Chapter 64: Rewards are coming, old memories are shocking
Only when Qianlong's carriage disappeared around the corner of the alley did the Begonia Courtyard of the Fang Mansion dare to murmur again. Xiaoyanzi squatted in the corridor, her fingers unconsciously picking at the moss in the cracks between the bluestone slabs, her fingertips rubbed red. Qianlong's words, "I'm waiting to hear you play 'The Lotus Picking Song,'" were like a fine needle, piercing her heart with numbness and pain, and even her fingertips felt cold.
"Ci'er, get up! The ground's cold." Her mother, Mrs. Li, came over, holding a moon-white cloak and gently placed it on her shoulders. The cloak was embroidered with intricate twined branches, the material brought from Jiangnan last year. But even wrapped around her, Xiaoyanzi felt it couldn't warm the chill deep within her.
"Mother, did he... did he know?" Xiaoyanzi's voice was filled with tears, her head buried in her knees, the red silk ribbon at the end of her braid was covered with dust and drooped limply. "I didn't mean to do that, I was just panicking at the time..."
Mrs. Li squatted down and wiped the tears from her cheeks with a handkerchief. Her fingertips touched her daughter's cold skin and she sighed with heartache: "Silly child, the emperor is a wise ruler. He will not blame us for an unintentional remark. Maybe... maybe he thinks you saved someone and wants to take better care of you." Although she said so, she could not hide the worry in her eyes - the emperor came to visit in person, how could he just be "on his way"?
Xiao Jian stood by the porch pillar, gazing toward the courtyard gate, his brows knitted into a knot. He knew better than anyone the weight of his sister's "Emperor Father." It was a reliance etched in his bones, a stigma left by his past life in the palace. The look Qianlong had given Ci'er just now was clear: this was definitely not a good thing.
"Father is talking to the housekeeper in the study," Xiao Jian walked over, his voice low. "I think he's telling the servants to be more cautious in the future." He paused, reached out and gently ruffled Xiaoyanzi's hair. "Don't be afraid. I'm here. I won't let you get tangled up in the palace."
Xiaoyanzi sniffed and was about to speak when she heard the housekeeper's voice coming from outside the courtyard. It was a somewhat panicked yet respectful tone: "Madam! Master! Someone's coming from the palace! They say...they say the emperor has given us a reward and told us to go to the front courtyard to receive his order!"
"What?" Xiaoyanzi stood up suddenly, not even noticing that her cloak had slipped off her shoulders. Her face turned even paler than before. "He...he's giving me something again?"
Xiao Jian quickly picked up the cloak and put it on her, holding her trembling shoulders: "Don't panic, I'll go with you."
The three hurried to the front yard and saw two eunuchs standing in the courtyard, followed by four younger eunuchs, holding three red lacquer and gold-painted boxes. The leading eunuch was none other than Eunuch Su, one of Emperor Qianlong's attendants. He wore a smile on his face, and upon seeing Fang Zhihang approach, he quickly bowed, "Master Fang, the Emperor said that Miss Fang had done a great service in saving his life yesterday, and remembering her love of playing the qin, he specially sent over some fine gifts."
Xiaoyanzi hid behind Xiao Jian, secretly examining the boxes, her heart clenched tight. She was afraid the contents would bring back more memories of her past life, that this "reward" was another form of temptation.
"Thank you, Eunuch Su, for making this trip." Fang Zhihang bowed. "I wonder what the Emperor gave me as a reward?"
Eunuch Su smiled and gestured for the young eunuch to open the boxes. "This first box contains the Emperor's treasured guqin. It's said to have been crafted by a renowned artist from the previous dynasty, and its tone is remarkably clear. The second box contains finest Jiangnan silk and bamboo instruments, said to be perfect for Miss Fang's instrument. This third box..." He opened the last box, which was covered in bright yellow brocade and contained several thread-bound books. "These are guqin scores annotated by the Emperor himself, said to be beneficial for practicing the Jiangnan Yuefu."
When Xiaoyanzi saw the cover of the music book, her breath hitched. The handwriting on the cover was identical to the copy of Jiangnan Yuefu on her desk, even the color of the red ink used for the annotations was identical. Even more startling was the small lotus flower painted on the title page of the music book, with a delicate brushstroke that looked exactly like the one she had casually drawn for Emperor Qianlong in the imperial garden in her previous life.
He really did remember! He remembered everything!
"Miss Fang, take a look. Do you like it?" Eunuch Su's gaze fell on Xiaoyanzi, with a hint of inquiry. "The Emperor said that if Miss Fang encounters any difficulties in practicing the piano, she can always come to the palace for guidance. The musicians in the palace are the most proficient in these matters."
"No need!" Xiaoyanzi blurted out, her voice trembling imperceptibly. "Your servant... Your servant is dull and stupid. I dare not trouble the palace musicians, let alone... I dare not bother the emperor again." She lowered her head, her fingers tightly gripping the laces of her cloak, her knuckles turning white. "These rewards are too valuable. Your servant... Your servant dare not accept them."
"That's unacceptable." The smile on Eunuch Su's face faded a little, but his tone remained respectful. "How can we return the emperor's reward? Miss Fang is not giving the emperor face."
Fang Zhihang quickly tried to smooth things over: "Don't blame me, Eunuch Su. I feel unworthy of this gift. The Fang family is deeply grateful for the emperor's kindness. We accept this gift, but... I am a shy girl, and I'm afraid I really don't dare to disturb you in the palace."
Eunuch Su then gave up, said a few polite words, and asked the housekeeper to keep the reward well before leaving with his men.
After the eunuchs' footsteps faded, the front yard fell silent, leaving only the rustling of leaves in the wind. The three red lacquer boxes stood in the center of the courtyard, their dazzling red like three mountains weighing down my heart.
"Ci'er, look at this zither..." Fang Zhihang picked up the zither. The body of the zither shone with a warm luster and it was obviously priceless at first glance, but his daughter's face was paler than paper.
"I don't want to see it!" Xiaoyanzi took a step back and bumped into Xiao Jian, her voice filled with tears. "I don't want these things! I don't want to practice the piano anymore! Dad, brother, can we return these things? Can we go back to Jiangnan and leave the capital?"
She was afraid, truly afraid. Qianlong's reward was not a favor, but a reminder, a declaration—he knew who she was, that she remembered everything, and he was telling her in this way that she couldn't hide.
Xiao Jian supported her swaying body and looked at the box of music sheets with eyes as dark as a deep pool. "There's no going back, Ci'er. The Emperor has made his feelings clear. If we leave now, we'll really get into trouble."
Li's eyes were red as she took Xiaoyanzi's hand and said, "Good girl, be patient. We can just not accept these things and not practice the piano. We can always find a way."
But Xiaoyanzi knew it was useless. The words "Huang Da Ma" were like a key, unlocking Pandora's box. Qianlong's gaze, these rewards, were like waves escaping from the box, only to grow stronger. She looked at the music sheet with the lotus flower, and images of practicing in Shufangzhai in her past life suddenly flooded back—Qianlong sitting by the window, listening to her play. When she made a mistake, he would act like a scapegoat, shaking his head helplessly, but then he would personally demonstrate... Those memories, once warm, now felt like the sharpest knife, piercing her heart.
"I'm going back to my room." Xiaoyanzi broke free from her mother's hand and practically ran back to Haitang Courtyard. She closed the door, slid down to the floor with her back against the door, and looked at the curled copy of Jiangnan Yuefu on the table. Tears finally welled up.
The petals of the crabapple blossoms were still falling outside the window, but the tranquility of the Fang Mansion seemed to be shattered bit by bit by the Emperor Qianlong's reward. The peace and stability she had tried so hard to protect was ultimately shaken by the turmoil of the palace.
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