward and calmly stood in front of Xiao Yanzi, bowing and saying, "My sister was frightened yesterday and is not in good spirits today. I'm afraid I won't be able to play the piano well and disturb Your Majesty's interest."
Qianlong glanced at Xiao Jian, seeing his eyes filled with a desire to protect his sister. The smile in his eyes deepened. "What happened in the alley yesterday was all thanks to Miss Fang. I haven't thanked her properly yet." He turned to Xiao Yanzi and spoke in a slower tone. "The situation was critical that day, and Miss Fang was very courageous."
These words were like needles, pricking Xiaoyanzi's ears. She wasn't being resolute; it was instinct that was taking over! She hurriedly lowered her head, her hair falling down to cover her face, and her voice became even quieter: "It's just a small favor, don't worry about it, sir."
"How can it be such a piece of cake?" Qianlong chuckled, walked to the crabapple tree, and reached out to catch a falling petal. "If that child were hurt, I would be uneasy. Miss Fang saved him, so you're doing me a favor." He paused, turned his head to look at Xiaoyanzi, his eyes filled with a hint of tentativeness. "Come to think of it, in a moment of desperation yesterday, Miss Fang seemed to... call out to me something?"
Here we come!
Xiaoyanzi's face drained of color, and even her breathing stopped. She could feel the gazes of her father and brother on her. The air seemed to freeze, and she could even hear the sound of the wind blowing through the crabapple leaves.
"Your servant... Your servant didn't shout anything." She shook her head desperately, tears welling up in her eyes, her voice tinged with sobs. "It was so chaotic at the time, I was terrified. Maybe... Maybe I was just talking nonsense, my Lord, and I misheard."
She couldn't admit it, absolutely couldn't! Once she admitted it, her life would be over.
Qianlong looked at her panicked expression, like a frightened little animal. The smile in his eyes faded a little, and a hint of heartache appeared. He didn't ask any more questions, but turned around and smiled at Fang Zhihang, "It seems I really heard wrongly. Brother Zhihang, why don't you show me your study? I heard that you have a collection of rare Jiangnan books."
Fang Zhihang quickly agreed: "It is an honor for me that the emperor is willing to do me the honor."
Qianlong followed Fang Zhihang to the study. When he passed Xiaoyanzi, he paused and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Practice the music well. I... am still waiting to hear you play 'The Lotus Picking Song'."
A warm breath brushed past her ears, and Xiaoyanzi shuddered. She looked up suddenly, meeting Qianlong's gaze as he turned. There was no reproach, no majesty in his eyes, only full understanding and a subtle tenderness, just like the helpless yet indulgent look he had given her in her previous life when she got into trouble.
Finally, she couldn't hold back her tears and they fell on the crabapple blossoms on her collar, leaving a small wet mark.
Xiao Jian patted her back and said in a low voice: "It's okay, he's gone."
But Xiaoyanzi knew it wouldn't end so easily. Qianlong's gaze, the words "I wait to hear you play," were like a net, slowly tightening. She had hidden in the palace for sixteen years, but eventually, following the call of "Father," the emperor's gaze, it gradually entangled her life.
The crabapple petals in the courtyard were still falling, the morning dew evaporated by the sun, leaving behind faint water stains, like the tears she hadn't had time to wipe away. The tranquility of the Fang Mansion was about to be shattered.
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