The drizzle of Jiangnan fell in a fine, misty veil, dampening the green tiles of the teahouse. Leaning against the carved wooden window, Su Wan listened to the actor on the stage sing: "Brilliant purples and vibrant reds bloom all around, yet all this is left to crumbling wells and dilapidated walls..." In a trance, she felt as though she had returned to that year in the Capital, amidst the fine apricot blossom rain.
Back then, she was merely a secondary-branch daughter of the Jiangnan Textile Bureau, chosen to enter the palace and craft garments for the imperial consorts because of her exquisite embroidery skills. On the day she first entered the imperial city, she stood before the towering palace gates, gazing at the vermilion walls, her heart aflutter with apprehension and yearning.
Her days at the Bureau of Apparel were busy and fulfilling, until the day she was tasked with repairing a cloud-brocade ceremonial cape for Noble Consort Shu. As she knelt in the hall, entirely focused on threading her needle, a gentle voice sounded from above: "Such an unusual embroidery technique."
Chapter 204