Wanwan and Zhiyi
The year the pomegranate tree in the Shen family's south-facing house bore fruit for the first time, Shen Zhiyi had just turned six. Wearing a light purple short jacket and clutching a freshly baked sesame candy, she squatted by the courtyard wall, staring at the little girl with her hair in two buns on the wall, puffing out her cheeks and shouting, "Whose are you? How did you get up on my wall?"
The little girl on the wall swung her legs, clutching a freshly picked pomegranate in her hand, and replied crisply, "I'm Su Wan from the Su family next door! My mother said the pomegranates from the Shen family are sweet, so she asked me to come and ask if you sell any." Shen Zhiyi's eyes widened, she stuffed the sesame candy into her pocket, and got up to fetch a small stool: "Who wants to sell to you! These are from my father's garden; if you want to eat them, I have to pick them for you!"
At that time, Su Wan's father was a compiler at the Hanlin Academy, while the Shen family was a military family. Shen Zhiyi's father led troops on the border, and her mother often took her to visit the Su family. The two ladies were close friends, and before long, the two girls became inseparable companions. Su Wan was gentle and loved to sit by the window embroidering handkerchiefs, while Shen Zhiyi was like a little firecracker, taking her to climb trees to steal bird nests and to the river to catch fish and shrimp every day. Every time they got into trouble, Shen Zhiyi would take the blame upon herself, saying defiantly, "It was my idea to go, it has nothing to do with Wanwan."
When Su Wan was ten years old, she embroidered a handkerchief with twin orchids on one stem. The light purple orchid stamens were embroidered with the character "Wan," and the pale yellow orchid stamens were embroidered with the character "Yi." She secretly slipped it to Shen Zhiyi and said, "Zhiyi, when we grow up, we should be like these two flowers, never to be separated." Shen Zhiyi folded the handkerchief neatly and put it in her purse, her face turning red to her ears. "Who wants to never be separated from you? I'm going to be a female general!" But that afternoon, she dragged Su Wan to a pastry shop in the west of the city and used her pocket money saved up for half a month to buy two pieces of jujube paste pastry, Su Wan's favorite. She didn't eat any herself and gave them all to Su Wan.
Later, Shen Zhiyi's father was framed and stripped of his military power, and the Shen family gradually declined. Su Wan's father was promoted, and some people advised Madam Su to stop letting her daughter associate with the Shen family. However, Su Wan still went to see Shen Zhiyi every day, sharing the pastries her mother made with her and tutoring her: "Zhiyi, let's go to the palace together in the future. There are many books in the palace, as well as the most delicious snacks. Once we have a firm foothold in the palace, we can help your father clear his name."
Shen Zhiyi gripped Su Wan's hand, tears welling in her eyes, but she still stubbornly insisted, "Who needs your help? I can manage on my own! But... if you're scared, I can protect you." Su Wan smiled and nodded, taking out the double-flowered handkerchief again and gently wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, "Okay, I'll wait for General Zhiyi to protect me."
The year Su Wan entered the palace, she was seventeen years old and was given the title of Consort Li, while Shen Zhiyi was given the title of Consort Hui. When they first entered the palace, the two often met secretly. Shen Zhiyi would always bring Su Wan the snacks bestowed upon her by the palace, saying, "I don't like to eat these sweet things," but actually she remembered that Su Wan liked to eat them. Su Wan would help Shen Zhiyi organize documents and remind her of the rules of the palace, afraid that her straightforward personality would offend people.
But the intrigues of the imperial harem were far more complex than they imagined. The Empress, wary of the Su family's power and wanting to win over the Shen family, deliberately told Shen Zhiyi that Su Wan had stolen her favor, and even brought up Shen Zhiyi's father's old case, implying that the Su family was behind it. Shen Zhiyi, already sensitive due to her family's decline, further fueled her resentment and suspicion by seeing Su Wan with the Emperor several times.
That day in the Imperial Garden, Su Wan specially brought Shen Zhiyi her favorite plum blossom cakes, intending to explain things to her. Unexpectedly, Shen Zhiyi threw the cake box on the ground, her eyes red, and said, "Consort Li, you should mind your own business! My Shen family's affairs are none of your concern!" Su Wan looked at the plum blossom cakes scattered on the ground, her heart aching as if pricked by needles, but she still didn't say, "I did this to help you investigate the case"—she was afraid that Shen Zhiyi would be even more upset if she knew the truth.
From then on, the two became mortal enemies in the eyes of the palace staff. Shen Zhiyi deliberately opposed Su Wan in front of everyone, actually trying to protect her from the Empress's targeting; Su Wan, on the other hand, secretly helped Shen Zhiyi investigate her father's old case, but never let her know. It wasn't until Su Wan was falsely accused of plotting to harm the imperial heir and was banished to the Cold Palace that Shen Zhiyi panicked. Risking the Empress's suspicion, she visited Su Wan in the Cold Palace time and time again, but she still couldn't shake her stubborn nature, always finding an excuse to "pass by."
Once, when Shen Zhiyi brought Su Wan some ointment, looking at her pale face, she couldn't help but say, "If you had listened to me back then, you wouldn't be in this state." Su Wan took the ointment and smiled gently, "Zhiyi, you're still the same as ever, stubborn on the outside but soft on the inside." Shen Zhiyi's face instantly turned red, and she turned to leave. But when she reached the courtyard gate, she stopped and whispered, "It's cold, wear more clothes, don't catch a cold."
Moonlight spilled into the cold palace. Su Wan held the box of ointment, recalling how Shen Zhiyi had shielded her from the dogs when she was little, and the afternoons when they ate jujube paste pastries together. Tears slowly fell.
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