Consort Li, after leaving the Cold Palace, discovers even more unusual things.
The next morning, after the snow had cleared, the sunlight shone on the snow, reflecting a dazzling white light. I was awakened by Ya Huan's knocking on the door. Her voice, coming through the door, was filled with familiar joy: "Sister A Zhao! Get up quickly, Consort Li is about to depart!"
I hurriedly dressed and opened the door to find Consort Rong standing in the courtyard, holding a brocade box containing a handkerchief embroidered with orchids that she had worked through the night to complete. "I... I was afraid I wouldn't make it in time, so I finished it last night," she said, her fingertips still stained with traces of unwashed embroidery thread, her eyes slightly bluish. "Could you take a look and see if it looks good?" I took the box. The orchids on the handkerchief were lifelike, the stitches finer than before. But for some reason, the pattern on the edge of the handkerchief was exactly the same as the peach blossom handkerchief she had given me last time—even the tiny marks of mistakes and alterations were identical.
“It’s beautiful, Consort Li will definitely like it,” I handed the brocade box back to her, deliberately ignoring the eerie resemblance, and pulled her towards Consort Li’s courtyard. On the way, we encountered Consort Su, who was carrying a food box containing freshly warmed osmanthus cakes: “These are for Consort Li to take on her journey; the road to the palace is long, and I’m afraid she’ll get hungry.” I glanced at the osmanthus cakes in the box; they were cut into diamond shapes, each with three whole osmanthus flowers—the shape and number of flowers were exactly the same as the osmanthus cakes we had eaten together three days ago, as if they had been carved from the same mold.
The courtyard of Consort Li was already filled with people. The Empress Dowager Xian was holding her hand, giving her some instructions, her eyes reddening. Ya Huan held a large grass butterfly and stuffed it into Consort Li's hand: "Your Highness, this is for you. Look at it when you miss us!" Consort Li took the grass butterfly, nodded with a smile, but her eyes were red: "I will. In a few days, I will send someone to pick you up to come to the palace to play."
As the farewell procession departed from the Cold Palace, a trail of footprints was left in the snow. But after only a few steps, I looked back and saw that the footprints had vanished without a trace, as if we had never set foot on that snow. Ya Huan noticed as well and whispered to me, "Sister A Zhao, where did the footprints go? Did the wind blow them away?" I was taken aback and was about to explain when Consort Su spoke first, "It's normal for the wind to be strong after a snowfall. Let's hurry on, don't keep Consort Li waiting." Her voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable air of authority. Looking at her profile, I suddenly noticed that the jade hairpin she was wearing today was exactly the same as the one the Empress had worn during the last search—even the tiny crack at the tip was still there.
When we reached the palace gate, Consort Hui and Qin Lan were already waiting. Behind her was a sedan chair with a lotus-colored curtain embroidered with lotus scrolls. "Let's go, be careful on the road," Consort Hui said, holding Consort Li's hand, her eyes full of worry. "The palace is not like the Cold Palace; be careful in everything you do." Consort Li nodded, turned and hugged each of us. Finally, she accepted the brocade box from Consort Rong, and when she opened it, her eyes were filled with surprise and joy: "Thank you, Consort Rong, I will keep this safe."
As the carriage slowly moved away, Ya Huan chased after it for a few steps and shouted, "Consort Li! Remember us!" Consort Rong stood beside me and whispered, "Will she... will she come back?" I patted her shoulder and was about to say "yes" when I suddenly noticed that the carriage wheels had not left any tracks on the snow—it was as if the carriage was not traveling on the snow, but floating in the air.
After seeing Consort Li off, we sat in the courtyard of the Dowager Consort Xian, eating osmanthus cake. The Dowager Consort Xian suddenly said, "Remember this time last year? We were eating osmanthus cake together. Back then, Consort Li was still worried about her father's case." My heart sank—at this time last year, according to the timeline, Consort Li hadn't been banished to the Cold Palace yet, so how could she be eating osmanthus cake with us? Consort Rong and Ya Huan, however, didn't seem to find anything amiss, nodding in agreement: "Yes, Ya Huan even smeared some osmanthus cake on Consort Rong's face back then!" Ya Huan laughed and said, "No way! Consort Rong accidentally got it on herself!"
As I watched them chatter and laugh, the osmanthus cake in my hand suddenly lost its flavor. And there was something even stranger—I clearly remembered that I had pickled winter plum blossoms with snow water with Consort Rong just yesterday, but now the winter plum tree was still lush and leafy, not a single petal missing; the stone mortar that Consort Su used to pound medicine yesterday still had bits of herbs left in it, but today the mortar was as clean as if it had never been used; the pot of weeds in the courtyard of Consort Xian, I clearly watched it grow from sprouting to half a foot tall, but now it looked like it had just sprouted, tender and fresh, with a few dewdrops on it.
In the afternoon, I went to the Imperial Kitchen to deliver empty food boxes. Passing the Laundry Bureau, I overheard two palace maids gossiping: "Have you heard? The maid who was punished by the Empress yesterday is gone this morning. They say she's 'redeemed herself and left the palace.'" The other maid shook her head: "It's not that easy. I think… sigh, I won't say anymore, lest someone overhear." A thought struck me. I remembered what the guard had said yesterday—that the maid had been punished and sent to the Laundry Bureau—but today she'd "redeemed herself and left the palace." This was too suspicious—it was as if something had been deliberately erased.
When I returned to the Cold Palace, Consort Rong was learning the pipa, with Consort Su sitting beside her instructing her. I went over and saw that Consort Rong was playing "Spring River Flower Moon Night," but she had only learned the first half, yet today she could play the whole piece, and the fingering, rhythm, and even the occasional pauses were exactly the same as when Consort Li played it last time. "You... when did you learn this?" I couldn't help but ask. Consort Rong was stunned for a moment, then whispered, "I... I don't know, it seems... it seems like I already knew it."
As dusk fell and the sun set, I sat under the small peach tree in the corner of the yard, watching the light and shadow on the snow gradually dim. Anomalies washed over me like a tide—repeated objects, vanished footprints, contradictory timelines, a song I'd inexplicably learned… I knew something was wrong, but I still didn't want to wake up. Even if it was a dream, even if this beauty was unreal, I wanted to linger a little longer, to savor this warmth a little longer.
Consort Rong came over and sat beside me, handing me a cup of warm winter plum tea. "It's getting cold; have some tea to warm yourself up." I took the teacup; the fragrant aroma was so comforting. "When do you think Consort Li will come to see us?" she asked softly, her eyes full of anticipation. I looked at her profile and smiled, saying, "Soon. As soon as spring arrives and the peach blossoms bloom, she'll come." She nodded, a faint smile playing on her lips, like a winter plum blossom blooming in the snow, warm and beautiful.
At night, I lay in bed, clutching the orchid handkerchief Consort Rong had given me. The beeping of the heart monitor echoed in my ears, clearer than before. I knew the dream was about to end, but I still held the handkerchief tightly, closed my eyes, and silently prayed: Wait a little longer, wait for spring to come, wait for the peach blossoms to bloom, wait for Consort Li to return… I wanted to see spring in this cold palace one more time, to feel this warmth once more.
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