Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
To put it simply, she, Mei Shuang, was just a naive traveler wandering around various tourist attractions in the Twenty-First Century. During her university summer vacation, out of boredom and on a whim, she decided to travel with friends. While admiring and photographing a beautiful view at the edge of a cliff, she accidentally stepped into thin air and found herself waking up in a gilded carriage, being told she was to enter the palace for the Empress's coronation.
Now, her current predicament made her wonder if it was indeed true what her maid, Sugar, had said back then.
At that time, she had merely lifted her veil to look outside, trying to confirm whether she was dreaming. However, Sugar had been alarmed and repeatedly stopped her, saying that the veil must only be lifted by her husband after the wedding ceremony; lifting it herself would bring bad luck.
Sighing, it seemed that it wasn't just bad luck; it was downright tragic. After living twenty-two years in the modern world without even having a boyfriend, she now found herself here at nineteen with the infamous title of "..." hanging over her head.
Looking at the drafty walls of the Heavenly Prison, it felt as if heaven did not respond and earth did not heed her call.
Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she saw a dark shadow swiftly scurrying across the ground without any restraint. Mei Shuang screamed in fright.
After a while, she had to comfort herself shakily that it was just a foraging mouse.
She dared not lie down again for fear that the hungry mouse might mistake her for dinner. So she struggled to prop herself up and sat up from the filthy Straw Pile.
The cold ground was thick with dust. As soon as she got up, dust from the moldy straw filled her nostrils, making her cough repeatedly, and each cough sent pain shooting through her chest.
So this is what unbearable pain feels like.
Outside, the biting cold wind blew fiercely. With the prison being so drafty, it wasn't long before her hands and feet turned icy and her whole body trembled.
The sound of dripping water echoed outside; it was only three in the morning. Not to mention how hard it was to endure this long night—was she really going to spend her entire life here?
An unprecedented sense of loneliness and fear of the unknown washed over Mei Shuang, and she couldn't help but sob softly.
---
After the fireworks filled the sky, tranquility returned.
Although it was late at night, the Universal Celebration for the new emperor's ascension and grand wedding coincided with the Lantern Festival, keeping the entire palace brightly lit with candles.
After the grand banquet in the Hall of Harmony concluded, since royal weddings were not like those in common folk where they could indulge in playful antics, each palace and hall sought ways to entertain themselves.
In an instant, the entire Purple Dawn Palace was filled with laughter and joy, bustling with activity.
Inside the Hall of Governance, where the Emperor handled state affairs, the candles burned brightly.
Since ancient times, "the wedding night and the day of passing the imperial examination" have been regarded as two of life's greatest achievements!
However, for the protagonist of today’s celebration—the newly crowned Emperor Xiao Luo of the Great Qin Empire—he felt nothing but irony instead of pride.
Even the eunuch Li Gonggong, standing behind him, could not help but feel a pang of discomfort as he watched the Emperor standing with his hands clasped behind his back in front of the intricately carved window. Despite being the Son of Heaven and holding dominion over the world, there were times when he felt utterly powerless.
He could not marry the woman he loved; on this day of his grand wedding, an embarrassing incident involving the Empress had occurred! Now, to preserve the dignity of the royal family and to keep up appearances, he had no choice but to follow the wishes of the Empress Dowager and allow Chancellor Mei's illegitimate daughter, Mei Ru, to enter the palace as a substitute for her sister...
The Current Emperor had once been a proud man! He had defended the borders with valor, riding into battle with a spirit that could conquer mountains and rivers!
And now—
Little Li glanced at the imperial Heqin Wine that had been sitting on the table for quite some time, then looked outside at the night sky, feeling anxious inside.
At this moment, Xiao Luo stood tall and straight before the carved window, gazing at the moon hanging in the sky like a jade plate, lost in thought.
“Have you found her?” he asked in a low voice.
Little Li shifted his gaze from the Heqin Wine and hurriedly replied, “Your Majesty, I have been instructing everyone to search for her, but there is still no news…”
Yet deep down he thought, what time is it now? Why are you still so sentimental!
Xiao Luo bitterly smiled. Since he received the imperial decree to return from the borders in haste days ago, there had been no word from her. It seemed tonight would end in disappointment once again.
“Little Li, close the door. The noise is giving me a headache.”
Li Gonggong dared not delay. He quickly tucked his feather duster into his waist and hurried forward to close the door to the Hall of Governance. Suddenly hesitating for a moment, he turned back cautiously and asked, “Your Majesty, um… should we go to… uh… the Empress?”
According to the Palace Regulations, on the night of the Emperor's wedding, to demonstrate the favor of the Tian family and the harmony between the Emperor and Empress, the Emperor must spend the night in Weiyang Palace with the Empress. However, after returning from the Hall of Harmony, the Emperor has been lost in thought here.
The Heqin Wine sent by the Empress Dowager is right in front of him, which is essentially urging him to hurry to the Empress. Yet, it is already past midnight, and the Emperor shows no intention of leaving. Is he really going to leave the new Empress alone in an empty room tonight?
Xiao Luo suddenly turned around at these words. His already sharp facial features became even more cutting, and his deep-set eyes were now filled with frost, frightening Little Li so much that he immediately knelt down, exclaiming, "I spoke out of turn! I deserve to die!"
"Very well! Go inform the Empress that I will go to Heavenly Prison with her—to visit her sister!" Xiao Luo said coldly.
To be honest, in his twenty-seven years of life, he had never experienced such humiliation. At this moment, rather than endure what he despised even more—consummating the marriage—he would rather see what kind of extraordinary woman this "Empress," whom the Empress Dowager decreed must be from the Mei family, truly was—someone who desperately wanted to be Empress while also being involved with his uncle!
Little Li hurried off to Weiyang Palace as commanded.
---
At that moment, Mei Shuang was despairingly holding her head when she suddenly heard a commotion of footsteps approaching from a distance.
Startled, she immediately stopped crying, hastily wiped her face with her sleeve, and gritted her teeth against the pain as she leaned against the cold wooden railing to stand up shakily.
Just as she got up, the footsteps drew near. Accompanied by the crisp sound of hairpins clashing was a low voice speaking humbly,
"In this icy weather and such a filthy place, please do not offend His Sovereign's dragon eyes, Empress; please watch your step..."
Sovereign?
Empress?
Mei Shuang was taken aback.
What were they doing here in the dead of night?
Without having time to think, as she turned the corner, her vision suddenly cleared with the appearance of several eunuchs holding red silk lanterns.
The eunuchs moved quickly, stopping just three or four meters away from Mei Shuang, and then they stood on either side, bowing their heads in silence.
Mei Shuang, already dressed in thin clothing, couldn't help but shiver.
Immediately after, a young man clad in a bright yellow dragon robe with a black cloak and a woman wearing a phoenix crown and a bright red palace dress appeared one after the other.
She held her breath, her eyes wide open; in front of this god-like young man, her gaze felt somewhat dizzy.
Beneath the golden crown was a sharply defined face, with features that seemed sculpted—his eyebrows arched elegantly, his nose high and straight, his lips well-defined, and those deep black eyes resembled cold stars in the dark night.
Needless to say, this dazzling man before her was none other than the newly crowned ruler of the Great Qin Empire, Xiao Luo, whom she had just worshipped moments ago. He was also the Lord Luo mentioned by her maid Sugar, who had defended the borders for years, undefeated in battle and instilling fear in neighboring states.
At this moment, he stood about ten feet away from Mei Shuang, hands clasped behind his back, exuding an arrogant posture. His powerful aura and stern expression were like a millennia-old glacier, making Mei Shuang feel an immediate chill.
It is said that good men do not fight with women! The moment she saw the man before her, Mei Shuang recalled her swollen and painful face. While she secretly scorned him in her heart, she couldn't help but look down on him.
However, his overwhelming presence made her reluctant to maintain eye contact. Her gaze shifted to the woman in the bright red palace dress beside Xiao Luo—her half-sister Mei Ru, who had almost taken her life with a dagger moments ago. Now she stood beside Xiao Luo in splendid attire, exuding grace and elegance.
Comment 0 Comment Count