"Then let's say it once more, shall we? I want to hear you say it, all right?"
The old emperor held her hand and gave it a gentle shake, truly like a child.
Glancing at him helplessly, the empress nodded softly.
"Add a fraction, and she is too tall; subtract a fraction, and she is too short. Powder her, and she is too pale; rouge her, and she is too red. Her brows are like kingfisher feathers, her skin like white snow; her waist like a bundle of silk, her teeth like shelled pearls. With one radiant smile, she bewilders the old capital of Yang... Among all beauties beneath heaven, none compares to the one before my eyes. Might I know whose daughter this young lady is?"
The emperor recited.
"Lecher! Look at my sword!" Smiling in her eyes and brows, she parted her crimson lips slightly. Her slender fingers came together within her sleeve, forming a sword gesture as though she meant to strike.
"I understand now—you were descended from a military family!" The emperor threw back his head and laughed, utterly delighted, without a trace of gloom.
Her eyes grew hot. The empress lowered her gaze, her lips trembling slightly, as though she wanted to say something.
"Boom—"
"Crack—rumble—"
Several bolts of white lightning flashed outside the hall in succession, followed by rolling thunder, as though enormous millstones were grinding across the roof.
Each peal of thunder seemed to strike straight into their hearts, shattering the warmth and peace that had once drifted through the hall.
The empress had wanted to say something, but she gradually fell silent as well.
Breaking free of memory meant still having to face the present. The emperor pondered for a long while before sighing. "In the blink of an eye, I have