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墨書 Inktalez
In front of the Cold Palace, I took one last look at Lin Ruoxue. She wore a coarse prison garment, stripped of all her glamorous makeup, her appearance gaunt and her eyes hollow.
"It’s you, isn’t it?" She looked at me and suddenly laughed, her laughter chilling. "Shen Wei Lan, you are truly ruthless!"
I gazed at her calmly. "Your Highness, victors and vanquished have always been determined since ancient times. If you hadn’t harbored ill intentions first, how would you have ended up in such a state?"
"Hahaha!" She laughed loudly. "I lost! I lost to you, the Daughter of a Traitor! I am unwilling! I am unwilling!"
I said nothing more and turned to leave. The sunlight was blinding, yet I felt cold all over.
This victory came at a heavy price. My hands were stained with too many schemes and blood. The Shen Wei Lan who once only wanted to survive and seek justice for her father had long since changed beyond recognition.
Yan Yu, amidst this turmoil, was saved by me for "timely discovering the conspiracy," and even promoted within the Supreme Wardrobe Bureau. However, the invisible rift between us could never be mended. The look in her eyes was filled with awe but no longer held the intimacy and trust we once shared.
Glass is fragile, and human hearts are hard to fathom. In this deep palace, friendship is the most extravagant thing.
Epilogue: The Silence of the Deep Palace
With the fall of the Lin family and Consort Shu being deposed, no one in the harem could rival me anymore. The Empress remained bedridden, a mere shadow of herself. As Concubine Hui, I held the Phoenix Seal of the Six Palaces, my power reaching its peak.
Xiao Jingyuan seemed to rely on me even more, yet his feelings were… complicated. Sometimes he would gaze at me for long periods, his eyes reflecting admiration, dependence, but also a wariness and distance that I could not comprehend.
I knew he might have guessed my shadow behind the Lin family's downfall. Yet he did not speak of it. An emperor needs a sharp blade but must also be wary of it turning against him.
My father's case was finally vindicated. On the day his grievances were cleared, I stood alone in Qing Zhi Pavilion, burning incense in tribute. Tears fell silently as my heart felt empty; there was no joy as I had imagined. For this day, I had sacrificed too much and lost too much. The once innocent and kind-hearted self had long been consumed by the darkness of this deep palace.
I brought back the only remaining distant relatives of my family to the capital and settled them properly; it was a wish fulfilled.
Life in the harem became calm, even somewhat… lonely. There were no longer any tense struggles or heart-stopping schemes—only the daily affairs of the palace and the perpetual disguise I wore when facing the emperor.
Years later, the Empress passed away. According to ancestral customs and my merits, I should have been conferred as Empress. Court officials submitted petitions, yet Xiao Jingyuan remained silent.
I knew he was hesitating and weighing his options. He might appreciate my abilities and rely on my counsel, but he always held a degree of suspicion towards me. He feared I would become another Lin family member, afraid of external relatives gaining power.
I did not contest or plead for it. After all that had happened, my obsession with that supreme position had faded away. Power is both poison and shackles. I had obtained what I desired—my family's innocence and my ability to protect myself. That was enough.
In the end, Xiao Jingyuan did not make me Empress but chose a consort from an ordinary background who was gentle in nature to be crowned as the new Empress. I understood this was his calculated decision; he needed a non-threatening Empress to balance my influence.
I accepted this outcome with composure. Still serving as Hui Guifei—Assistant—my relationship with him seemed to dissipate entirely with this "choice." We became more like partners in cooperation, maintaining balance in both court and harem.
The fragrance of medicine lingered in Qing Zhi Pavilion; however, my heart felt frozen over, unable to sense warmth again. Occasionally, I would think back to who I was when I first entered the palace—the innocent Yan Yu—and those nights spent supporting each other in Palace Wing felt like a lifetime ago.
The years in this deep palace are long; within its red walls lie not just bodies but hearts locked away as well. I gained power and survival but lost my original self.
Outside the window, pear blossoms bloomed again, pure white like snow. I reached out to catch a falling petal; it lay cold and fragile in my palm as if it would shatter with just a gentle touch.
Life is like this glass, brilliant yet fragile. And I, Shen Wei Lan, a wisp of Wei Lan in this deep palace, ultimately stirred up a tremendous wave, but also trapped myself forever in this boundless deep sea, silent and lonely.
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