Chapter 154: Chenlu was startled by the groom's words, and the palace wall was secretly covered with wind nets
At dawn, a faint light filtered through the window paper of Shufangzhai. Little Swallow, her hair in a messy bun, squatted on the porch, combing the mane of her beloved white horse, Taxue. She wore a moon-white short-sleeped top, her sleeves rolled high, revealing her sturdy forearms. A sleepy crabapple blossom was tucked into her hair—a gift from Yongqi the previous night, who said it would look better on her than in a vase.
"Treading snow, treading snow," she muttered as she combed the horse, her fingertips gently scratching the soft fur behind the horse's ears. "You have to be smart today. Don't eat any hay that anyone gives you, especially those brought by those fawning eunuchs. Do you hear me?"
The horse snorted loudly and rubbed its head against her shoulder, splashing the morning dew on its mane all over her face. Little Swallow smiled and patted its neck: "I know you're smart! After we pass the ancestor worship, I'll take you for three laps outside the city and show you what a real 'Horse Stepping on Flying Swallow' is!"
"Princess, are you giving a horse lesson?" Yongqi's voice came from the Moon Gate, with the clearness of early morning. He was wearing a dark blue uniform and holding a food box. As he walked quickly, the hem of his clothes brushed the dew-soaked grass, stirring up a string of tiny water droplets.
Xiaoyanzi turned around and glared at him, "Who's in class? I'm deploying a strategy!" Even as she spoke, her ears blushed quietly, and she frantically hid the crabapple blossoms in her hair behind her ears. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you going to the study room so early in the morning, but are you slacking off here with me?"
"I'm bringing you breakfast." Yongqi put the lunch box on the stone table and opened it. Inside were steaming hot crab roe soup dumplings and a bowl of osmanthus porridge. "Mother said you didn't sleep well last night, so she asked the kitchen to make some." His eyes fell on her messy bun, and he couldn't help but reach out to help her tidy it up, but Xiaoyanzi dodged him abruptly.
"Don't touch it!" She jumped back half a step like a frightened little animal, and her lower back hit the wooden fence of the stable. She grimaced in pain, "I can do it myself!"
Yongqi reluctantly withdrew his hand, the touch of her hair still lingering on his fingertips, yet his heart was filled with sweetness. He watched her clumsily pull her hair back, the ends of her hair stubbornly sticking up, like a mane on the back of her neck after stepping on snow. He couldn't help but smile and said, "What do you think of the clue we found yesterday, big brother?"
When the topic of business came up, Xiaoyanzi immediately stopped playing around. She walked over to the stone table, sat down, picked up a soup dumpling, and took a big bite. She didn't even bother to wipe the soup off her nose. "Big brother said that the eunuch confessed. Madam Li gave him fifty taels of silver and told him to stuff 'soft muscle powder' into the saddle pads used for ancestral worship. He also said..." She lowered her voice and leaned close to Yongqi's ear, "The grooms in Concubine Gao's palace have been acting suspiciously lately, constantly going to the Imperial Stables."
A warm breath brushed past his ear, and Yongqi's ears instantly turned red. He cleared his throat, forced himself to remain calm, and took out a handkerchief. When she wasn't paying attention, he wiped the soup off her nose. "Manager Wang of the Imperial Stables is a distant cousin of Eunuch E, and Emin has always been close to Concubine Gao..."
"I knew it!" Xiaoyanzi slammed the soup dumplings on the table, and the soup splashed even farther. "This bunch of people are a bunch of snakes and rats! No, I have to go to the Imperial Stables to take a look!" As she was about to get up, Yongqi grabbed her wrist.
His palms were warm and strong, and his fingertips gently caressed the red string around her wrist—she had woven it herself, and on it hung the jade pendant he had given her. Yongqi's voice lowered, with undeniable seriousness: "Don't go! Going now would only alert the enemy. I'll investigate. I'm a prince, they won't dare stop me."
Seeing the worry in his eyes, Xiaoyanzi felt warm at heart, but she was still unforgiving: "You? Do you know the groom's code or the Softening Powder? Last time I asked you to distinguish the good grass from the bad, you mistook alfalfa for poisonous grass, and the groom almost laughed his head off!"
Yongqi's face flushed red, and he stiffened his neck in defense, "That's because I wasn't prepared! This time is different. I'll bring the poison-testing powder that big brother gave me!" He pulled a small porcelain bottle filled with silvery-white powder from his sleeve pocket. "It will turn black if it comes into contact with poison, so we'll know once we test it."
As they were talking, Xiaodengzi came running out holding a heater, shouting from a distance, "Princess! Fifth Prince! We've found out, we've found out!" He was running so fast that he tripped on the threshold, and the heater fell to the ground with a clang, rolling to Xiaoyanzi's feet. "Goodness, thud! Xiaowenzi heard that Nanny Li had the kitchen make osmanthus cake yesterday, saying she was sending it to Steward Wang from the Imperial Stables!"
Xiaoyanzi's eyes lit up, and she grabbed a soup dumpling from the table and stuffed it into her mouth. "What a great opportunity! Yongqi, you go to the Imperial Stables to 'inspect', and I'll go to Noble Concubine Gao's palace to 'pay my respects'. Let's do this on two fronts!" She turned and ran towards the inner courtyard. After running a few steps, she turned back and pointed at the porcelain bottle in Yongqi's hand, "Give me half of the poison-testing powder!"
Yongqi shook his head helplessly, poured some powder from a porcelain bottle, wrapped it in paper, and handed it to her. He couldn't help but laugh as he watched her rush into the corridor like a gust of wind, her skirt sweeping over the wind chimes hanging from the pillars, making them tinkle and clang. This girl was always so impetuous.
Meanwhile, in the warm room of Jingren Palace, a deathly silence reigned. Concubine Gao reclined on a soft couch covered in white fox fur, fiddling with a bracelet made of oriental pearls. The round beads twirled swiftly between her fingers, making her face paler still.
Nanny Li knelt on the ground, her head almost touching the blue brick floor. Her voice trembled, "Your Majesty, that young eunuch said... Princess Huanzhu seemed to have noticed something, and yesterday she specifically asked Xiao Jian to check the saddle pads..."
"Waste!" Concubine Gao slammed the bracelet to the ground, and the Dongzhu rolled all over the floor with a crisp sound. "You can't even handle such a small matter! What's the point of me keeping a bunch of you useless people?"
Nanny Li was trembling with fear. She hurriedly crawled a few steps to pick up the beads, but Concubine Gao kicked her on the shoulder. "Don't touch them! You're dirtying my things!" As she stood up, her skirt swept over the pearls on the ground, crushing one that rolled to her feet. "Didn't I tell you to put 'softening powder' in the saddle pad? How did you get caught?"
"I don't know either!" Li Ma Ma cried while lying on the ground. "The powder was mixed with cotton wool, so ordinary people can't find it at all... Maybe Xiao Jian knows some tricks of the world..."
Concubine Gao paced back and forth restlessly, the gold and jade hairpin at her waist swaying with her movements. The tassels swept across the peacock embroidered on the screen, startling the sparrows outside the window and sending them flying. She walked to the window and stared toward the Imperial Stables, her brow furrowed in a knot. "What should I do now? There are only three days left to offer sacrifices to my ancestors. If I don't take action now, I'll never have another chance!"
Nanny Li's eyes rolled, and she suddenly raised her head, a fierce look flashing in her eyes. "Your Majesty, I have another idea. Since the saddle pad has been confiscated, let's try it somewhere else. Steward Wang from the Imperial Horse Administration said that Princess Huanzhu will ride 'Treading Snow' when she goes to pay respects to her ancestors. That horse has a fierce temper. If we put some 'Dian Kuang Powder' on the bit, it will be frightened on the way to the ancestral ceremony and will throw Princess Huanzhu off!"
"Dian Kuang San?" Concubine Gao stopped and turned, the tassels of her hairpin brushing against Nanny Li's face. "Will that thing kill someone?"
"No, no!" Nanny Li waved her hands quickly. "That medicine will only make the horse go crazy for a short time, and it will be fine after a while. At most, it will cause the princess to suffer minor injuries. It will be disrespectful in front of the ancestors, which is enough to punish her!"
Concubine Gao pondered for a moment, then let out a cold smile. "Alright! Let's do it! Tell Steward Wang to be very careful and not leave any evidence behind. After the deed is done, I will reward you handsomely!"
"I obey your command!" Nanny Li kowtowed and thanked her. Just as she was about to stand up, she heard the eunuch's announcement from outside the door: "Your Highness, Princess Huanzhu comes to pay her respects—"
The two of them changed their expressions at the same time. Concubine Gao quickly winked at Nanny Li, who understood and quickly got up and hid behind the screen. Concubine Gao straightened her clothes, took a deep breath, put on a hypocritical smile, and said loudly, "Please invite the princess in!"
When Xiaoyanzi entered the warm room, she saw Concubine Gao sitting on a couch drinking tea. The sunlight shone through the window lattice on her, making the pearls on her temples sparkle. She pretended to be innocent and rushed to the couch, holding a food box in her hand. "Sister Concubine! I brought you something delicious!"
"Oh? What good stuff?" Concubine Gao put down the teacup and her eyes fell on the food box in her hand, with a vigilant look in her eyes.
Xiaoyanzi opened the lunch box, revealing several plates of exquisite Jiangnan snacks. "These are the pine nut cakes and osmanthus cakes my chef just made. Would you like to try them, sister?" She picked up a piece of pine nut cake and handed it over, deliberately pinching it with her fingers. "I specifically asked them to use less sugar. I think you've lost weight recently, sister."
Concubine Gao stared at the cake, hesitant to reach out. She noticed Xiaoyanzi's nails were neatly trimmed, but there was a hint of silver-gray powder between her fingers. Her heart skipped a beat—wasn't that poison-testing powder? This girl was definitely checking!
"Sister, why don't you eat it?" Xiaoyanzi tilted her head and looked at her, her eyes full of "innocence". "Don't you like it? Or... are you afraid it's poisonous?"
These words pierced Concubine Gao's heart like a needle. She suppressed her anger, took the cake and placed it on a plate, saying with a forced smile, "Princess, you're joking. How could I be afraid?" She picked up her silver hairpin and poked the cake. Seeing nothing unusual, she reluctantly took a small bite.
Xiaoyanzi looked at her nervous expression and laughed secretly in her heart. She rolled her eyes and suddenly pointed behind the screen: "Sister, what's behind that? It seemed like a shadow moved just now. Could it be a mouse?"
Nanny Li, behind the screen, nearly cried out in fear, quickly holding her breath. Concubine Gao paled, then forced a calm smile and said, "There's no mouse! It's just one of my maids sorting things out back. Princess, is there anything I need from you?"
"Nothing much," Xiaoyanzi pretended to play with the jade pendant around her waist nonchalantly. "I just heard that the grooms in your palace are very good at training horses. My horse, Taxue, has been very unruly lately, so I wanted to ask your groom for a hand. Oh, by the way, when I went to the Imperial Stables yesterday, I thought I saw your men changing Taxue's saddle pad. I'm really sorry to bother you."
Concubine Gao's hand trembled violently, and the water in the teacup splashed out, scalding her fingers. She suppressed a cry, and her smile faded completely. "It's just a small favor, Princess, you're welcome."
Seeing her flustered expression, Xiaoyanzi knew her goal had been achieved. She stood up and clapped her hands: "Then I won't disturb you to rest! After the ancestor worship is over, I'll invite you to dinner at the guesthouse!" With that, she skipped out, deliberately bumping into the screen as she reached the door, frightening Li Ma Ma behind her so much that she almost fell over.
Watching Xiaoyanzi's back disappear at the door, Concubine Gao could no longer pretend and threw the teacup to the ground: "Rebellion! Rebellion! How dare this girl threaten me!"
Li Xuewei, who was behind the screen, quickly ran out, knelt on the ground and cried, "Your Majesty, please calm down! This girl must have noticed it. We need to speed up!"
Concubine Gao was panting heavily, her eyes becoming increasingly fierce. "Pass my words on. Have Steward Wang take action tonight! Apply 'Dian Kuang San' to the bit of the horse that's trampling on the snow. I want to see how she embarrasses herself in front of our ancestors on the day of the ancestral sacrifice!"
In the Imperial Stables, Yongqi pretended to inspect the saddles while quietly spreading poison-testing powder onto the cotton padding. The silver-gray powder instantly turned bluish-black upon contact. He calmly stuffed the cotton back in, then turned to Steward Wang beside him and smiled, "Steward Wang, you've taken good care of the horses. These saddle pads are quite clean, too."
Steward Wang smiled flatteringly, "It is my honor to serve you, prince and princess." He caught a glimpse of Yongqi sprinkling the powder from the corner of his eye and was secretly surprised, but his smile became even more attentive. "If Fifth Prince is satisfied, I will have Princess Huanzhu's "Treading Snow" brought here for you to review."
"Okay." Yongqi nodded, but his eyes fell on the groom who was brushing the horse in the distance - the man had a sachet hanging around his waist, and the crabapple flowers embroidered on it were exactly the same as the ones in Li Ma's palace.
Just then, Xiaoyanzi's voice suddenly rang out from the doorway: "Yongqi! I've been looking for you for ages!" She came bounding in, and when she saw Steward Wang, she deliberately stopped in her tracks, tilting her head and asking, "Steward Wang, are you here too? Perfect! I've been kicking my feet a lot lately. Could you help me see if the saddle is uncomfortable?"
Steward Wang's expression instantly turned somewhat grim, and he forced a smile, "Don't worry, Princess. I'll check right away."
Xiaoyanzi walked over to Yongqi and quietly wrote "horse bit" on his palm. Then she deliberately said loudly, "By the way, Yongqi, the emperor said that the horses used for ancestral worship must be carefully inspected, especially the bits. Don't let the horses get uncomfortable or upset."
Yongqi understood what he meant and immediately said to Wang, the steward: "Bring me the bit of the horse that's been trampling on the snow."
Steward Wang's forehead instantly broke out in sweat, and he stammered, "The horse bit... the horse bit was just cleaned..."
"Really?" Xiaoyanzi raised her eyebrows and suddenly raised her voice, "Little Stool! Go see if the horse bit has been washed! They said Princess Huanzhu is waiting to use it!"
Xiaodiaozi, who was hiding outside the door, immediately responded and ran quickly towards the cleaning room. Manager Wang's face was as white as paper, and his eyes were full of fear when he looked at Xiaoyanzi and Yongqi.
Yongqi looked at his flustered expression, a sneer curling up at the corner of his mouth. He knew that they had already won half of this silent battle. But he also knew that Concubine Gao would never give up, and the real hard battle was still to come.
As the sun set, the crabapple blossoms in Shufangzhai were tinged with a golden crimson. Xiaoyanzi and Yongqi sat on the porch, watching them replace the saddle pads for Taxue on the small table, the vials of poison-testing powder in their hands gleaming in the sunlight.
"Tomorrow is the enthronement ceremony." Ziwei came out carrying two bowls of Tremella soup and said softly, "Do you want to tell the Emperor about the clues you found?"
Xiaoyanzi scooped a spoonful of Tremella soup and shook her head. "No rush. Let's wait until the day of the ancestral worship and catch them red-handed. Only then will we be relieved!" She looked at Yongqi, a cunning glint in her eyes. "We should also prepare ourselves and set a trap for them!"
Yongqi smiled and nodded, his gaze fixed on her cheeks, tinged with the sunset, his heart filled with warmth. He knew that no matter how many storms lay ahead, as long as they were together, there would be no hurdle they couldn't overcome. And this upcoming ancestral memorial ceremony would be their first battle to protect each other.
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