Gu Jiangli waited at Jinghe Palace until the moon rose before taking out the gift.
The emperor wasn't in a hurry, because Gu Jiangli said that this thing would only be effective if it was taken out after dark, so he hadn't urged him.
Jinghe Palace gradually became dark and gloomy.
The emperor then spoke: "Isn't it time?"
Gu Jiangli mysteriously opened the box she had brought, revealing the full appearance of the item.
"A... lantern?"
The emperor looked the unremarkable lantern over from all sides. The lantern was perfectly round and had no opening at the top.
Apart from that, he did not see anything particularly different about it.
He waited for Gu Jiangli to explain the mystery behind it.
"Your Majesty, please take a look."
Gu Jiangli didn't say much, but instead showed it through his actions.
She grasped a small clasp on the right side of the lantern with her hand, then gently pulled it out, revealing a piece of pure black paper stained with ink.
As the black paper was pulled out, a soft yet bright light instantly filled the entire room.
The light suddenly shone on the emperor, who instinctively frowned and tried to raise his hand to shield his eyes.
But he was soon stunned into silence by the scene before him.
"This is..." The emperor's voice was very soft, as if he were talking to himself.
He looked up at the surrounding walls, where tiny specks of light, like countless stars, were scattered across the walls and beams.
He stood at the center of the light source, as if he were in a dazzling galaxy.
The Jinghe Palace's sleeping quarters, which were originally pitch black, were now shrouded in scattered light and shadow.
Beautiful, dazzling, and captivating.
The emperor gazed up for a long time, lost in the beauty of the scene, without uttering a word.
After a while, he finally spoke, his voice gentler than he himself had ever realized: "How... how did you do that?"
Gu Jiangli sat to the side, resting his chin on his hand, not admiring the beautiful scenery in the room, but rather admiring the emperor's face.
Hearing the emperor's question, she answered casually, "It uses the principle of shadow puppetry. The lantern is lined with a layer of completely black paper, and I have poked holes in the paper. After the light shines through those tiny holes, it forms these scattered spots of light."
"To ensure the light shines evenly on every part, I modified the lantern into a complete circle. Also, ordinary Xuan paper is too soft, so I glued several layers together, and it took a lot of effort to poke holes in it."
"Because it's a sealed enclosure, a candle can't illuminate it from inside, so I coated a piece of jade with glow-in-the-dark powder."
Gu Jiangli recounted her experience of making the gift, then asked, "Your Majesty, do you like it?"
The emperor withdrew his gaze from the beautiful scenery and looked down at Gu Jiangli, who sat expectantly in the chair.
He didn't answer Gu Jiangli's question, but instead asked, "Why do you do this?"
"Your Majesty may not wish to see fire, but you should at least see the light."
The emperor's eyes flashed, and even his breathing became heavier.
"Why didn't you advise me to overcome the fire? Why did you have to resort to such a clumsy and time-consuming method?"
Gu Jiangli hadn't expected the emperor to ask her that. After a moment of silence, she answered solemnly:
"Your Majesty, not all fears should be overcome; they can be replaced with something better."
"Like now, you don't see the firelight, but you are still surrounded by light, isn't that enough?"
"Not all fears in this world need to be overcome. For example, I have been afraid of insects and snakes since I was a child, so I deliberately avoid them, but I do not demand that I overcome this fear."
"Because besides insects and snakes, there are many beautiful things worth seeing."
"Therefore, Your Majesty is the same."
The emperor stared at her for a long time without saying a word.
Her bright eyes shone brighter than the stars in the room; one could easily be captivated by them if not careful.
The long, cold night suddenly felt incredibly warm.
Unbeknownst to him, his heart, which had been frozen for so long, had opened a tiny crack, one that had never been opened before, under the shroud of the stars.
A soft light shone in silently.
Seeing that he remained silent, Gu Jiangli did not ask him further whether he liked the gift.
He was so engrossed in watching it just now, it's impossible that he didn't like it.
She stood up, intending to take her leave.
"Your Majesty, the gifts have been delivered, and I shall take my leave now."
The emperor hesitated for a moment, then spoke softly, "Is it your true feeling? Or is it just another feigned retreat?"
Gu Jiangli smiled faintly and asked in return, "Does Your Majesty wish to keep me here?"
The emperor was silent for a moment, then said, "It's dark on the road to Jinghe Palace. Let's go tomorrow."
Gu Jiangli raised an eyebrow, his smile deepening. "Thank you for taking me in, Your Majesty."
————
The next day.
The emperor did not wake her up during the morning court session, but Gu Jiangli woke up on her own.
She groggily saw the emperor's back as he tilted his head back and drank a bowl of medicine.
She suddenly remembered the eldest princess and that young prince. After much deliberation, she decided she still had to remind the emperor.
"Your Majesty, did the Princess come to the palace yesterday to pay her respects?"
The emperor turned around, already wearing a magnificent crown, which added a touch of brightness and beauty to his pale face.
He stated frankly, "No, she entered the palace to see the Empress Dowager."
Gu Jiangli's heart sank.
This younger sister clearly doesn't get along with her brother.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have come up with such an absurd idea as putting her son on the throne.
"Does Your Majesty understand your sister? For example, what kind of person is the Eldest Princess, and does she harbor any other ambitions?"
The emperor's gaze sharpened. "Why do you ask that?"
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