The sky was gloomy, the air damp and cold. It felt like a snowstorm was brewing.
"Are you done yet? You're so slow! It makes no sense to have the lady wait on the street. What would people say if they saw this! If we miss the appointed hour at the palace, can you bear the consequences?"
Chun'er rubbed her hands together, stomping her feet in anxiety.
"Almost done, almost done!"
The carriage driver squatted by the wheel, his hands never stopping for a second. 'Who could possibly bear the risk of decapitation?'
A cold wind gusted down the street, seeping into her collar. Liang Wan pulled her cloak tighter and glanced around. There weren't many people, just a few scattered street vendors.
She pulled Chun'er over and turned her back to the street. "Scolding him is useless. We just have to be patient."
It was New Year's Eve, and before she even had a chance to eat, someone came with a summons for her to enter the Imperial Palace.
Chun'er was anxious, but Liang Wan was even more so!
Last time, a Palace Attendant had merely played a single wrong note before the Emperor struck their head from their shoulders with his sword. The head, gushing blood, tumbled down and rolled right to her feet, splattering her face with blood.
The thought made Liang Wan shudder. She was terrified!
The bitterness in her heart grew heavier.
When she left, she had clearly seen her husband personally carrying ginseng soup into Qing Yue's room.
Qing Yue had just given birth, and her body was weak. She needed to recuperate.
Unlike her. She had taken so many contraceptive draughts that her body was ruined; she was destined to be childless for the rest of her life.
Of course, even if her body hadn't been ruined, she wouldn't have been allowed to have a child. The Emperor summoned her from time to time; how could she dare make him wait ten months?
Liang Wan's heart ached with suffocating grief.
She still remembered the first time she was ordered to the palace. Her husband had gripped her hand tightly, vowing that even if it cost him his fortune and his life, he would never let her be humiliated!
But how could an imperial decree be so easily defied?
Her life was already hopeless, but how could she bear to implicate her husband and Lady Jun?
Back then, when she was cast out of her family home, it was her husband who had kindly taken her in and cared for her. He hadn't even minded that her body had been defiled by another, and had married her.
Now, Lady Jun was growing old and her health was failing. Her husband's career was finally taking off, and his mother was counting on him to bring honor to their family so she could enjoy her final years in peace. How could Liang Wan repay his kindness with malice, bringing the disaster of execution upon them by defying an imperial decree?
At first, Lady Jun hadn't understood, thinking it an honor to be summoned to the palace. But later, after hearing the many rumors, she had wept and wailed, trying to force her husband to divorce Liang Wan. But he, the filial son, had threatened to take his own life rather than obey.
In the end, her husband had to compromise, agreeing to marry Qing Yue.
"My Lady?"
Liang Wan snapped back to her senses and saw the carriage driver and Chun'er looking at her in confusion.
Chun'er repeated, "The carriage is fixed."
Liang Wan quickly lowered her head, her voice a little hoarse. "It's so cold. Let's go."
Just as she took a step, there was a SPLASH from behind. A bucket of water was thrown at the spot where she had just been standing, narrowly missing her.
"Are you blind?!"
Chun'er stormed furiously toward the woman holding the wooden bucket.
The woman, stunned for a moment, bowed and gave an awkward smile. "I didn't see you. I'm so sorry!"
"There's a whole person standing right there and you didn't see her? Who do you think you're fooling—"
"We're going to be late. Let's go!"
Seeing the growing crowd of onlookers, Liang Wan just wanted to leave.
Chun'er fumed, "She clearly did that on purpose!"
The long-eaved carriage set off again, disappearing into the thin mist.
On the side of the street, a neighbor craned their neck. "Auntie, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"
Her intention exposed, the woman looked a little embarrassed. She glanced sideways at the Red Apricot Building. "I saw her standing by the door and thought she was one of those people from in there. On New Year's of all days, what bad luck!"
The neighbor clicked their tongue. "Look closer! That's the First Beauty of our Jinye City! What are you talking about, 'one of those people'!"
"What?" The woman was shocked, and her expression changed instantly. "She's that— Ptooey! That harlot!"
The door was slammed shut with a loud BANG, the sound echoing down half the street.
*
They rushed all the way, but by the time they reached the entrance of Chunhua Hall, they were still late. Liang Wan's heart was pounding with panic as she forced herself to step over the threshold.
Inside the dazzlingly bright hall, the usual scene of music, dance, and celebration was underway.
Liang Wan took only a single glance before lowering her eyes and trying to slip unnoticed toward the back of the crowd.
"Liang Wan."
A voice, neither loud nor soft, suddenly spoke. The great hall fell silent, and Liang Wan's heart sank.
The Emperor propped himself up, squinting in her direction. His voice was lazy. "You've come so many times. How is it you still don't understand the rules?"
Liang Wan's face went pale, and she moved to kneel and beg for forgiveness.
The Emperor's gaze was cold and heavy. "Are you not coming over here?"
Liang Wan dragged her heavy feet forward.
'It's the New Year's Eve banquet, and every seat is filled. Is he going to... in front of everyone?'
Just the thought of it made her whole body tremble uncontrollably.
The Emperor glanced at her trembling sleeve. Understanding dawned on him, and he let out a low chuckle.
"Aren't you the First Beauty of Jinye City? Why don't you take off your clothes and let everyone judge if you live up to the name?"
Liang Wan felt as if she had missed a step and fallen into a bottomless ice cavern, the chilling cold dragging her down into the abyss.
Before the Emperor could even give the order, people rushed forward and began to tear at her clothes.
Liang Wan shoved desperately at the people in front of her, clenching her jaw and not making a sound.
In the Imperial Palace, crying for help was useless. There was not a shred of assistance to be found.
But how could one person's strength match that of four or five people?
The Emperor's eyes were fixed on the person struggling furiously in the center. He frowned slightly, watching silently, waiting quietly.
Liang Wan was thrown to the ground.
The sharp, piercing sound of tearing brocade...
*
"Ptooey! On New Year's of all days, what terrible luck!"
As night fell, two eunuchs dragged a rolled-up straw mat, cursing under their breath as they walked. A startling red trail stretched out longer and longer behind them.
The little eunuch glanced at the arm that had slipped out from under the mat and asked in surprise, "Isn't she the wife of the Assistant Minister of the Secretariat? We're just going to dump her like this?"
"Hmph. Wasn't she given to His Majesty long ago? Otherwise, how do you think Cui Hao entered service, got promoted, and even managed to marry the young lady from the Marquis Mansion?"
"No wonder! How could a mere commoner like him rise so quickly through the ranks in the Imperial City!"
"Exactly. He even had the gall to tell His Majesty himself how... *fun* his wife was to play with!"
"Tsk. The Liang Family is also a renowned and noble clan. Don't they care?"
"You don't know? She lost her virtue before marriage and was kicked out of her family home long ago. That's the only reason Cui Hao got so lucky. Otherwise, when would it ever be his turn to marry a young lady from a scholarly family? And he certainly wouldn't have been able to achieve a meteoric rise by offering up his wife!"
"Sigh. Some people just have all the luck..."
"This is far enough. Let's just dump her here."
"Alright. Let's hurry back. It's starting to snow, and it's freezing!"
With a release of their hands, the worn mat fell open, revealing the naked woman inside. Blood flowed endlessly from the lower half of her body.
Cui Hao.
Liang Wan could not open her eyes.
'If there is a next life, I will make sure you all die a horrible death!'
From the pitch-black sky, snowflakes began to fall.
A figure arrived and stood still for a while. He took off his white robes to wrap the body, then began to dig with his bare hands, inch by inch. A searing liquid fell into his palm, the only warmth in this world of ice and snow...
The sorrowful notes of a xiao flute, like sobs swallowing grief.
In the vast, falling snow: one person, one flute, one lonely grave.