0106 Jade Waist Slave (Part 5)
Li Miao kept this sordid scheme a secret for the time being, and Shu Fu knew nothing about it, focusing only on preparing for the lantern festival in Chang'an in a couple of days.
Her Majesty the Queen's Thousand Year Lantern Festival has always had a tradition of covering one's face with a mask. Shu Fu thought the designs from the peddlers in the city were too simple and crude, so she decided to draw two herself.
When asked what he liked, Zhan Yaoguang was leaning against the window, trying to lure birds with grain, and casually replied, "I like birds."
As soon as he finished speaking, the round, white dove under the window was indeed attracted to him, perched on his palm, tilted its head to look at him, and then lowered its head to peck at the grains in his palm.
The boy reacted quickly, gently closing his palms together without using too much force, but he actually managed to bind it in his hands.
“Afu—” A glint flashed in his eyes as he quickly turned back to get her attention, “I caught a bird to play with you.”
Zhan Yaoguang took a few steps to the table and placed the pigeon in front of her.
A snow-white object appeared in Shufu's sight. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was a plump pigeon.
“Ah,” she exclaimed, “you like this kind of bird. I saw that you were planning to wear a scarlet robe like me, and I was thinking of painting you a matching parrot crest…”
Upon hearing this, Zhan Yaoguang immediately loosened his grip, and the pigeon fluttered away.
"...Actually, I prefer parrots, but there aren't any here, so I used pigeons instead."
"..."
Shu Fu was not only a talented writer but also a skilled painter. After finishing the parrot's crest in a few strokes, she placed it in a corner to dry the ink and then began to paint her own mask.
She rested her chin on her hand and pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, "Feifei, could you go to the garden and find some flowers for me to use as a model? I want to paint a crown for a flower goddess."
Zhan Yaoguang readily agreed and immediately climbed out the window.
Almost at the same time he left, footsteps sounded outside the door. Shu Fu turned around and saw Li Miao walking hurriedly towards her.
"杝杝?"
Shu Fu called out to her in surprise, noticing her slightly reddened eyes. Her wrist trembled, and the wolf-hair brush dipped in cinnabar left a mark on the mask. But Shu Fu didn't care about that and quickly got up to take her hand.
"Why are you here... and your eyes are red, were you about to cry?"
Li Miao felt deeply guilty about Li Lin's conspiracy with Liang Zhiyan. Seeing Shu Fu's vibrant appearance, he finally let out a long sigh of relief.
“I’m fine,” Li Miao pursed her lips and then smiled. “It’s just that a gust of wind came out outside and made my eyes hurt. Chang’an is a great place in every way, except for one thing: it’s always dry year after year. Even when the wind blows in spring, it’s full of sand and gravel.”
Shu Fu said "Oh," thought for a moment, and handed the two masks to Li Miao: "Look at these. I'm going to paint two masks. When Her Majesty the Empress celebrates her birthday, I imagine you'll be going to the palace to offer your congratulations. I'll wear these masks to see the lanterns all over Chang'an!"
"Looking at the lanterns is wonderful! I heard from my uncle that 36,000 lanterns will be lit along the twelve main thoroughfares of Chang'an. That will truly be a grand and lively occasion, and I'm sure you'll love it!"
“There’s only one thing,” Li Miao’s tone suddenly changed, “There will be so many people then, and there will definitely be a lot of kidnappers. Although the Jingzhao Prefecture and the two counties of Chang’an and Wannian have come up with special measures to prevent this lantern festival, I’m still a little uneasy because the Jinwu Guard has lifted the curfew and allowed people to travel at night. If you’re going, take her with you.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a maid in an apricot-colored dress stepped in. She had a round, auspicious face and was none other than A-Jian.
"Miss!" the maid called out cheerfully.
"Ah Jian? What are you doing here!"
“It was the princess who sent someone to fetch me. She said that the maids around the princess were not as knowledgeable about you as I was, so she brought me here to serve you.”
Li Miao said, "I forgot about this for a moment, but now that I think about it, it's quite inconvenient for you not to have a close maid by your side, so I brought her along."
Upon hearing this, A-Jian proudly raised her chin and exclaimed, "Exactly! It's all thanks to the princess's discerning eye. With all the maids in the Chunwan Pavilion standing there, the princess knew at a glance that I was the young lady's closest person!"
So, A-Jian will be by her side for the next few days?
Shu Fu felt a little uneasy when she remembered that she had made a promise with Zhan Yaoguang to watch the lanterns together.
...
On the day of Her Majesty the Empress's birthday, before dawn, Li Miao had already dressed and entered the palace.
Shu Fu leisurely spent the evening at the villa until dusk. When A Jian came to the house to find her after packing his things for going out to see the lanterns, she was nestled on the bed, covered with the quilt, and her body was warm.
As soon as A-Jian called out "Miss," a girl peeked out from behind the tasseled curtain with a rosy face.
"Ah Jian," Shu Fu called softly. Feeling a little uncomfortable about lying, she looked away before continuing, "I ate some cold pastries yesterday, and I feel a bit feverish today."
A-Jian was startled and quickly took two steps forward to sit on the footstool in front of the bed. She reached out and touched it, and sure enough, it was unusually hot.
"She really has a fever, what should we do?" A-Jian suddenly stood up and prepared to walk outside. "Is there a doctor in the princess's villa? If not, I will send someone to the city to invite one right now."
Seeing her so worried, Shu Fu felt even more ashamed and dared not look at her. She grabbed a corner of the curtain and buried her face in it, saying in a muffled voice, "No need. I have already taken the medicine the doctor prescribed. Now I just want to sleep. I'm afraid I can't go to the Chang'an Lantern Festival with you tonight."
"What time is it and you're still thinking about these things, Miss!" A-Jian puffed out her cheeks indignantly. "We can go to the lantern festival anytime, but there's only one Miss. If you don't want to go, then don't go. I didn't really want to go anyway. Staying here to take care of you is just fine!"
Shu Fu knew that A Jian had been looking forward to this lantern festival for a long time, and she couldn't bear to see him miss such a grand event because of her own selfish desires, so she immediately said:
"That won't do. I've heard that the abbot of Ci'en Temple is a very skilled painter. He said he wants to paint ten carp and lotus lanterns. I'm hoping you can go and ask me for one."
"Is the young lady really alright?" A-Jian asked with slight hesitation.
Shu Fu nodded vigorously: "Of course I'm fine, I'll be fine after a nap. You just go out and take care of yourself."
After a moment's thought, A-Jian saw the girl sitting in the tent, looking at him with longing eyes. He immediately made up his mind and nodded his head forcefully.
"Alright, then please wait for me, young lady. I will definitely find a way to get you one!"
After A-Jian left, Shu Fu sat up in bed, leaned against the window and carefully observed for a while. After confirming that no one was paying attention to her, she hurriedly changed into the clothes she had prepared in advance behind the screen and quietly left the villa.
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