The light before his eyes gradually faded, and as A-Ling watched the group of people slowly disappear, he couldn't help but shout frantically:
"Don't close the door, don't close the door..."
Please, I beg you.
Darkness is a breeding ground for fear. All sorts of negative emotions quietly seeped out from the quiet corners, creeping up my itchy back and down my spine. Ah Ling felt a chill run through her body. I opened my eyes wide in the darkness, my body tensing as if I were being choked.
The sensation of that hand suddenly became clear, and the torment that could not be relieved by touch was magnified infinitely.
I'm scared...
Fear overwhelmed everything; fear is the most genuine emotion; fear is the fragility of the human heart.
Unable to live, unable to die.
During this long period of torment, A-Ling's eyes gradually dimmed.
The following year, the Changming Palace was built in the palace.
It is called Changming Palace because it is lit up all year round, whether it is morning or night.
Being a servant in Changming Palace was very hard work. Everyone's shoes had thick, soft pads on the soles, so they had to move very quietly and always maintain the presence of the people inside.
The Changming Palace has the most capable servants, the most lavish favors, and the most bizarre formalities.
Therefore, everyone in the palace knew that it was special because it held a unique position in the monarch's heart.
Hong-ge neither knew nor could he guess who lived in Changming Palace.
I watched as arrows flew past me, piercing the city on the other side, causing a silent commotion.
The restlessness of the heart.
Arrows can wound the body, words can wound the heart. Wounding the body is not the goal, but wounding the heart is.
The cryptic text hidden in the crumpled paper at the end of the arrow, between the lines, tells of my broken heart and my faith...
And love.
What people seek is only reason.
What my heart desires, there is still a sacrifice to be made.
Natural disasters struck, public resentment boiled over, war broke out everywhere, and a tragic song of chaos filled the air.
Suddenly, everything seemed to become clear.
After getting drunk again, Hong Ge rushed into the pouring rain and cried out in anguish at the empty, desolate field:
"Heaven knows my heart, and will eventually give me justice. Ah Ling, can you see it?"
A-Ling's eyelashes trembled slightly. I was being held in the monarch's arms, looking at the characters that had been copied on the table. Suddenly, a glimmer of light appeared in my hazy eyes, as if I could really see them.
"I used to despise people like you, so self-righteous, spouting nonsense and lecturing me. I ascended the throne at eight and listened to this nonsense until I was sixteen. Eventually, I got so angry that I chopped off your heads and burned them all along with all the books I was forced to read as a child." The monarch slowly whispered in my ear, "But after I saw you that day, I inexplicably started to miss that scholarly atmosphere. If all those old fogies were like you now, so obedient and well-behaved, with such a handsome and likable face, then perhaps I really would be a good emperor in your eyes."
I sighed, feeling utterly lost...
The nights are ever bright in Changming Palace, but the government is hard to govern in Qinzheng Hall.
The mountain of memorials ultimately failed to rouse the emperor's restless heart.
As I myself have said: I am not a good emperor in the eyes of the people. Self-awareness is a virtue, but sometimes self-awareness is hard to change, and this applies to emperors as well. I want to be myself freely and unrestrained, but I am an emperor, the Son of Heaven in the hearts of the people. Life and death, capture and cruelty, are all decided in a single thought; they are human actions, not the will of Heaven.
I stood atop the high city tower, witnessing the desolate sight of the collapsing edifice.
It was night, and the imperial city was in ruins, deserted. Only the Changming Palace was still lit.
There is always a place in people's hearts where they seek warmth and light, a place that shines brightly even in a secluded corner.
An arrow was nailed to the city wall, and a blood-stained cuneiform inscription fluttered in the wind. I reached out and tore it off, then, by the faint light of a nearby fire, read it word by word.
Perhaps it was because I spent so much time with A-Ling that the flowing prose became so clear and elegant, devoid of any obscurity. The emotions expressed so directly resonated with me like a morning bell, striking a chord deep within my soul, making me want to applaud.
With such talent, I suppose I'm coming back to fetch you.
How ironic. The first time in my life I've ever finished reading an article with a lingering aftertaste was an article denouncing the one that threatened my life.
The Changming Palace is finally going to truly shine.
I shouldn't have left you in the darkness, so you should go back, and I should leave too.
That blood-written letter, along the city wall, swayed gently in the wind.
A-Ling shuddered and groggily opened her eyes. Suddenly, she found herself surrounded by complete silence, with only the faint flickering candlelight. The oil was almost gone, and it was still dark.
I rushed over in a panic, shielding the lamps with my hands, while sobbing softly.
When it was almost finished burning, I suddenly seemed to remember something, and I ransacked the room, dragging out all the papers I had used for copying and frantically throwing them into the brazier.
The flames immediately blazed brightly.
Don't let it die...
I burned them one by one, burning everything to ashes.
After the last piece of paper was thrown into the brazier, the door opened, and a gust of cold wind blew in.
As the sparks scattered, those beautiful memories returned with the ashes.
END
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