The days turned to weeks. Murong Jin did not see Xue Liulan, nor did any decree come to punish Guo Lingyu.
The palace whispered. The Emperor doted on Consort Guo; the Empress had fallen out of favor. Zhaoyang Palace, though still the residence of the Empress, had become a cold palace in all but name.
"Let them talk," Ning Bi said, stabbing her needle through the embroidery. "Our Emperor isn't that kind of man."
Murong Jin stared out the window, lost in thought. "Then what kind of man is he?"
A month without setting foot in Zhaoyang Palace. Every night spent with Guo Lingyu. Her hand tightened on the windowsill.
"Your Majesty, Eunuch Ding is here."
Little Dingzi ran in, kneeling. "Greetings, Your Majesty."
"Rise." She smiled. "What brings you here on such a cold day?"
"Your Majesty, the Yang family of Huaying has sent new tributes. The Emperor ordered this servant to bring them to you."
Murong Jin looked at the young eunuch behind him, holding a red lacquer tray covered with yellow silk.
She lifted the cloth. She scanned the contents, then turned back to Little Dingzi. "Is this everything?"
He froze, stammering.
"I asked you a question." Her voice dropped, cold as the winter air.
Little Dingzi's knees gave way. "Your Majesty… Consort Guo… she looked at them first."
"You let a consort choose first?" Ning Bi scolded. "Have you lost your mind?"
"I… I…"
"The Emperor let her choose, didn't he?" Murong Jin picked up a box of rouge, examining it.
"Yes," Little Dingzi whispered.
"Get up."
He stood, stealing glances at her. She was expressionless, turning the box over in her hands.
The silence in the room was deafening. Ning Bi and Little Dingzi exchanged worried looks.
Finally, Murong Jin set the box down. "Send it all to Consort Die."
"Yes." Little Dingzi was baffled. The Empress loved Yang family rouge. Why give it all to her rival?
"And tell them to prepare a horse for tomorrow. I'm going out to see my father off to Wuchuan." She lay down on the couch, turning her back to them.
In the Imperial Study, Xue Liulan held a small porcelain jar he had palmed from the tribute before Guo Lingyu could see it. Yinghong.
Yinghong blooms once every five years. A promise of reunion. It was their secret. Even in this play, he dared not break it.
"Did she say anything?" he asked lazily as Little Dingzi returned.
"Your Majesty, the Empress ordered everything sent to Consort Die." Little Dingzi grumbled internally. Abandoning your wife for a new consort… and you can't even give her the first pick of the rouge? No wonder she's angry.
"Is that all?" He picked up a memorial. He knew she would notice the missing Yinghong. She probably thought he had given it to Guo Lingyu.
"She also said to prepare a horse for tomorrow morning."
"A horse?" He dropped the memorial. "She has a carriage. Why a horse?"
Little Dingzi stared. Why was the Emperor so agitated?
Is she planning to ride back to Wuchuan? The thought terrified him. Knowing her temper, she just might.
"To Zhaoyang Palace." He stood, ready to storm out.
Little Dingzi scrambled to follow. But halfway down the corridor, Xue Liulan stopped dead. Little Dingzi nearly crashed into his back.
Twilight was falling. The winter air was biting. Xue Liulan stood motionless in the corridor, silent.
After a long time, he turned back. "Return."
Little Dingzi, utterly confused, followed him back to the study.
"Prepare a sedan chair for the Empress tomorrow."
The eunuch looked troubled. She wants a horse, you want a sedan chair. I'm going to get it from both sides.
Xue Liulan smiled. "Just do it."
The next morning, Murong Jin stood at the palace gate, dressed in riding gear under her fox-fur cloak. The wind was sharp.
A sedan chair, carried by four bearers, stopped before her. Little Dingzi stepped out.
"I told you to prepare a horse," she said, frowning.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor ordered a sedan chair." He looked helpless.
"What is this?" She scoffed and turned to leave.
"Your Majesty!" He blocked her path. "The Emperor said… if you look inside, you will understand."
She paused, suspicious. She walked back to the chair and lifted the curtain.
It was empty, save for a small white jade box on the seat. Yinghong.
"The Emperor said, if Your Majesty understands, please get in. General Murong is waiting."
She picked up the box. The jade was warm, as if it had just left his hand.
Her anger vanished, replaced by a knowing smile. No matter the distance, he remembered their promise.
From behind a pillar, Xue Liulan watched her get in. When the wind lifted her cloak, revealing the riding gear beneath, his heart clenched.
"This slave greets the Emperor." Guo Shangzhong's voice.
Xue Liulan smoothed his expression into a lazy smile. "Rise, Eunuch Guo."
Guo Shangzhong stood, glancing at the empty road where the sedan chair had disappeared.
"How goes the task I gave you?" Xue Liulan asked, ignoring the eunuch's probing gaze.
"It is done. Consort Guo is very pleased."
"Good. As long as my beloved concubine is happy." He stared at the endless white snow. Beneath the pristine surface, how much filth was hidden?
The sedan chair stopped near the city gate. Murong Jin walked the rest of the way.
Murong Yan stood by his horse, his face grim. She stood silently beside him, watching the sun rise through the winter mist.
"Jin," he said suddenly, his voice cold. "Come back to Wuchuan with me."
She turned, surprised. "Father?"
"Staying here will destroy you. Leave Jindu. Leave him." His eyes were filled with a resolve she hadn't seen in years. "I was wrong."
"Wrong to let me marry him?" She tilted her head, smiling.
"Wrong to let you marry into the imperial family." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Empress Murong was right. The palace destroys the daughters of our clan."
She thought for a moment. "If it were anyone else, I would mount my horse and ride with you this instant."
"But it is Xue Liulan."
"So I must wait until the dust settles. Then I will come to see you." Her voice was gentle. The general's fire was still there, but motherhood had softened her.
He sighed. "Jin, he is breaking your heart."
A month of neglect. Letting the new consort run the harem. Everyone could see it. Guo Lingyu had overstepped her bounds, challenging the Empress at every turn.
She smiled. "Father, I believe the clouds will part and the moon will shine."
"You…" He dropped his hand helplessly. "You are just like your aunt."
Empress Murong? She smiled. Perhaps the waiting heart was the same. But she would not end her life in silence.
"Father," she said, serious now. "If one day I tire of this palace life… will you take me away?"