Two large boxes were carried into the hall. Zishu, Ziyan and several palace maids went forward to open the boxes. Queen Jing'an also stood up and walked closer to look at the two boxes.
One box contained fabrics and ready-made garments, as well as some small embroidered items like round fans and purses. Inside another box were several smaller boxes, each containing a set of jewelry or individual pieces of unique jewelry, as well as some small ornaments.
Touching the silky, smooth Suzhou embroidery in her hands, Empress Jing'an finally smiled. They say daughters are like sweet little cotton-padded jackets, and Jinyi is even more so than the others. Looking at the two boxes of clothing, Empress Jing'an felt playful and ordered, "Move them all to the bedroom. I want to try them on one by one."
Then the costume show began, with clothes and jewelry constantly changing. She was wearing a bright red Hanfu costume and accessorizing it with ruby jewels. She was standing in front of a tall bronze mirror, looking at herself, when she heard the eunuch's announcement outside: "The Emperor has arrived."
The others knelt and saluted. Empress Jing'an turned and smiled at the Emperor as he entered, stopping him at the doorway in astonishment. The chief eunuch, skilled at reading expressions, looked up at the Emperor and Empress and, with a glance, signaled the other palace attendants to quietly withdraw, leaving only the Emperor and Empress alone in the bedroom.
The emperor paused for a moment and then reacted. He walked quickly to Queen Jing'an, held her hand and said, "Fang Ting, I felt like I saw a fairy concubine just now." After that, he hugged Queen Jing'an again and said nervously, "Don't go, I can't live without you." This was the first time that the emperor did not say "I". He seemed to feel that Queen Jing'an was about to leave.
Embraced, Empress Jing'an nodded silently, saying nothing. Lately, she'd begun to see modern life again, as if in a dream. In her dreams, she looked like the Emperor's Song Ning, accompanying her day in and day out, constantly calling her modern name. She had a vague feeling that she might soon return to the modern age, and that once she did, she'd never be able to return.
During dinner, the eighth prince also came, but was sent away early by the emperor after dinner.
At night, the emperor fell asleep with Queen Jing'an in his arms. In a state of half-sleep and half-wakefulness, he seemed to have come to a different world.
He saw his younger self sitting in a black box moving at an extremely high speed, and he couldn't help but follow it. He finally followed the person to the door of a room, and upon entering, he saw the young Empress Jing'an sleeping on a small bed. He hurried forward, wanting to understand what was going on, but at that moment, the image before his eyes disappeared.
With a flash, the emperor opened his eyes, moved his body and felt that his arms were still around Queen Jing'an. The emperor's uneasiness finally subsided. Then he hugged Queen Jing'an tightly and looked at her without blinking until Zhou Defa called him to court outside. Then he rubbed his eyes and stood up.
After leaving Fengyang Palace, the emperor did not go to the Yangxin Palace, but to the Tianji Palace. In the main hall of the Tianji Palace lay a skinny man, unable to stand up, but his eyes were bright as he stared at the Buddha statue in the hall.
Looking at the monk on the ground, the emperor asked uncertainly, "Is this Master Yuan Wu?"
Zhou Defa, who was following the emperor, quickly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Approaching the monk, the emperor asked, "Reverend Monk, I dreamed of a different country last night. It seemed there were people like me there, and there was also a queen. Do you know what this means?"
The monk chanted a Buddhist name: "Amitabha, donor, if you practice more benevolent policies to benefit the people, you will achieve your wishes." After saying this, the monk closed his eyes and stopped breathing.
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