Feng Guang was unaware that her situation had caused a misunderstanding. She ran out of the bamboo forest and wandered through the palace walls. When she realized she was lost, she also remembered that the box of jewelry that Baili Min had given her was also left in the bamboo forest. That box of jewelry... it was probably half of her divorce settlement. She felt even more aggrieved for no reason.
She pondered whether she should find a palace maid or eunuch to guide her or point out the way back to the East Palace, but she didn't know what remote place she had wandered into. She looked around but didn't see a single living person. Now it was getting late, and the night wind was blowing. She rubbed her arms and felt a chill in the air.
She thought for a moment and decided to follow her memory back. Just as she turned around, she heard footsteps behind her.
Feng Guang didn't dare to turn around. She clasped her hands together and silently murmured "Amitabha" several times...
"Crown Princess?" an aged voice tentatively rang out.
She swallowed hard, bracing herself mentally, and slowly turned around. She saw an elderly man dressed in dark clothes, standing in the shadows, his face obscured. She cautiously asked, "Who are you?"
“This old servant has forgotten; the Crown Princess does not remember this old servant.” The old man stepped out from the shadows and bowed. “This old servant’s name is Yi Su, and I am the gatekeeper of this Cold Palace.”
She was surprised. "Is this the Cold Palace?"
The old man humbly replied, "Indeed, has the Crown Princess taken the wrong path again?"
"Well..." she said somewhat embarrassedly, "Um... did I often get lost before?"
"This old servant still remembers that the first time the Crown Princess came to the Cold Palace, it was because she got lost. It was because of this that the Crown Princess got to know this old servant." The old man smiled faintly, seemingly quite nostalgic.
Although the old man always referred to himself as "this old servant," Feng Guang saw no trace of servility in him. On the contrary, she could faintly sense an extraordinary air of elegance about him. She asked, "Are you the gatekeeper of the Cold Palace? Are you guarding those outside to prevent them from entering, or are you guarding those inside to prevent them from leaving?"
"Both."
Feng Guang looked around but didn't see anyone else. She wondered, "Are you the only one guarding the Cold Palace?"
"But in this area, there is only this old servant."
After asking so many questions, Feng Guang suddenly realized that she was asking them for no reason, so she asked again, "Could you tell me how to get back to the East Palace?"
"The road to the Cold Palace is quite difficult to walk. This old servant will take the Crown Princess out of the Cold Palace first."
"Alright."
The old man nodded slightly. "Please come with me, Your Highness."
Feng Guang followed beside him, observing the old man discreetly. She sensed a faint scholarly air about him, unlike the subservient servants in the palace. Rather than a gatekeeper, she preferred to believe he was a retired high-ranking official.
As they walked quietly, the old man seemed to sense the unease in her heart and asked, "Where did the Crown Princess go just now? Why were there no palace maids with her?"
"His Majesty summoned me, and then I was taken by a dog named Tiger Bites to a place called Emerald Bamboo Pavilion..."
"So it was Cuizhu Pavilion. No wonder the Crown Princess walked into the Cold Palace in a panic."
"Do you know about Cuizhu Pavilion?"
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