Chapter 67 The morning mist has not yet dissipated, and the imperial edict is urging
The morning mist gradually faded like a veil, revealing the damp green tiles of Haitang Courtyard. Xiaoyanzi sat at her dressing table by the window, while Chuntao worked on her loose twin buns. The gentle sound of the wooden comb brushing through her hair couldn't suppress the trembling of her fingertips. The bronze mirror reflected her red, puffy eyes, the dark circles beneath them faintly blurred by ink, a weariness not even masked by rouge.
"Miss, why not use some rouge?" Chun Tao picked up the peach blossom cream and gently advised, "Madam said that it would make you look better and brighter."
Little Swallow shook her head, her gaze fixed on the crabapple tree reflected in the mirror. After a night of dew, the petals looked even more delicate, but she felt the pink hue resembled the glaring palace walls, making her uneasy.
"No need." Her voice was muffled, her fingertips unconsciously picking at the carvings on the dressing table. "Just keep it simple. Today... I don't want to go out."
She wanted to hide, hide in this Begonia Courtyard, hide in the memories of Jiangnan, and avoid all the news about the palace and Emperor Qianlong. But reality always seemed to be chasing her shadow, and she couldn't get rid of it.
"Ci'er, are you awake?" Li's voice sounded outside the yard, with a barely perceptible urgency.
Xiaoyanzi's heart tightened, and she quickly asked Chuntao to speed up: "Mom is coming."
When Li pushed the door open, she clutched a bright yellow note in her hand, her expression barely brighter than Xiaoyanzi's. She walked over to the dressing table, placed the note on the table, her fingertips trembling slightly. "Someone's coming from the palace again..."
Xiaoyanzi's eyes felt like they were nailed to the post, the bright yellow cover stinging her eyes. She knew without even looking that the content inside the post was anything but good.
"Is... is it Eunuch Su?" Her voice was hoarse, her fingers curled up, and her nails dug deep into her palms.
Mrs. Li nodded and sighed. "It wasn't Eunuch Su, it was Chang Shou, the head steward of the Imperial Household Department. He said... the emperor is holding a flower viewing party at the Old Summer Palace the day after tomorrow, and he's sent a special invitation, inviting our entire family to attend." She paused, her gaze resting on her daughter's pale face, her tone growing graver. "The invitation... specifically states that you must be present."
"You have to be there?" Xiaoyanzi stood up suddenly, the chair legs scraping harshly on the ground. "He's forcing me! He did it on purpose!"
Her voice was tearful, and her eyes instantly turned red again. What kind of flower viewing party was this? It was clearly the Hongmen Banquet! Qianlong wanted to use this occasion to pull her into the vortex of the palace.
"Ci'er, please keep your voice down." Madam Li quickly pulled her back, looked around, and lowered her voice. "Walls have ears, be careful not to be overheard." She held her daughter's cold hand, but the warmth of her palm couldn't warm the chill. "Mother knows you don't want to go, but this is the emperor's order. We... can't disobey."
"So what if I disobey the order?" Xiaoyanzi broke free from her hand and paced anxiously around the room, her lilac skirt brushing against the foot of the stool. "Am I just going to watch him drag me into the palace? I don't want to! I'd rather die than go to that place!"
Fragments of memories from her past life flooded back—the cold palace rules, the endless fighting, and the suffocating "favors." She had finally found a stable home, how could she fall back into it?
"Silly child, what are you talking about?" Li's eyes were red. She pulled her arm and asked her to sit down. "Your parents and your brother are here. They won't let you suffer any injustice. Let's go to the banquet and just treat it as going to see the flowers. Don't worry about anything else, okay?"
Xiaoyanzi shook her head and tears fell: "Mom, you don't understand... He is different, he knows everything, he is coming for me." She couldn't say "rebirth", she could only express it vaguely, but the panic in her heart spread like a tide.
At this moment, Xiao Jian walked in, still carrying the dusty air of someone who had just returned from outside. When he saw the scene in the room, his brows immediately frowned: "Mother, Ci'er, what's wrong?"
"It's just right that your brother is back." Li wiped her tears and handed the invitation to Xiao Jian. "The emperor invited us to go to the Old Summer Palace to appreciate the flowers and specifically asked Ci'er to go."
Xiao Jian took the note and glanced at it quickly, his face dark as rain. He clutched the note in his hand, his knuckles turning white. "I knew he wouldn't give up." He turned to Xiao Yanzi, his tone as gentle as possible. "Ci'er, don't be afraid. I'll go with you the day after tomorrow and stay with you every step of the way. He won't dare do anything."
"Brother..." Xiaoyanzi looked at him, her eyes full of helplessness, "I really don't want to go...that place. Just thinking about it makes me feel breathless."
"I know." Xiao Jian squatted down, looking her in the eye, his eyes firm. "But we can't confront him head-on right now. Let's go first and see what happens. If he really dares to make excessive demands, we'll find a way to get out. At worst... we can go back to Jiangnan."
"Go back to Jiangnan?" Xiaoyanzi was stunned. The thought was like a glimmer of hope, giving her a little peace of mind, but then it dimmed again. "Can we go back? He's the emperor. Can we escape?"
Xiao Jian held her hand and squeezed it hard: "Yes. As long as we want to leave, there is always a way."
As he was speaking, the housekeeper hurried in, holding a brocade box in his hand: "Master, Madam, this is sent from the palace. They say it is... a new dress for the young lady, to wear to the banquet the day after tomorrow."
The brocade box was bright yellow, embroidered with delicate auspicious dragon and phoenix patterns, and it was obvious that it was worth a lot of money. Xiaoyanzi looked at the box, as if she saw something hot, and took a step back suddenly: "I don't want it! Take it away!"
The housekeeper was startled by her reaction and looked at Xiao Jian at a loss.
"Put it down." Xiao Jian said in a deep voice. After the housekeeper left, he picked up the brocade box and placed it on the table. "It's good to take a look at it. You'll know what he's up to."
Li opened the brocade box, and inside was a light red Manchu dress with peonies embroidered with gold thread on the collar and cuffs, and a phoenix with spread wings embroidered with silver thread on the hem. It was glittering and colorful, and it was obvious that it was made in royal style.
"This... this is clearly the dress that the princess wears." Li's voice trembled. "Has he... made up his mind a long time ago?"
Little Swallow looked at the dress, her vision darkening. The red silk glared like blood, and the gold and silver threads seemed like chains, waiting to bind her. She clutched her chest, gasping for breath, "I won't wear it! I won't wear it even if I die!"
Xiao Jian quickly supported her and patted her back gently: "If you don't want to wear it, we won't wear it. Just leave the clothes there. No one can force you to do it."
The sunlight outside the window finally dispelled the morning mist and shone on the stone steps of Haitang Courtyard, reflecting a dazzling light. But this light could not reach Xiaoyanzi's heart, which was still shrouded in a thick fear.
She knew that the trip to the Old Summer Palace the day after tomorrow was an unavoidable hurdle. Qianlong had already made his intentions clear; the princess's dress and the invitation to enjoy the flowers were his "invitations," inviting her back into the cage she had desperately tried to escape.
She seemed to have no choice but to move forward. However, every step she took felt like walking on the edge of a knife, causing her heart to tremble with pain.
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