After the performance, Emperor Huan pushed the puppet in his hand into the Empress's arms, then took her hand and led her into the depths of the curtain.

That night, the phoenix and the dragon were in perfect harmony, filled with boundless love. But when the Empress awoke from her deep sleep, she touched the side of her pillow and found that Emperor Huan was nowhere to be seen.

She put on her robe, got up, and without shoes, passed through the screen and curtain, silently walking to the place where the puppet show was performed during the day.

Emperor Huan is here all alone.

The Empress concealed herself behind a curtain, only able to see his profile. He was looking down, gently stroking something; upon closer inspection, it was nothing more than a puppet. The puppet resembled a woman, dressed in plain clothes, with a radiant smile on her face.

It's really nothing out of the ordinary.

The Empress stared, mesmerized. Only when a soft song rose in her ears, like mist, did she suddenly snap out of her reverie.

Emperor Huan lowered his gaze, manipulating the puppet. His lips moved, singing a Su Bai melody whose meaning she couldn't understand. But she could clearly see the deep longing and sorrow in his eyes.

That was an expression he had never given her in nearly ten years of companionship.

She couldn't help but wonder: In those ten years, did he spend every night alone, singing a Suzhou folk song, longing for someone she didn't know?

That person wore simple clothes and spoke Suzhou dialect; unlike her, who always wore colorful clothes and only spoke Mandarin. She and that person were so different that she realized he couldn't forget someone like that.

But when did his heart, which he had clearly placed with her before, quietly slip away?

When did he and she begin to drift apart, their relationship turning sour and their animosity growing?

She quietly retreated to her bedside, listening to the faint singing, and tossed and turned all night.

six

The weather was getting colder and colder. On the night the first snow fell over the imperial city, Emperor Huan ordered people to burn charcoal braziers and incense burners in the waterside pavilion so that he could watch the snow while performing plays.

The pavilion overlooks a large excavated lake, where most of the densely planted reeds have withered. But as snow falls layer upon layer, under the moonlight, it appears as if reeds are in full bloom.

The Empress arrived uninvited, and three of the reed mats on the four sides of the waterside pavilion were lowered, leaving only the one facing the lake rolled up. If viewed from a distance across the water, only the Emperor and Empress appeared inside the pavilion, drinking wine together, with a wisp of warm smoke rising beside them—a scene of perfect harmony, more beautiful than any painting of a couple.

The Empress was slightly tipsy, her face flushed. She rested her chin on her hand and suddenly said, seemingly casually, "A few days ago, I heard what sounded like Su Bai's singing at night. Was that Your Majesty singing? Would Your Majesty please sing it for me again?"

The emperor paused in his tossing of the wine glass and said calmly, "The empress has misheard."

Even if I misheard, and my eyes darted around, could Your Majesty not sing me a song in Suzhou dialect?

Emperor Huan glanced at her lightly: "It's just a country tune; how could it be worthy of the Empress's ears?"

The Empress smiled slightly, lazily rising as if to leave. One hand already grasping the reed mat, she suddenly turned back, her voice soft: "Your Majesty, this is the first time you've refused me. Is it worth it for a song of Suzhou dialect?"

Emperor Huan took a small sip of wine, then smiled and said, "Is this the first time? Yes, I used to be completely obedient to you, Empress." He then changed the subject and said sarcastically, "But what have I gained? If I remember correctly, Empress, you used the power I gave you to imprison me in this palace, making me subject to the orders of you and your father."

The blush faded instantly, and the Empress's face turned pale, her hands trembling uncontrollably.

Emperor Huan was different tonight, but she couldn't care less. He still had a smile on his face, extremely bright and extremely ironic, and she dared not look directly at that smile, just like when she first turned her back on him, listened to her father, replaced his close attendants, and imprisoned him in the palace.

I remember back then, he turned his face slightly to the side, his eyes revealing nothing unusual, but he smiled and said to her: I didn’t know the Empress had such a bad memory. She forgot everything she said not long ago.

In truth, she had never forgotten. But how could she tell him? Having followed her father's example since childhood, she was ultimately so much like him, believing that one must firmly grasp what one cares about in order to keep what one doesn't want to lose by one's side. And her life was so long and so vast; how could love alone be enough to fill those ever-growing desires?

She didn't know how to answer then, and she still didn't know how now. She could only quickly turn her head away, lift the curtain, and leave.

Only Emperor Huan remained in the waterside pavilion. His smile vanished abruptly, and he sighed softly, rubbing his brow.

He was indeed a bit anxious tonight.

But, after all, it was almost time to meet.

As if to confirm his thoughts, the lake water, which was almost frozen under the dense reeds, rippled slightly, and suddenly a splash revealed half of a person's body!

In the light of snow and moonlight, this person floated on the water, seemingly unaware of the cold. And his face was clearly that of Jiang Wei, the puppet troupe leader who had been beaten to death.

He didn't die!

He swam a little closer to the waterside pavilion, but did not go up. When Emperor Huan bent down and pretended to break off a reed, he whispered: "All the work is ready, and we are just waiting for Your Majesty's order."

Emperor Huan lowered his voice: "Control the harem." He then said no more.

After Emperor Huan took a reed, the person who had been floating on the water had silently returned to the bottom.

Emperor Huan knew that Jiang Wei would quietly go to a place in the palace where neither he nor the Empress would go. No one would know who he was anymore, because Jiang Wei had been beaten to death. How could a dead man still be alive in the palace, existing in the shadows where few could see him?

The reason Jiang Wei was instructed to deliberately break palace rules and fake his death was to use him to send messages and carry out the pre-planned scheme step by step. No matter how hard the Empress and the Prime Minister investigated, they could never have imagined that a dead person was orchestrating everything.

The reed in his hand was suddenly snapped, and Emperor Huan released his grip.

The gentle breeze gradually picked up, and the reeds on the lake rustled softly.

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