Chapter 40 The Phase of the Seventh Month: Whether or not the Weaver Girl can have her luck today is beyond her control.
As is customary, all officials take a holiday on Qixi Festival. Fu Sui rejected a bunch of invitations to go out together on Qixi Festival and made a point of setting aside time. This morning, she sent people to Xinghuafang to keep watch, preparing to use the same trick as on Dragon Boat Festival to "tie" her over.
The maid didn't answer, but said, "Young Master Cheng is waiting outside."
Cheng Xiaoge is Cheng Liwu. Cheng Baoding has four sons and two daughters, but only Cheng Liyang and Cheng Liwu reside permanently in the Princess's mansion. Because they are neither servants nor guards, the people below call them Brother Cheng and Brother Cheng in private.
Fu Sui called Cheng Liwu in to give a reply.
"The people who went to Xinghua Ward have all left empty-handed." If it were just that they couldn't find anyone, there would be no need for Cheng Liwu to say this. "The court officials are arguing endlessly about the system of appointing officials by appointment. Today, some officials who oppose it have entered the palace to petition and plead their case. The Emperor is worried that these people might have an accident if they kneel for too long, so not only the Imperial Guards, but also the Left and Right Guards have been summoned into the palace to protect them."
Fu Sui was dumbfounded. She had been looking forward to a day of rest in Yueshanling, but the official who had "remonstrated to the death" had intercepted her.
With nowhere to vent her anger, she sent someone to inquire about who had entered the palace that day, wrote their names on a piece of paper, and threw darts at them in frustration.
Everyone else kept their distance to avoid being accidentally hurt. Qin An turned around from where the books were drying and saw Fu Sui fiercely sticking pins into effigies. He silently turned and left.
Only a few close maids were watching over her. Dai Ling sat to the side with great interest, tearing the paper into the shape of little people. She held them up to the light to examine them, becoming more and more delighted with each look, marveling at her own skillful hands.
“Hey, I know this Du Xuan. Isn’t he a scholar who passed the imperial examination? The house he rented at the beginning wasn’t far from my house. I don’t think he’s from a wealthy family. Why is he involved in these things?” Dai Ling asked Fu Sui, holding up a piece of paper with a name on it.
Fu Sui grabbed a handful of short arrows and threw them like sharp blades, landing them on the target set up in front of her. A piece of paper with a name on it was pasted on the target, but the slip was crooked so badly that it didn't even touch the edge of the paper. Hearing Dai Ling's words, she continued throwing without turning her head: "He took Wang Bochang's route to pass the imperial examination back then."
Upon hearing the word "Wang," Dai Ling immediately felt disgusted with Du Xuan: "I thought he was something good, but it turns out he's just a lackey of the Wang family."
Whether a person is good or bad cannot be defined in a single word; ultimately, it's all about each person pursuing their own interests.
Heaven, Earth, Ruler, Parents, and Teacher—from the teacher who guides a person's initial studies to the examiner in the examination hall, to the recommender when entering officialdom, to the promoter in the career path, and even the kinship relationship with a certain family or a prince, all will determine a person's stance.
If he didn't want to bear the infamy of betraying his mentor and be scorned by Shilin, he would have no choice but to go down a dark path.
Frustrated by the arrows, Fu Sui threw the remaining ones into the bucket, then lay down on the rattan chair under the flower trellis, hugging a large cloud-shaped pillow and lost in thought.
When Dai Ling saw that Fu Sui was done playing, he called people to remove the target and table, and clean the ground.
The system of appointing officials by appointment was proposed by the Qian family, supported by the Gao family, while the Cui family remained neutral. Although the Wang family did not express their opinion, their faction was a mainstay of the opposition, revealing their true stance.
The Emperor is acting swiftly and decisively, his pace quickening, and what she knows and sees is probably only the tip of the iceberg. Fu Sui sighed deeply, pulling her shawl over her face; a storm was brewing.
Around noon, Fu Sui received two gifts. One was from the Yue family, saying it was a gift of Qiaoguo (a type of pastry) made by the family. The other was from Zhou Zhuang's eldest son; he had delivered wine before, and the gatekeeper recognized him. He also brought a gift of Qiaoguo, but it was bought from Jixiang Bakery.
The gatekeeper questioned him thoroughly this time. It turned out that Yue Shanling had asked someone to tell Sister Zhou to send some festival gifts to Fu Sui. Sister Zhou only knew that people eat Qiaoguo (a type of pastry) on Qixi Festival, but unfortunately, she was not good at cooking and did not know how to fry Qiaoguo, so she could only ask her son to buy some from the street and send them over.
Fu Sui's mood improved after receiving the Qiaoguo. She didn't care if it was wind or rain, as it couldn't all fall on her head every time.
As the moon rose, several little heads huddled together, each holding a needle, to see who could be the most skillful.
Several basins filled with water had been placed under the eaves for a day. Under the moonlight, Fu Sui gently placed the needle into his basin.
The thin iron needle didn't sink; instead, it floated horizontally on the surface of the water. The group went to look at the shadow cast by the needle. The shadow swirled and drifted along with the needle in the water, appearing to be a straight line no matter how you looked at it.
Five little heads crowded around. "Why can't I see it?" Dai Ling strained her eyes to look into the basin.
Kouyun looked up at the sky, then at the group of people huddled together, and said with a smile, "You're blocking the light."
The group quickly stepped back a little, and sure enough, the needle shadows reappeared in the basin.
Fei Qing looked at it carefully again and again before saying uncertainly, "Why does it look like a line?"
Dai Ling chimed in, "It looks like it to me too."
"Oh dear," Yi Hong exclaimed softly, "Wouldn't that ruin the princess's chances?"
Fu Sui tilted his head and circled the basin, but no matter how he turned, he only made a straight line. Pointing at the basin, he argued, "In my opinion, this needle-throwing method is inaccurate. How could I possibly be unlucky?"
“No, that’s not right. Maybe the water wasn’t dried properly.” Dai Ling was Fu Sui’s little yes-man. Hearing Fu Sui say this, she nodded emphatically, her face serious, and made her judgment with great seriousness.
"You guys try it too, and see if it's accurate," Fu Sui urged Dai Ling and the others to try the needles.
Kouyun carefully placed a needle horizontally on the water's surface. The needle swayed gently a few times but did not sink into the water; it floated lightly on the surface. However, the shadow on the bottom of the water was not a single line, but two intersecting shadows, one dark and one light.
"Oh my, the clouds are bursting with needles!" Fei Qing exclaimed, squatting down and leaning against the edge of the basin.
Yi Hong gently nudged Yun with her elbow: "No wonder the princess didn't get the chance; it turns out you took it."
Kouyun secretly glanced at Fu Sui's expression and declined, saying, "I'm clumsy and clumsy, how could I possibly have any skill? Even if I do have some skill, it's all thanks to the princess."
Fu Sui just stared back and forth between the two basins of water, as if he hadn't heard what the others were saying.
Fei Qing tugged at Yi Hong's sleeve: "Let's give it a try too."
The two carefully placed the needles flat on the water's surface. Fei Qing's needle, like Fu Sui's, only cast a shadow, while Yi Hong's needle sank to the bottom of the bowl as soon as it entered the water, leaving not even a shadow.
"This..." Before Fei Qing could speak, she caught sight of Yi Hong's needle lying still in the water, and the two looked at each other in bewilderment.
Although the needle-throwing game was just a game for praying for skill, the needle sinking to the bottom of the water was inevitably disappointing. Yi Hong felt disappointed, but she couldn't show it in front of the princess, so she forced a smile and mocked herself, "It seems I'm stupid, even the Weaver Girl can't help me."
“During the day, I saw several birds circling the basin, which probably disturbed the water. Water used for needle throwing is most susceptible to disturbance, so I imagine your water was stirred up by those birds, which is why the needle couldn’t float. Your water was probably also disturbed by the birds, but mine was the furthest away and luckily escaped damage, instead showing the needle’s shadow,” Kouyun gently comforted her.
Yi Hong understood that Kou Yun was using the birds to comfort her. She gratefully grasped Kou Yun's hand and was about to thank her for her kindness when a hand that had moved in front of her grabbed her.
"Look, look!" Dai Ling exclaimed excitedly, "Am I lucky enough to have such a coincidence too?"
Fei Qing hadn't gotten up yet. Being closest to the basin, she turned her head and saw two intersecting needle shadows.
Upon hearing this, Yi Hong also squeezed over to take a look. When she saw the thin needle floating on the water and the two shadows in the water in the Qingdai Spirit Basin, she felt even more frustrated.
“The princess is right, the needle-throwing technique is inaccurate.” Fei Qing helped Yi Hong stand up and said decisively.
Upon hearing this, Dai Ling became anxious and argued, "Why not? I'm very clever. Even the Weaver Girl knows how clever I am."
Fei Qing laughed so hard she could barely stand, and fell right onto Yi Hong: "Who was it that used a pear to coax the spider into spinning a web, only to find the pear pit was left the next day, and the spider had vanished without a trace?"
Dai Ling puffed out her cheeks and muttered, "I was hungry in the middle of the night, and besides, that happened so many years ago."
After their banter, Yi Hong laughed along, and her frustration dissipated somewhat.
Ignoring the commotion, Fu Sui took a few steps back and looked up to observe the moon and the location of the lamps. She then took a few more steps forward, gradually blocking the light from a lamp with her body, and suddenly reached out confidently, saying, "Bring me a lamp."
The group of people who were still laughing and joking immediately fell silent. Fei Qing ran over to fetch a lantern and held it up to illuminate the several basins of water.
"Stand back," Fu Sui said to Fei Qing, pointing to a spot.
Fei Qing steadily held up the lamp and stepped back to the position indicated by Fu Sui.
"Retreat again." Fu Sui stared at a dark shadow in the shimmering white water and continued to instruct, "Raise it higher, then retreat again."
As Fei Qing retreated further and further away, the water, now devoid of bright lights, gradually darkened, and a second shadow appeared on the surface, intersecting with the original needle-like shadow.
"Needle flowers!" Yi Hong exclaimed in disbelief. "Fei Qing's pot also has them." Looking at Dai Ling and Kou Yun's pots, the needle flowers were still there, only slightly different in orientation than before.
Dai Ling was so shocked that she couldn't close her mouth and stared at Fu Sui in a daze: "Is the princess perhaps a fairy or goddess, with such magical powers?"
Fu Sui flicked Dai Ling's forehead: "It's just using lamplight and moonlight. You've seen plenty of those magic tricks that turn stones into gold, so why are you making such a fuss?"
Only Yi Hong's needle had not yet been developed. Fu Sui told Yi Hong to take the needle out: "Go and rub the needle with oil." Whether or not the Weaver Girl could succeed today was not up to her.
Yi Hong estimated the distance, turned and ran back to her room, found some hair oil and applied it to the needle. Afraid the oil on the needle would dry, she ran back, holding the needle tightly, and laid it flat on the water again.
The needle, which had been submerged, pierced the surface and fell heavily onto the water, casting two swirling shadows.
Kouyun helped Feiqing hang the lamp on a nearby tree branch, then approached, avoiding the light. A row of five needles each displayed two shadows, intertwining to create five needlework patterns at slightly different angles—each one truly skillful.
Under the admiring gazes of the group, Fu Sui raised her chin and said with some pride, "This princess is exceptionally intelligent and graceful. You have all been influenced by me, so naturally you are all clever and skillful. How could you not be adept at such a simple skill as threading a needle?" With that, she waved her hand and said, "Bring me my golden needles and watch how this princess threads the needle."
Threading needles is also a common game for praying for skill on Qixi Festival. Several needles are inserted and stood upright, and then threaded with red thread. The more needles that can be threaded through the same thread, the more skillful the person is. Fu Sui has a set of specially made gold needles with holes more than twice the size of ordinary needles, and the number of needles that can be threaded depends entirely on how many Fu Sui wants to thread.
Jin Zhen was stored in Fu Sui's cabinet where he kept miscellaneous items. Kou Yun asked Fu Sui with a smile how many needles he wanted to thread this year. Fu Sui boldly declared that he would demonstrate threading eighteen needles in one line for everyone.
"Princess." A maid rushed over, still panting as she stopped. "General Yue is outside the mansion."
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