In the cold palace.
Whether it was because of the lingering chill of spring or the overwhelming yin energy of the Cold Palace, while everywhere else flowers were in full bloom and larks were vying for warmth, the Cold Palace seemed to remain in winter. Apart from the occasional white cloud drifting past the towering walls, only the green moss in the shadowy places showed any signs of life.
The old woman guarding outside the Cold Palace was dozing off, her hands clasped together against the stone drum. If you got closer, you could hear her snoring.
When Shen Mingzhuang approached, the old woman was still fast asleep. It was only after Man Huan coughed loudly several times that she woke up.
"Oh God, oh God!"
The old woman, perhaps having a strange dream, was startled awake and immediately clasped her hands together in prayer before Shen Mingzhuang and his group.
Man Huan then rebuked in a deep voice, "How dare you! Your Majesty the Empress has spoken again! How dare you be so disrespectful?"
The old woman finally stopped, blinked her eyes as if she had just woken up from a dream, her eyes widened, and she hurriedly knelt down: "Aunt Manhuan, Your Majesty the Empress, it was this lowly servant who was careless and offended Your Majesty. Please punish me, Your Majesty!"
Man Huan looked at Shen Mingzhuang, waiting for her signal.
Shen Mingzhuang found it quite interesting to hear the old woman mention Aunt Manhuan. She wasn't a rigid or inflexible person, and she was inherently quite impatient with these formalities and rules. She waved her hand dismissively, "There are very few people coming and going here, so it's only natural for you to doze off. But the more you take things lightly, the more likely they are to cause problems. You should be more attentive. If something serious happens one day, it won't be so simple."
The old woman nodded repeatedly. Seeing that she was still standing there without moving, Man Huan frowned and said in a deep voice, "What are you still standing there for? Open the door!"
The old woman was taken aback upon hearing this, and a troubled expression appeared on her face.
"Your Majesty the Empress..."
Seeing her dawdling, Man Huan couldn't help but feel annoyed. "What, even the Empress can't come here?"
The old woman hurriedly smiled and said, "That's not true. It's just that the Empress Dowager said before that no one is allowed to enter or leave the Cold Palace without her order."
In other words, this was an imperial edict issued by the Empress Dowager.
However, Shen Mingzhuang did not expect that Yin Rong, who was now lying on her bed half-dead and unable to speak, still had such great prestige in the harem. It was clear that she had established her authority in many ways and left a deep impression on people.
"So, nowadays, do you all have to report to the Empress Dowager on everything in the inner palace?"
The old woman was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and struggled with herself for a moment.
If I open the door, I will inevitably offend the Empress Dowager. But the Empress Dowager is now just a living dead person. If I offend her, so be it. But the Empress is someone that His Majesty cherishes and is in charge of the Phoenix Seal of the Inner Palace. If I offend her, I'm afraid I'll lose my head!
After weighing the two options, the old woman obediently took out the key and unlocked the door.
With a creaking dragon's roar, the door opened, separating the Cold Palace from the outside world into two distinct realms. It carried the stale, decaying scent of years past and made way for the passageway.
Man Huan supported Shen Mingzhuang as they walked inside, their faces full of vigilance.
Over the years, she had stayed in the palace and heard many strange and unusual stories about it. Thinking about it, she couldn't help but say to Shen Mingzhuang, "Your Majesty, please be careful. I heard people say that there are hardly any people coming and going in the Cold Palace. Almost no one who goes in ever leaves. The Cold Palace is filled with resentment. Those with weak wills often go crazy in the Cold Palace. There was a palace maid who went in to deliver food before and got her face scratched."
As Shen Mingzhuang listened, he couldn't help but feel a little frightened. Walking in the already desolate Cold Palace, he felt a chilling wind blowing straight down his neck.
She used to love reading ghost stories, and hearing Manhuan say this, she immediately had a vivid image in her mind.
This harem contains not only the concubines abandoned by Jiang Wang, but also those of the late emperor. Those women are now only around forty years old, and most of them are probably still alive.
"Don't talk nonsense."
Fearing that Man Huan might say something else that would disrupt her composure, she whispered a rebuke.
Manhuan could see that she was a little scared, so she didn't dare to continue. She just didn't know why her mistress would think of coming to the Cold Palace. The Cold Palace was more interesting to come to in the hot summer. It must be more refreshing than an ice basin.
As Shen Mingzhuang walked, he suddenly heard a scream coming from his right front. The scream was extremely shrill, as if something terrifying had happened. Just hearing the sound sent chills down one's spine and raised goosebumps all over one's body.
The group stopped in their tracks. Man Huan's palms were sweating as she looked at Shen Mingzhuang, almost begging her to go back.
Shen Mingzhuang held his breath, seemingly paying close attention to the commotion over there.
This cold palace is dilapidated and overgrown with weeds. Every now and then you can see broken earthenware pots lying to the side. There are also some flying insects in the grass. I wonder what's in that knee-high grass.
Shen Mingzhuang wanted to take a deep breath, but the air in the cold palace seemed to carry a rotten smell, which made her very uncomfortable. She rubbed her chest and felt a little better.
"Why don't we send someone to check what's going on over there?"
Man Huan boldly made the suggestion.
Before she could finish speaking, the old woman who had opened the door for them said, "Your Majesty, you need not concern yourself with her. That is Consort Xiao, the late Emperor's concubine. She lived in that room before she was deposed..."
The old woman seemed to have a story to tell, but she stopped abruptly after only starting to speak.
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