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As noon approached the next day, Lin Xueqing donned a simple palace outfit and made her way to Changyin Pavilion. Along the way, she sensed that someone was watching her from the shadows.
Changyin Pavilion, located at a corner of the Imperial Garden, was built during the Qianlong era as a place to listen to music. Today, the pavilion was empty, with only the wind brushing against the strings of a guqin, producing faint sounds.
Lin Xueqing ascended the steps and pushed open the pavilion door. Sunlight streamed through the intricately carved window panes, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
"You've come after all," a familiar voice echoed.
Lin Xueqing turned around and saw the man she had encountered last night at the Imperial Storehouse. He sat before the guqin, his fingers gently caressing the strings.
"Why did you ask me to come here?" Lin Xueqing asked warily.
"Because this is the best place for a conversation," he replied. "The sound of the guqin can mask our discussion, and..." He pointed at the instrument, "this guqin itself is a key."
Only then did Lin Xueqing notice that the body of the guqin was engraved with patterns similar to those on a bronze mirror.
"Who exactly are you?"
"My name is Chen Mingde," he said. "Like you, I come from the future. However, I have been in this era for three years."
"Three years?" Lin Xueqing exclaimed. "But Lang Shining said that the time portal can only last for seven days..."
"That's his version of things," Chen Mingde scoffed. "In reality, as long as we find the right method, we can freely traverse different times and spaces."
"What do you want?"
"Cooperation," Chen Mingde stated. "I know you possess a bronze mirror and a Peach Wood Comb. And I know how to interpret the complete prophecy."
"Why should I trust you?"
"Because we are fellow travelers," Chen Mingde said. "We both want to know the truth, don't we?"
He stood up and walked to the window. "Do you think what Lang Shining told you is the whole story? Those gatekeepers, including Qianlong, are hiding a much bigger secret."
"What secret?"
"The true origin of the Time-Space Gate," Chen Mingde turned to face her. "They were not formed naturally; they were man-made."
Lin Xueqing's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"
"It's simple," Chen Mingde said. "Long ago, someone wanted to create a passage that could transcend time and space. They succeeded, but the cost was..."
Before he could finish, footsteps suddenly echoed from outside.
"Quick, hide," Chen Mingde urged, pushing Lin Xueqing behind the screen.
The door swung open, and a eunuch entered. "Minister Chen, the Emperor summons you for an audience."
"Understood," Chen Mingde replied. "You may return and report."
Once the eunuch left, Lin Xueqing stepped out from behind the screen. "Do you hold a position in the palace?"
"That's not important," Chen Mingde said. "What matters is that if you want to know the truth, come here tonight at midnight with the bronze mirror."
With that, he turned and left, leaving her with one last warning: "Remember, time is running out."
Lin Xueqing stood still, staring blankly at the guqin. Suddenly, she noticed the shadow of the strings forming a strange pattern on the ground.
She took out a bronze mirror and aimed it at the shadow. In the mirror, a blurry figure gradually became clear.
It was a woman dressed in palace attire, resembling her by about seventy percent.
"Could it be..." Lin Xueqing recalled Lang Shining's hint, "the person in the mirror is..."
Just then, she heard a noise behind her. Before she could turn around, a heavy blow struck the back of her head.
As she lost consciousness, she seemed to hear Xiao Cui's voice:
"I'm sorry, Your Highness..."
Meanwhile, in the modern Forbidden City, Shen Mo Ting was flipping through ancient texts. Suddenly, a yellowed page fell from one of the books.
It was an illustration depicting the guqin from Changyin Pavilion. On the back of the image, a line of small text was written:
"When the sound of the guqin resonates, the person in the mirror appears, and the truth is revealed. The guqin weeps blood, and the prophecy unfolds..."
"I found it!" Shen Mo Ting exclaimed excitedly. "We need to go to Changyin Pavilion immediately..."
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