Imperial Palace
Night had deepened. The sky was like a curtain, with sparse cold stars appearing and vanishing. Most of the palace halls had extinguished their lights, leaving only scattered palace lanterns swaying in the wind.
The weather had turned cold. Though night had only just fallen, the wind already carried a biting chill. A palace maid shivered and frowned, hastily moving to lower the curtains when she heard a sound.
"Your Majesty?" Xiaojing, the maid who attended the Empress closely, suddenly heard something. Looking over, she discovered that the Empress, who had already gone to bed, had risen.
The Empress had always retired at a fixed hour, An. What was wrong today?
Xiaojing hurried over, draped a cloak over her, and asked, "What are your orders?"
"I will walk around the hall by myself. You need not follow." The Empress spoke blandly, her long hair loose around her shoulders. This was not unprecedented; even those of high station needed time alone to quietly sort through their thoughts. The palace maids all acknowledged the order.
Wearing only her inner robes and with her beautiful hair hanging loose, the Empress left her bedchamber and slowly paced through the hall like a wandering ghost.
The palace lamps glimmered faintly within the hall. Wind blew outside, and moonlight spilled in. She walked by herself until she reached the hall doors, where she gazed at the sky beyond, lost in thoughts unknown.
After standing there with An quietly for a while, she turned back inside. Even if she was merely clearing her mind, she could not catch a chill. In this age, that could truly be dangerous.
The secret chamber was in the side hall, and only she and several trusted confidants knew of its mechanism.
Her fingers lightly pressed the mechanism, twisting it