Quick Wear Dream Qiqi

In the Imperial Examination Hall during the Grain Rain season, the moss growing out of the cracks in the bluestone slabs was still covered with dew.

Chuntao smelled the special fragrance from the inkstone on the examination table through the red veil - it was the "Snow Orchid Ink" prepared by Meng Qiqi, which was made with snow water, orchid and borneol. It was not only insect-proof but also contained fluorescent powder particles.

"Candidate Chuntao, please be quiet and wait for the exam." The invigilator's voice came through the gauze curtain, with deliberate severity.

She gently lifted a corner of the veil and saw the gold-sprinkled butterfly pattern on the exam scroll. She was startled - this was the same pattern on the secret letter that Meng Qiqi sent last night.

As agreed, she pressed her right index finger against the butterfly's wings. The warmth from her fingertips revealed small words in the ink: "The Russian delegation carries poison needles. Pay attention to the peony pattern on the cuffs."

Chuntao took a deep breath, took out a handkerchief embroidered with lotus flowers and placed it under the test paper - this was their "anti-peeping barrier".

When grinding the scented ink, she deliberately knocked the ink block into three pieces, corresponding to the "three long signals" of the butterfly secret letter.

The system interface flashed across his retina: "Exam compliance +85%, intelligence transmission ready."

At the same time, Ziwei unfolded the Shu brocade answer sheet in the examination room next door. There were seven dark patterns hidden in the butterfly-shaped folds.

Using a wolf-hair brush dipped in fragrant ink, she wrote in the title "On the Women's Caravans on the Silk Road": "When the sesame flowers bloom with five petals, it is the day when the camel bells return home."

On the surface, it describes the business travel scene, but in fact, "sesame" refers to Russia, and "five-petal flower" alludes to the negotiation date five days later.

Outside the Imperial Examination Hall, Xiaoyanzi was strolling around in her invigilator's uniform. In the peace pouch around her waist was a miniature magnifying glass that could clearly see the patterns on butterfly wings within a hundred meters.

She suddenly saw a white butterfly flying out from the Chuntao examination room, with the fluorescent spots on the edge of its wings forming the shape of the Big Dipper - that was the signal that "intelligence has been sent."

At three quarters past three in the afternoon, the examiner walked by holding a butterfly-shaped box containing the examination papers. Chuntao noticed that the peony embroidery on his cuffs was crude, and the gold thread had three skipped stitches - this was the "poison needle mark" that Meng Qiqi had mentioned.

She quietly reached for the hidden pocket on her skirt, and her fingertips touched the copper ring of the butterfly whistle.

"Wait!" she suddenly said, "There's scented ink on the corner of my test paper. Can I sort it out?"

The invigilator frowned and nodded.

Chuntao folded the test paper into a butterfly shape again, and this time added three more creases where the wings met - that was the "danger" signal in Morse code.

When the test papers were put into the box, she saw that the creases of the butterfly antennae on Ziwei's answer sheet were facing her own butterfly wings, forming a complete "warning" pattern.

That night, Meng Qiqi unfolded all the butterfly scrolls in the darkroom of the Shangyi Bureau and shone them with a special fluorite lamp. She saw fine fluorescent writing on the inside of the wings of each "butterfly".

Chuntao's test paper contained the specific pattern of the Russian poison needle, while Ziwei's answer sheet marked the terrain hazards at the negotiation site.

"These exam papers are more valuable than gold." Yongqi looked at the array of butterflies on the wall and suddenly pointed at Chuntao's paper. "Look at the creases on the wings. Do they look like a topographical map of the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau?"

"Because the true answers are never on paper." Meng Qiqi used a silver hairpin to pick up a "butterfly." The diamond on the hairpin reflected a rainbow of light, illuminating the words "Five days later, at the hour of You" on the wings. "They are the cocoons of a woman's wisdom, and they will eventually emerge as butterflies that change the times."

In the early morning of the Beginning of Summer, the peonies in the Imperial Garden were in full bloom.

Meng Qiqi accompanied the Empress Dowager to appreciate the flowers. The round fan in her hand was embroidered with a picture of "Spring Scenery in Luoyang", but in fact, the personnel list of the Russian delegation was recorded with the density of needlework - the length of the petals corresponded to the alphabetical order, and the intersection of the leaf veins concealed the identity numbers.

"Xinrong," said the old lady, pointing to a green peony, "this flower looks novel, but I always feel that it lacks some elegance."

She gently turned the handle of the fan, revealing a "dead branch and butterfly" pattern on the back: "My Lord, although the dead branches are ugly, they can hide real butterflies."

As soon as he finished speaking, a yellow butterfly landed on the fan, and the fluorescent pattern of the word "急" (urgent) on its wings was faintly visible.

At the same time, Xiaoyanzi is training a new batch of intelligence butterflies. She writes Russian words on the petals with honey and lets the butterflies fly to the Russian camp after their wings are covered with pollen.

Ziwei was translating "Selected Poems of Pushkin". On the surface, it was a literary exchange, but in fact, she used the number of lines in the poems to correspond to the page numbers in the secret letter.

"'If life deceives you,'" Ziwei whispered, embroidering a portrait of Pushkin on the frame in her hand. "If you use the cross-stitch method, you can hide three letters in the pupil of your left eye."

The system prompt sounded in Meng Qiqi's ears: "The Russians have been detected deciphering the butterfly secret message, and the 'double embroidery method' emergency plan has been activated."

She took out an embroidery sample from her sleeve. The "Twin Lotus" pattern on it was actually a double code - it was a lotus when viewed from the front, and the Russian national emblem when viewed from the side, and the density of the stitches recorded false information.

On the fifth day of May, in the negotiation tent on the Sino-Russian border, the Russian representative Count Pushkin stared at the embroidered screen in front of him, on which the "Dragon Boat Race" picture was vivid.

"Your country's embroidery is truly exquisite," he exclaimed in Russian, his fingertips tracing the dragon boat on the water. "The stitching of these waves is so similar to the turbulent flow of the Volga River."

Meng Qiqi smiled and responded in Russian: "If you look carefully, Count, you will find that the flags on each dragon boat are embroidered with the names of poets from your country."

She gently turned the screen, and sunlight shone through the gap onto Qu Yuan's belt, revealing the word "poisonous" written in Russian - this was a hidden message designed using the principle of light refraction.

Pushkin's pupils suddenly shrank as he noticed that the tassels hanging from the top of the tent were embroidered with irises, the symbol of Russian spies.

Just as he was about to speak, the butterfly whistle of a swallow came from a distance. The frequency of three short and one long was exactly the "emergency evacuation" signal.

"Sorry," Meng Qiqi put away the screen, "The rice dumplings for the Dragon Boat Festival should be cooked. If the Earl likes embroidery, you might want to try our 'double-sided embroidered round fan' - flowers and birds on the front, and a map on the back."

When the Russian delegation hurriedly evacuated, Yongqi found an abandoned poison needle in the corner of the tent. The tip of the needle was stained with blue venom, which was exactly the same as what Chuntao described in the test paper.

The "Dragon Boat Race" screen was now being sent to the capital, becoming the key evidence to accuse the Russian side of conspiracy.

In the Hall of Supreme Harmony on the Dragon Boat Festival, Emperor Qianlong looked at the butterfly scroll and the double-sided embroidered screen in front of him, and suddenly remembered what Meng Qiqi said, "Embroidered patterns are the cultural context."

He pointed to the dragon boat flag on the screen and asked: "How did the names of these Russian poets become associated with the poison needle?"

"Your Majesty," Ziwei unfolded the Secret Codex of Pun Embroidery, "The number of lines in each poem corresponds to the number of the poison needle, and the poet's nationality corresponds to the location of the poisoning. For example, Pushkin's poem implies that the poisoning took place at the Russian Embassy."

Xiaoyanzi couldn't help but interrupt: "What's even better is this butterfly roll! It can be folded into a butterfly shape to pass security checks, and can also be used as a map when unfolded!" She demonstrated how to fold the test paper into a butterfly with spread wings, and the fluorescent patterns on the wings formed the contour lines of the China-Russia border.

Qianlong was silent for a long time, picked up Chuntao's butterfly scroll and turned it towards the sunlight.

When the fluorescent words "Russian Poison Needle Plan" appeared in full, he finally spoke: "Issue an order: From now on, the palace examination for women's crafts will be a regular practice. The examination paper format...will be this butterfly paper."

When Meng Qiqi knelt down to express her gratitude, she saw Chuntao high-fiving Xiaoyanzi outside the hall, Ziwei explaining the double-entendre embroidery method to the Russian envoy, and a golden swallow with flapping wings was embroidered on the round fan in the hands of the old Buddha at some point.

The system interface displays "Historical process change value +45%".

That night, the butterflies in the imperial garden were brighter than usual. The fluorescent words on their wings gathered into a river, flowing towards each woman's embroidery frame and test paper.

Meng Qiqi touched the jade pendant at her waist, and the small words on the back finally became fully visible: "When words learn to fly, prejudice will eventually melt away in the light of wisdom."

Little Swallow suddenly ran over, holding a newly improved butterfly roll in her hands. "Xinrong, look! I added layers in the wings so you can hide candies and secret letters! You won't have to worry about going hungry on exams anymore!"

She took the butterfly scroll with a smile, feeling the stitches and creases on it - that was the future embroidered by millions of women with their talent and courage.

In the distance, the corner towers of the Forbidden City are looming in the twilight, and millions of butterflies carrying fragrant ink and codes are taking off from there and flying towards the vast sky.