Chapter 56 Princess Feiyan

The man didn't speak. Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi looked at his face and felt that he seemed somewhat familiar. "Yongqi, doesn't this person look a bit like the one you locked up last time?"

"Now that you mention it, I do remember. Could it be that she was the one who did it?"

Everyone looked closely at the captured palace maid, only to see Consort Jia staring at her in complete disbelief. "Mo Hua, could it be that you released this snake?"

Mo Hua ignored Consort Jia and stared intently at Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi, "So you two noble ladies haven't forgotten my sister after all..."

Yongqi angrily retorted, "Your sister? So, you're trying to get revenge on Xiaoyanzi? And you even dare to plot against the emperor?"

With tears in her eyes, Mo Hua recounted the grievances she and her sister Mo Xin had suffered. "What right does she, a wild girl from outside the palace, have to be pampered and protected by you? What did my sister say wrong? Just because she said a few words to this wild girl, you want to imprison her until she dies?"

"What right do you two sisters have to compare yourselves to Little Swallow?"

Little Swallow would never be jealous of others, much less harm others out of jealousy. Yet these two women, out of jealousy, wanted to kill Little Swallow. Such people are not worthy of being compared to Little Swallow!

"You can bring someone who is neither good at literature nor martial arts into the palace at will. If you are in a good mood today and take pity on her, you can let her attend classes with you and ride horses and shoot arrows with you. But what if one day you are in a bad mood and everything you have given her is taken back? At that time, she will be like trash and thrown out of the palace by you!"

Mo Hua looked at Xiao Yanzi with a mocking expression, "Don't you also know that your life or death depends on their word, which is why you want to leave?"

In short, Mo Hua's outrageous remarks greatly angered Yongqi and Qianlong. It was also confirmed that Mo Hua had indeed placed the snake-attracting powder on Xiao Yanzi. In the end, Qianlong ordered the execution of Mo Xin and Mo Hua, and Mo Hua's mistress, Consort Jia, was demoted to Consort Jia for her lax management of her subordinates.

Although no one was injured or suffered any accidents, if any accident had occurred, it would likely have resulted in trouble for either the emperor or a prince, causing turmoil in the court. Therefore, Qianlong used this incident to warn Consort Jia to be more restrained. If she acted rashly again and they found evidence against her, all her wealth and honor would vanish!

"Father, Yongqi has something to ask of you."

After everyone else had left, Yongqi, Xiaoyanzi, Xiaojian, and Qing'er remained in Qianlong's tent. Qianlong looked at Yongqi and asked, "Yongqi, just say what you need to say."

"You have seen Xiao Yanzi's behavior in the palace these past few months, so Yongqi would like to ask you to make an exception and grant her the title of Gege. This way, the people in the palace will behave themselves a little."

After listening to Yongqi's words, Emperor Qianlong pondered for a moment and then smiled, "If we're going to make her a princess, what would her title be?"

"Your subject has already decided, she will be called Princess Feiyan, because she is a little swallow who flew in from outside the palace."

"Well done, Princess Feiyan. So be it."

"Little Swallow thanks Your Majesty for your grace!"

"Xiao Jian kowtows in gratitude to Your Majesty!"

Emperor Qianlong waved for them to rise. “I will have Xiao Luzi draft the decree now. The decree will be conveyed soon. However, Yongqi, will Xiaoyanzi continue to live in Yonghe Palace, or will we arrange another place for her to stay? I heard that you took Xiaoyanzi to Shufangzhai. What, do you like the furnishings of Shufangzhai?”

"Father, since you already know, then bestow the Shufangzhai upon Xiaoyanzi. However, Xiaoyanzi is still young, so let her continue to stay in Yonghe Palace for now. When she is older, she can move to Shufangzhai on her own..."

Emperor Qianlong had long understood Yongqi's heart, so he naturally wouldn't make things too difficult for him. "Since you've said so, then so be it. Have the people in the palace help repair Shufangzhai and have it cleaned regularly. If Xiaoyanzi ever quarrels with you, she'll have a separate place to stay!"

Yongqi was speechless and quickly said, "Father, how could we possibly quarrel?"

Emperor Qianlong joked, "That's hard to say! So it would be best if Xiao Yanzi had her own place!"

Soon, the imperial edict was written: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Xiao Yun of the Xiao family is knowledgeable and reasonable, beautiful and intelligent, and has won my heart. I hereby bestow upon her the title of Princess Feiyan and grant her residence in Shufangzhai."

(The phrase "By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decreed" is the correct usage I found on Baidu. I didn't use it last time, but I used it this time.)

When the imperial edict was delivered, everyone was shocked once again. They never dreamed that such a young girl who walked in from outside the palace would win the hearts of the emperor and the fifth prince in just a few months and become the so-called Princess Feiyan.

Because Yongqi had previously gone to the Imperial Household Department to search for the four great talents and two beauties from their previous life, the palace maids that Qianlong bestowed upon Xiaoyanzi this time were naturally the same people. "Mingyue/Caixia pay their respects to Princess Feiyan."

"Little table/little stool/little insect/little mosquito pays respects to Princess Feiyan!"

Because Yongqi had given prior notice, the terms "servants" and "maids" were dropped, since they were now in private and no one would find fault with them.

"You may all get up." Little Swallow was very curious about these people. On the night they came to her side, she was so engrossed in listening to these talented men tell stories.

Before they knew it, it was time to rest. Yongqi dismissed the talented men and beautiful women. "Alright, Little Swallow, go and rest. Tomorrow, Father Emperor will be hosting a banquet for the Mongolian princes and ministers, and also celebrating Qing'er's birthday. You'll be busy."

"Yongqi, has the gift for Qing'er been prepared?"

"Don't worry, everything is ready. Qing'er will definitely be happy!"

Xiao Jian prepared a sword for Qing'er, while Xiao Yanzi prepared a hairpin for her. However, this hairpin had a mechanism that could save her life in a critical moment!

Yongqi cooked as usual, planning to hold a small private gathering for everyone to enjoy together. Naturally, the special dish for Qing'er, the birthday girl, would be the most special.

The moon quietly sets, the sun slowly rises, and a new day begins.

Emperor Qianlong hosted a banquet for them, and Yongqi then hosted his own banquet. Of course, the prerequisite was that he first attended the birthday banquet that the Empress Dowager had prepared for Qing'er. The Empress Dowager looked at Qing'er happily and said, "Qing'er, this is peach blossom pastry prepared for you by the Imperial Kitchen. Try it."

Qing'er happily went to eat her peach blossom pastry. The Empress Dowager looked at her and sighed, "Time really flies. In the blink of an eye, Qing'er has grown up so much. In a few more years, she will become a young lady and leave this old woman."

"Your Majesty, why are you bringing this up all of a sudden? Even if Qing'er gets married, she will still come back to see you." Xiao Jian longs for Dali, and she naturally wants to follow, but how could she bear to leave when Your Majesty treats her so well?

So she had already decided that while the Empress Dowager was still alive, she would stay in Beijing and visit her often, until... at that time, she could leave with Xiao Jian in peace.