Chapter 46: The warm wind by the pavilion, the old shadows appear
The peonies in the Imperial Garden were in full bloom, their branches bent with the weight of their hues. The morning dew on the petals shimmered in the sunlight, mingling with the incense wafting on the warm breeze, filling the area around Chengrui Pavilion with a rich fragrance. Xiaoyanzi huddled behind Madam Fang, the hem of her lilac-colored skirt wrinkled from her grasp. Her fingertips repeatedly stroked the embroidered lotus flowers at the hem, the delicate stitches pricking her palms.
"Ci'er, don't hide all the time." Madam Fang patted the back of her hand gently, and the silver bracelet shone softly in the sun. "Master Li's daughter is here. You two are of similar age, so it's a good time to have a chat." She pushed her daughter forward, with some worry in her eyes - ever since the emperor gave her that look just now, the child was like a frightened rabbit, her whole body tense.
Xiaoyanzi was forced to look up, meeting Miss Li's inquiring gaze. She was wearing a light-red palace dress, the collar embroidered with golden crabapple blossoms, and her hair was adorned with a dazzling red-gold turban. She forced a smile and, imitating Madam Fang's instructions, knelt and saluted, her movements as awkward as a puppet's. "Hello, Miss Li."
"Miss Fang, there's no need to be so polite." Miss Li smiled softly, her fingers twirling a silk handkerchief with grace and skill. "The way the Emperor looked at Miss Fang just now was truly different." Her gaze paused on the pearl hairpin in Xiaoyanzi's hair, and her tone was subtly tentative. "I heard that the painting of the courtyard that Miss Fang drew at the poetry gathering was highly appreciated by the Emperor?"
Xiaoyanzi's heart sank, and she gripped the hand warmer even tighter. The heat from the copper seeped through the fabric, numbing her fingertips. "It's only the Emperor's compliment. My painting...is not worthy of such a high standard." She lowered her head, her long eyelashes hiding the panic in her eyes, afraid to reveal her flaws by saying anything more.
Not far away, in the corridor, Emperor Qianlong was listening to Eunuch Su's report of the names of the women from each mansion, but his eyes drifted involuntarily to the figure beside the peony bushes. Her lilac-colored skirt was unremarkable amid the vibrant colors, but the slightly hunched back and subconsciously dodging gesture were like a fine needle, gently piercing his heart.
This girl is still so afraid of the palace.
He put down the jade ruyi in his hand, and the golden dragon embroidered on the cuffs of his bright yellow dragon robe swayed gently in the wind: "Miss Fang...what do you like to do on weekdays?" He tried to make his voice sound casual, but his fingertips repeatedly stroked the cloud pattern on the ruyi.
Eunuch Su's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, I heard that she enjoys reading and painting, and occasionally...occasionally she visits the courtyards in the south of the city, where she befriends the siblings Liu Qing and Liu Hong." He stole a glance at the emperor's expression, seeing that he showed no displeasure, and added, "Miss Fang is kind-hearted and often helps the poor there."
A barely perceptible smile curved the corners of Qianlong's mouth. A courtyard? Willows green and red? Sure enough, she was still that girl whose heart was drawn to the common people. He remembered the way Xiaoyanzi had jumped up and down in the courtyard in her previous life, her coarse skirt sweeping across the bluestone slabs, the red ribbon at the end of her braid more vibrant than the sunset. Back then, her eyes gleamed, her smile brighter than anyone else's.
"She's a good child," he whispered, his gaze settling on Xiaoyanzi again. She was surrounded by several young ladies from official families, her head lowered even lower, her hands nervously twisting the hem of her skirt. She looked like a sparrow that had strayed into a flock of peacocks, clumsy yet full of life, much more interesting than these well-behaved ladies.
"Your Majesty, would you like to summon Miss Fang to come and admire the peonies?" Eunuch Su observed the emperor's expression and spoke at the right time.
Qianlong shook his head, tapping his fingertips lightly on the ruyi. "No need. Let her be at her ease." He turned and walked towards Chengrui Pavilion, his bright yellow dragon robe drawing a vibrant arc among the flowers. "Bring up the osmanthus cakes freshly made in the imperial kitchen and share some among the women of each mansion."
Eunuch Su understood and quickly replied, "I'll go right away." He looked at the emperor's back and suddenly realized that the emperor really cared about this Miss Fang.
Xiaoyanzi was at a loss for words when she heard a palace maid announce that the Emperor had bestowed upon her a gift of sweet-scented osmanthus cakes. She breathed a sigh of relief. She followed the others to the stone table and, looking at the soft, white cakes on the plate, her nose suddenly prickled with a pang. In her previous life, at Shufangzhai, Ziwei had always loved making cakes for her using freshly picked osmanthus flowers. Those cakes hadn't been as delicate, but they held a warmth of sisterhood, more comforting than the pastries in the palace.
"Miss Fang, why aren't you eating?" Miss Li picked up a piece of cake and sipped it, the red gold hairpins at her temples swaying gently with her movements. "This osmanthus cake is the signature of the imperial kitchen. It's rare to get it on weekdays."
Xiaoyanzi picked up a piece of pastry, her fingertips touching the warm crust. She suddenly remembered the multi-grain cake Liu Hong had slipped her before leaving this morning. Its coarse texture, mingled with the aroma of sweet bean paste, had a flavor that exploded on her tongue, far more substantial than the delicate osmanthus cake. She took a small bite, the cloying sweetness spreading through her mouth, but it couldn't suppress the chill in her heart.
"Miss Fang doesn't seem to like sweets?" Miss Wang, who was standing nearby, asked curiously. She was wearing a light green palace dress and had a kind look in her eyes. "I heard that snacks in Jiangnan tend to be sweet. Miss Fang just came from Jiangnan. Could it be that she's not used to them?"
Xiaoyanzi responded vaguely: "No, it's delicious, but..." Before she finished her words, she caught a glimpse of Xiao Jian walking towards her out of the corner of her eye. His moon-white gown was particularly conspicuous among the colorful flowers.
"Sister, Dad is looking for you." Xiao Jian walked to her side, calmly separating the inquiring gazes of several young ladies, and lowered his voice, "Don't eat too many sweets, be careful not to get sick of them." He gave her a reassuring look and gently pinched her wrist with his fingertips.
Xiaoyanzi put down the cakes as if she had grabbed a life-saving straw and said, "Ms. Li, Ms. Wang, I'm sorry to leave you first." She followed Xiao Jian to Fang Zhihang. The hem of her lilac skirt swept across the grass, bringing with it a faint floral scent, but it was not as reassuring as the crisp pine scent on her brother's body.
"Brother, I want to go back." She whispered, her eyes slightly red, and a little moisture on her long eyelashes. "People here talk in roundabout ways. I don't understand, and I don't want to understand."
Xiao Jian felt a pang of pain in his heart as he watched his sister's aggrieved expression. He pulled a piece of maltose wrapped in oil paper from his sleeve pocket and pressed it into her hand. "Liu Hong gave it to you. She told you to eat it when you miss home." He pointed to the nearby corner gate and said, "Just bear with it for a while. Wait until Dad finishes talking to the adults, and then we'll leave."
Little Swallow clutched the maltose, the cool lump melting in her palm, the sweetness seeping through her fingertips into her heart. She gazed at the towering red walls in the distance, and suddenly felt that the magnificent Imperial Garden wasn't as warm as the coal stove in the courtyard. There, she could smell the aroma of Liu Qing's pancakes, the crispy pickled radish of Liu Hong, the laughter of children playing around the stone table, and the homely atmosphere that she would fight tooth and nail to protect.
But here, there are only omnipresent gazes and strict and cold rules, like an invisible net that makes her breathless.
Qianlong sat in the Chengrui Pavilion, toying with a jade ruyi in his hands, his gaze never leaving the lilac figure. Watching Xiaoyanzi follow Xiao Jian, her shoulders gradually relaxed, a faint smile forming at the corners of her mouth. His own tense lips softened unconsciously. The smile was faint, but like spring sunshine, it instantly illuminated her features and warmed his heart.
"Su Peisheng." He said softly.
"I'm here." Eunuch Su hurried forward and bowed in response.
"The Fang family..." Qianlong's gaze paused at Fang Zhihang's gentle profile, then fell on Xiao Jian's tall and straight back, "Is it a family of scholars?"
"Your Majesty, Mr. Fang is a famous talent in Jiangnan. He is an upright person and is respected by his colleagues in the Hanlin Academy. Mr. Fang is both civil and military. It is said that he also knows some medical skills and often treats and prescribes medicine to the neighbors." Eunuch Su reported the news he had heard in detail, secretly glancing at the emperor's expression.
Qianlong nodded, his fingertips tapping gently on the stone table, creating a rhythmic sound. With her parents still alive and her brother protecting her, Xiaoyanzi in this life was much happier than in her previous one. He looked at the image of the three of them whispering to each other, and a thought suddenly occurred to him—perhaps, just watching from afar, letting her live out her days in the stable Fang family, would be just fine.
But as soon as this thought came to mind, it was replaced by another, even stronger thought. The regrets of his past life were too deep, and he owed too much. How could he be willing to just be a bystander?
He wanted to protect her, make up for her, and let her smile as brightly in the palace as she did in the courtyard.
The wind blew through the peony bushes, and petals fell softly, floating on the bluestone slabs like a layer of pink snow. Xiaoyanzi sneezed, and Xiao Jian quickly took off his outer robe and draped it over her shoulders. The moon-white silk, carrying his brother's body heat, warmed her heart.
"Let's go, Dad said we can say goodbye now." Xiao Jian held her arm and walked towards the corner door.
Xiaoyanzi glanced back at Chengrui Pavilion and saw a bright yellow figure looking towards her. Those deep eyes held a complex emotion she couldn't understand: inquiry, longing, and a hint of tenderness that made her feel strangely uneasy. She panicked, quickly lowered her head, and quickened her pace, as if some ferocious beast were chasing her.
She didn't know that in that look, there were regrets from the previous life, cherishment from this life, and a quietly budding determination to take her under his wing.
As the carriage pulled away from the Forbidden City, Xiaoyanzi lifted the curtains and watched the red walls and yellow tiles recede into the distance, letting out a long sigh of relief. She touched the half-melted maltose in her sleeve pocket and patted the willow-stitched kneepads beneath her skirt. Suddenly, she felt that no matter how many storms lay ahead, as long as she had her family's protection and the warmth of the compound, she could keep going.
But she had no idea that this seemingly accidental palace banquet was only the beginning. The emperor, whom she both feared and respected, had already taken her to heart, and the palace she had so desperately wanted to avoid had already quietly opened its doors to her.
The road ahead is long, and the gears of fate have just begun to turn.
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