Chapter 74: The Emperor's Heart is Unpredictable and His Rewards Are Great, Yan Fears a Restless Night in the Deep Palace
The Begonia Courtyard of the Fang Mansion was bathed in dusk, the last rays of sunset splattered the window lattices like molten gold, yet Xiaoyanzi felt that the warm light could never penetrate her heart. The aqua-green Hangzhou silk palace dress lay spread out on the table, its lotus pattern gleaming with tiny golden glints in the fading light, like a silent net. And the box of oriental pearls, each round and cold, chilled her touch, pressing against it and making her fingertips tremble.
"Ci'er, look at this material!" Madam Fang Li's voice was filled with uncontrollable joy, and her fingertips lovingly stroked the smooth silk surface, "The embroidery of this lotus must be the work of the needlework bureau in the palace! And these oriental pearls, each one is plump and lustrous. The emperor's favor is really..." She picked up a bead and looked at it carefully in the residual light. The pearl illuminated the complete joy in her eyes, and she was not aware of the blood color that had faded from her daughter's face.
As if blinded by the pearly light, Xiaoyanzi abruptly turned her head away, digging her nails into her palms as she barely managed to suppress the bitterness and fear surging in her throat. "Favour?" It was clearly a tightrope tightening every step of the way! Before the shadow cast by the bright yellow sedan chair outside the Qipan Street Noodle Restaurant had dissipated, this reward had already followed her home like a shadow.
"Mom," her voice was dry and trembling with an imperceptible sound, "I... I don't like these. They are too expensive and uncomfortable to wear." She reached out to fold the dazzling clothes, but her fingertips touched the cold satin and she retracted her hand as if she were burned.
"Silly child, what nonsense are you talking about!" Li pulled her hand away in a scolding tone, and tried to fit the aquamarine palace dress on her, her eyes full of admiration. "Look at this color, it suits you so well! Wearing it at the Lotus Banquet will surely outshine all the other beauties! This is a special gift from the Emperor; it's a honor and a blessing!"
"Lotus Banquet?" Xiaoyanzi looked up suddenly as if pricked by a needle, and her watery eyes were instantly filled with resistance and panic. "I won't go! Mother, I don't want to go to the palace!" Her voice suddenly rose, with a desperate sharpness, which startled Li so much that her hands trembled and her clothes almost slipped off.
Fang Zhihang, who had been silent the entire time, set down his teacup. The porcelain clinked against the wooden table, making a soft, clacking sound. His elegant face was thoughtful, his gaze sweeping across the lavish gift before settling on his daughter's pale, frightened face. "Ci'er, why are you so resistant? But... were you wronged in the palace? Ever since the last flower viewing banquet at the Old Summer Palace, you've been feeling uneasy."
Xiaoyanzi opened her mouth, the deep-seated fear threatening to burst from her throat—the cold palace rules, the hidden daggers of her past life, the suffocating feeling of being unable to control herself... But the word "rebirth" hung like a sword over her head, and she dared not utter a single word. Ultimately, she could only lower her head, her thick lashes shading the turbulent waves in her eyes. Her fingers unconsciously twisted the tassels of the silk ribbon at her waist, rubbing the bright red spot into a mess.
"I'm not feeling wronged... Dad," her voice was muffled, as if blocked by cotton, "I just... I just feel that there are too many rules in the palace, too many people, and the air is stuffy. I... I just want to be at home, with my parents and brother, playing the piano, reading a book, or... or go talk to Sister Liu Hong." Her voice lowered as she spoke, with a barely perceptible pleading tone.
Xiao Jian (Fang Yan), who had been guarding the door, silently approached. His tall figure, like a steady mountain, quietly stood between Xiao Yanzi and the dazzling pile of rewards. He picked up the guqin on the table—another "gift" bestowed by Emperor Qianlong a few days ago—and gently brushed the strings with his fingertips, producing a few cool, single notes.
"Father, Mother," Xiao Jian spoke in a low, steady voice, reassuring and powerful. "Ci'er is young, and it's only natural for her to feel uneasy about suddenly attending a banquet in such a prestigious place. Besides, the Fang family's position in the capital is based on your father's reputation and knowledge, not on your daughter's quest for favor in the palace. The Fang family is grateful for the Emperor's grace, but if Ci'er truly dislikes it, we might find a safe excuse to decline."
He put down his zither and looked at Fang Zhihang with the sharp insight of a man of the world: "As for the matter of Lord Liang, didn't Erkang ask Fu Jin to convey a message that Lord Fulun is stepping up the investigation to verify the evidence of his withholding of disaster relief grain funds? The court is in a turbulent time, and the emperor may... not have too much time to pay attention to a lotus banquet for his family." These words were half analysis and half reminder, implying that the emperor's mind is unpredictable, and behind the favor there may not be scrutiny.
Fang Zhihang frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and slowly nodded, "Yan'er, what you said is not without reason." He looked at Xiaoyanzi, his eyes gentle but with the insight of a scholar, "Ci'er, your parents are not trying to force you. It's just that the emperor's order is difficult to disobey, and this matter requires long-term consideration. If you really don't want to, your father will submit a memorial to the palace tomorrow, stating that you have been unwell recently and need to rest for a while, and politely decline the emperor's grace."
Li looked at her husband, then at her daughter, and then at the gorgeous yet intimidating palace dress. The joy on her face finally faded, stained with worry and heartache. "Master is right. If Ci'er really doesn't want to, we...we can find a way to refuse. But..." She sighed, worried, "The Emperor has given rewards one after another and specifically requested Ci'er to attend the banquet. If I refuse such a favor, I'm afraid it will displease the Emperor. In the future..."
"What will happen in the future?" Xiaoyanzi raised her head suddenly, tears flashing in her eyes, like a frightened deer. "Are you going to send me to that golden cage just for fear that the emperor will be unhappy? Mother, you didn't see those people in the Old Summer Palace! The Empress smiled gently, but that look... was like there was a veil between them! Madam Rong stood at the back, like a wooden man! And those concubines, they spoke softly, but who knows what they were thinking? I'm afraid... I'm afraid that once I go in, I'll never be able to get out!" She became more and more anxious as she spoke. The cold memories of being framed, forced to kneel, and pushed to the guillotine in her previous life in Shufangzhai came to her like fragments, making her cold all over and trembling uncontrollably.
"Ci'er!" Xiao Jian's heart tightened, and he immediately took a step forward. He pressed his broad and warm palms firmly on her thin shoulders, and a solid strength came from his palms. "Calm down. With me here, no one can put you in a cage." His voice was not loud, but it was filled with a firm promise. His eyes were as sharp as a sword, sweeping across the pile of rewards, as if to cut off the invisible pressure attached to them.
Fang Zhihang watched his daughter lose her composure, his suspicions growing deeper, but even more so, his heart aching. He said in a deep voice, "We'll discuss this later. Madam, please put the things away first. Ci'er was frightened today; let her rest well."
Li quickly responded, carefully folded the palace dress, and placed it, along with the box of oriental pearls, back into the gilded lacquer box, handing it to Chuntao, who was waiting nearby. Chuntao held the box and retreated lightly, as if the box weighed a thousand pounds.
The room fell silent for a moment, the only sound being the chirping of weary birds returning to their nests outside. The evening breeze streamed through the half-open window, bringing with it the rich, sweet fragrance of gardenias from the courtyard. This familiar, homely scent soothed Xiaoyanzi's frayed nerves. She leaned against Xiao Jian, absorbing his reassuring scent, her rapid breathing slowly calming.
"Dad, Mom, Brother," she whispered, her voice slightly hoarse from crying, "I... I'm not ignorant. I'm just... really scared." She raised her wet eyelashes and looked at her parents, "I don't want to leave home."
Fang Zhihang's heart softened and he said gently, "Dad knows. Don't be afraid. If the sky falls, Dad and your brother will hold it up." Li also nodded with red eyes.
Xiao Jian patted her back gently, his silent comfort more powerful than any words. He cast his gaze out the window at the deepening night, his eyes as dark as ink. Qianlong's thoughts, like the dark night, were difficult to glimpse. Those "coincidental" passings, the "unintentional" rewards, and the inevitable invitation to the Lotus Feast all indicated that the emperor's will had quietly cast a shadow like a spider web. The "chance encounter" on Qipan Street was by no means the end. The wind from the Forbidden City was blowing with irresistible force towards the Fang family's small Begonia Courtyard.
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The night was as dark as ink, and the Fang Mansion was completely silent. However, Xiaoyanzi had no desire to sleep.
She sat alone at her zither. The cool, subtle fragrance of the gardenias in the celadon vase mingled with the rustling of crabapple leaves outside the window. The image of the aquamarine palace dress from the daytime, and that unfathomable glance from Qianlong behind the curtain of his sedan chair on Qipan Street, flashed through her mind like a ghost. Her fingertips unconsciously plucked the strings. A sudden, piercing sound of ripping silk echoed, a startling throb that made her flinch. Looking down, she saw a string had been plucked, its sharp edge gleaming coldly in the moonlight. A thin line of blood oozed from the tip of her index finger.
"Hiss..." She gasped, watching the bright red quickly gather into beads, dripping onto the dark surface of the zither, spreading a small dark patch. This zither was a gift from Emperor Qianlong; these strings had actually hurt her. A strong sense of foreboding gripped her.
At this moment, a slender and oppressive figure appeared silently at the open door. The moonlight dragged his long shadow in, almost covering half of the room.
Xiaoyanzi was so frightened that she looked up suddenly. Her heart was instantly grasped by an invisible hand and almost stopped beating.
Qianlong!
He wasn't wearing a dragon robe, only a dark, cloud-patterned casual attire, a jade belt cinched at his waist, accentuating his imposing figure. He stepped into the room under the cool moonlight, his steps steady and silent, like the shadow of an emperor emerging from the night. His deep eyes, startlingly bright in the dim light, locked onto her with a penetrating sharpness and a frightening, unquestionable focus.
"My little Swallow," he began, his voice deep and rich, echoing clearly in the silent room. Every word struck like a hammer in her heart. "How's your practice of 'Gathering Lotuses' coming along? I've been waiting in the palace to hear you play this same tune from past and present lives." He leaned forward slightly, his eyes scanning her bleeding fingertips and broken strings. The corners of his lips curled up in a hint of understanding and a touch of pity. "What's the matter? Are the strings too tight? Or... your heart is too confused?"
Xiaoyanzi's entire body went cold, her blood seemingly frozen. The words "my little swallow," the bluntness of "past and present lives," exploded in her mind like thunder! He knew! He truly knew everything! All her disguises, all her evasions, at this moment, completely shattered under his all-seeing gaze!
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