Siheyuan: tomb robbing? I am serious about hunting.

Chapter 1080 This Door

Let those innocent victims rest in peace. A gust of wind blew, bringing raindrops to her face, but Lin Lan didn't notice it at all. Her eyes were determined as she looked in the direction where Shen Yanqiu disappeared, as if she had already seen the scene of their next encounter. This pursuit across time and space had just begun.

It was autumn, the third year of the Tianqi reign. The Forbidden City's vermilion walls were swathed in a blanket of gilded wedding silk. Every three steps on either side of the imperial path from the Meridian Gate to Kunning Palace stood a woven palace lantern. The wicks, wrapped in three layers of oil-soaked cotton paper, burned the walls of the lanterns, casting a scorching glow on the dark bricks, making them appear as if covered in a carpet of shredded gold. Palace attendants hurried past, treading on the scattered acacia petals, their cuffs stained with gold dust. A corner of the embroidered curtain depicting a hundred children hung beneath the corridor was lifted by the evening breeze, revealing a vividly embroidered chubby doll. Yet, the bustle of the palace seemed shielded by a layer of glass, never seeping into the depths of Kunning Palace. Inside the main hall of Kunning Palace, a gilded bronze dragon and phoenix candlestick stood half a man's height. The golden dragon's scales and claws coiled on the candlestick's pillars were distinct. In the candle holders, held by the dragon's head, two dragon and phoenix candles, each as thick as an arm, burned brightly. The orange-red flame danced, gently flicking off the charred wicks. The melted wax dripped down along the dragon's scales, forming a small pool of amber wax at the candlestick's base. This was a perfect reflection of the emotion Shen Qingci was feeling at the moment—not sadness, nor joy, but simply a sense of being held hostage to her fate, a feeling that made even her breathing heavy. "Your Majesty, please raise your shoulders slowly. This phoenix coronet is adorned with seven oriental pearls and is quite heavy." The personal maid, Wanyue, spoke in a cautious, tentative voice. She held the coronet atop Shen Qingci's head with both hands, her fingertips rubbing against the cool pearls, fearing that a single misstep would knock the golden hairpin from it. Shen Qingci obediently tilted her head slightly. The muscles at the back of her neck were stiff from supporting the weight of the phoenix corona for so long. She could clearly feel the gilded ornaments on the edge of the corona rubbing against the skin behind her ears, causing a slight itch. This phoenix corona was personally selected by the empress dowager. It was said to be an old item from the previous empress. The oriental pearls on it were round and plump. The largest one was embedded between the phoenix's eyebrows. It shone with a warm pearlescent light under the candlelight, but Shen Qingci felt that it was as heavy as a stone - not only weighing down her hair, but also weighing down her future life. She lowered her eyes and looked at herself in the bronze mirror. Her bright red wedding dress was embroidered with a phoenix with outstretched wings. The phoenix's tail feathers dragged from her shoulders to the hem of her skirt. Each feather was embroidered with layers of gold and silver thread. When she walked, the hem of her skirt swept across the ground, and she could hear the subtle sound of the gold thread rubbing against each other. The girl in the mirror had long, slender eyebrows, slightly upturned eyes, a delicate nose, and lips stained bright red with rouge. Though delicate and charming, her eyes held a hint of unyielding stubbornness, reminiscent of when, at twelve, she was caught climbing a tree to rob a bird's nest by her father, stiffening her neck and refusing to admit her fault. "Your Majesty, would you like some sweet soup to calm your nerves?" Wanyue had carefully removed the phoenix crown and placed it on the red velvet-covered dressing table nearby. She then quickly scooped up the sweet soup from the table. It was a bowl of lotus seed soup, made with Xianglian lotus seeds, imported from Jiangnan. The cores had been removed and the soup stewed until soft and glutinous. A little rock sugar was added to the soup. Served in a white porcelain bowl adorned with gold, the soup was steaming and carried a faint lotus fragrance. Wanyue knew her daughter had loved sweet foods since she was a child, especially Jiangnan sweets. Before entering the palace, she had the family cook teach her a few recipes. But the bowl sent by the imperial kitchen still lacked the flavor of home. Shen Qingci stretched out her finger and gently touched the edge of the bowl. The warm touch came through her fingertips, and then she slowly picked up the silver spoon and stirred the lotus seeds in the bowl. The silver spoon hit the wall of the bowl, making a light "ding" sound, which was particularly clear in the quiet hall. "What does it matter whether he comes or not?" A hint of self-mockery appeared on the corner of her mouth, and her eyes fell on the lotus seeds floating in the bowl. "Isn't this marriage promoted by the Empress Dowager from beginning to end? If Xiao Jingyan really wanted to marry me, he wouldn't let me wait in Kunning Palace for so long." She didn't say this out of anger. The day before entering the palace, her father, Shen Daxueshi, specially called her to the study and said earnestly: "Qingci, His Majesty is young and promising, but he has an upright character. It is an honor for the Shen family that the Empress Dowager chooses you as the queen. In the future, you will be in the palace..." Her father didn't finish his words, but Shen Qingci understood. She had long heard from close friends that before Xiao Jingyan ascended the throne, he had secretly favored Lin Wei, the daughter of the state-guarding general. The two had known each other since childhood and had a deep friendship. If the empress dowager had not firmly opposed it, citing the general's wielding of military power and the fear of foreign relatives interfering in government affairs, the position of empress would never have been hers, a daughter of a scholarly family. "Your Majesty, please don't say that," Wanyue hurried forward, her voice lowered, intimidated. "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and his daily affairs are numerous. Perhaps he's been caught up in government affairs..." As she spoke, she furtively scanned Shen Qingci's face. Seeing that her young lady was merely stirring the sweet soup and saying nothing more, she breathed a sigh of relief. Wanyue had grown up with Shen Qingci and knew that while she appeared docile, she was actually more stubborn than anyone. Back in Jiangnan, she had dared to refute the "Three Obediences and Four Virtues" of the "Instructions for Women" in front of her academy teachers. Now that she was in the palace, she was unlikely to bow down so easily. Shen Qingci didn't respond to Wanyue's words, but simply scooped up a lotus seed and put it in her mouth. The lotus seed was stewed until soft and melted in her mouth, the sweetness spreading on her tongue, but she felt empty inside, as if something was missing. She remembered that when she was a child, every time she got into trouble, her mother would stew her a bowl of lotus seed soup, touch her head and say: "Qingci, girls, you must learn to control your temper, otherwise you will suffer in the future." At that time, she always disagreed, thinking that there was nothing wrong with being straightforward, but now, she suddenly understood her mother's words a little bit - this Forbidden City is not the Shen family compound in Jiangnan. Every word and every action here must be carried out with extreme caution. At this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the palace, and then, a eunuch's shrill voice came through the door curtain: "Your Majesty has arrived -" The sound was like a thunderclap, and the palace maids and eunuchs in the palace were instantly panicked. The tray in Wanyue's hand shook violently, and a few drops of lotus seed soup in the bowl splashed out and landed on her green palace dress, leaving a few light yellow marks. She was so scared that her face turned pale, and she quickly knelt down to apologize: "I deserve to die!" Shen Qingci was much calmer than her. She slowly put down the silver spoon, wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, stood up slowly, and straightened the hem of her wedding dress. Her movements were calm and unhurried, as if she had expected Xiao Jingyan to come. But only she knew that the moment she heard the four words "Your Majesty has arrived", her heart skipped a beat, and her fingers subconsciously tightened the jade pendant around her waist - it was the dowry her mother gave her, and the word "peace" was engraved on the jade.