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墨書 Inktalez
“Xiao Quanzi, come here and help! Hold that corner; I can't manage it alone!” I struggled with the large White Curtain I had just washed. It was too big for one person to handle. I remembered how in TV dramas, the old ladies would shake out the curtains together, each holding an end and shaking vigorously until it was smooth enough to hang out to dry.
“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Xiao Quanzi replied as he hurried over, setting aside what he was doing.
After moving to the legendary Cold Palace, the first thing I needed to do was clean up. This place had not been attended to by palace maids for a long time, and a layer of dust had accumulated everywhere. The once-white curtains had already yellowed, and the paint on the pillars and eaves was peeling away in patches, creating a mottled texture. While it might have a certain artistic charm, someone like me couldn’t appreciate it. I might be living here for a lifetime; after all, this was becoming my temporary home, so I had to take good care of it. Otherwise, if I were to stay for three or five years, how would I survive?
Moreover, after entering, I discovered many special “guests” here. They often wore yellowed and smelly white garments, their hair disheveled and dirty, with vacant expressions as they sat in the corridors for days on end. This state of being had persisted for years. Yes, they were once favored but had made mistakes or been wronged by others or even framed themselves. In any case, they had all been banished to this desolate place by that high-and-mighty man. For these women who deeply loved him, the cruelest part was that he had long forgotten them and would never think of them again. It was no wonder they all seemed mad or dazed; every day they waited for someone who would never appear.
That person was the Emperor.
A sovereign.
From the excitement of my first day here when I joyfully shouted “Cold Palace, I’ve arrived!” to now feeling a pang of sorrow in my heart for these once-beautiful women—time and the cruelty of imperial life had left them with nothing but soulless shells. I felt that perhaps I could do something here; whether out of boredom or to atone for that man’s sins, I would take good care of them.
Looking at Xiao Quanzi, who was busy yet smiling brightly beside me, filled me with unexplainable comfort. Before deciding to come here, I had told him not to follow me and to find a good master instead of trailing along into this dark place where he would suffer less. But this child wouldn’t listen; he cried and insisted on following me. He even threatened that if I didn’t want him, he wouldn’t be able to fulfill his master’s orders and would have to die in apology. Since he mentioned Old Buddy, I couldn’t do anything but let him come along happily.
Yun Ying also tearfully insisted on coming with me, but she couldn’t; she had entered as well. Who would look after things outside? That secretive task had to be left to her. Although I worried about her, she had grown up with me since childhood. I had always taught her how to disguise herself and act; plus, she was trained by Head of the Family as an undercover agent beside me and had some skills. My worries were somewhat unnecessary.
The Frostfall Palace was quite large—almost as big as the Consorts’ palaces. It was said that a previous emperor built it for his favored concubine, but after she fell out of favor, she remained imprisoned here until it gradually became known as the Cold Palace. This once luxurious palace fell into disrepair; the vast garden became overgrown with weeds, the Lotus Pond dried up long ago, and corners of the house accumulated dust and cobwebs… Fortunately, there was an ancient well in the backyard. Despite being neglected for so long, it still produced clear water. Xiao Quanzi and I drew up a bucket of water that turned out to be clean, cool, and sweet—this delighted me immensely.
After tearing down all the curtains and finding large wooden tubs and washboards, we began washing them. Oddly enough, although this place looked desolate and old-fashioned, it had once been luxurious; all necessary tools were still available—albeit very old—but usable.
Once everything was cleaned up, I started mopping the floor. It truly was hard work; my back and shoulders ached terribly. Thankfully, having endured the torment from that damned Demon Child in my youth made this suffering bearable now. The harder task lay in persuading those concubines to bathe and cleanse themselves. Sighing, they were still lost in their fairy tale dreams of being Cinderella and hadn’t awakened yet; no matter how earnestly I pleaded with them, it was futile. In the end, I had no choice but to resort to tougher measures.
My trump card! Heh heh! These women longed for the Emperor’s favor again; just mentioning that he would come to see them made them eager to dress beautifully and wait for his summons. Instantly transformed from madness into obedience and tenderness under my guidance, they allowed me to help them bathe and comb their hair until they looked human again. After all my hard work, there were actually over ten concubines who responded well. However, among them was one particularly special person who would accompany me in my future days.
This person was one of those concubines named Suda. She was extraordinarily beautiful; even as a woman myself, I found her captivating. Once favored herself but proud and difficult due to jealousy from others’ envy, she ultimately fell victim to schemes that led her here.
While I cleaned up those foolish concubines around her, she stood coldly beside me in white garments and remarked icily, “Idiot.”
I was astonished. Of course, it wasn't her words that surprised me, but the fact that there was still a normal person here! The women in this place were either driven mad by thoughts of the Emperor or had lost their minds from the monotonous days in the Cold Palace. Yet here she was, completely sane and not at all deranged! I hurriedly said to her with joy, "Hello, I am Xie Weiying, just arrived. Please come help me."
She scoffed lightly, "Do you think what you're doing is useful? Those who come here have long since died inside."
I paused in my task of rubbing one of the ladies' backs, stood up straight, and calmly met her gaze. "What about you? Is your heart still beating? Since you've managed to live and endure until now, it means you can still hate, still resent, and still cherish yourself. If that's the case, why speak such self-destructive words? Haven't you been abandoned by a man? What's so terrible about that? The earth keeps turning, and life continues. What’s all this talk about dying?" I lowered my head and continued helping the lady who was staring blankly into the distance. "If you want to think about it, then you should hurry and help."
She pursed her lips as she looked at me, her eyes filled with stubbornness and defiance. After a long moment, she sighed softly and turned to leave.
I temporarily cleaned out all the rooms in Frostfall Palace and then assigned code names to the ladies. I made some tags with numbers and hung them around their necks, corresponding to the numbers I placed on their respective rooms as proof of their quarters. I chose the room closest to the edge for myself; just beyond its wall lay the outside world.
Suddenly, I recalled what Gao Lu had told me—that Frostfall Palace was the closest place to the outside in the palace. Thinking of this made me secretly pleased; wasn’t this laying a foundation for my escape?
By the time I had everything sorted out, it was already deep into the night. I tossed and turned on my stiff bed, unable to sleep. After struggling for several hours, I finally got up and retrieved the guitar that Xiao Quanzi had brought with him.
Leaping onto the rooftop, I settled down under the bright full moon. The serene yet faintly golden moonlight spilled over me and illuminated the entire quiet Frostfall Palace.
I tested a few notes and began to adapt some lyrics aimlessly. Slowly, I sang softly:
"When will spring flowers and autumn moons end?
How much do past events know!
Last night’s gentle breeze blew through the small building,
The homeland is unbearable to recall under the bright moon."
Just a change of Crimson Face.
How much sorrow can one have?
It flows like a river of spring water heading east!
...
I sang softly, not wanting my insomnia to disturb others.
I quietly opened my half-closed eyes, and in the depths of my gaze, I saw the reflection of Suda standing across the rooftop with a sorrowful expression. She stood below, silently watching me, her melancholy and sadness making her even more beautiful, more enchanting, and causing my heart to ache.
I looked at her from a distance and mouthed the words, "Fool."
I knew she understood. I could see a faint smile flicker across her face.
So beautiful, just like Li Yu's song "Poppy".
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