Chapter 65: The tears have not yet dried, and the storm is coming again
The door to Haitangyuan still felt cold against her back. Xiaoyanzi huddled behind it, tears falling like beads from a broken string, leaving dark stains on her skirt. The volume of Jiangnan Yuefu on the desk rustled in the wind, its creases stained with yesterday's tears, mingling with her new tears. It was hard to tell which was fear and which was resignation.
"Miss, please open the door!" Chuntao's voice rang out from outside the door, knocking anxiously. "Madam asked the kitchen to stew some bird's nest with rock sugar. Please have some!"
Xiaoyanzi sniffed, wiped her face with her sleeve, and said in a hoarse voice: "I'm not hungry... Tell them to leave me alone."
The footsteps outside the door stopped. Chun Tao was probably frightened by her tone. After a while, she whispered, "I've put the bird's nest on the stone table in the corridor. Come out and get it when you're hungry."
The footsteps faded, and the yard returned to dead silence, leaving only the rustling of the crabapple leaves in the wind, like someone sobbing softly. Little Swallow slowly raised her head and gazed at the gray sky outside the window, her heart clenched with anxiety. The three red lacquer boxes weighed down her like three mountains, making her feel breathless. Especially the music sheet with the lotus painting. Although it was locked in the warehouse, it seemed to have eyes, staring at her all the time.
The image of her practicing the qin in Shufangzhai in her past life resurfaced. Qianlong always loved sitting on the pearwood chair by the window, fiddling with a jade pendant, listening to her play those tuneless tunes. Whenever she made a mistake, she'd complain, saying the strings wouldn't obey. He never got angry, but would simply smile and ask the eunuchs to bring new strings. He would even personally demonstrate the fingerings... Those memories that once warmed her heart now pricked her heart like needles.
"Liar... all liars..." she muttered to herself, digging her nails into her palms. "They said they loved and protected me, but in the end, they trapped me in the palace..."
Just as he was daydreaming, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the courtyard, accompanied by the panicked voice of the housekeeper: "Master! Someone from the palace... the palace is coming again!"
Xiaoyanzi's heart leaped, as if someone had grabbed her tightly. She instantly sprang to her feet, her back pressed against the door, her face pale as a sheet. Why was he here again? What did he want?
"What are you panicking about?" Xiao Jian's voice came with a deliberately suppressed calmness, "Tell them to wait in the front hall, I'll be right there."
The footsteps were getting closer and closer, and stopped outside the courtyard gate. When Xiao Jian pushed the door open, he saw his sister's red and swollen eyes and pale lips. His heart suddenly tightened: "Ci'er, you..."
"Is he going to do something again?" Xiaoyanzi's voice trembled, her fingers digging into the wood grain of the door, her knuckles turning white. "Is he going to force me into the palace? Is he going to threaten me with my parents and the Fang family?"
She was like a frightened little animal, her eyes full of fear and vigilance, and even her breathing was trembling.
Xiao Jian walked over and gently pressed her shoulders, trying to calm her. "It's not what you think. Eunuch Su sent someone to say that the emperor asked how you were doing with the music, and also said...if there's anything you don't understand, he can send a musician from the palace to teach you."
"I don't want to learn! I don't want to be a musician!" Xiaoyanzi shook his hand off, tears welling up in her eyes again. "He did it on purpose! He knew what I was afraid of, and he insisted on doing it! I won't enter the palace, even if I die!"
Her voice was sharp, filled with desperate cries, and was particularly harsh in the quiet courtyard.
Xiao Jian watched his sister collapse, feeling both distressed and helpless. He knew Qianlong's intentions were obvious; those rewards and messages were all attempts to test and pressure him. But he couldn't show his weakness in front of his sister, so he could only feign composure. "Don't worry, I've already told Dad that you've caught a cold and need to rest. The music score... let's put it off for now."
"Drag it on?" Xiaoyanzi smiled sadly, tears streaming down her cheeks. "How long can it be delayed? He is the emperor. Who can stop him from doing what he wants?"
In her past life, she had tried to escape, tried to resist, but what was the result? She had implicated a lot of people, and she herself hadn't gotten a good ending. In this life, she just wanted to live peacefully with her family, so why was it so difficult?
At this moment, Liu Hong's voice came from outside the yard: "Swallow! Swallow! Are you there? We brought you something good!"
Xiaoyanzi was stunned. Before she could react, Liu Hong had already run in, lifting the curtain, followed by Liu Qing. Both of them were holding oil-paper bags in their hands. When they saw the scene in the yard, they were stunned.
The oil-paper bag in Liu Hong's hand fell to the ground with a "plop," and the sweet-scented osmanthus cake inside rolled out. "Swallow! Why are you crying? Who bullied you?"
Liu Qing also frowned and walked forward quickly: "Brother Fang, what's going on?"
Xiao Jian sighed and was about to speak when Xiao Yanzi suddenly threw herself into Liu Hong's arms and burst into tears like a wronged child: "Hong'er... Liu Qing... He won't let me go... He insisted on taking me into the palace..."
Liu Hong was at a loss as to what to do after hearing her cry. She could only clumsily pat her back, her eyes reddening. "Don't cry, don't cry. We're here for you! If anyone dares to bully you, we'll fight him to the death!"
Liu Qing looked at Xiao Yanzi's heart-wrenching sobs, then glanced at Xiao Jian's solemn expression. He guessed about 70% of what was going on, and his face was so gloomy that it looked like water could drip out of it. "Is it... someone from the palace causing trouble again?"
Xiao Jian nodded and said in a low voice: "The emperor sent someone to tell me that he wants to teach Ci'er to practice the piano."
"Practicing the piano? I don't think they have good intentions!" Liu Hong stamped her feet in anger. "Isn't it obvious that they are trying to lure Yan Zi into the palace? I'm going to confront them!"
"Hong'er!" Liu Qing held her back, "Don't be impulsive! He's the Emperor. You'll die in vain if you go!"
Xiaoyanzi raised her head from Liu Hong's arms, her eyes swollen and red like walnuts, tears still on her face: "It's useless... We can't beat him..."
Her voice was filled with despair, causing everyone present to feel their hearts tighten.
Xiao Jian took a deep breath and walked up to Xiao Yanzi, his eyes firm: "Ci'er, don't give up. As long as I'm here, I will never let you be forced to do anything you don't want to do. Let's think of a way, there will always be a way."
Liu Qing also nodded: "Brother Fang is right. Yan Zi, don't worry, we will help you. Even if it costs our lives, we can't let you be dragged into that hellhole."
Liu Hong wiped her tears and nodded vigorously: "Yes! We will help you!"
Xiaoyanzi felt a little more at ease as she looked at the three people who truly loved her. However, the deep-seated fear she felt could not be shaken off. She knew that Qianlong's patience was limited. This time he had just passed on a message, but next time he might just issue a direct decree.
Outside the window, the crabapple petals were blown all over the ground by the wind, like a layer of broken rouge. Little Swallow looked at the fallen petals, her heart chilled. The peace she had fought so hard to protect was ultimately like these petals, shattered bit by bit in the palace's fierce wind.
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