Chapter 60: Chapter 60: Five-Color Thread, Entwining the Lord’s Heart
When Ji Qingwu returned from the Princess Mansion, she entered the main house of Anju Garden to find Mrs. Qiao tying a five-color thread to Jiu Jiu’s wrist.
It reminded her that the Dragon Boat Festival was just around the corner, and it was a long-standing custom in Lin’an to wear five-color threads.
After Mrs. Qiao tied the knot, she said, "Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival. Wearing this can ward off evil spirits and keep the five poisons at bay."
Jiu Jiu waved her chubby little hands, clearly delighted. She said sweetly, "Thank you to the grandmother who loves Jiu Jiu the most."
Mrs. Qiao gave her a hug and said, "There, it’s on. Now hurry along and go to your lessons with Nanny Li."
Jiu Jiu turned, saw Ji Qingwu, and ran over to tug on her skirt. She whined playfully, "Mama, you take me. It’s been a long time since you’ve taken me."
Ji Qingwu smiled. "How about Mama comes to pick you up when you’re done with your lessons?"
The little girl thought for a moment. The end of the school day was already the happiest time for her; getting to see her mama then would make her overjoyed.
The two of them locked pinkies. Only after Ji Qingwu promised again and again that she would be there did Jiu Jiu finally leave, looking back every few steps.
Once Jiu Jiu and Nanny Li were out of sight, Ji Qingwu extended her own wrist, pouted, and said in a playfully displeased tone, "Mother, where’s mine?"
’Such a grown woman, still acting like a child.’
Mrs. Qiao gently tapped her hand and said with a loving smile, "My dear girl, how could I forget yours?"
She then produced a small box from behind her back. Inside were several finished five-color threads, along with a few spools of colorful silk.
Ji Qingwu picked one out and inspected it closely. "Mother, can you teach me how to weave these?"
The five-color threads were also known as long-life threads.
She wanted to weave one with her own hands for the little one in the palace, to protect him and wish him a safe and peaceful life.
She spent the entire afternoon in Mrs. Qiao’s room, learning how to weave the five-color threads.
There were many patterns one could weave. Twisting the strands into a simple rope was the easiest, but they could also be adorned with gold ornaments or even folded into the shapes of people, celestial bodies like the sun, moon, and stars, or birds and beasts.
She took the green, yellow, white, red, and black threads. She unraveled and rewove it several times before finally completing a single thread, almost missing the hour she was meant to pick up Jiu Jiu.
「At the entrance of the Upper Study Room.」
A few children were coming out, talking and laughing, but there was no sign of the little girl. Normally, she would have been the first to charge out the door.
Ji Qingwu went up to ask, and they told her with grins that Jiu Jiu had been caught drawing a whole page full of little ducks during her calligraphy lesson and was now being kept after class to write lines as punishment.
She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Ji Qingwu then asked, "Do you know where Young Master Yuan Heng is?"
Before the child could answer, a deliberately cold voice sounded from behind her.
"What business do you have with me?"
Ji Qingwu turned to see the exquisitely handsome little boy. He had grown taller since she last saw him, and the contours of his small face now bore a stronger resemblance to his imperial father.
’He’s growing up so well.’
She broke into a smile, her eyes curving. "Jiu Jiu is a student in the Upper Study Room. I heard that the Young Master often helps her review her lessons and practice her characters, so I wanted to express my thanks."
Yuan Heng lifted his chin, his expression proud yet dismissive. "It was a trivial matter, not worth mentioning."
Ji Qingwu crouched down and took something from the green, lotus-embroidered pouch she carried. She placed it in her palm and held it out to him.
"How about this, as a token of my thanks?"
Yuan Heng glanced down at her hand. It held a five-color thread.
It was remarkably simple and plain.
Unlike those in the palace, which favored gold thread and were laden with gold trinkets and jewels, this one had a unique design. It wasn’t a simple braid, but looked like a ring of tiny, triangular rice dumplings.
The little eunuch serving Yuan Heng stepped forward. "Miss Ji, the Young Master doesn’t like to wear such ornaments. This very morning, the Imperial Household sent over an entire set, and he wouldn’t even glance at them."
’Even though I put a lot of effort into making this, I can’t force a child to accept it just because I like it.’
Ji Qingwu’s face showed her understanding. "If you don’t like it, then..."
"You talk too much!"
Yuan Heng snapped, his small face stern and his gaze sharp.
Ji Qingwu swallowed the rest of her words. ’The little one is quite fierce,’ she thought. ’He certainly has his father’s bearing. I can already imagine his commanding presence when he grows up.’
Yuan Heng quickly snatched the five-color thread from her palm, his dark eyes shimmering.
"I wasn’t talking to you. Little Shunzi was being insolent." He then looked away, his eyes fixed on an empty spot to the side.
Ji Qingwu’s eyes lit up as well. "Shall I put it on for you, Your Highness?" she asked softly.
She crouched down again, took his small hand, and adjusted the five-color thread to the right length.
Yuan Heng kept his gaze fixed on her face. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly before he pressed them back down.
This happened a few times, as if the corners of his mouth had a will of their own, the curve growing wider and wider.
He was filled with an irrepressible joy.
When Ji Qingwu finished tying it, she looked up to meet his gaze. Yuan Heng immediately pressed his lips into a firm line.
’He’s just a child, after all, not yet skilled at hiding his feelings.’ She couldn’t resist poking his little cheek.
Feeling the poke on his face, Yuan Heng’s eyes widened. "You’re being audacious again," he said.
Not only did she poke his cheek, but she also gave his chin a little scratch. "If you’re happy, Young Master, you should just smile. Why suppress it?"
Grand principles spouted from Yuan Heng’s little mouth.
"My imperial father said that a sovereign receives his mandate from Heaven. The way of Heaven is dispassionate, so one must not show obvious favoritism or aversion."
Ji Qingwu nodded in understanding, thinking of the old saying: *King Chu loved slender waists, and so many in his court starved.*
If an emperor’s preferences were discovered, fawning sycophants would be one thing, but it would be far more dangerous if those with ulterior motives used that knowledge to plot against others.
「In the Diligent Governance Hall, a short distance away.」
Lu Juan stood in the hall. "Your Majesty," he said, hands clasped in salute, "twenty-six officials have been demoted in connection with the disaster relief embezzlement case. Should we continue to press the investigation?"
He thought of the list of names uncovered by the investigation in recent days.
After a moment’s hesitation, he added, "Many of the great families in Lin’an City are also implicated."
Emperor Wu Su, holding a secret report, said with a detached expression, "The roots of the great families have long since rotted through. For now, close the case."
Lu Juan bowed his head lower. He knew the Emperor wouldn’t let these people off so easily. ’To cut the weeds, one must pull out the roots,’ he thought. ’I just wonder when he plans to settle the score.’
Emperor Wu Su flicked his wrist, slapping the memorial down on his desk.
"A seat. And tea."
The great red gate opened, and Li Yuzong led a few Palace Attendants in to serve.
As Lu Juan drank his tea, he noticed Emperor Wu Su’s gaze had fallen on his cuff.
Besides being sovereign and subject, the two were also cousins, and Lu Juan had been close to the Emperor since they were children.
Now that they were no longer discussing matters of state, he felt less constrained.
Lu Juan glanced down, then smiled proudly. "Your Majesty, this is a five-color thread my wife wove for me. She said it represents good fortune from the five cardinal directions and will keep me safe."
The thought of Ji Qingrong’s gentle expression as she wove the thread made his smile widen.
He asked with a hint of a boast, "Didn’t Your Majesty receive any?"
Li Yuzong, standing nearby, chimed in with an obsequious smile. "The Princely Heir and his wife are so devoted to each other. This morning, the consorts and ladies of the inner palace sent over a dozen five-color threads. The one from Princess Wei even has a golden dragon pendant. This servant couldn’t take his eyes off it."
Lu Juan glanced at the Emperor’s robes and wrists but saw no five-color thread.
Emperor Wu Su, however, was gazing into the distance.
"Go and bring Yuan Heng here."
Li Yuzong glanced outside and saw a tall figure and a small one. With a silent cry of understanding, he quickly accepted the command and hurried out.
