Chapter 1 Death in the Cold Palace
684 Words
In the autumn of that year in the great Huaiguo, rumors spread through the palace that the deposed Empress had died. This news caused no ripples. The deposed Empress had been confined to the cold palace less than two years after her enthronement, and her family had been executed long ago. Few people remembered this Empress.
In the autumn of that year in the great Huaiguo, rumors spread through the palace that the deposed Empress had died. This news caused no ripples. The deposed Empress had been confined to the cold palace less than two years after her enthronement, and her family had been executed long ago. Few people remembered this Empress.
On a secluded path in the palace, two young eunuchs carried a wooden plank, with a body wrapped in a straw mat clearly lying on it.
This path led to the back mountain outside the palace. Not far from the palace was the dead body ground, where the palace discarded the corpses of deceased servants. Palace maids and eunuchs were abundant, and when they died, those with some favor were buried, while others, to avoid the stench within the palace, were piled here.
The autumn wind blew coldly, and the path was extremely quiet, with only the creaking sound of the plank. The eunuch in front shivered and swallowed, saying, “Why does it feel so eerie today? It’s really spooky.”
The eunuch behind him, annoyed, replied, “We usually carry lesser-known servants. Today, we’re carrying a deposed Empress. Be careful and stop your mind from wandering.”
The front eunuch spat, “You said it yourself—she’s a deposed Empress. Dead or not, she’s just thrown into the pile like us. That’s not what I meant. I heard from a palace maid in the cold palace that this deposed Empress has been dead for half a month. Though it’s cooler now, she shouldn’t be as fresh as if she just died. There’s no smell at all…”
“You’ve got some nerve, sniffing a corpse! Hurry up!” They had walked this path countless times, but the front eunuch’s words made them both uneasy.
As they approached the back gate, the front eunuch fell silent. Though they had been doing this job for years, they always wanted to finish quickly when they reached the pile of corpses. If they had connections, they wouldn’t be doing this.
After arriving at the destination, they set the plank down. The front eunuch dragged the straw mat off the plank and onto the pile of bodies. He accidentally dropped his money pouch and, as he bent down to pick it up, he saw through a gap in the mat a pair of eyes filled with hatred, as if from a vengeful ghost. Terrified, he quickly grabbed his pouch, cursed his bad luck, and urged the other eunuch to leave.
“Tomorrow, Zhaoxi will marry Prince Yue. She will follow her duties, manage the Prince’s household well, and not disappoint Father and Mother’s earnest teachings.”
“Sister Zhaoxi’s wedding was so grand, the streets of Shengjing were lined with red for half a mile. General Qin loved you dearly, as did the entire Qin family. I, Gu Yunyin, had nothing, yet in the end, who laughed last? Qin Zhaoxi, you are a fool!”
“The Zhaoxi of the past was so graceful and elegant. How did you become so cruel? You are no longer fit to be my Empress!”
“Do you know why you gave birth prematurely? I ordered it. Sanlang’s first child can only be mine, Shi Yuyin’s!”
“I was never pregnant. Everything was a ploy to bring you down. The Empress’s title should have been mine long ago. Why cling to it and annoy everyone? And your parents, Sanlang was truly heartless…”
Endless nightmares repeated, an infinite darkness seeming to have no end. She struggled in the dark, suddenly opening her eyes to a scene of red. She stared blankly for a long time, all sounds seemingly cut off, leaving her alone in the world.
- Writer
