Chapter 188: Discussion of countermeasures in the dusk, warm lights illuminate people's hearts and the sunset
The palace walls were stained a warm orange. The bells on the corner towers swayed gently in the evening breeze, their "ding-ling-ding-ling" sounds drifting away along the corridors. Xiaoyanzi and Yongqi walked side by side on the way back to Shufangzhai, their shadows stretched out and occasionally overlapping. Xiaoyanzi still clutched the marked paper, the edges slightly wrinkled from her pinching.
"Guardian Zhou said that Steward Liu went to Chuxiu Palace this afternoon and came out with an oil-paper bag in his arms, acting very sneaky." Yongqi glanced at her sideways. The evening breeze lifted the strands of hair from her temples. He reached out to tuck them behind her ears, but fearing she would laugh, he pretended to adjust the jade pendant at his waist. "Guardian Wu is keeping an eye on him. There should be some movement tonight."
Little Swallow shoved the paper into his hand and skipped across the cracks in the stone slabs on the road. "That's good! We can catch the tortoise in a jar." She suddenly stopped and turned to look at the corner tower in the distance. The golden light of the setting sun shone on her face, and her eyes were bright. "Tell Xiaozhu to replace those iron needles with embroidery needles, and tie red silk thread on the ends of the needles. If someone really takes it out, the red silk thread will be fluttering, and we'll be able to tell who did it at a glance!"
Yongqi was amused by her idea. "You're so clever! But this method is good. It won't hurt anyone, and we can catch them red-handed." He hurried after her. "Ziwei and Erkang should be waiting for us in Shufangzhai. We should show them the map of Changyin Pavilion so they know where it is."
As they reached the entrance to Shufangzhai, they saw Ziwei standing under the crabapple tree, peering out, a newly lit lantern in hand. The warm yellow glow cast a shadow on the ground, and the hem of her skirt fluttered gently in the wind. "You're back!" Ziwei came forward and thrust the lantern into Xiaoyanzi's hands. "Doctor Wang just came by and said the peppermint ointment is ready and he told us to keep it close to our bodies. He also said the itching powder would be more effective if heated, so he asked the kitchen to replace the sweet soup with chilled lotus seed soup."
Erkang walked out of the room, holding a small porcelain bottle with the words "Qingxin Powder" labeled on the bottle. "This is the detoxification powder given by Doctor Wang. If someone really tampered with the soup, taking this will be an emergency." He handed the porcelain bottle to Yongqi and took out a piece of paper from his sleeve. "I just heard from the Fu family that Eunuch E was around the imperial kitchen today, asking all sorts of questions. I'm afraid he was trying to get information for Concubine Gao."
Xiaoyanzi hung a lantern on a hook in the porch. The red light cast a warm crimson hue on the crabapple leaves in the courtyard. "Eunuch E? E Min's men?" She raised an eyebrow and walked into the house. "It seems Concubine Gao not only had Nanny Li take action, but also involved the E family. Great, let's catch them all in one fell swoop!"
Entering the house, the aroma of the small kitchen hit me. Mingyue was placing plates of pastries on the table: mung bean cakes, almond pastries, and steaming sweet osmanthus cakes fresh from the oven. Little Wanzi, squatting by the stove, was helping serve lotus seed soup. Seeing them enter, he immediately shouted, "Wow, lotus seed soup is sweet and rich, it's soothing!" He ran over with his bowl in hand, almost bumping into the doorframe before being caught by a small stool.
"How clumsy!" Xiao Dengzi put the book "Journey to the West" on the table, "I just thought of a new joke for the princesses. It says that Sun Wukong saw through the trick of the monsters, turned into a small insect, got into the monster cave, and replaced all their poison powder with flour, so that the monsters lost more than they gained!" The little insect beside him imitated the sound of an insect: "Squeak - turn into flour!" and made everyone in the room laugh.
Xiaoyanzi picked up a piece of almond pastry and ate it while walking to the table. She spread out the blueprint of Changyin Pavilion. "Look, the pillars on both sides of the stage, the corner of the kitchen corridor, and the third row of guest chairs are all places we need to focus on." She pointed at the blueprint with her fingertips. "Guard Zhou will lead three men to guard the pillars, Guard Wu will monitor the corner of the kitchen, and have the twelfth prince's tutor sit in the third row, pretending to watch the show. If there's any movement, he'll cough three times to signal a warning."
Ziwei leaned in to examine the blueprint, her fingertips lightly tracing the spot marked "third row of passenger seats." "That's closest to the Empress Dowager's seat. If there's any movement, we have to protect her first." She looked up at Erkang, her eyes filled with worry. "Should we talk to the Empress Dowager about this? Ask her to be more vigilant, too."
Erkang nodded: "When I went to deliver the longevity handkerchief to the Empress in the evening, I hinted that 'things have been a bit uneasy in the imperial kitchen lately'. The Empress is very smart and she will definitely pay more attention to it. Rong Mama also secretly gave me a small bottle of pepper powder, saying that if I get itchy, sprinkling some of this on me can relieve the itch." He took out a small paper bag from his sleeve, and inside it was indeed bright red pepper powder.
Yongqi divided the detoxification powder given by Doctor Wang into several small packets and handed them to Xiaoyanzi, Ziwei, and Erkang. "Carry this with you. Don't lose it." He tied a knot with a red string for the packet given to Xiaoyanzi. "You're the most impatient. If something really happens, don't force your way in. Wait for me." Xiaoyanzi stuffed the paper packet into her arms and patted his arm. "I know! Don't just focus on protecting me. Be careful yourself."
As dusk deepened, the rosy clouds lit the candles in the house. The warm yellow light shone through the window paper, casting the shadow of the crabapple tree in the yard on the ground, making it sway. A small charcoal stove was brought to the small table, and hot tea was simmering on it, with steam rising from it. "Don't worry, ladies," he said, rolling up his sleeves, revealing his strong arms. "Xiao Dengzi and I will stay up tonight and memorize the blueprints of Changyin Pavilion. We will check them three times tomorrow and make sure not even a loose tile is left out!"
Xiao Dengzi immediately chimed in, "Right! We're like Sun Wukong's fiery eyes. No demon can escape us!" He picked up Journey to the West, flipped through two pages, and suddenly slapped his thigh. "I've got an idea! At the birthday banquet, I'll dress up as a storyteller and wait by the stage. If anyone really makes trouble, I'll shout 'Monsters are coming!' in the storyteller's codeword, and the guards will know to attack!"
Xiaoyanzi's eyes lit up when she heard this. "That's great! It won't draw attention to itself, and it can still convey the message." She turned to look out the window. Night had already spread over the palace walls, and the palace lanterns in the distance shone like stars. "Everyone, get some rest tonight. Tomorrow's birthday party, let's have some fun with them!"
The candlelight flickered gently in the breeze, casting a warm shadow across the room. The snacks on the table were still steaming, and the markings on the blueprints were clearly illuminated by the light. Everyone's face wore a smile, yet a hint of vigilance was hidden. As the night deepened, the light in Shufangzhai remained lit for a long time, like a warm star, quietly awaiting the arrival of dawn in the silent palace.
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